tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62150286554383094412024-03-14T00:43:44.015+05:30MusingsManoje NathManoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-57194762017547326842024-02-06T13:36:00.005+05:302024-02-06T13:36:22.365+05:30 The Metaphysics of Politics <div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In individual political events one begins to perceive the eternal verities of life. In wake of the return of the native the mystical couplet which says, “Where does my mind find infinite bliss? Like the proverbial bird, it takes flight from the deck of a ship only to return to the ship”, came unbidden to my mind. The stream of association flowed unabated, like a river in spate. An insight of rare vintage dispelled the dialectical darkness (does <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>metaphysical disquisition automatically generate alliteration?) and all was light. Gautama, the Buddha, one of the greatest of men in the Indian tradition described himself as Tathagata. The word Tathagata admits of two meanings, depending on which way you de- couple the word. Read as Tatha-gata it would mean “thus he has gone”. But as tatha-agata the meaning would change “thus he has come”. Arrival and departure, coming and going, these are all tricks played by the illusory nature of our perception. Great leaders are beyond the tawdry records kept by political innkeepers. Those who are wise could foresee the event foretold. It was the veil of Maya which hid this fact from our eyes.</div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-42917310536936942072024-01-06T12:56:00.000+05:302024-01-06T12:56:00.661+05:30बैठे ठाले। ( व्यंग्य ) मिल गया है कोड़ा ,बस चाहिए जीन लगाम और घोडा <div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बैठे ठाले। ( व्यंग्य )</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मिल गया है कोड़ा ,बस चाहिए जीन लगाम और घोडा </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मैंने कथा , कहानी , किस्से, काल्पनिक उपन्यास , आदि पढ़ना बहुत पहले छोड़ दिया है. दिल बहलाने के लिए मैं अक्सर उच्च सरकारी पदाधिकारियों या अपने प्रिय राजनेताओं द्वारा घोषित निजी संपत्ति का व्योरा देख लेता हूँ. एक पुरानी फ़िएट मोटर कार ११०० स्क्वायर फ़ीट का एक फ्लैट , पत्नी के ११२ ग्राम के सोने के जेवर , बैंक में ६४०२ रुपये , हाँथ में ८९९ रुपये की नकदी। यह सब पढ़कर मुझे वही आनंद सस्ते में प्राप्त <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>हो जाता है जो अन्य लोगों को क्रिएटिव फिक्शन पढ़ने से होता है. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> बैंक से पैसे लेकर उड़नछू हो गए महान विभूतियों की सूची का नियमित पाठ करना भी मुझे बहुत भाता है.ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी में लूट ,पाट, शोषण , धोखा धड़ी से अकूत धन कमाकर कंपनी बहादुर के लोग इंग्लैंड में बाकी जिंदगी नवाबों की शान शौकत से गुज़iरते थे। हमारे उद्यमियों द्वारा अंग्रेज़ो द्वारा स्थापित इस महान परम्परा के निर्वाह से मुझे बहुत प्रसन्नता होती है पर उस लिस्ट में किसी बिहारी का नाम न देखकर मैं बहुत हताश हो जाता हूँ। न जाने मुझे ऐसा क्यों ऐसा लगने लगता है कि ब अक्षर ही अभिशप्त हैं। ब से बेवकूफ, ब से बुड़बक,बांगड़,बकलोल, बलबल ,बताह , बउल, बौड़ाह , बकचोंधर , बम्बड़, बुद्धू, बैल, और भी बहुत सारे विशेषण हैं जिनकी चर्चा यहाँ नहीं की जा सकती। दुर्भाग्य से ब से बिहार भी होता है। अतः वाणी और वांग्मय में प्रचलित धारणाओं में बिहार के साथ ये विशेषण भी जुड़ गए। ब से बकरी भी होती है. बिहार के बारे में संभवतः सबसे सभ्य और गैर अपमानजनक उक्ति है कि बिहारी बकरी की तरह निरीह और सीधे होते हैं। मैं अपने शोध से इस निष्कर्ष पर पहुँचा हूँ कि बिहारी और बकरी इन दो शब्दों के युग्मिकरण का श्रेय बहुत हद तक , एक और सिर्फ एक विद्यालय को जाता है. इस विद्यालय के पास आउट दुनिया भर में अपने अपने क्षेत्रों में शीर्षस्थ पदों पर हैं। सही मायने में वे बिहारी एलीट हैं. परन्तु एलीट की भी एक सनक होती है. सबसे अलग दिखने की। अभी हाल में इसी विद्यालय के ऐसे दो मित्रों ने मुझे एक महानगरी में वहां के सबसे अच्छे क्लब में रात्रि भोज पर आमंत्रित किया। हम कुल छह जने थी , हम तीन और हम तीनों की पत्नियां। पर रह रह कर उस पॉश क्लब में भी बकरी बाजार में बैठने का आ भास होने लगा। ये दोनों बंधु जीवन भर " मैं " बोलने के लिए कृत संकल्प हैं । हम लोग कभी कभार मौके की नज़ाकत देखते हुए बिहारी ‘हम’ की मर्दानगी को छोड़ " मैं " का लबादा भी ओढ़ लेते है , पर यह पूर्ण रूप से तात्कालिक व्यवस्था होती है. इन कुलीन बिहारियों की गर्दन पर आप तलवार भी रख देंगे तो ये मैं -मियाते ही रहेंगे। अब अगर आप आरा के हैं , या दरभंगा के हैं ,या वैशाली, छपरा, सहरसा, जहानाबाद के हैं तो आप कितना भी यत्न कर लें , आप के "मैं" के पीछे का झांकता हुआ टोनल इन्फ्लेक्शन - रेघाना , र और ड़ का भेद भाव मिटाना , बिहार से अपनी दूरी बनाने के लिए स का परित्याग करके श के शरण में चले जाना - आप की पोल खोल देगा। एलिट की बात तो छोड़ ही दीजिये , स्नॉबरी उनको शोभा देता है , ये साले टूट पूंजिये बिहारी भी देश के कोने कोने में रिक्शा ठेला चलते हुए ये नवाबी शौक पाल लेते हैं. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> आज से बीस पच्चीस तीस साल पहले की बात है. मैं अपनी पत्नी एवं बच्चों के साथ दिल्ली एयरपोर्ट बहुत देर रात गए फ्लाइट से उतरा। उतनी रात को मैं अपने किसी मित्र या परिजन को डिस्टर्ब करना उचित नहीं समझा। दिल्ली एयरपोर्ट पर उस कड़ाके की ठण्ढ में बहुत मनुहार करने पर एक टैक्सी मिली. बीच रात में ड्राइवर ऊँघ न जाय इसलिए मैंने आगे की सीट पर बैठ कर उससे बात चीत का सिलसिला शुरू किया। लिहाज़ा मेरा पहल प्रश्न था कि उन्होंने दिल्ली पर उपकार करने के लिए किस ग्राम , नगर , राज्य को सूना किया है. जैसे ही उन्होंने मुंह खोला बिहारीपन की चिरपरिचित गंध हवा में तैर गयी हांलाकि उन्होंने इसपर पश्चिमी उत्तरप्रदेश का इत्र छिड़क कर मुझे भरमाने की कोशिश की थी . एक बिहारी दूसरे बिहारी को कुत्ते की घ्राण शक्ति से सूंघ लेता है क्यूंकि हम कही भी जाँय हमारी अंडरडॉग की विरासत छाया की तरह हमारे साथ चलती है. बिहारी भाई का बिहारीपन अचानक खुल कर सामने आ गया जब हौज खास के पास गाडी लगभग उछल पड़ी. क्षमा याचना के स्वर में उसने कहा, "का करें सर, सरक बहुत ख़राब है. " एयरपोर्ट पर मुझे बाहर तक सी आई एस ऍफ़ पदाधिकारी गण छोड़ने आये थे इसलिए उसे ये मालूम था कि मैं कोई हैसियत वाला आदमी हूँ वर्ना गाडी पटक कर भी माफ़ी कौन मांगता है? बहर हाल मैंने मौका ताड़ा और उसे धो डाला। " बिहारी बहुरूपिये , ये तो बताओ कि तुम दरभंगा , मधुबनी , सहरसा कहाँ के हो।" व्यंग्य वाणों से विद्ध सम्पाती तुरत धरती पर आ गिरा। मधेपुरा जिला के सिंघेश्वर थाने के गम्हरिया गाँव के रहने वाले भोला राउत ने उस दिन आधी रात में अपनी पूरी आत्मा कथा सुना डाली। </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">, ब से बकैत भी होता है और बिहार भारी बकैत होते हैं। यह पोस्ट किसी और आशय से लिख रहा था और क्या क्या कह डाला। मूल मुद्दे पर मैं अब आ रहा हूँ. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बिहार में एक तालाब की रातों रात चोरी हो जाने की घटना से आह्लादित होकर मैंने अंग्रेजी में फ़ेस बुक पर एक पोस्ट लिख डाला। "A bridge was stolen in Bihar . Now a pond has been stolen too. Wait till we steal a whole ocean so that we become a coastal state and then our economic growth would be unstoppable. We are almost there . "</div><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="😀" class="xz74otr" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tce/1/16/1f600.png" style="border: 0px; object-fit: fill;" width="16" /></span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="😀" class="xz74otr" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tce/1/16/1f600.png" style="border: 0px; object-fit: fill;" width="16" /></span><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> मैने सोचा था साल के अंत में ऐसी धमाकेदार खबर से हम बिहारियों का मनोबल बढ़ेगा और अपने सुनहरे भविष्य के प्रति आस्था जागेगी . लेकिन अधिकांश पढ़े लिखे लोगों की प्रतिक्रिया देखकर बिहार की बदहाली का राज़ समझ में आ गया. कई लोगों ने बड़ी ही कुटिल , व्यंग्यात्मक शैली में कुछ कुछ लिख डाला। हम बिहारियों को धनोपार्जन के इतिहास के बारे में कुछ खास नहीं मालूम है। असल में बिहार का यह भी दुर्भाग्य रहा है की बुद्धसे लेकर गाँधी तक जितने इस किस्म के महापुरुष हुए हैं उन्होंने अपने आड़े टेढ़े आईडिया को टेस्ट करने के लिए बिहार को ही चुना. कोई अहिंसा की बात करने लगा , कोई सहिष्णुता ,कोई संतोष की। नतीजा यह हुआ कि विश्व के सबसे महान चिंतक पियरे जोसेफ प्रूदों द्वारा दिए गया मूल मन्त्र All Property Is Theft पर कसी का ध्यान ही नहीं गया ।</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> बिहारी बुद्धू हैं इस बात का इससे बड़ा प्रमाण क्या हो सकता है पूरा बिहार आई ए इस / आई पी एस / आई आई टी जैसे मरीचिका के पीछे भागता रहता है। इतना टैलेंट किस काम का जो सिर्फ , कुली कबाड़ी , आई ए ऐस , आई पी ऐस निर्मित करे लेकिन एक नीरज मोदी , माल्या , चौकसी , पारेख नहीं पैदा कर सके? इनमें से एक- एक हज़ारों आई ए एस और आई पी एस को मुनीम , कारपरदाज़ की तरह बहाल कर सकता है. नैतिकता के कुछ ठीकदारों ने धनोपार्जन के सबसे कारगर तरीको -चोरी चकारी -के खिलाफ ऐसा माहौल तैयार कर दिया कि लोग इस मामले में पिछड़ गए। मेरे एक पुराने शिष्य है , उनकी वर्दी उतर गयी लेकिन सेवा निवृत्त हो जाने के बाद भी चोरी भ्रष्टाचार का जिक्र होते ही वो "जागते रहो" की टेर लगाने लगते हैं. देर आयद दुरुस्त आयद। यह बात बिहारियों को समझ में आ गयी है कि धन सम्पदा एकत्रित करने का एकमात्र जरिया है चोरी।. लेकिन बिहार का दुर्भाग्य है कि बिहारियों की टांग बिहारी ही खींचते हैं। रेल लाइन की चोरी, पुल की चोरी ,तालाब की चोरी आदि खबरों पर इतनी हाय तौबा मचती है कि बेचारी नव उद्यमियों का मनोबल टूट जाता है. आप मेरे पिछले पोस्ट को ही देखिये बहुत लोगों ने अपने हर्षोल्लास को इमोजी के माध्यम से व्यक्त किया वहीँ कुछ लोगों ने बिहार के नैतिक स्खलन पर बयान दे डाला। </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बहुत पहले किसी मनीषी ने बिहार की बदहाली का सबसे सटीक कारण बताया था, बिहार एक लैंड लॉक्ड राज्य है, तटीय राज्य नहीं है . इसकी गरीबी को इसका भाग्य समझकर स्वीकार करना होगा. जिस तरह भगीरथ स्वर्ग से गंगा लाये थे कुछ बिहारियों ने क्रूर भौगोलिक नियति से निबटने का संकल्प लिया है कि वे अपनी उद्यम से इसे तटीय राज्य बनाकर दम लेंगे. ये छोटी मोटी चोरियां उसी महत प्रयास का हिस्सा है , ड्राई रन. हमारे बिहारी भाई इसी आशय से मुंबई , चेन्नई , विजयवाड़ा , कोच्चि आदि जगह पर लाखों के संख्या में चुपचाप कार्य रत हैं। एक दिन जैसे तालाब गायब हो गया मुंबई का अरब सागर नखोज हो जायेगा। गंगा को हमने नमामि करके पटना से दूर भेज ही दिया है , मरीन ड्राइव बनकर तैयार है , चौपाटी , जुहू पर पागलों की तरह भीड़ लगाने वालों की फ़ौज बहाल हो गयी है. अब बस बम्बई के अरब सागर को पटना के मरीन ड्राइव के किनारे लगा देना है। अब वो दिन दूर नहीं है. पटना मुंबई होगा। मिल गया है कोड़ा, बस चाहिए जीन लगाम और घोडा.</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-17741990457633553662023-11-23T20:45:00.004+05:302023-11-29T12:05:41.658+05:30 THE BIHARI : A SUCKER FOR SEASONS <div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The Bihari : A Sucker For All Seasons </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">V S Naipaul in his Nobel Prize address observed that his novel The Mimic Men was not about mimics, it was about colonial men mimicking the condition of manhood, men who had grown to distrust everything about themselves. It shows how the powerless lie about themselves, how they lie to themselves about their own condition because lying is the only resource that they can command. The fact of the matter is that Bihar has been <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>reduced to a colony for the rest of the country , catering to its burgeoning needs for cheap, uncomplaining labour .It brings up the bottom of any index of development and prosperity and yet the only way Biharis can rid themselves of their shame and ignominy is through fantasy. Bambai Mein Ka Ba, a dramatised rap , is our own version of The Mimic Men. In a classic case of lying to oneself about one’s own condition , a migrant sniggers at Mumbai for its mean, brutish life by making wild claims of prosperity and bluster of well-being that the migrant Bihari has left behind in his native Bihar . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKQlxa50GOE&fbclid=IwAR3A559kx43jQhZ0eab8bp5VIoiuabFGu7LnEroOTyda7GzwU7ob-pw-v9Q" rel="nofollow noreferrer" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKQlxa50GOE</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">But it is not only the powerless in Bihar who thus cope with conditions of poverty , mal development and lack of job opportunities . Even governments wedded to the concept of social justice, enjoying absolute power for more than three decades , are no less prone to fantasy and filibustering; by quoting figures to prove Bihar is doing just fine, thank you very much. I know I can be beaten down on figures , electricity, roads , hospitals , social empowerment, quality education are all available to the Biharis in some cuckoo land . But figures can be fudged , figures can be debated , inflated , manipulated , so let us deal with the corporeal , concrete facts- the plight of migrant labour from Bihar .The issue is topical, several Biharis are trapped in the tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Uncertainty and vulnerability are the foundations of all political power: it is against those twin, vagaries of the human condition, against the fear and anxiety that they tend to generate, that the modern state promises to protect its subjects through planned strategies of economic growth . It is this promise that commands its citizens’ obedience and electoral support and keeps faith in the democratic hypothesis alive . For more than thirty years , Governments committed to social justice have been winning the trust of its voters with the same regularity as it has been betraying their trust in it ability or willingness to create avenues for employment. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">According to an informed estimate close to two million Biharis migrate to distant states because of poverty and lack of opportunities. The last time I checked up, in the after math of Covid the only working data available were the NSSO figures up to 2007/8 as later figures were yet to be sanitised . Biharis don’t even constitute real numbers , they are imaginary numbers . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Seasonally Biharis travel – are transported like human cargo in overflowing trains- to every nook and corner of the country to satisfy the demands of the labour markets. Biharis are game for any job, from the most menial and hazardous to most intellectually demanding , because beggars cannot be choosers. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">On a recent visit to Kashmir I found a Bihari selling golgappas at Betab valley in distant Pahalgam, another one was there, manning an ice cream cart near the Dal Lake in Srinagar . On a visit to the High Altitude War School, Gulmarg, I ran into some one who suspiciously liked look a Bihari because of his Khaini break . I fell back from the team that was escorting us to the museum to confirm my suspicion . He was indeed from Bihar and ,what cut the knife closer into the flesh , he hailed from a place which must be 15 20 kilometres from Ara which is where I come from .He was part of a detail which was stocking up constructions materials and other stores and supplies , preparing for the snow bound winter in coming months . I congratulated myself on my ability to spot one of my own kind from a distance – an underdog sniffing the presence of another underdog . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> These human flotsam are in a continuous state of drift, they can be found all over the country . Wherever cheap and uncomplaining labour is required you will find Biharis in great demand . With such uniform distribution all across the country the law of probability ensures that whenever man made crisis or natural calamity strikes , it is bound to claim a couple of Biharis. Later in the evening at Srinagar , during the course of dinner I learnt that sometime back somewhere near Gulmarg four people were struck by lightning, one of them was a migrant labour from Bihar. They have been coming here , for the last several years and even the worst phase of terror held no terror for them. They are just everywhere , like hardy weeds, who will not die of sheer hard times , no matter how hard .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">These waifs are victims of double jeopardy . Left out of the scope of state provisions at both ends – the “source” and the “destination” they discovered this to their horror during the nation-wide lockdown in wake of Covid 19. It was the moment of truth for the migrant workers. Suddenly so much indispensable manpower which had kept the mighty heart of Indian urban conglomerations beating became not only so much disposable waste but it was felt that it was dangerous to have them around. The much awaited state intervention for planned and regulated movement - either by the host States, home State or the Central government – was too little and too late in arriving . Staying put meant starvation and worse as all modes of affordable travel were suspended . So hordes and hordes of them chanced their luck and took to desperate measures of going on their own .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheprint.in%2Findia%2Fwill-live-on-salt-up-bihar-migrants-refuse-to-return-to-cities-say-were-disowned-by-them%2F415516%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2p8Jemsxmf_hqAgWHc5Z_xE5rBLLcoHIB40PGVqLCgNvgxPkfr1q4SAns&h=AT1v7MEC-0lcmrn7osP3SsbHjgTQfPObp63Uvp9PadPfn1lEpPKWb9bb95JYId2wHrHrgRcqFPzcyRlyu6tD3oFGahNtzFY6hYCOb1dayE4w-WAfgIcAsPCfY1ievCxq1g1QUycLPg&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT3RTkh4cQxxR02fdWZoNjxlRihI0qVyrLJ14iJItf2_tWzcQqBpUaLnkzMsLCa_WkavMzOKx0Q96Y2GFcZOsnITkzJ6mfxMi8aObDU1JCq2vwAR1gT0dAFDLKJmhADvHkw4H8dJrFTdDwIn48YF-RZ8vg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://theprint.in/.../will-live-on-salt-up.../415516/</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Thus began the long march, the kind that even us old timers had not seen . On occasion these migrants undertook a journey of 2000 kilometres on foot . There were epic stories of determination and filial devotion, like this girl carrying her father on her bike all the way to Darbhanga from Noida . In conditions of complete moral melt down and social chaos we came across demeaning stories of Biharis afflicted by hunger, of being reduced to mendicants on people’s charity . The media had a feast of its lifetime reporting on migrants’ plight, degradation and stories of suffering . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Layer after layer of the vestment of Bihari pride frayed, became a patch- work of rags, until the migrant labour crisis blew away even the fig leaf and Bihar stood in its entire nakedness and vulnerability . But the very next season Bihari migrant, dusted and done up , was yet again ready to be carted to those heartless lands which had discarded it earlier as objects of urban consumption which was past the use by date. Of course this time round they were escorted in airconditioned buses , some tasted the thrill of air travel for the first time. But again without any guarantees, without any insurance against such contingencies !The the lessons were learnt and forgotten quickly by all concerned- the victim , the callous employer , and the care- do - little supplier of cheap labour . The history of this infamous episode is written in invisible ink . ( Excerpted from a long writeup )</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-52606775921260138472023-09-30T19:13:00.001+05:302023-09-30T19:15:34.768+05:30<div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Sharing an old article which was published in Sunday Observer and Times of India, more than twenty five, thirty years ago. Video cassette recorders were quite the rage in those days as this article reminds me.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Revenge Now Reason Later</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The office going creature, a <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>sub-variety of the species Homo Sapiens,is seriously disjointed during long vacations. His biological clock, attuned as it is to the office- lunch- home- office syndrome becomes seriously flawed, once this routine is interrupted for any significant periods of time. He falls into a time warp where time seems to have been eternally dilated. Condemned to sit it out he keeps re-examining his watch, looking for signs of disrepair. By training and temperament, he becomes accustomed to spending the best part of his day working in the office which consists of creating more work for everyone around up and down. The emptiness in his life can be peopled only with files, endless palaver and gossip about matters concerning this activity. Leisure is something he has not learned to cope with. No wonder extension of service is so much coveted for its own sake in government circles.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks to my children, who are keen video buffs, I was obliged to sit through two full-length Hindi films recently. The films were so similar in theme and content that all I have retained about the viewings is an undifferentiated . impression of blood and gore ,and a gloomy feeling that society is somehow coming unhinged.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Inddrajeet and Pratikar, the two films in question, had rape and revenge ( as the wages of the above act) as their theme. Rape and murder are not unfortunate calamities that affect the even tenor of life in these films. They are the normal common, workaday activities of young men who have nothing else to do by way of a vocation.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The norms of a civilized society and the appurtenances of the law-enforcing machinery are depicted on screen only to emphasize that they have become totally effete and irrelevant. In fact, the two films depict the police as accomplices, even active perpetrators of crime.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Cinematically, we have traveled far from the days when the cop chased the criminals and the heroine, and the audience empathized with every bit of his adventures. In a curious reversal of roles it is the police who must also be vanquished in order to ensure that the wheels of retributive justice travel full circle. The established apparatus of the law can no longer be relied upon to secure justice.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In Indrajeet the action proper begins only after the hero, Amitabh Bachchan, has hung up his gloves after a long and distinguished service in the police force. Impatient with colleagues who connive with evil doers, he also invites the hostility of a powerful politician criminal combine. Along the way he acquires an orphan whom he has brought up as his own daughter.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Indrajeet’s past deeds-trying to fight crime et al haunt his present. The gangster police combine abet the rape and murder of his daughter and also the killing of his son-in-law. Indrajeet’s effort to secure justice are bound to fail because of the obvious-police indifference. He then sets about clinically and methodically eliminating the assailants. In the last scene with upraised hands, he remonstrates on the propriety and ethical validity of his deeds with god himself and God himself appears to be on a sticky wicket.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In Pratikar the foster-mother-teacher (Rakhee), demands that her foster son, Krishna (Anil Kapoor) finish off the rapists and killer of her daughter. The long lost son of the heroine makes an appearance as a police officer in the latter part of the film. He becomes an impediment in the execution of the designs of Krishna as he would like the law to take its own course. But soon the police officer son throws away the fig leaf of pretence and enthusiastically joins in the murder and blood letting of the rapist murders. The not so subtle message is that the police, howsoever well intentioned, just cannot deliver the goods.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The standard finale to the films of former times, in which the police appeared in the last scene to collect the debris and escort the criminals to the doghouse has also been dispensed with. Are we to presume that society no longer believes in the efficacy, utility or validity of the legal system?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The police of course has been the butt of many a joke. Inefficiency occasional deviations from sobriety and a marked tendency to have their palms greased were accepted and well recognized stereotypes. But relief and redressal were still obtainable from the force at some level or the other. And if things got a bit too tangled the dependable and incorruptible CBI chap could be relied upon to make a dramatic entry and flash his I-card just when it seemed that all was lost. The audience could leave the theater satisfied and reassured at the affirmation of the victory of good over evil the law above the lawless.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">It is this familiar sense of the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness that seems to have dissolved over the years. With brutal and inexorable logic these films demonstrate the inadequacy of the legal method. The overdose of violence in intent in gestures and in deeds has a curious nihilistic tinge. The ethical dilemma is resolved, if at all, in favour of untrammeled violence.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">These exaggerated themes of revenge and reparation have been with me ever since I saw the two films and I have been turning them repeatedly in my mind seeking the springs of their motivation; investigating the source of their visceral appeal on the masses; trying to piece together the logic of vendetta.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Are the films unrealistic and grossly exaggerated examples of ritual violence or do they in fact, reflect what is taking place all around as? After all art-even such an unashamedly escapist art form as commercial cinema-must draw its sustenance its themes and experiential content from life. The continued success of such films at the box office does indicated a strong measure of audience support. This has dangerous implication. As John Ruskin once remarked “Tell me what you like and I’ll tell you what you are”</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One can, indeed visualize many scenarios where macho male posturing and senseless violence on the silver screen melts into the real thing mass killing of innocent railway passengers, pilgrims or down-town shoppers. To by standers, they may appear as acts of senseless insane violence but somewhere, some group or the other is bound to claim responsibility for these killings, dubbing it as an act of revenge against injustice.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Streets reverberate with the call to the faithful to vindicate and avenge a wrong done unto them in historical time . Every available square inch of wall space in cities and villages is taken up with scrawling vows to build the temple at the designated place. Policemen and their relatives are bumped off for alleged excesses; Sikhs perish in pogroms calculated to display the adoration felt by followers for a slain leader. All of us are on a tight schedule, duty bound to seek revenge or reparation, singly or in groups irrespective of consequences, uncritically embracing the most fantastic causes and grievances. Revenge now, reason later!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The motives for revenge are just about as logical or as full of contradictions as the patchwork themes in commercial cinema. The idea is to have some action-in cinema, with an eye on the box office; in public life, for personal influence, for office for vote banks. The leading characters in cinema and politics could do a trade off of their activities. The public man weaves a spell, mesmerizes and converts followers by his stratagems, by his oratory, by his capacity to manipulate the atavistic fears of insecurity by inflaming irrational desires and passions he has you by the throat. The thespian achieves the same result by his spellbinding performance. He forces you into a voluntary suspension of disbelief.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">While the performance lasts, both appear as convincing and as real. Is that why men from the world of cinema are increasingly being welcomed in the sphere of politics and are finding themselves perfectly at home? The whole world is a stage after all and the sphere of public affairs is just another locale for another magnum opus.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">At a time when revenge is the leitmotif of all our preoccupations, in cinema as in life, it is difficult to believe that only half a century ago, in this country, lived a man who shook the mightiest of empires about him it was said: “Scarce will the generations to come believe that such a man walked in flesh and blood”. The memory of his deeds, his vision of a deeply compassionate society ricochet on our minds preoccupied with that single obsession revenge in Ayodhya, in Rudrapur, in Srinagar or Sangrur. The whole nation is in the throes of this all consuming frenzy, each one of us has to enact his own little part in a complicated plot which is just a variation on the same theme.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile in New Delhi, dignitaries visit Rajghat to pay their tributes to the man who was the apostle of nonviolence under the shadow of menacing Black Cat commandos with their weapons on the ready. It is just as well that Gandhi’s three monkeys are stone deaf, purblind and preternaturally dumb.</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-30097699627672388642023-09-28T14:12:00.003+05:302023-09-28T14:12:28.949+05:30Helpless before history <div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Helpless Before History !</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Let me tell you upfront: I am not a right winger. I am not a left winger either. I may also add that I am not a Muslim hater nor am I a Hindu baiter. I was not at the hot gates of Ayodhaya wielding crow bars and axes, nor was I leading the lynch mob clamouring for 'death to Kamlesh Tewari ' or rejoicing at the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal. The grief was mine, on all those occasions. So was the opprobrium for saying so. Painfully aware that to be <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>ideologically uncertain in times of single truth constituencies is to court the enmity of both groups. I have all but given up joining debates where front-line fighters in the mental wars of our times are slugging it out. The gesture would be quixotic. We are a society which now lives by an old ditty that I came across during the Black Panther movement , “They say in Harlem Country / There are no neutrals here / Whose side are you on? / Whose side are you on?” </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This question was put to me a couple of days back for the umpteenth time, whose side am I on ? I am on the side of my country. Till yesterday to be an Indian in India was the end of the matter. But unfortunately the times are out of joint ,that country has ceased to exist. Now you have to be the right kind of Indian. You have to love the authorised icons in a certain measure and you have to hate with the right degree of intensity objects and people who are not of the right kind. Between loving and hating there is no half way house. But hate does not go unrequited and in recent times there has been a frightening and competitive expansion of trained ignorance and malicious feelings . A sudden spread of impenetrable moral and spiritual darkness has engulfed us all, where you can no longer say right from wrong, but the pall of darkness provides hate mongers on both sides the cover to do their thing. They are inflicting by turns , one wound at a time , an wound for an wound , drawing blood for blood. I dodge the draft . That leaves me – and many other people like me – shipwrecked, stranded, marooned . Stateless refugees, castaways, drifting aimlessly, unwelcome at either shores because we cannot show our papers of allegiance. We are the new boat people. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">PS :There is a context for these musings which I will share some other time</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-26879662420000089052023-06-21T19:11:00.004+05:302023-06-30T23:21:07.471+05:30<div style="font-family: inherit;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":rj9:" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" color="var(--primary-text)" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">TALES FROM BANANA REPUBLIC </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The book has had a chequered history. Finding a publisher subdued my desire for a while and stifled my authorial ambition somewhat. Then a publisher materialised out of the blue – I later realised he was a small time con man , possibly a plagiariser or quite simply a prestidigitator. He praised the manuscript to the skies, offered to publish the book pronto and then promptly disappeared- back into the blue. The collection of stories <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>written over so many years remained in a state of suspended animation. In my own estimation the worth of the unpublished text waxed and waned . When I looked up to the models that I have admired, the great story tellers, peering down on me from the shelves in my library, I had an impulse to consign the fruits of my protracted labour to the trash bin. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My close family pooled whatever talent they had , from proof reading , editing, laying the book cover . I explained the situations to the renowned cartoonist Pawan jee of Pawan toon fame, and gave him the quips in the bubble and he cobbled some illustrations . The book was ready . But that was not the end of the journey . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I have been eager to get to this stage where I could talk about my book. But now that it is here before me, in fact it has been with me for quite some time now , I am overwhelmed by a growing sense of terror. In my own eyes it looks like an act of “incredible effrontery”, in Saul Bellow’s word. Offering one’s book to the reading public, submitting the fruits of one’s labour to the scrutiny of an audience, one can never be sure of what the reader wants, one can never be sure whether all readers want the same thing. Jean Paul Sartre devoted one whole book to the question : For whom do we write? And yet the question is still as open, as it ever was , for everyone who dares write. For whom do I write ? I write for people like myself , for kindred citizens, befuddled by the system, lost in this maze that is both maddening and easily lends itself to mockery .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Power is portable magic. It almost certainly transforms the holder of power but the exercise of power is a comic spectacle to behold. Achieved either by force or held through delegation, or deceitful manipulation, power manifests itself in much the same fashion but leads to hilarity in different ways . To see how easily the elite can be made to deny their ideals, to bend themselves to the purposes of power , to watch the coy and cautious moves of the civil society toward accommodation makes you laugh till you begin to cry .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Intellectuals , generally speaking , to whom the task to speak truth to power has been traditionally assigned , have become complicit with the violent realities of the situation, have crept into bed with power. Truth deflates the bloated ego of power like nothing else but telling the truth has never carried more risk. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> “We only joke (about things) to avoid an issue with someone,” said Robert Frost. ‘Humour is the most engaging cowardice’. So it has fallen to the jesters of the world to take down the Humpty Dumpties’, toppling them to earth, belly down; to bring the high flyers crashing on terra firma , belly up. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Where is Banana Republic ?Nowhere and everywhere. Banana Republic has lost its historical context which referred to a specific economic and political trope created by and in service of US interests. Kleptocracy, legislators for sale, the phony majesty of the sovereign citizen, intolerance to the stories contrary to officially ordained truth are now the givens in democracies. Even Donald Trump apprehended that we may “become a corrupt banana republic controlled by large donors and foreign governments,”. To lend some comic relief Imran Khan recently bemoaned that his country was turning into a Banana Republic ! The meaning of Banana Republic has been enlarged to include a diminished democracy, a dysfunctional system, a deranged society . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Anchuria , the original banana republic was a fictional country created by O’ Henry , where , “Outside in the shade of the lime-trees the crew chewed sugar cane or slumbered, well content to serve a country that was contented with so little service.” We find a little bit of Anchuria everywhere, every day; in government offices , in banks , in customer care centres , even in the emergency wards of hospitals. When life begins to imitate art, artifice becomes redundant. To joke is to tell the truth and vice versa. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Ten stories linked by the common theme of fatuity - and corruption -of Power, Tales From Banana Republic casts an amused look at those who wield power and the ecosystem that flourishes around them, from the point of view of an observer who is not only outside the system but, in a manner of speaking, suspended somewhere in mid-air. The stories do not lampoon any particular person, certainly not any particular public figure , civil servant or police officer , though they frequently make their appearances in the stories . Dwelling on character traits that are shared by those in power, the Tales From Banana Republic attempts to capture the essence of the grotesque , the quirkiness, even the absurdity, in the contradictory and duplicitous exercise of power. It is some sort of Everyman of power .</div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div class="x1n2onr6" id=":rja:" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="x1n2onr6" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><a class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz x1lliihq x1pdlv7q" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6333363003415819&set=a.576069302478580&__cft__[0]=AZXGz7l1c2e8Pdj1uR1DCPCs4WJcWJa0IR_T8_jTpwn5ECLOLlIQCVvZecNJau_heiwq-_t-b0_7NgHVgGEmFId_GRdDORmzkIThcGp2vf3txkY-ofcePts2xs5LPyP3ffFDsmivHmClfIgAW4URHWiMXPwpBPoZOrsFNVA8e5ileg&__tn__=EH-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="x6s0dn4 x1jx94hy x78zum5 xdt5ytf x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x1n2onr6 xh8yej3" style="align-items: center; background-color: #ede6e0; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 590.109px;"><div style="font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 500px; width: calc((100vh + -325px) * 0.8);"><div class="xqtp20y x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x1n2onr6" style="font-family: inherit; height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 625px; position: relative;"><div class="x10l6tqk x13vifvy" style="font-family: inherit; height: 625px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 500px;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="xua58t2 xzg4506 x1ey2m1c xds687c x47corl x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy" style="border-bottom: 1px solid var(--media-inner-border); border-top: 1px solid var(--media-inner-border); font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute;"></div><div class="x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1ey2m1c xds687c xg01cxk x47corl x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy x1ebt8du x19991ni x1dhq9h" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"><br /></div></a></div><div class="x6ikm8r x10wlt62" style="font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"></div></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x168nmei x13lgxp2 x30kzoy x9jhf4c x6ikm8r x10wlt62" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic" style="border-radius: 0px 0px 8px 8px; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x1n2onr6" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="x6s0dn4 xi81zsa x78zum5 x6prxxf x13a6bvl xvq8zen xdj266r xktsk01 xat24cr x1d52u69 x889kno x4uap5 x1a8lsjc xkhd6sd xdppsyt" style="align-items: center; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--divider); color: var(--secondary-text); display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; justify-content: flex-end; line-height: 1.3333; margin: 0px 16px; padding: 10px 0px;"><div class="x6s0dn4 x78zum5 x1iyjqo2 x6ikm8r x10wlt62" style="align-items: center; background-color: white; color: #65676b; display: flex; flex-grow: 1; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; overflow: hidden;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1n2onr6 x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz x1heor9g xnl1qt8 x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x1vjfegm x1lliihq" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-radius: inherit; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; max-height: 1.3333em; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 1;" tabindex="0"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="x1e558r4" style="font-family: inherit; padding-left: 4px;"><br /></span></span></div></div></span></div><div class="x1c4vz4f x2lah0s xci0xqf" style="background-color: white; color: #65676b; flex-grow: 0; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; width: 7px;"></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x2lah0s x1qughib x1qjc9v5 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xykv574 xbmpl8g x4cne27 xifccgj" style="align-items: stretch; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #65676b; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; justify-content: space-between; margin: -6px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-78586339515663988692023-06-21T19:09:00.002+05:302023-06-21T19:09:58.301+05:30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">अगर आप जीवन में सफल होना चाहते हैं तो लज्जा का परित्याग कीजिये, ग़ैरत को तिलांजलि दीजिये , शर्म हया को ताख पर रखिये और बिलकुल बेशर्म बनिये।सरे बाजार निर्वस्त्र हो जाइये। आप की निर्लज्जता आपका अभेद्य कवच है. सोचिये अगर दुर्योधन लंगोट उतारकर गांधारी के समक्ष प्रस्तुत हो गया होता तो आज भी उसके वंशज राज कर रहे होते। मन्नू भंडारी ने तो बहुत पहले ही सब कुछ भांप लिया था। “धोती के नीचे सभी नंगे और ससुरी इस राजनीति में तो धोती के बाहर भी नंगे. पर डा साहब एकदम <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>अपवाद?धोती के नीचे भी धोती ही निकलेगी इस गीता बाँचनेवाले की, खाल खींचने पर ही आ सकता है इनका नंगापन.” ( महाभोज।) अतः अब सिर्फ नैतिक नंगापन से काम नहीं चलेगा , शारीरिक रूप से नंगा होना अनिवार्य है नहीं तो यह नेक काम जनता को ही करना पड़ेगा . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बेशर्मी मेरा बल है, निर्लज्जता मेरा सम्बल (या सिम्बल), छल ही मेरा कवच है, कपट मेरा कुण्डल. बांधे हुए यह जिरह बख्तर निकल पड़ा हूँ मैं कमान संभालने। देश हो ,प्रदेश हो , जिला हो , प्रखंड हो , स्वायत्त निकाय हो, न सही पांच ग्राम एक ही पंचायत हो, पर जन सेवा से मुझे अब कोई रोक नहीं सकता. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">यह विनम्र निवेदन सिर्फ मेरे बेशर्म बंधुओं से है। जिन्हें थोड़ी बहुत भी ग़ैरत बची है उनके लिए मैं ईश्वर, अल्ला , ईसा , पवित्र गुरुओं से दुआ मांगूंगा कि उन्हें नए वर्ष में झोली भर कर बेशर्मी दे ताकि वे सफल हो सकें, समृद्ध बन सकें जीवन की हर जंग जीत सकें . </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मेरे प्यारे बेशर्म बंधुओं ,</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">थोड़ी बेशर्मी दोगे मुझे उधार ?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मेरा वादा है पाई पाई चुका दूंगा </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> सूद सहित सा भा र । </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मैं जात नहीं पूछूँगा </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मैं जमात नहीं पूछूँगा </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मैं घर, बार ,आँगन द्वार नहीं पूछूँगा </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> न हि पूछूंगा कहाँ से कमाई बेशर्मी अपार </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">यह भी नहीं पूछूंगा </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> कि आप राजनेता हो , </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">अभिनेता हो, अफसर हो किसी </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">नयी राजनैतिक पहल के प्रणेता हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">शिक्षक हो, शिक्षार्थी हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">शरणागत हो, या बस शरणार्थी हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">दे दो मेरे भाई, बस थोड़ी सी बेशर्मी. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बस थोड़ी और कृपा करो सरकार </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मेरे आका ,मेरे परवर दिगार। </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> एक गोली भी दे दो मुझे, हकीमी हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">यूनानी हो अंग्रेजी हो ,आयुर्वेदिक हो, होमियोपैथी </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">झोला छाप नेचुरोपैथी कुछ भी चलेगा </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बस हो कारगर</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मेरा हाजमा दुरुस्त कर दे , पत्थर सी मज़बूती दे दे </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">जो सब कुछ , मतलब सचमुच सब कुछ पचा ले ,</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">अजीर्ण न हो , खट्टी डकार न हो , गंदी उबास न हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बच्चों के मुख का निवाला हो ,बड़े से बड़े बड़ा घोटाला हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> हुंडी हो ,हवाला हो कोई भी गड़बड़ झाला हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> मेरी ईमानदारी पर दाग न आये। </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बहुत बहुत आभार , मेरी नैय्या हो जाएगी पार </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> पर इस अंतरात्मा का क्या करूँ ?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">कभी कभी यूँ ही, बस यूँ ही </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">कुनमुनाने लगती है , </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> हंसुआ के ब्याह में </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">खुरपी के गीत गाने लगती है. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">एक सुट्टा हो, थोड़ी सी मदिरा हो,</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">भांग हो, अफीम हो , गांजा हो , कोकेन हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> ताकि मुझे पूरा पूरा यकीन हो </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I am the best , I am the best.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">अंधे ,बहरे, गूंगे , नंगे ,बंठे बौने </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">खरीद रखा है मैंने लाखो में , औने पौने , </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> मीडिया गोद में अखबार नवीस कांख तले </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">ठीकेदार ,खिदमतगार , पलकों की छाँव तले। </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बस थोड़ी सी बेशर्मी कम पड़ रही थी. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> आप का नया नेता आपके सामने है </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> चेहरा पर पूरी सफेदी है </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">लेकिन अंदर बिलकुल काला है </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">काले के बीच का उजाला , </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">उजाले के पीछे का काला</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">ब्लैक एंड वाइट का खेल है सारा </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">अपने इस नेता को पहचाने ,</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> इसी का कहना माने </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">आइये अब हम सब साथ मिलकर उच्चारें </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">मेरी जय हो, मेरी जय हो, मेरी जय हो .</div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-19709581683726527042023-05-10T10:40:00.002+05:302023-05-10T10:40:47.859+05:30<div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">ONE BOOZE OF AN IDEA</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The well laid plans of men and mice can go awry but when it comes to me ,I get the share of the mice also as far as my plans going awry are concerned . I sought some desperately needed support from my friends in a Facebook post, “Women Don’t Understand Manpower. Here is the link to an edited version of the post.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/columnists/pity-that-women-don---t-understand-manpower.html?fbclid=IwAR3rsXBvRpTbhxsgPDzDwDIDZ2RQ6GnrhG6sG70yecAadP9FELyyogY2050" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.dailypioneer.com/.../pity-that-women-don---t...</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My friends, all keen book lovers, were <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>however indifferent or too timid to stand up for me but in our WhatsApp group our women friends sprang up spiritedly in the defence of my wife. Now my wife feels entitled to restore order to my hallmark chaos created by books and papers with consequences which are fraught, to say the least. Things came to a head after my missing book , Wittgenstein’s Poker, a riveting account of confrontation between Karl Popper and Wittgenstein in Cambridge, was discovered in</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">the refrigerator and my wife refused to accept responsibility for its unusual storage.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes, it is I who go looking for cheese and chips, in the middle of night, a book in hand.”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Offence is the best form of defence, so I unashamedly peddled my lebensraum theory in respect of books . That is when she launched one of the most brutal attacks on me in recent</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">history. With an exaggerated courtesy she said, “So Herr Hitler, would you like your Wittgenstein served for breakfast with white sauce or black pepper? Would you have Lakatos for lunch and Dawkins for dinner or in the reverse order? The eggs,</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">poultry, milk, vegetable etc would be nicely sitting in your many book shelves. “ My wife is a minimalist and her easy shorthand, encodes all manner of attitudes and assumptions.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">It was time to be tactful, some emotional blackmail could perhaps retrieve the situation.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> “My memory was becoming that bit less reliable, I was going to be seventy one ,” I told her." My days, and even some nights, are spent chasing elusive memories, a forgotten name, a scrap of a poem, a dialogue from a play speaking to me in jumbled tones."</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">She immediately brought the issue of books strewn all over, anything that could support a book was supporting it, some were dangerously levitating , that I seemed to have</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> forgotten about.I must admit if the pages of partially read books, say two or three pages per book , were added, it would certainly make a decent two hundred page tome. Not a very impressive figure but it does make a pile. But I assured her that I was going to get back to them in good time, they were on my to-do-list.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">That is when I was overtaken by my foot-in-the mouth syndrome. I adduced wisdom gleaned from Facebook .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“ You collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood. Think not of the book you’ve bought as yet ‘to be read pile’. Instead, think of your book case as wine cellar.”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“That is one booze of an idea,” said my wife . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“ It is decided, your books go to the wine cellar. Since we don’t have a wine cellar the garage will do fine. No booze and so no books too”.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, I forgot to tell you. My state introduced complete prohibition in 2016. Bihari civil servants, as a former civil servant I have voluntarily joined my unfortunate serving brothers, cannot drink anywhere on the planet. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I am a law abiding citizen and a meat eater too but if prohibited I will make do with vegetables. I love my occasional single malt but restrained by prohibition I seek solace in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, reading them aloud to myself to recreate the pleasures of the fabled elixir. Books (of verse) are a necessary accompaniment to the fabled elixir but the elixir has already</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">fallen to reformist zeal so it is only proper that books got stocked in the empty cellar. No booze and no books to go with it is like the elusive unified theory. Every issue is settled. My wife’s concerns are addressed, my anxieties on score of unread books are stilled.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">And “thou” beside me watching your videos on I Pad and I making do with scrutinising property statements of civil servants and affidavits of politicians </div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-7179566675523528602022-12-20T19:33:00.001+05:302022-12-20T19:33:12.387+05:30The Bear Who Let It Alone<div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi xjkvuk6 x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_6" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px;"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a fable for modern day Bihar reeling under the healthful effects of complete prohibition.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The Bear Who Let It Alone</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">IN <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>THE WOODS of the Far West there once lived a brown bear who could take it or let it alone. He would go into a bar where they sold mead, a fermented drink made of honey, and he would have just two drinks. Then he would put some money on the bar and say, “See what the bears in the back room will have,” and he would go home. But finally he took to drinking by himself most of the day. He would reel home at night, kick over the umbrella stand, knock down the bridge lamps, and ram his elbows through the windows. Then he would collapse on the floor and lie there until he went to sleep. His wife was greatly distressed and his children were very frightened.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">At length the bear saw the error of his ways and began to reform. In the end he became a famous teetotaller and a persistent temperance lecturer. He would tell everybody that came to his house about the awful effects of drink, and he would boast about how strong and well he had become since he gave up touching the stuff. To demonstrate this, he would stand on his head and on his hands and he would turn cartwheels in the house, kicking over the umbrella stand, knocking down the bridge lamps, and ramming his elbows through the windows. Then he would lie down on the floor, tired by his healthful exercise, and go to sleep. His wife was greatly distressed and his children were very frightened.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x168nmei x13lgxp2 x30kzoy x9jhf4c x6ikm8r x10wlt62" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic" style="border-radius: 0px 0px 8px 8px; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class=" xq8finb x16n37ib x3dsekl x1uuop16" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x2lah0s x1qughib x1qjc9v5 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np x150jy0e x1e558r4 xjkvuk6 x1iorvi4 xwrv7xz x8182xy x4cne27 xifccgj" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: space-between; margin: -6px -2px; padding: 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x193iq5w xeuugli x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xg83lxy x1h0ha7o x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Send this to friends or post it on your timeline." class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xeuugli xl56j7k x6s0dn4 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xn6708d x1ye3gou xexx8yu xcud41i x139jcc6 x4cne27 xifccgj xn3w4p2 xuxw1ft" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli x150jy0e x1e558r4 x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen x1s688f xi81zsa" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1ey2m1c xds687c xg01cxk x47corl x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy x1ebt8du x19991ni x1dhq9h" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="x1jx94hy x12nagc" style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 4px;"></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-28707506220178328872022-12-01T22:39:00.001+05:302022-12-01T22:39:14.146+05:30LIFE ? WHAT CAUCHEMAR !<div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi xjkvuk6 x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_1q" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px;"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps we are all occasional existentialists .To many of us , sometime or the other in our lives , is revealed that life is pointless. In Tolstoy’s description of things “moments of perplexity and arrest of life, as though I did not know how to live or what to do…”This is just one of those days and I don’t know what is bothering me. Nothing has changed, I tell myself . Nothing that I can notice, except for a slight sensation of being ill at <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>ease. In the middle of contentment and well being a sudden surge of ennui, an onrush of undiminished acedia ,some heartfelt bitterness overtakes me . I become aware of a profound indifference to everything. Reduced to a kind of clockwork condition, the zestlessly ticking human machine goes on. In absence of a better definition I would say that I am in the grip of “pink sadness”. “Pink sadness” says Mary Ruefles, “ is not your fault, and .. even the littlest twinge may cause it, …” But that does not help alleviate the condition. Nirmal Verma’s observation ‘उदास’ शब्द ‘उदासी’ की जगह नहीं ले सकता। suddnley assumed a new meaning .People medically inclined will be quick to judge me depressed but they would miss the point.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Intrigued by a small passage in Camus ,early in my life , “ Have you ever had this feeling of a sudden withdrawal from your surroundings and you start wondering, who are you, why are you, what you are. All those urgent concerns which left you restless and distracted melt away leaving no trace . The mind dies and the promised truth is far from being delivered”. I tried to transport myself into this state of being. I was young, I had many commitments, small incentives could send my spirit soaring up. Even serious problems could only knock me down, transiently. I would be up on my two feet , ready to face more blows should they come my way. The prospect of being alive tomorrow in itself was worth living for .I, like everyone else of my generation took tomorrow for granted , it spread out in the future beyond the horizon as far as eyes could see or my mind could wander. I could laugh away the thought that plagued Antoine Roquentin ,“why this eagerness to live in limbs that are destined to rot?” as an existentialist excess , a bit of theatrical posturing . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I guess as you grow old your appetite for future starts getting weaker. The present tense belongs to youth. Its optimism is not shaken by events expected of the future . The memory of that carefree existence is now only a memory, beyond active recall or recreation. It has been replaced by a vague, constant longing for something or someone- or apprehension- beyond the horizon of reality, outside the realm of the approachable. I seem to be longing for “the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never visited”. May be it is a secret wish that I could turn the pages of my life like one turns the pages of one’s favourite books! </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> My love of books served me well during dark times. Even some well-thumbed volumes never lost their appeal and they could thrill me to the core . I turned the best past of two shelves the other day to find a book to drown that dull tom- tom in my mind, which kept me restless and anxious. But without much help . Betrayed by the books in which I found an inexhaustible font of solace and comfort , I realised , too late , that the pleasure was not in the books per se , it only came through them. The recipient was as important a part of the process. I have all the time in the world , I am free to read or write as I choose, when I choose but I don’t . Or more precisely I can’t . The words were at my beck and call. Summoned in ones or twos they would be swarming in great numbers , jostling with each other , clamouring to be considered . But suddenly they have turned renegade , have chosen to seek refuge behind some iron curtain , beyond a shout , beyond a call. The little wretches are out of temper; disobliging; disobedient; dumb. What is it that they are muttering? “Time’s up! Silence!” as Virginia Wolf would say .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> But the baffling silence within clamours to be muffled in a cacophony of voices. Not necessarily a raucous jaaz , even a sad tune on an old battered trombone will do . I am not much into Urdu poetry but these two couplets form Firaq Gorakhpuri floated into my mind .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> सुकुते -शाम मिटाओ , बहुत अँधेरा हैं। सुख़न के शमअ जलाओ ,बहुत अँधेरा है.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Let the silence of the evening break for it is very dark. Initiate a conversation to dispel the darkness which is very deep .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">चमक उठेंगी सियाहबख्तियां ज़माने की. नवा-ए -दर्द सुनाओ बहुत अँधेरा है। </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">It will begin to illuminate the ill-fated darkness of the world . Sing a sad song for it is very dark .</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Whose voice shall it be? In that moment of fecklessness I could not care less. “If the sea is destined to breach the dikes/Let all the brackish water pour into my heart.”</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x168nmei x13lgxp2 x30kzoy x9jhf4c x6ikm8r x10wlt62" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic" style="border-radius: 0px 0px 8px 8px; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="x1n2onr6" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="x6s0dn4 xi81zsa x78zum5 x6prxxf x13a6bvl xvq8zen xdj266r xktsk01 xat24cr x1d52u69 x889kno x4uap5 x1a8lsjc xkhd6sd xdppsyt" style="align-items: center; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--divider); color: var(--secondary-text); display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; justify-content: flex-end; line-height: 1.3333; margin: 0px 16px; padding: 10px 0px;"><div class="x6s0dn4 x78zum5 x1iyjqo2 x6ikm8r x10wlt62" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><span aria-label="See who reacted to this" class="x1ja2u2z" role="toolbar" style="font-family: inherit; z-index: 0;"><span class="x6s0dn4 x78zum5 x1e558r4" id="jsc_c_1t" style="align-items: center; display: flex; font-family: inherit; padding-left: 4px;"><span class="x6zyg47 x1xm1mqw xpn8fn3 xtct9fg x13zp6kq x1mcfq15 xrosliz x1wb7cse x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi xamhcws xol2nv xlxy82 x19p7ews xmix8c7 x139jcc6 x1n2onr6 x1xp8n7a xhtitgo" style="border-bottom-color: var(--card-background); border-left-color: var(--card-background); border-radius: 11px; border-right-color: var(--card-background); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--card-background); border-width: 2px; font-family: inherit; height: 18px; margin-left: -4px; position: relative; width: 18px; z-index: 2;"><span class="x12myldv x1udsgas xrc8dwe xxxhv2y x1rg5ohu xmix8c7 x1xp8n7a" style="border-radius: 9px; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; height: 18px; width: 18px;"><span class="x4k7w5x x1h91t0o x1h9r5lt xv2umb2 x1beo9mf xaigb6o x12ejxvf x3igimt xarpa2k xedcshv x1lytzrv x1t2pt76 x7ja8zs x1qrby5j x1jfb8zj" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-label="Like: 37 people" class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><img class="x16dsc37" height="18" role="presentation" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink' viewBox='0 0 16 16'%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient id='a' x1='50%25' x2='50%25' y1='0%25' y2='100%25'%3e%3cstop offset='0%25' stop-color='%2318AFFF'/%3e%3cstop offset='100%25' stop-color='%230062DF'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3cfilter id='c' width='118.8%25' height='118.8%25' x='-9.4%25' y='-9.4%25' filterUnits='objectBoundingBox'%3e%3cfeGaussianBlur in='SourceAlpha' result='shadowBlurInner1' stdDeviation='1'/%3e%3cfeOffset dy='-1' in='shadowBlurInner1' result='shadowOffsetInner1'/%3e%3cfeComposite in='shadowOffsetInner1' in2='SourceAlpha' k2='-1' k3='1' operator='arithmetic' result='shadowInnerInner1'/%3e%3cfeColorMatrix in='shadowInnerInner1' values='0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.299356041 0 0 0 0 0.681187726 0 0 0 0.3495684 0'/%3e%3c/filter%3e%3cpath id='b' d='M8 0a8 8 0 00-8 8 8 8 0 1016 0 8 8 0 00-8-8z'/%3e%3c/defs%3e%3cg fill='none'%3e%3cuse fill='url(%23a)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cuse fill='black' filter='url(%23c)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cpath fill='white' d='M12.162 7.338c.176.123.338.245.338.674 0 .43-.229.604-.474.725a.73.73 0 01.089.546c-.077.344-.392.611-.672.69.121.194.159.385.015.62-.185.295-.346.407-1.058.407H7.5c-.988 0-1.5-.546-1.5-1V7.665c0-1.23 1.467-2.275 1.467-3.13L7.361 3.47c-.005-.065.008-.224.058-.27.08-.079.301-.2.635-.2.218 0 .363.041.534.123.581.277.732.978.732 1.542 0 .271-.414 1.083-.47 1.364 0 0 .867-.192 1.879-.199 1.061-.006 1.749.19 1.749.842 0 .261-.219.523-.316.666zM3.6 7h.8a.6.6 0 01.6.6v3.8a.6.6 0 01-.6.6h-.8a.6.6 0 01-.6-.6V7.6a.6.6 0 01.6-.6z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: top;" width="18" /></div></span></span></span><span class="x6zyg47 x1xm1mqw xpn8fn3 xtct9fg x13zp6kq x1mcfq15 xrosliz x1wb7cse x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi xamhcws xol2nv xlxy82 x19p7ews xmix8c7 x139jcc6 x1n2onr6 x1xp8n7a x1vjfegm" style="border-bottom-color: var(--card-background); border-left-color: var(--card-background); border-radius: 11px; border-right-color: var(--card-background); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--card-background); border-width: 2px; font-family: inherit; height: 18px; margin-left: -4px; position: relative; width: 18px; z-index: 1;"><span class="x12myldv x1udsgas xrc8dwe xxxhv2y x1rg5ohu xmix8c7 x1xp8n7a" style="border-radius: 9px; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; height: 18px; width: 18px;"><span class="x4k7w5x x1h91t0o x1h9r5lt xv2umb2 x1beo9mf xaigb6o x12ejxvf x3igimt xarpa2k xedcshv x1lytzrv x1t2pt76 x7ja8zs x1qrby5j x1jfb8zj" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-label="Love: 6 people" class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><img class="x16dsc37" height="18" role="presentation" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink' viewBox='0 0 16 16'%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient id='a' x1='50%25' x2='50%25' y1='0%25' y2='100%25'%3e%3cstop offset='0%25' stop-color='%23FF6680'/%3e%3cstop offset='100%25' stop-color='%23E61739'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3cfilter id='c' width='118.8%25' height='118.8%25' x='-9.4%25' y='-9.4%25' filterUnits='objectBoundingBox'%3e%3cfeGaussianBlur in='SourceAlpha' result='shadowBlurInner1' stdDeviation='1'/%3e%3cfeOffset dy='-1' in='shadowBlurInner1' result='shadowOffsetInner1'/%3e%3cfeComposite in='shadowOffsetInner1' in2='SourceAlpha' k2='-1' k3='1' operator='arithmetic' result='shadowInnerInner1'/%3e%3cfeColorMatrix in='shadowInnerInner1' values='0 0 0 0 0.710144928 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.117780134 0 0 0 0.349786932 0'/%3e%3c/filter%3e%3cpath id='b' d='M8 0a8 8 0 100 16A8 8 0 008 0z'/%3e%3c/defs%3e%3cg fill='none'%3e%3cuse fill='url(%23a)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cuse fill='black' filter='url(%23c)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cpath fill='white' d='M10.473 4C8.275 4 8 5.824 8 5.824S7.726 4 5.528 4c-2.114 0-2.73 2.222-2.472 3.41C3.736 10.55 8 12.75 8 12.75s4.265-2.2 4.945-5.34c.257-1.188-.36-3.41-2.472-3.41'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: top;" width="18" /></div></span></span></span></span></span><div class="" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="x4k7w5x x1h91t0o x1h9r5lt xv2umb2 x1beo9mf xaigb6o x12ejxvf x3igimt xarpa2k xedcshv x1lytzrv x1t2pt76 x7ja8zs x1qrby5j x1jfb8zj" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1n2onr6 x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz x1heor9g xnl1qt8 x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x1vjfegm x1lliihq" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-radius: inherit; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; max-height: 1.3333em; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 1;" tabindex="0"><span aria-hidden="true" class=" xrbpyxo x6ikm8r x10wlt62 xlyipyv x1exxlbk" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; width: 100px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="xt0b8zv x16hj40l" style="font-family: inherit; padding-left: 6px;">44</span></span></span><span class="xt0b8zv x1jx94hy xrbpyxo xl423tq" style="background-color: var(--card-background); float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-left: -100px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="x16hj40l" style="font-family: inherit; padding-left: 6px;">James Joyce, B. R. Sharan and 42 others</span></span></span></div></span></div></div><div class="x6s0dn4 x78zum5 x2lah0s x17rw0jw" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 22px;"><div class="xnfveip" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 7px;"></div><div class="xnfveip" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 7px;"><span class="x4k7w5x x1h91t0o x1h9r5lt xv2umb2 x1beo9mf xaigb6o x12ejxvf x3igimt xarpa2k xedcshv x1lytzrv x1t2pt76 x7ja8zs x1qrby5j x1jfb8zj" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-expanded="true" class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx x2lwn1j xeuugli x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1a2a7pz xjyslct xjbqb8w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1heor9g xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1ja2u2z xt0b8zv" id="jsc_c_1s" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; appearance: none; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xi81zsa" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">13 comments</span></div></span></div><div class="xnfveip" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 7px;"><span class="x4k7w5x x1h91t0o x1h9r5lt xv2umb2 x1beo9mf xaigb6o x12ejxvf x3igimt xarpa2k xedcshv x1lytzrv x1t2pt76 x7ja8zs x1qrby5j x1jfb8zj" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx x2lwn1j xeuugli x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1a2a7pz xjyslct xjbqb8w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1heor9g xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1ja2u2z xt0b8zv" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; appearance: none; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xi81zsa" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">3 shares</span></div></span></div></div></div></div><div class=" xq8finb x16n37ib x3dsekl x1uuop16" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x2lah0s x1qughib x1qjc9v5 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np x150jy0e x1e558r4 xjkvuk6 x1iorvi4 xwrv7xz x8182xy x4cne27 xifccgj" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: space-between; margin: -6px -2px; padding: 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x193iq5w xeuugli x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xg83lxy x1h0ha7o x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Like" class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz x5ve5x3" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xeuugli xl56j7k x6s0dn4 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xn6708d x1ye3gou xexx8yu xcud41i x139jcc6 x4cne27 xifccgj xn3w4p2 xuxw1ft" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli x150jy0e x1e558r4 x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="x3nfvp2" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit;"><i class="x1b0d499 x1d69dk1" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yJ/r/EbLku9cANdR.png"); background-position: 0px -251px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></span></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli x150jy0e x1e558r4 x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen x1s688f xi81zsa" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Like</span></span></div></div><div class="x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1ey2m1c xds687c xg01cxk x47corl x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy x1ebt8du x19991ni x1dhq9h x1wpzbip" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="background-color: var(--hover-overlay); border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div><div aria-label="React" class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz x4r51d9 x1d0ri9u x4uap5 x1ug4tga xkhd6sd xnfr1j xzpqnlu x179tack x10l6tqk x5ve5x3" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clip-path: polygon(0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 13px 0px; position: absolute; right: 6px; text-align: inherit; top: 1px; touch-action: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><i class="x1b0d499 x1d69dk1" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yI/r/PZYo-Qx6hO6.png"); background-position: -119px -147px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 16px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 16px;"></i><div class="x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1ey2m1c xds687c xg01cxk x47corl x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy x1ebt8du x19991ni x1dhq9h" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x193iq5w xeuugli x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xg83lxy x1h0ha7o x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Leave a comment" class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xeuugli xl56j7k x6s0dn4 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xn6708d x1ye3gou xexx8yu xcud41i x139jcc6 x4cne27 xifccgj xn3w4p2 xuxw1ft" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli x150jy0e x1e558r4 x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><i class="x1b0d499 x1d69dk1" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yJ/r/EbLku9cANdR.png"); background-position: 0px -213px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli x150jy0e x1e558r4 x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen x1s688f xi81zsa" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Comment</span></div></div><div class="x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1ey2m1c xds687c xg01cxk x47corl x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy x1ebt8du x19991ni x1dhq9h x1wpzbip" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="background-color: var(--hover-overlay); border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x193iq5w xeuugli x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xg83lxy x1h0ha7o x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Send this to friends or post it on your timeline." class="x1i10hfl x1qjc9v5 xjbqb8w xjqpnuy xa49m3k xqeqjp1 x2hbi6w x13fuv20 xu3j5b3 x1q0q8m5 x26u7qi x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xdl72j9 x2lah0s xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x2lwn1j xeuugli xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x1n2onr6 x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1ja2u2z x1t137rt x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x3nfvp2 x1q0g3np x87ps6o x1lku1pv x1a2a7pz" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xeuugli xl56j7k x6s0dn4 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xn6708d x1ye3gou xexx8yu xcud41i x139jcc6 x4cne27 xifccgj xn3w4p2 xuxw1ft" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli x150jy0e x1e558r4 x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><i class="x1b0d499 x1d69dk1" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yJ/r/EbLku9cANdR.png"); background-position: 0px -270px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli x150jy0e x1e558r4 x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen x1s688f xi81zsa" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Share</span></div></div><div class="x1o1ewxj x3x9cwd x1e5q0jg x13rtm0m x1ey2m1c xds687c xg01cxk x47corl x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy x1ebt8du x19991ni x1dhq9h" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="x1jx94hy x12nagc" style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 4px;"></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-69508314862345277752022-08-08T00:18:00.003+05:302022-08-08T00:18:52.476+05:30<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc dati1w0a e5nlhep0" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_fu" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My Facebook post dated 3rd May 2022. Why Writing A Memoir/Autobiography Is Not A Good Idea</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">A friend's suggestion that I should write my memoir plugged <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>straight into that universal vulnerability; we all believe that we have a story to tell and the world is eager to listen to it. Well, not exactly. Not everyone, but there are a fairly large number of people who would probably want to tell their stories should they have the requisite skill, the time and the logistical wherewithal. In that sense of the term autobiography is the proper democratic genre; it admits to its portals people without any distinction (pun intended). Civil servants and police officers as a class, are as eager to make their contribution to the society known as anyone else. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">There are many ways of framing a life. Police officers generally like to be seen as swashbuckling heroes, chasing gangsters and drug peddlers, hunting down terrorists and desperate criminals. Those looking for inspirational or sensational literature of this kind will find their expectations undone. To them, it will not quite appeal as a readerly text. As an IPS officer, I did not kill anyone in hot pursuit nor in the heat of battle; custodial interrogation to the accompaniment of aesthetic torture was never a part of my professional repertoire. Never admitted to the first circle of power, never enjoyed the confidence of chief ministers, nor lent my services to Mafia dons, therefore, never performed tasks in the stealth of night for them - the cloak and dagger stuff - which should be now ripe for sharing. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">An autobiography must be a frank, bare all document, to get the monkeys off your shoulder. But I do not have any confessions to make. I never felt called upon to atone for my sins and to find solace in spiritual activities. Salacious stories of secret liaisons, scandals, or adultery, would also be found missing from this account. I am afraid I have nothing to confide by way of intimacies or intrigues. So, of what interest will be the career of someone who had simply walked through life ‘without a horse, a saddle, or a sword’ ?I feel honoured but I feel mystified too.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">But there is another style of policing. It is less spectacular, affords no drama, has no climactic moments; it is the determination to act, and go on acting, strictly according to the dictates of law. It is a lifelong painful grind, the humdrum of the routine, the refusal to accept the law of the implicit and unstated “exceptionalism” that colonial police was grounded in, and has become part of the unstated ethos of Indian police as well.This ultimately becomes the brick and mortar in which the strongest pillars of a society governed by the rule of law is rooted. But the formula that clever professionals apply in their pursuit of that bitch goddess called success, is to recognise the special rights of people who matter, by recognising their enclaves of privilege marked by crossed bone and skull. Their lives become easy, their reputation in circles that matter soars and they have the best of both worlds. You have to make your choices early, changing horses midstream is not the best bet. The effect of your routine quotidian effort begins to show in the confidence and respect of the people you serve. If you are consistent, if you persevere despite reverses or setbacks then your reputation travels by word of mouth which is much the more durable and authentic. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My father was a lawyer, my grandfather was a lawyer too and my great, great grandfather, Munshi Chatrapat Sahay, was a judicial officer who, according to the family folklore, stood up to the British dictate of using law as a weapon of revenge in 1857 and paid the price for it. So the belief in the supremacy and majesty of law was imbibed with my mother’s milk.This belief, what Kafka’s Zurau Aphorisms defines as “a belief like a guillotine, as heavy, as light” began to gutter as I grew in service .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My forty years in the IPS was a painful journey from innocence to experience. Layer after layer of the myth of law being the weapon as well as the armour of the policeman has frayed, has become a patchwork of rags, until the grand deception clothed in its phoney majesty of Latinate expressions like Fiat Justitia Rauta Calum (Let justice be done though heavens fall) has come off revealing it in its in complete nakedness and those who put faith in law it at the mercy of powerful offenders . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I could make a game of my suffering, I could flaunt the elegant scars from my wounds like badges of honour. But I was troubled by thoughts which gnawed at my deeply held beliefs. One single pain would be multiplied in many hearts of all those close to me, my wife, my children. The cross that should have been mine and mine alone became a family burden. Those were the occasions that all this seemed like a moral self-appeasement , an illicit indulgence. But if you have good samskara the self-doubt is transient.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I have been meditating intently on the last few years of my career, on the desirability of sharing my experience of how a police officer committed to acting in accordance with law becomes a quixotic figure, an object of mild derision as well: whether there is any value in memorialising the sharp decline from rule of law to rule of men. Evolution , it is said is a barbed arrow in time. A biped cannot regress to be a quadruped, vertebrates- those who develop spines over a period of time cannot descend the evolutionary ladder to become invertebrates. For ten years I have waited, equivocated, felt alternately enthused and deterred looking at my own story through critical, even hostile eyes but I have not been able to gather enough courage to present my case to an audience mesmerised by the exploits of Singhams. It is not worth it. As the Bhojpuri saying goes, “ का पर करूँ मैं सिंगार पिया मोर आंधर.” Who should I bedeck myself for, my lover is blind.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-33450636372018655072022-08-08T00:16:00.001+05:302022-08-08T00:16:14.287+05:30<p><br /></p><div class="col-12" style="-webkit-box-flex: 0; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 0 0 100%; max-width: 100%; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: 870px;"><div class="logo" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; max-width: 300px;"><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-size: 30px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.dailypioneer.com/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7); outline: none !important; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="Daily Pioneer" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/logo.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 57px; vertical-align: middle; width: 300px;" /></a></h1></div><div class="row align-items-center dateSocial no-gutters" style="-webkit-box-align: center !important; align-items: center !important; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"><div class="col" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; box-sizing: border-box; flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; max-width: 100%; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; position: relative; width: 215px;"><h4 class="dateTime" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1.5px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">Monday, 08 August 2022</h4></div></div><h2 itemprop="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; font-size: 30px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">HAS THE COUNTRY FAILED THE IAS?</h2><div class="row" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px;"><div class="col" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; box-sizing: border-box; flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; max-width: 100%; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: 746.75px;"><div class="newsInfo" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 13px;"><span content="Sunday, 15 May 2022" itemprop="datePublished" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sunday, 15 May 2022</span><span content="Sunday, 15 May 2022" itemprop="dateModified" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span> | <span itemprop="author" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Manoje Nath</span></div></div><div class="ratingStars col-auto ml-auto" style="-webkit-box-flex: 0; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 0 0 auto; margin-left: auto !important; max-width: none; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: auto;"><div id="rating" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;"><img alt="1" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/star-on.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="bad" /> <img alt="2" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/star-on.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="poor" /> <img alt="3" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/star-on.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="regular" /> <img alt="4" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/star-on.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="good" /> <img alt="5" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/star-off.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="gorgeous" /></div></div></div></div><div class="col-12 mt-4" style="-webkit-box-flex: 0; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 0 0 100%; margin-top: 1.5rem !important; max-width: 100%; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: 870px;"><div class="row no-gutters bodyContentSection" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"><div class="col-12 col-md-auto mr-md-auto order-md-1 order-2" style="-webkit-box-flex: 0; -webkit-box-ordinal-group: 2; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 0 0 auto; margin-right: auto !important; max-width: none; min-height: 1px; order: 1; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; position: relative; width: auto;"><div class="scrollmagic-pin-spacer" data-scrollmagic-pin-spacer="" style="box-sizing: content-box; height: auto; inset: auto; margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; min-height: 477px; min-width: 80px; position: relative; width: auto;"><div class="fixedTools" id="leftPin" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: border-box; inset: 1735.78px auto auto 0px; margin: auto; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 80px;"><div class="share" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px;"><ul class="list-unstyled" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><h4 class="shareHead" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a59a9; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 10px 0px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">SHARE</h4></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.dailypioneer.com:443/2022/sunday-edition/has-the-country--failed-the-ias-.html?fbclid=IwAR0q6_AeoS5nS6aNwvRixax0K9LDxWVIDsTOXv2SI1u8tJ-Zk8y1aUltaa8&t=HAS%20THE%20COUNTRY%20%20FAILED%20THE%20IAS?&picture=https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/story/images/big/has-the-country--failed-the-ias--2022-05-15.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: none !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/facebook.svg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 30px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a class="sharrre" id="own_twitter" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;"><img alt="" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/twitter.svg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 30px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a data-action="share/whatsapp/share" href="https://wa.me/?text=https://www.dailypioneer.com:443/2022/sunday-edition/has-the-country--failed-the-ias-.html?fbclid=IwAR0q6_AeoS5nS6aNwvRixax0K9LDxWVIDsTOXv2SI1u8tJ-Zk8y1aUltaa8" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: none !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/whatsapp.svg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 30px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></li></ul></div><div class="pageTools" style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 700; padding: 5px 0px;"><ul class="list-unstyled" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a class="increase" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px;">T</span>T</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a class="decrease" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;">T<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px;">T</span></a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a class="printpage" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;"><img alt="" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/print.svg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 25px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a data-fancybox="" data-height="530" data-src="#emailtoFriend" data-width="400" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;"><img alt="" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/send.svg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 25px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></li></ul></div><div class="moreTools" style="background-color: #ffcd06; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px;"><ul class="list-unstyled" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><span class="likeCounter" style="background-color: #c3440b; border-radius: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; display: inline-block; font-size: 12px; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; width: 24px;">0</span><div class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><a style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none !important;"><img id="click_like" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/like.svg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 25px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px;"><a href="https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/sunday-edition/has-the-country--failed-the-ias-.html?fbclid=IwAR0q6_AeoS5nS6aNwvRixax0K9LDxWVIDsTOXv2SI1u8tJ-Zk8y1aUltaa8#vuukle" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: none !important; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/images/comment.svg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 25px; vertical-align: middle;" /></a><img alt="HAS THE COUNTRY FAILED THE IAS?" src="https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/story/images/big/has-the-country--failed-the-ias--2022-05-15.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 745px;" /></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="col-12 col-md order-md-2 order-1" id="printArea" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; -webkit-box-ordinal-group: 3; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 0 0px; max-width: 100%; min-height: 1px; order: 2; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; position: relative; width: 745px;"><div class="newsDetailedContent" itemprop="articleBody" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">There is a wide recognition that the creation of the IAS was one of the cardinal follies of the wise. It is irrelevant to the people at large but it has made itself hugely useful to the political class, writes <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Manoje Nath</em></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">Officers of the Indian Administrative Service ( IAS) who demonstrate the capability to make money from the system ,and make it fast , inevitably endear themselves to people in power. So , whatever the outcome of the ongoing investigation against Jharkhand Mines and Industry secretary Pooja Singhal, IAS , it will not interfere with the chances of her appointment as Chief Secretary of Jharkhand , when her time comes. In its brief history of twenty years as a separate state, Jharkhand has honoured three such IAS officers by appointing them as Chief Secretaries . Among officers so appointed was a gentleman who was facing trial in two cases related to financial irregularities in purchase of fertilizer. Another one had spent many months in jail on charges of forcing entrepreneurs to donate money to his NGOs and finally won a reprieve from the Supreme Court . A third officer who was convicted in an animal husbandry case, and perhaps died in jail, had two stints as chief secretary of Jharkhand. Jharkhand’s case may be an exception, but in popular imagination IAS officers can make money not only with impunity but with honour .</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">There are two standard explanations for the steady diminution of the stature and prestige of the IAS . The first consists of playing down the well-founded criticisms of servility and capitulation, corruption and chicanery. Even though sometimes the merit of the criticism is granted , its significant contribution to the polity and society is dwelt upon at great length; distortions and aberrations that may have crept in are laid at the door of the many extenuating circumstances.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">If the IAS has failed it is because the country has failed ( or is failing at an accelerated rate) . is only the extreme formulation of such an approach. The other strategy is to deflect- and devalue - the criticism by outwitting and silencing the critic with a more vehement self-critical diatribe, an anguished self-loathing of their own, as if the act of advertising could, in itself, absolve the service of all the sins that were being advertised.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">The IAS, according to one view, requires a particular kind of society to function to its full potential , something like the idylls of Nehruvian era. The post-Independence leaders and influencers like Nehru, Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Ambedkar, Madan Mohan Malviya, T T Krishnamachari, Acharya Kriplani, Jyoti Basu, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Jaiprakash Narayan ( to mention just a handful); industrialists like JRD Tata, Jamnalal Bajaj, Dinshaw Petit and GD Birla; editors like Desmond Doig, Arun Shourie, Sunanda K Dattaray, Kushwant Singh, Frank Moraes and Russi Karanjia have been mostly replaced by pygmies and carpet baggers. These people may win elections, make billion of dollars in one year or run up huge TRP ratings, but they are incapable of promoting public values or morals, or establishing ethical corporate standards, or writing an editorial ( let alone investigating a story).</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">But that is hardly the case .The IAS has not only been quick to limber up to the changed political realities, it has scripted an even more indispensable role for itself in the era of “pygmies and carpetbaggers.”</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;"> Politics, to appropriate Balzac’s remark , has become like ,“Soldiering, … chiefly a financial undertaking, you need gold in order to do battle, and you need to do battle in order to get gold.” Some governments are( were ) headed by leaders from newly emergent political classes for whom English was not the language of choice, who did not feel constrained by rules, regulations etc and were quite upfront about their intentions to abuse their office for personal gains.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">The longevity of governments challenged the myths that the IAS had forged out of isolated life stories of a young collector telling off a CM, a chief secretary recording his dissent in days long gone by, myths that made them intelligible to themselves, provided them with their reassurance during times of self-doubt. Governments were there to stay; they were here today, they were going to be here tomorrow. How long could they wait out in the cold?</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;"> Though supposed to be unaligned, personally free and subject to the executive authority only within a defined area, they choose to be incorporated in the apparatus of political power . Commitment to rule based governance , are pragmatically abandoned by such officers . They are for the government , the government is for them.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">An interesting example from marine biology will serve as an apt metaphor. In the Bay of Naples, a common sea slug medusa , and a snail, start off as independent organisms but on close encounter become conjoined in such a manner that both the jellyfish and the snail shed off a lot of themselves. A small portion of the snail gets permanently affixed to the ventral surface near the mouth of the jellyfish to become one single organism. They get along nicely in a symbiotic arrangement, exploiting each other’s biological capabilities and yet retain their specific otherness.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">A clutch of trusted officers-the drastically edited version of service , the cadre may have hundreds of officers , in an arrangement reminiscent of the medusa and the snail, handle the core sectors of the governments as also the entire range of political purpose. The others are kept in a state of idle splendour. But like an Englishman the IAS is “never at a loss for an effective moral attitude … you will never find … them in the wrong.” It is responsible for the marginalisation of its own service and yet persists with the complaint of political interference.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;">There is a wide recognition that the creation of the IAS was one of the cardinal follies of the wise. It is irrelevant to the people at large but it has made itself hugely useful to the political class . In an unusual consensus, cutting across their ideological divide , they have found them to be even more valuable after retirement than they are in service. As heads of all the accountability institutions , all those roadblocks to arbitrary exercise of executive power, they render them defunct . In many states you can find officers recruited in the 60s , 70s, 80s making themselves useful to their political masters in a myriad ways. To stand an old saying on its head , “the dead lion is even more valuable than the living donkey .”</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Fira Sans Condensed", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px !important;"> The alliance of these two major institutions has significantly altered the balance of power much to the detriment of democracy.</p><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-71685347845841122382022-07-02T12:53:00.003+05:302022-07-02T12:53:42.895+05:30 Too frequent a murder of democracy is not good for its health<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Only the other day I had pleaded for a political consensus on the number of times democracy could or should be murdered during a year or during the term of a legislature. Too frequent a killing of democracy does not bode well for its good health. More importantly after it has been murdered , the body should be interred, cremated, or otherwise disposed of with greatest dispatch . No matter how vibrant our democracy is , it does not make a beautiful corpse. Like lilies that fester it smells far worse than weeds . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Even the merest patzer hooked on to Agatha Christie or even Jasoosi Duniya could tell you that the recent murder was not planned well enough. It is easy to mock the wisdom of planners which saddles them with the responsibility of dragging the corpse all over the country, leaving tell-tale blood stains and marks of dragging. A murder should be executed swiftly , bloodlessly and the disposal of the corpus delicti must be done with clockwork precision. The sight of the dead body of democracy lends some credence to the rumours about its ill health, because it is only those who are in the great game of politics know that democracy is like the Schrodinger’s cat : it is both alive and dead. Or if you are the type who has literary inclinations, democracy is like the Cheshire cat, the cat has disappeared but the smile lingers on and on .</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Democracy is all about deception. A rather crude description of it compares it to a balloon sent up in the air in a village fair, and while you were watching it your pockets are silently picked. I can tell you it is much more sophisticated than that . ‘Free elections’’, says the maverick thinker, commentator and polemicist Slavoj Zizek, “involve a minimal show of politeness when those in power pretend that they do not really hold the power, and ask us to decide freely if we want to grant it to them.” Could a Kafka maintain the illusion of an ordinary voter, in all his phony majesty ,seated on the make believe throne, playing king and granting ruling rights to all and sundry? The art and sorcery of politics lies in maintaining this illusion. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">How does politics achieve it? The primary trompe de l'oeil is to make their constituents believe that politics is adversarial, that there are good people and evil people. The good should rule, the evil should go to jail. But it is not a fact. Politics of all shades of morality, from black to jet black , are connected through subterranean capillaries which feed each other . It has a palimpsest identity and masks of good and evil are revealed according to expediency . Whenever there is a regime change people impatiently await the evil predecessor whose corrupt practices stood exposed, about whom copious documents were flashed , will now certainly end up in jail . Have you ever seen any politician of consequence go to jail ? Bergson’s quip, “Stop !Only God has the right to kill his own kind ,” is merely an exercise in rhetoric .</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Politics has over the years evolved a very complex code in which it conducts its intra mural transactions. That is how it keeps its followers engaged and constantly enraged because the concept of enemy is central to the political enterprise. They cohabit merrily while their followers are at each other’s throat. Umberto Eco let me in to their secret code , “the politician, when speaking in obscure terms, is actually sending a message in code that emanates from one power group and is destined for another. The two groups, sender and receiver, understand one another perfectly well, and the wittiest of rhetorical turns is not, for the right people, mere flatus vocis but so many promises, threats, refusals and agreements. It is clear, moreover, that in order for communication between power groups to carry on undisturbed it must go over the heads of the public, just like the coded message passing between two armed camps in a war situation, which might be intercepted by chance by a radio ham but never understood. The fact of its not being understood by others is the indispensable condition for the maintenance of private relationships between power groups…. ( I)t leapfrogs the citizen and denies him any room to agree or disagree.” The art of politics is about making suckers of people. The best, the most illustrious conmen of them go down in history as great leaders .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Arthur Miller’s observation that our political life, thanks to 24/7 TV is now “profoundly governed by the modes of theatre, from tragedy to vaudeville to farce”, is now obvious to all . The political actors are past masters at feigning conviction and the television is an accessory to their deception. Instead confronting politics ,collectively, to account for the mess in detail, the TV manages to stage a fixed political reality show and we are reduced to being mere voyeurs of the antics of the fake fighters in political arena.It is a spectacle of the “strange symbiotic relationship between power and resistance.”</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I am afraid it is a long convoluted way of getting to the point, but TV is the greatest ally of debauched politics.Together they make suckers of people .</div></div></div><p></p>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-16208702371885248912022-06-24T22:02:00.003+05:302022-06-24T22:02:39.434+05:30आइएएस/नजरिया: बाबुओं के ठाठ और ठसक मनोज नाथ<div class="intro" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Eczar, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 25px; margin: 10px 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #e6006e; font-size: 28px; padding-bottom: 5px;">“</span>सत्ता के तिलिस्म की गिरफ्त में बेचारा कलेक्टर ऊपर वालों की जी हुजूरी और नीचे वालों पर रौब न गांठे तो क्या करे<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #e6006e; font-size: 28px;">”</span></div><div class="intro" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 25px; margin: 10px 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 28px;"><span style="color: #e6006e; font-family: Eczar, serif;">https://www.outlookhindi.com/story/column-on-ias-by-retired-ips-of-bihar-cadre-of-1973-batch-manoj-nath-3568</span></span></div><div class="intro" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 25px; margin: 10px 0px;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Eczar, serif; font-size: 18px;">आइएएस पति-पत्नी युगल के कुत्ते की सैर के लिए दिल्ली के त्यागराज स्टेडियम को नियत समय से पहले खाली कराए जाने की घटना ने राष्ट्रीय चेतना को कुछ इस तरह झकझोरा, मानो कोई अप्रत्याशित घटना घट गई हो। विशिष्ट जनों के लिए आमजनों के अधिकारों या सुविधाओं में कटौती तो हमारे जीवन का ऐसा कटु सत्य है जिसे हमने बहुत पहले अंगीकार कर लिया है। फिर ऐसा क्या कहर बरपा? स्लोवानियन चिंतक स्लावो जिजेक का मानना है, “यह सार्वजनिक मंच की विडंबना है, भले हर कोई किसी अप्रिय तथ्य को जानता हो, उसे सार्वजनिक तौर पर कहने से सब कुछ बदल जाता है!” </span></div><div class="article_description" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; float: none; font-family: Eczar, serif; font-size: 14px; width: 662px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">यूरोपीय उपनिवेशवादी अपनी आवश्कतानुसार कैसे देसी अभिजात वर्ग गढ़ते हैं, इस संदर्भ में फ्रांज फेनन की पुस्तक द रेचेड ऑफ द अर्थ की प्रस्तावना में ज्यां पॉल सात्र्र ने लिखा कि होनहार और कुशाग्र बुद्धि वाले नवयुवकों को चुनकर उन्हें पश्चिमी संस्कृति, विचारों और अवधारणाओं के गरम लोहे के लाल छड़ से दागकर चिन्हित किया जाता है और उनकी पहचान अपने देशवालों से बिल्कुल अलग कर दी जाती है। उनके पास अपने देशवासियों से कहने को कुछ नहीं बचता। ब्रिटिश शासन ने आइसीएस के ढांचे में इस बात का खूब ख्याल रखा था।</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">आइसीएस के करिश्माई करतब सत्ता के निर्बाध प्रयोग के दिनों के थे। एंग्लो इंडियन ऐटिच्यूडस: द माइंड ऑफ द सिविल सर्विस में क्लाइव डयूवी लिखते हैं कि बीसवीं शताब्दी में सीमित स्वशासन अधिकार के मिलते ही आइसीएस में विरोध के स्वर उठने शुरू हो गए थे और वे मुखर होकर काले लोगों को सिर पर चढ़ाने के लिए अपनी सरकार को कोसने लगे थे। भारतीय नेतृत्व ने औपनिवेशिक उद्देश्यों की सुचारू रूप से प्राप्ति के लिए नियोजित आइसीइस को आमूल स्वरूप में ग्रहण ही नहीं किया, बल्कि उससे यह आशा भी लगा बैठा कि अब वह जनोन्मुख होकर लोकतांत्रिक उद्देश्यों को धरातल पर उतारने में अहम भूमिका निभाएगा। सरदार पटेल का मानना था कि स्वतंत्र, विचारवान और मुखर अखिल भारतीय सेवा संघीय व्यवस्था का प्रहरी होगा और देश की अखंडता को सुरक्षित रखेगा। अखिल भारतीय सेवा के पदाधिकारियों के लिए इसी आशय से संविधान में ऐसी व्यवस्था की गई थी, ताकि उन्हें सहज ही प्रताडि़त न किया जा सके।</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">आइसीएस के भारतीय प्रसंस्करण आइएएस से मूल रूप से तीन अपेक्षाएं थीं। पहला, उनका नजरिया स्थानीय पूर्वाग्रहों से कलुषित नहीं होगा, अत: वे स्थानीय राजनैतिक रुझान और संकीर्णता से मुक्त होंगे। दूसरा, केंद्र और राज्यों में पदस्थापित रहकर संघीय व्यवस्था को सबल करने हेतु वे केंद्र और राज्यों में बेहतर समन्वय स्थापित करेंगे और तीसरा, कलेक्टर के रूप में वे अपनी सरकारों के संकटमोचन होंगे।</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">लेकिन सरदार पटेल की अपेक्षाओं पर आइएएस कितना खरा उतरा? केंद्र और राज्य सरकार के कटु संबंधों के मद्देनजर पश्चिम बंगाल के मुख्यमंत्री के साथ-साथ मुख्य सचिव भी प्रधानमंत्री की आपदा नियंत्रण बैठक से वॉकआउट कर गए। किसी भी नौकरशाह के लिए यह ‘गुरु गोबिंद दोउ खड़े काको लागूं पांय’ जैसी परिस्थिति में कोई फौरी निर्णय लेना कठिन था। प्रधानमंत्री और मुख्यमंत्री के बीच किसे अपमानित करना है और किस के अहंकार को तुष्ट करना है, इससे बढ़कर असमंजस की स्थिति क्या हो सकती है? लेकिन, पश्चिम बंगाल के मुख्य सचिव सहज भाव से निकल गए क्योंकि दीर्घजीवी सरकारों में आइएएस नौकरशाह स्थानीय शासन के अभिन्न अंग बन चुके हैं। बलराज कृष्ण ने सरदार पटेल पर अपनी पुस्तक में जिक्र किया है कि पटेल और जवाहरलाल नेहरू में निजाम को लेकर तल्खियां चरम पर थीं। इसी संदर्भ में एक सभा में पटेल ने नाराज होकर एक मीटिंग से वॉकआउट किया। वी.पी. मेनन, जो पटेल के सचिव थे, उनके जाने के बाद कुछ देर बैठे रहे लेकिन थोड़ी देर बाद अनुमति लेकर वे भी निकल लिए। लेकिन हद तो तब हो गई जब केंद्र में बैठे आइएएस पदाधिकारियों ने कुछ ही दिनों पहले इस पदाधिकारी, जिसके सेवा विस्तार की स्वीकृति दी गई थी, उसे वापस बुलाने का आदेश दे दिया। फिलिप वुडरुफ ने आइसीएस के महिमामंडन में मेन हू रुल्ड इंडिया में लिखा है कि ‘‘यह एक अलग ही प्रजाति थी। ...ये अत्यंत विपरीत परिस्थितियों में काम करते थे, लेकिन सबसे बड़ी बात कि ये इंटेलेक्चुअल थे।’’ इंटेलेक्चुअल की जिम्मेवारी होती है कि वह सत्ता को सच का आईना दिखाए। केंद्र और राज्य सरकार के बीच टकराव की अजीबोगरीब स्थितियां इसलिए हो रही हैं क्योंकि अधिकांश पदाधिकारी अपनी-अपनी सरकारों को सही, पर अप्रिय परामर्श देने का साहस नहीं कर पा रहे। </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">हरफनमौला कलेक्टर ब्रिटिश शासन में अश्वेत लोगों के माई-बाप सरकार का मूर्त स्वरूप था। आज भी अन्य कार्यों के अतिरिक्त स्थानीय स्तर पर जिलाधिकारी को नेशनल डिजास्टर मैनेजमेंट एक्ट, 2005 के तहत असीम शक्तियां एवं संसाधन प्राप्त हैं, लेकिन कोविड आपदा के संदर्भ में राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर जो कुव्यवस्था हुई, वह अवर्णनीय है। ऐसा नहीं कि यह एक असंभव या असाध्य कार्य था। एक-दो कलक्टरों ने गजब की प्रतिबद्धता दिखाई। प्रवासी मजदूरों की घर वापसी की त्रासदी को इतिहास याद रखेगा। लेकिन नौकरशाही की अक्षमता से ज्यादा उनकी असंवेदनशीलता जनमानस को आहत कर गई। सैकड़ों मील पैदल मार्च करते हुए हुजूम में एक परिवार अपने पहिया वाले सूटकेस पर अपने बच्चे को बिठाकर खींच रहा था। इस तस्वीर ने देश के मर्मस्थल को छू लिया था मगर एक आइएएस पदाधिकारी ने चुटकी ली कि उसके पिता भी उसे अक्सर एयरपोर्ट पर ऐसे ही खींचते थे। हवाई यात्रा की विलासिता और खून जलाने वाली धूप में सैकड़ों मील प्राण-रक्षा के लिए चलने की विवशता में भेद न कर पाने वालों के बारे में ही यह उक्ति है कि उनके पास अपने देशवासियों से कहने को कुछ नहीं है। एक वायरल ऑडियो में स्वास्थ्य सचिव ने एक डॉक्टर को अपनी बहुत गंभीर समस्या सीधे उनसे कहने की धृष्टता से नाराज होकर उन्हें जेल भेजने की धमकी दे दी। लेकिन मदांधता और क्रूरता के लिए अगरतला के तत्कालीन डीएम को बहुत दिनों तक याद किया जाएगा, जिन्होंने दूल्हे के साथ बारात को भी जमकर पीट दिया था। जुमा-जुमा आठ रोज सेवा में आए हुए एक प्रशिक्षु आइएएस के तेवर अब तक सबको याद हैं, जो एक अस्पताल में मरीज के बेड पर पैर टिकाए खड़ा था।</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><img alt="खास बनने की ट्रेनिंगः मसूरी की लाल बहादुर शास्त्री नेशनल अकादमी जहां आइएएस का प्रशिक्षण दिया जाता है" data-dw-processed-inimage="true" data-dw-target-viewable="true" height="530" src="https://www.outlookhindi.com/public/uploads/editor/2022-06-08/1654688511.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="खास बनने की ट्रेनिंगः मसूरी की लाल बहादुर शास्त्री नेशनल अकादमी जहां आइएएस का प्रशिक्षण दिया जाता है" width="975" /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ec2727; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 0px; width: 100%;">खास बनने की ट्रेनिंगः मसूरी की लाल बहादुर शास्त्री नेशनल अकादमी जहां आइएएस का प्रशिक्षण दिया जाता है</span></em></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">कोविड के संक्रमण से ऐसे अधिकारी अनिभिज्ञ तो नहीं होंगे, लेकिन संभवत: खास होने के ख्याल को लाल छड़ से उन्हें प्रशिक्षण के दौरान ही दाग दिया जाता है। आइएएस ने बदली परिस्थितियों के अनुसार अपने आपको ढाला तो है पर उसकी अनुवांशिक विरासत और गुण सूत्र वही हैं। आइएएस में चुन लिए जाने के बाद आम जनता के साथ बराबरी के स्तर पर संवाद स्थापित करना उनके लिए कठिन हो जाता है। देखें तो दोष उनका नहीं, दोष इस समाज का है। पिछले साल बिहार का एक अभ्यर्थी आइएएस की परीक्षा में टॉप कर गया। मुख्यमंत्री ने उसे माला पहनाया और पूरा बिहार हफ्ते भर उसकी प्रशस्ति-गान में लगा रहा। </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">दिल्ली के मुखर्जी नगर के ‘तपोवन’ में देश का सबसे प्रतिभावान युवा आइएएस का परम पद प्राप्त करने की कठिन साधना करते-करते अधेड़ हो जाता है। आइएएस वर की प्राप्ति हेतु उनकी तपस्या को सफल बनाने के लिए धन कुबेर, पदाधिकारी, मंत्री या सांसद पिता करोड़ों की थैली लेकर आइएएस के पीछे भागने लगते हैं। सोशल मीडिया पर बस आप आइएएस लिख दीजिए, हजारों फॉलोअर वैसे ही हो जाएंगे। फीता काटने के लिए, दोस्ती गांठने के लिए लोग लालायित रहेंगे। जब तक आइएएस अलभ्य है तब तक वह निंदनीय है। अगर उससे संपर्क, साहचर्य या सान्निध्य मिल जाए तो वह देवतुल्य। आइएएस की उपादेयता घट रही है लेकिन उसके प्रति आकर्षण बढ़ता जा रहा है।</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">मैं कई बार सिविल सर्विस परीक्षा के इंटरव्यू बोर्ड का सदस्य रहा। इतना क्वॉलिफाइड होने के बाद सिविल सर्विस में क्यों आना चाहते हो, पूछे जाने पर अधिकांश परीक्षार्थी कहते हैं, “मैं जब जिले का कलेक्टर बनूंगा तो अमुक ढंग से जनता की सेवा करूंगा।” तो मैं ठिठोली करता हूं, बंधुवर, बमुश्किल आप कम्पीट कर पाएंगे। अगर कम्पीट कर भी जाएं तो कोई गारंटी नहीं कि आपको आइएएस मिलेगा, अगर आइएएस मिल भी गया तो मुश्किल से एक या दो टर्म कलेक्टर रह पाएंगे। बाकी के 25-30 साल के बारे में कभी सोचा है आपने? सिविल सर्विस परीक्षा का मतलब आइएएस और आइएएस का मतलब कलेक्टर! हर किसी के अंदर एक कलेक्टर बैठा है जो आइएएस बनकर उससे आत्म साक्षात्कार चाहता है।</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">वह जमीन पर बैठ कर मिड डे मील चख ले तब खबर है, स्टेडियम में कुत्ता घुमा ले तब खबर, उसकी संपत्ति विवरणी में नकदी में एक भी रुपया न हो तब भी खबर और एक सौ पचास करोड़ रुपये उसके सीए के पास निकल जाए तब भी खबर, अस्पताल के बेड पर पैर रखे दे तब भी खबर है, अगर किसी बच्चे के सिर पर हाथ रख दे तब भी खबर! सत्ता के तिलिस्म की गिरफ्त में इस समाज के लिए कलेक्टर ही खबर है। क्या करे बेचारा कलेक्टर?</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><img alt="manoj nath" data-dw-processed-inimage="true" data-dw-target-viewable="true" height="160" src="https://www.outlookhindi.com/public/uploads/editor/2022-06-08/1654688545.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="manoj nath" width="150" /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ec2727; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 0px; width: 100%;">(</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ec2727; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 0px; width: 100%;">लेखक 1973</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ec2727; font-size: 20px; margin: 10px 0px; width: 100%;"> बैच के बिहार काडर के सेवानिवृत्त आइपीएस अधिकारी हैं। विचार निजी हैं।)</span></p></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-4411844093791801542022-06-19T18:04:00.003+05:302022-06-19T18:04:37.624+05:30MODI AS IDEOLOGY <div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc dati1w0a e5nlhep0" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_1ew" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I held back this post which was written at the height of farmers' agitation and to that extent it is a little dated . But the violent protests over the Agniveer policy has firmed my views and provides me the impetus to share it now . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Initially I was also skeptical about the idea of ultrashort term service in the military but better informed as now I am, I think it is quite in consonance with the trend all over the world. A respected military officer and an objective strategic analyst like general R W Panag , considers the idea worth a try. Of course , it needs to be fine-tuned to suit local conditions but per se it is not something to be dismissed out of hand.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In Bihar, specially, employment in the government sector is the overriding concern of young men. We have experimented with this idea of using the education sector as a generator of mass employment - with spectacular results. Millions of unemployable illiterates employed as teachers have mass produced many more millions of their own kind, so much so that “Educated in Bihar”, has become a statutory warning. But the military is a matter not to be fooled around with . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">And yes, dear Biharis , burning trains will not hurt Mr. Modi; BJP can be defeated on the electoral battle field only , not on city squares. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> MODI AS IDEOLOGY </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Modi wields a charismatic authority, in the strict Weberian sense of the term, over his large number of followers. Adored by them as a man of exceptional skills , exemplary in many ways , even infallible, Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai, has been elevated to a gospel truth. As his stranglehold on power becomes firmer Mr.Modi himself has now become the ideology, an ideology without words .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Karl Mannheim thought that ideology acts as an unseen glass that systematically distorts our perception of the social world. Marx holds that it relieves the masses of the burden of thinking for themselves, induces a state of mind in which conviction precedes the validating facts .A basic, constitutive naïveté is an essential requirement ,which Modi’s followers possess in abundance. The stronger the belief in their leader or the cause he espouses the weaker become the rational, critical faculties and the ability to pose pertinent questions. So a very large section of Indians refuse to see the tree for the wood , refuse to see anything else other than what Mr. Modi wants them to see. Strongly held beliefs after a period of time become internalised to such an extent that attacks on these beliefs are treated as attacks on the person . It is not uncommon for friends of fifty years standing to come to blows because of their divergent views on Modi. The Modi ideology is deeply divisive.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">His democracy is built around the idea of absolute and unquestioned obedience. New and ideologically compliant forms in name of digital democracy have been built and our civic and even private lives are under ever increasing bureaucratic gaze . His style of governance calls for a voluntary suspension of disbelief, it enforces obligations without explanations. The handling of Covid is an emblematic example. We lighted candles , we clapped , we went into suspended animation because of the most brutal lockdown , marched with suicidal resolve in face of hurtling danger of the second wave of Covid, ignoring Covid protocol to attend election rallies or Kumbh snan but never questioned even once. There is not to reason why , there is but to do and die!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">There is a wide, irreconcilable divergence between the reality and the official views on several policies - demonetization, the Chinese crisis , GST and handling of Covid . But of late, notwithstanding their belief, there is considerable disquiet over his handling of Covid, especially the second wave has spread to some section of his followers as well. The truth managers are quite aware of losing many of those who voted for the party in a state of happy mindlessness . So in order to hold them tethered to their beliefs , illusion becomes the chief reinforcer , drama becomes the key, compelling and startling images— “absolute, uncompromising and simple”—that “fills and bests the mind”. As Gustave Le Bon said in his book , The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, the “art of impressing the imagination of crowds is to know at the same time the art of governing them.” To keep the hope in impossible promises alive, chicanery and mendacity have become an important part of statecraft, propaganda has become the main pillar of government. They are experimenting with an applied epistemology which Theodore Adorno once described as , “a lie experienced as truth.” Hand in hand with this strategy goes the negative PR campaign of tarring those opposed to official point of view , a specific and compelling necessity. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">But then Mr. Modi is much larger than that. He not only commands his followers and elicits their responses whichever way he wishes ,he holds complete sway over the minds of even those who are opposed to him , the “liberal, “ left ,” “moderate” thinking section. Opposition to Modi, irrespective of the merit of the case , is their ideology , and finding reasons for all that is wrong with this country because of Modi is the chief reinforcer of the belief of the followers of this ideology. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The farmer’s agitation is an emblematic example. As far its economic benefits are concerned , economist and experts have not been able to find much fault with the farmer policy of the government. It was part of Congress agenda which the BJP had vociferously opposed it, just as Congress was stolid in its defence. So the farm bill is not a farmers’ issue but a political issue. Had Congress been able to pass the farm bill the cue lines would have been different and BJP cadres would have been sitting in solidarity with farmers behind the barricade. Exploiting their proximity to national capital, farmers , mostly from Punjab and Haryana, Western UP are bivouacking for several months on the borders of Delhi and . To this they have added - and carried out on 26th January - the threat of marching to Delhi and holding it to ransom. A national capital under siege would make a global headline any day. As Slavoj Zizek, the maverick Slovenian philosopher said , "The actual pressure must be made more pressing by adding to it consciousness of pressure, the shame must be made more shameful by publicizing it.” </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Both the parties employ the logic of today’s populism which can be characterized as “democratic fascism.” Farmers invoke the democratic right to protest, which is fair enough but to claim that democracy and legitimacy is limited to their side is not quite democratic . Their refusal to back down unless the government is brought down to its heels is how “fascism that smells like democracy” operates today. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Critical debate , one of the key components of an open society has now quietly yielded to a phenomenon called guided apophenia .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Apophenia earlier identified as an affliction of a schizophrenic patient who could perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things, has now been normalized as political behaviour. In Indian politics Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s habit of attributing every political difficulty to “foreign hands” and later on to the ISI is an old habit but people took it with a pinch of salt. But now all of us cutting across political divide believe in conspiracy theories with the conviction of a schizophrenic. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The farmers say that the government is sold out to Adani and Ambani and this bill is only to prepare for corporatisation of the farm sector and the immiseration of farmers.( This is quite plausible but where is the evidence?) Government, and the media conscripted to government , have not lagged behind in finding the real reason for the protest : it is financed and orchestrated by Khalistanis and their Pakistani and Chinese masters. Pakistan, China and proponents of Khalistan are enemies of India and anything that can discomfit the country is fair game for them, but where is the evidence?). As Alain Badieu said :“Tout ce qui bouge n’est pas rouge” – all that moves (leads to unrest) is not red. ” </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The second example which is an even more convincing proof that those opposed to Modi have embraced the Modi ideology is the anti-vaccine movement which finds its culmination in Prashant Bhushan’s open opposition to vaccine . To quote just one highly irresponsible tweet. “ These mass protests against vaccine madness are now taking place across the world against vaccine mandates , lock downs and mask mandates are now taking place across the world . Despotic rulers are using these measures to keep their people under subjugation after it is clear that these don’t work . Time for mass protests in India too.” The deaths due to oxygen were equally the fault of the state governments but they are missing from the charge sheet against them and Modi finds himself as the sole accused. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">At the height of cultural cold war, the non-communist left intellectuals found themselves pitted against another fanaticism of a particular variety, its mirror image. As the American literary critic and essayist Philip Rahv said "Anti-Stalinism has become almost a professional stance. It has come to mean so much that it excludes nearly all other concerns and ideas, with the result that they are trying to turn anti-Stalinism into something which it can never be: a total outlook on life, no less, or even a philosophy of history." Modiphobia becomes a total outlook on life. Mr Modi must be loving it. To become the sole point of discourse in a democracy of 1.4 bn people with infinitely divergent interests is something unprecedented in history.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="stjgntxs ni8dbmo4 l82x9zwi uo3d90p7 h905i5nu monazrh9" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic" style="border-radius: 0px 0px 8px 8px; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="bp9cbjyn m9osqain j83agx80 jq4qci2q bkfpd7mw a3bd9o3v kvgmc6g5 wkznzc2l oygrvhab dhix69tm jktsbyx5 rz4wbd8a osnr6wyh a8nywdso s1tcr66n" style="align-items: center; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--divider); color: var(--secondary-text); display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; justify-content: flex-end; line-height: 1.3333; margin: 0px 16px; padding: 10px 0px;"><div class="bp9cbjyn j83agx80 buofh1pr ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><span aria-label="See who reacted to this" class="du4w35lb" role="toolbar" style="font-family: inherit; z-index: 0;"><span class="bp9cbjyn j83agx80 b3onmgus" id="jsc_c_1ez" style="align-items: center; display: flex; font-family: inherit; padding-left: 4px;"><span class="np69z8it et4y5ytx j7g94pet b74d5cxt qw6c0r16 kb8x4rkr ed597pkb omcyoz59 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 qxh1up0x qtyiw8t4 tpcyxxvw k0bpgpbk hm271qws rl04r1d5 l9j0dhe7 ov9facns kavbgo14" style="border-bottom-color: var(--card-background); border-left-color: var(--card-background); border-radius: 11px; border-right-color: var(--card-background); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--card-background); border-width: 2px; font-family: inherit; height: 18px; margin-left: -4px; position: relative; width: 18px; z-index: 2;"><span class="t0qjyqq4 jos75b7i j6sty90h kv0toi1t q9uorilb hm271qws ov9facns" style="border-radius: 9px; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; height: 18px; width: 18px;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-label="Like: 16 people" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><img class="j1lvzwm4" height="18" role="presentation" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink' viewBox='0 0 16 16'%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient id='a' x1='50%25' x2='50%25' y1='0%25' y2='100%25'%3e%3cstop offset='0%25' stop-color='%2318AFFF'/%3e%3cstop offset='100%25' stop-color='%230062DF'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3cfilter id='c' width='118.8%25' height='118.8%25' x='-9.4%25' y='-9.4%25' filterUnits='objectBoundingBox'%3e%3cfeGaussianBlur in='SourceAlpha' result='shadowBlurInner1' stdDeviation='1'/%3e%3cfeOffset dy='-1' in='shadowBlurInner1' result='shadowOffsetInner1'/%3e%3cfeComposite in='shadowOffsetInner1' in2='SourceAlpha' k2='-1' k3='1' operator='arithmetic' result='shadowInnerInner1'/%3e%3cfeColorMatrix in='shadowInnerInner1' values='0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.299356041 0 0 0 0 0.681187726 0 0 0 0.3495684 0'/%3e%3c/filter%3e%3cpath id='b' d='M8 0a8 8 0 00-8 8 8 8 0 1016 0 8 8 0 00-8-8z'/%3e%3c/defs%3e%3cg fill='none'%3e%3cuse fill='url(%23a)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cuse fill='black' filter='url(%23c)' xlink:href='%23b'/%3e%3cpath fill='white' d='M12.162 7.338c.176.123.338.245.338.674 0 .43-.229.604-.474.725a.73.73 0 01.089.546c-.077.344-.392.611-.672.69.121.194.159.385.015.62-.185.295-.346.407-1.058.407H7.5c-.988 0-1.5-.546-1.5-1V7.665c0-1.23 1.467-2.275 1.467-3.13L7.361 3.47c-.005-.065.008-.224.058-.27.08-.079.301-.2.635-.2.218 0 .363.041.534.123.581.277.732.978.732 1.542 0 .271-.414 1.083-.47 1.364 0 0 .867-.192 1.879-.199 1.061-.006 1.749.19 1.749.842 0 .261-.219.523-.316.666zM3.6 7h.8a.6.6 0 01.6.6v3.8a.6.6 0 01-.6.6h-.8a.6.6 0 01-.6-.6V7.6a.6.6 0 01.6-.6z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: top;" width="18" /></div></span></span></span></span></span><div class="" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql l9j0dhe7 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl gmql0nx0 ce9h75a5 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs tkr6xdv7 a8c37x1j" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-radius: inherit; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; max-height: 1.3333em; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 1;" tabindex="0"><span aria-hidden="true" class="bzsjyuwj ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs ltmttdrg gjzvkazv" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; width: 100px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="gpro0wi8 pcp91wgn" style="font-family: inherit; padding-left: 6px;">16</span></span></span><span class="gpro0wi8 cwj9ozl2 bzsjyuwj ja2t1vim" style="background-color: var(--card-background); float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-left: -100px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pcp91wgn" style="font-family: inherit; padding-left: 6px;">GS Seda, Shyamal Vinod and 14 others</span></span></span></div></span></div></div><div class="bp9cbjyn j83agx80 pfnyh3mw p1ueia1e" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 22px;"><div class="gtad4xkn" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 7px;"></div><div class="gtad4xkn" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 7px;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-expanded="true" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz esuyzwwr f1sip0of n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh lzcic4wl dwo3fsh8 g5ia77u1 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv gmql0nx0 kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h du4w35lb gpro0wi8" id="jsc_c_1ey" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; appearance: none; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw m9osqain" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">2 Comments</span></div></span></div><div class="gtad4xkn" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 7px;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz esuyzwwr f1sip0of n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh lzcic4wl dwo3fsh8 g5ia77u1 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv gmql0nx0 kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h du4w35lb gpro0wi8" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; appearance: none; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw m9osqain" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">4 Shares</span></div></span></div></div></div></div><div class="tvfksri0 ozuftl9m jmbispl3 olo4ujb6" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 pfnyh3mw i1fnvgqd gs1a9yip owycx6da btwxx1t3 ph5uu5jm b3onmgus e5nlhep0 ecm0bbzt nkwizq5d roh60bw9 mysgfdmx hddg9phg" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: space-between; margin: -6px -2px; padding: 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr g5gj957u n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Like" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl gokke00a" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 rj1gh0hx buofh1pr g5gj957u hpfvmrgz taijpn5t bp9cbjyn owycx6da btwxx1t3 d1544ag0 tw6a2znq jb3vyjys dlv3wnog rl04r1d5 mysgfdmx hddg9phg qu8okrzs g0qnabr5" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class=" pq6dq46d" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit;"><i class="hu5pjgll m6k467ps" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yS/r/rEjlCZ3yHnf.png"); background-position: 0px -322px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></span></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v lrazzd5p m9osqain" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Like</span></span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div><div aria-label="React" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl pphx12oy b4ylihy8 rz4wbd8a b40mr0ww a8nywdso hmalg0qr q45zohi1 g0aa4cga pmk7jnqg gokke00a" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clip-path: polygon(0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 13px 0px; position: absolute; right: 6px; text-align: inherit; top: 1px; touch-action: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><i class="hu5pjgll m6k467ps" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yh/r/GUBrx59viEV.png"); background-position: -136px -109px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 16px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 16px;"></i><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr g5gj957u n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Leave a comment" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 rj1gh0hx buofh1pr g5gj957u hpfvmrgz taijpn5t bp9cbjyn owycx6da btwxx1t3 d1544ag0 tw6a2znq jb3vyjys dlv3wnog rl04r1d5 mysgfdmx hddg9phg qu8okrzs g0qnabr5" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><i class="hu5pjgll m6k467ps" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yS/r/rEjlCZ3yHnf.png"); background-position: 0px -284px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v lrazzd5p m9osqain" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Comment</span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr g5gj957u n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Send this to friends or post it on your timeline." class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 rj1gh0hx buofh1pr g5gj957u hpfvmrgz taijpn5t bp9cbjyn owycx6da btwxx1t3 d1544ag0 tw6a2znq jb3vyjys dlv3wnog rl04r1d5 mysgfdmx hddg9phg qu8okrzs g0qnabr5" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><i class="hu5pjgll m6k467ps" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yS/r/rEjlCZ3yHnf.png"); background-position: 0px -341px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v lrazzd5p m9osqain" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Share</span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s rnr61an3" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="background-color: var(--hover-overlay); border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="cwj9ozl2 tvmbv18p" style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 4px;"></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-76812539145646602072022-05-19T00:15:00.003+05:302022-05-19T00:19:58.804+05:30HAS THE COUNTRY FAILED THE IAS ?<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "Has the country failed the IAS?" Published in PIONEER On may 15 , 2022 </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/sunday-edition/has-the-country--failed-the-ias-.html</span></div><div dir="auto"><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Last evening I posted it on twitter and with in no time I received many messages- from some IAS officers I knew and some others whom I did not - hugely complimenting me for my article but demanding, in the very next breath- an equally trenchant and hard hitting article on IPS . The IAS and the IPS - they are a funny pair: parity is the zest of of an IPS officer's life. He spends the best part of his career seeking this impossible goal. I never knew IAS officers too seek parity in some circumstances . Here is the text of the article. </span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Officers of the Indian Administrative Service ( IAS) who demonstrate the capability to make money from the system ,and make it fast , inevitably endear themselves to people in power. So , whatever the outcome of the ongoing investigation against Jharkhand Mines and Industry secretary Pooja Singhal, IAS , it will not interfere with the chances of her appointment as Chief Secretary of Jharkhand , when her time comes. In its brief history of twenty years as a separate state, Jharkhand has honoured three such IAS officers by appointing them as Chief Secretaries . Among officers so appointed was a gentleman who was facing trial in two cases related to financial irregularities in purchase of fertilizer. Another one had spent many months in jail on charges of forcing entrepreneurs to donate money to his NGOs and finally won a reprieve from the Supreme Court . A third officer who was convicted in an animal husbandry case, and perhaps died in jail, had two stints as chief secretary of Jharkhand. Jharkhand’s case may be an exception, but in popular imagination IAS officers can make money not only with impunity but with honour .</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are two standard explanations for the steady diminution of the stature and prestige of the IAS . The first consists of playing down the well-founded criticisms of servility and capitulation, corruption and chicanery. Even though sometimes the merit of the criticism is granted , its significant contribution to the polity and society is dwelt upon at great length; distortions and aberrations that may have crept in are laid at the door of the many extenuating circumstances.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"If the IAS has failed it is because the country has failed ( or is failing at an accelerated rate) ," is only the extreme formulation of such an approach. The other strategy is to deflect- and devalue - the criticism by outwitting and silencing the critic with a more vehement self-critical diatribe, an anguished self-loathing of their own, as if the act of advertising could, in itself, absolve the service of all the sins that were being advertised.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The IAS, according to one view, requires a particular kind of society to function to its full potential , something like the idylls of Nehruvian era. The post-Independence leaders and influencers like Nehru, Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Ambedkar, Madan Mohan Malviya, T T Krishnamachari, Acharya Kriplani, Jyoti Basu, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Jaiprakash Narayan ( to mention just a handful); industrialists like JRD Tata, Jamnalal Bajaj, Dinshaw Petit and GD Birla; editors like Desmond Doig, Arun Shourie, Sunanda K Dattaray, Kushwant Singh, Frank Moraes and Russi Karanjia have been mostly replaced by pygmies and carpet baggers. These people may win elections, make billion of dollars in one year or run up huge TRP ratings, but they are incapable of promoting public values or morals, or establishing ethical corporate standards, or writing an editorial ( let alone investigating a story).</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But that is hardly the case .The IAS has not only been quick to limber up to the changed political realities, it has scripted an even more indispensable role for itself in the era of “pygmies and carpetbaggers.”</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Politics, to appropriate Balzac’s remark , has become like ,“Soldiering, … chiefly a financial undertaking, you need gold in order to do battle, and you need to do battle in order to get gold.” Some governments are( were ) headed by leaders from newly emergent political classes for whom English was not the language of choice, who did not feel constrained by rules, regulations etc and were quite upfront about their intentions to abuse their office for personal gains.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The longevity of governments challenged the myths that the IAS had forged out of isolated life stories of a young collector telling off a CM, a chief secretary recording his dissent in days long gone by, myths that made them intelligible to themselves, provided them with their reassurance during times of self-doubt. Governments were there to stay; they were here today, they were going to be here tomorrow. How long could they wait out in the cold?</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Though supposed to be unaligned, personally free and subject to the executive authority only within a defined area, they choose to be incorporated in the apparatus of political power . Commitment to rule based governance , are pragmatically abandoned by such officers . They are for the government , the government is for them.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An interesting example from marine biology will serve as an apt metaphor. In the Bay of Naples, a common sea slug medusa , and a snail, start off as independent organisms but on close encounter become conjoined in such a manner that both the jellyfish and the snail shed off a lot of themselves. A small portion of the snail gets permanently affixed to the ventral surface near the mouth of the jellyfish to become one single organism. They get along nicely in a symbiotic arrangement, exploiting each other’s biological capabilities and yet retain their specific otherness.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A clutch of trusted officers-the drastically edited version of service , the cadre may have hundreds of officers , in an arrangement reminiscent of the medusa and the snail, handle the core sectors of the governments as also the entire range of political purpose. The others are kept in a state of idle splendour. But like an Englishman the IAS is “never at a loss for an effective moral attitude … you will never find … them in the wrong.” It is responsible for the marginalisation of its own service and yet persists with the complaint of political interference.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a wide recognition that the creation of the IAS was one of the cardinal follies of the wise. It is irrelevant to the people at large but it has made itself hugely useful to the political class . In an unusual consensus, cutting across their ideological divide , they have found them to be even more valuable after retirement than they are in service. As heads of all the accountability institutions , all those roadblocks to arbitrary exercise of executive power, they render them defunct . In many states you can find officers recruited in the 60s , 70s, 80s making themselves useful to their political masters in a myriad ways. To stand an old saying on its head , “the dead lion is even more valuable than the living donkey .”</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The alliance of these two major institutions has significantly altered the balance of power much to the detriment of democracy.</span></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-25472512938491883212022-05-03T21:17:00.004+05:302022-05-03T21:17:28.821+05:30Why Writing A Memoir/Autobiography Is Not A Good Idea<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Why Writing A Memoir/Autobiography Is Not A Good Idea My Facebook Post 03 05 2022</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My friend <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 q66pz984 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/james.joyce.58152?__cft__[0]=AZVz0gIAbv3BZ9b6M_vWZs2bDe14eu57rtx2njvNGN_TV1mDOUFsIeg5q9MUV_1ecDzBHyLPwP1YshcYcV_aJ341wFX0IjXc-TS4JukOU-_3XpKq_lSmhdWXZnfkbOIVjng&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">James Joyce</span></a></span> has now been revealed as Mr. KVK Murthy, a poet of exceptional merit, thanks to the efforts of another outstanding poet, essayist and critic Sumana Roy. Mr Joyce is so well read in just about everything that is worth reading that for the next seven lives he could play ducks and drakes and yet be counted among the leading scholars of his time. His suggestion that I should write my memoir plugged straight into that universal vulnerability; we all believe that we have a story to tell and the world is eager to listen to it. Well, not exactly. Not everyone, but there are a fairly large number of people who would probably want to tell their stories should they have the requisite skill, the time and the logistical wherewithal. In that sense of the term autobiography is the proper democratic genre; it admits to its portals people without any distinction (pun intended). Civil servants and police officers as a class, are as eager to make their contribution to the society known as anyone else. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">There are many ways of framing a life. Police officers generally like to be seen as swashbuckling heroes, chasing gangsters and drug peddlers, hunting down terrorists and desperate criminals. Those looking for inspirational or sensational literature of this kind will find their expectations undone. To them, it will not quite appeal as a readerly text. As an IPS officer, I did not kill anyone in hot pursuit nor in the heat of battle; custodial interrogation to the accompaniment of aesthetic torture was never a part of my professional repertoire. Never admitted to the first circle of power, never enjoyed the confidence of chief ministers, nor lent my services to Mafia dons, therefore, never performed tasks in the stealth of night for them - the cloak and dagger stuff - which should be now ripe for sharing. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">An autobiography must be a frank, bare all document, to get the monkeys off your shoulder. But I do not have any confessions to make. I never felt called upon to atone for my sins and to find solace in spiritual activities. Salacious stories of secret liaisons, scandals, or adultery, would also be found missing from this account. I am afraid I have nothing to confide by way of intimacies or intrigues. So, of what interest will be the career of someone who had simply walked through life ‘without a horse, a saddle, or a sword’ ?I feel honoured but I feel mystified too.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">But there is another style of policing. It is less spectacular, affords no drama, has no climactic moments; it is the determination to act, and go on acting, strictly according to the dictates of law. It is a lifelong painful grind, the humdrum of the routine, the refusal to accept the law of the implicit and unstated “exceptionalism” that colonial police was grounded in, and has become part of the unstated ethos of Indian police as well.This ultimately becomes the brick and mortar in which the strongest pillars of a society governed by the rule of law is rooted. But the formula that clever professionals apply in their pursuit of that bitch goddess called success, is to recognise the special rights of people who matter, by recognising their enclaves of privilege marked by crossed bone and skull. Their lives become easy, their reputation in circles that matter soars and they have the best of both worlds. You have to make your choices early, changing horses midstream is not the best bet. The effect of your routine quotidian effort begins to show in the confidence and respect of the people you serve. If you are consistent, if you persevere despite reverses or setbacks then your reputation travels by word of mouth which is much the more durable and authentic. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My father was a lawyer, my grandfather was a lawyer too and my great, great grandfather, Munshi Chatrapat Sahay, was a judicial officer who, according to the family folklore, stood up to the British dictate of using law as a weapon of revenge in 1857 and paid the price for it. So the belief in the supremacy and majesty of law was imbibed with my mother’s milk.This belief, what Kafka’s Zurau Aphorisms defines as “a belief like a guillotine, as heavy, as light” began to gutter as I grew in service .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My forty years in the IPS was a painful journey from innocence to experience. Layer after layer of the myth of law being the weapon as well as the armour of the policeman has frayed, has become a patchwork of rags, until the grand deception clothed in its phoney majesty of Latinate expressions like Fiat Justitia Rauta Calum (Let justice be done though heavens fall) has come off revealing it in its in complete nakedness and those who put faith in law it at the mercy of powerful offenders . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I could make a game of my suffering, I could flaunt the elegant scars from my wounds like badges of honour. But I was troubled by thoughts which gnawed at my deeply held beliefs. One single pain would be multiplied in many hearts of all those close to me, my wife, my children. The cross that should have been mine and mine alone became a family burden. Those were the occasions that all this seemed like a moral self-appeasement , an illicit indulgence. But if you have good samskara the self-doubt is transient.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I have been meditating intently on the last few years of my career, on the desirability of sharing my experience of how a police officer committed to acting in accordance with law becomes a quixotic figure, an object of mild derision as well: whether there is any value in memorialising the sharp decline from rule of law to rule of men. Evolution , it is said is a barbed arrow in time. A biped cannot regress to be a quadruped, vertebrates- those who develop spines over a period of time cannot descend the evolutionary ladder to become invertebrates. For ten years I have waited, equivocated, felt alternately enthused and deterred looking at my own story through critical, even hostile eyes but I have not been able to gather enough courage to present my case to an audience mesmerised by the exploits of Singhams. It is not worth it. As the Bhojpuri saying goes, “ का पर करूँ मैं सिंगार पिया मोर आंधर.” Who should I bedeck myself for, my lover is blind.</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-29169246147505315552022-04-29T12:23:00.001+05:302022-04-29T12:23:19.529+05:30<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">REMEMBERING MR. RAMCHANDRA KHAN </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Ramachandra Khan , IPS , (1968 , RR , Bihar) died a week or so ago .He was an honest and upright officer, conscientious , courageous ,brave and bold .But he was not the garden variety cop with just the necessary policing skills and attributes suited to his trade; he had a keen mind and an unbounded intellectual curiosity. As SP Begusarai he distinguished himself for his anti-crime crusades against the infamous Kamdeo Singh . As Dy IG Bettia he left a mark but a career full of great promise in police was eclipsed by circumstances which were as bizarre as bizarre could be. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Mr Khan’s career was doomed by one fatal flaw in his personality . He was out spoken in his opinion and the truth of his opinion was rendered doubly lethal when delivered in a waspish tongue. He was by no means a votary of sagacious advice सत्यं ब्रूयात् प्रियं ब्रूयात् , न ब्रूयात् सत्यम् अप्रियम् , प्रियं च नानृतम् ब्रूयात् ( Speak the truth but speak it sweetly, refrain from speaking hurtful truth but don’t speak a lie calculated to please.) A cold fire seemed to be running under his skin and it seeped through in his animated discussions ,arguments and left many an interlocutor singed. It was a talent which was not calculated to please and dearly did he pay for it.!</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The most significant fact of his life was that he was charged for some irregularities in the so called uniform scandal. There were credible stories that the case which destroyed the top leadership of Bihar IPS was built around a petty pique which arose out of a wordy duel that Mr Khan had. It was a matter which could be handled departmentally but perhaps as the first example of ‘extraordinary rendition’ , a term which gained currency after the infamous Guantanamo Bay, (extraordinary rendition is the transfer of a detainee to the custody of a foreign government for purposes of detention and interrogation) the CBI was called in a trifling matter of poor inventory control and some irregularity in purchase of uniform items. The sum involved was paltry but the CBI cast its net far and wide. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Many IPS officers figured in the investigation and were banished to that moral -no- man’s- land , in that twilight zone between guilt and innocence. A few may indeed have acted malafide but most young IPS officer were negligent and put too much trust in their subordinates – sergeants and sergeants majors. At the end out of the day a dozen or more officers were put on trial ; except two or three , everyone was exonerated and they got all that was due to them during their service , as if there had been no case against them. A reprieve which was no reprieve at all because nothing remained to be salvaged . Mr. Khan happened to be the officer controlling the budget so he was held constructively liable for the act of every single officer in the field. But while others were resigned to their fate and vagaries of legal process he fought, as was his wont , undaunted and unintimidated by the situation putting it across to his tormentors and got acquitted in all the cases but one. But much the more credible judgement in the court of public opinion had already been passed; the verdict of not guilty was unanimous .</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I will permit myself one brief reminiscence. I was SP Chapra but I was prematurely transferred just before the by-election. Public outcry however led to its cancellation. My Dy IG was at daggers drawn and refused to have anything to do with me . Gautam my predecessor at Chapra has already mentioned in his memoir the reason for the Dy IG’s displeasure- and how the Dy IG himself came to grief - with both of us. In a situation like this Mr. Khan was deputed to Chapra . Those were pre T N Seshan days and the Election Commission was but a distant rumour which parties in power did not believe in. Yet there were norms and rules and one could enforce them ,if one had the guts. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I received a message on my wireless , that a minister was moving around with a convoy of six or eight cars in gross violation of norms . On my orders the convoy was intercepted and taken to the police station . To boot many of the vehicles did not have proper papers. The minster stormed in the Rivilganj police station and was bullying the local police and zonal magistrates. I reached there in in no time .The minster was a marvel of miniature , less than five feet in his socks, but his rage was towering .VIPs in abbreviated or diminutive versions throwing their weight seem more like caricatures and my encounter with him was interesting but must await some other occasion .</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> The minster raised hell with Patna and Mr. Khan was despatched to the police station at the behest of government. He was believed to be close to the CM , so he was there in double trust- as the man from Patna and as the trouble shooter for the CM . To cut a long story short I explained to him the situation. The law he knew and I made it known to him that the writ of the election law will prevail. Like an elder brother handling an obstinate younger one he humoured and cajoled me . He was politely persuasive but in the end gave up . I witnessed none of his famous flashes of temper that I had heard about.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The minster stomped his foot , got up to go but tarried endlessly . I had shown my willingness to stand up and see him off but after I had made the appropriate gesture I sat down . The minster could take it no more and left . I followed at the tail of small procession that saw him off to his car. His cavalcade stayed behind till the voting was over. On his way to Patna we went to my house for a cup of tea . Mr Khan was so forthcoming, so self-denying and so warm in his approval of my actions that he earned my respect and gratitude for life . He said that he had expected me to behave exactly like this but he did not seem to be seen to be lacking in effort. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">We often bumped into each other during the days when I fancied attending seminars, lectures etc but soon I got tired of what Koestler called the “intellectual call girl circuit.” The last I met him was in 2011, at a social gathering. I had severely burnt my fingers with the electricity board case and generally found myself lonely and shunned at such venues. He walked up to me and said in Hindi कितना लड़ोगे ? कब तक लड़ोगे? (How much will you fight ?how long will you fight ? ) On an impulse I said “जब तक है जान( so long as there is the last breath in me.)Actually it was a line from a very famous song . We had a hearty laugh and I lingered a while with him before making good my escape.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I visited his house day before yesterday , and the presence of the absence was unmistakable . Books , magazines , papers all bore testimony to the fact the active life of the mind of the man. Tuhin was organising the treasure that the man had left behind . I could not meet Usha jee , his illustrious wife, a Padma Shri recipient for her bilingual writing, because she was attending some Shraddhanjali – one of the many that were held in the honour of the departed soul. His children all distinguished in their own fields bear the impress of a highly literate and cultural upbringing .The man had become a memory and shall always be treasured in our thoughts .</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Stride like a colossus , Mr Khan, wherever you are because no other mode of being would suit you .</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-85571818483722486632022-04-29T12:22:00.002+05:302022-04-29T12:22:32.070+05:30<div class="" dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_1i" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This photograph of a trainee IAS officer inspecting a hospital ward was so appropriate to an article that I had written sometime back but which was published in The National Herald on the 19th April 2022 that I could not but help retweeting it. You can find the article here "Do we need the IAS? The myth of the DM or the colonial ‘Collector’While the country continues to be ruled by the trinity of PM-CM-DM, the colonial ‘Collector’ continues to be an instrument of oppression . "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 py34i1dx" href="https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/do-we-need-the-ias-the-myth-of-the-dm-or-the-colonial-collector?fbclid=IwAR03hwKwzTRg3hOqh_T6UyvfN9CUFjBeNFDUiQRd2OIfBF9uSlugAbPjCx8" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/.../do-we-need-the...</a></span> </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Below is the text of my above article Do We Need the IAS ?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The British colonial administration in India bequeathed to its successors, the Indian National congress , along with their independence, a fully fitted out colonial state with an administrative machinery, the ‘steel frame’.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In an inexplicable state of mind for which later generations found a name, ‘Stockholm syndrome’, the founding fathers fell in love with this very apparatus of control, domination and subjugation that had thwarted its striving for independence with iron hands and retained it lock, stock, and barrel. The new term of endearment for the fabled service, created in the very image of the mythical ICS, was IAS. It was expected to perform the feat that it’s precursors, the ICS, had been done for their colonial masters: hold the new country, with its wide diversity, together. They were supposed to advise their political masters at the centre and in the states, and help them steer the ship of the state.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Sardar Patel believed that “You will not have a united India if you do not have a good All-India Service which has independence to speak out its mind”.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">To ensure that they were not lightly trifled with, Article 311, a politically self-denying provision was introduced to inure them from arbitrary punishments. The then government of India shared the belief of their colonial predecessors that deliverance could only be had at the hands of the District Magistrate and Collector. PM, CM and DM were the three forms of loco parentis in which the mai-baap sarkar of our democratic polity manifested itself.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The fears of the founding fathers about the threat to federalism seems to be coming true, but their faith in the service as the defenders of the idea has come undone. The unseemly incident in which the CM of West Bengal walked away with her Chief Secretary in tow, from a meeting convened by the Prime Minister to assess disaster caused by cyclone, has created some sort of an impasse. It was a situation no civil servant would like to be in: an IAS officer is bound in obedience to both the CM and the PM, but for a situation in which he has to choose to obey one and show willful disrespect to the other, there are no precedents. Anyone else would have agonised but the CS, WB, found it easy, because there is a general belief that all India Service officers in West Bengal, and many other states, are long used to behaving like party apparatchiks. What followed was even worse: the decision of the central government to recall an officer who had been granted an extension, a few days back, was churlishness of unthinkable proportions. As Stalin famously said, they are both worse. Instead of steering the ship of state away from choppy waters of state-centre confrontation together they have charted a collision course.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The Indian Administrative Service, consciously modelled itself after its more illustrious predecessors, the ICS, whom Philip Woodruff described as, “a ruling class, a class apart. They were hard working in a debilitating climate, incorruptible in a society riddled with bribery, celibate until middle age in a subcontinent which married at puberty. Above all they were intellectuals.”</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Being an intellectual brought in its wake the responsibility to speak "truth to power", in the famous phrase of Julian Benda. It is a clear case where the IAS on both sides of the fence failed to speak truth to power they were serving, the independence to speak out their minds notwithstanding. The threat to federal structure, as always, seems to have been subordinated to personal career interests. (On this point those interested can see my The Rusted Steel Frame).</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Ironically, at this very juncture the other article of the faith of our founding fathers, deliverance at the hands of the District Magistrate, has also been tested and found to be totally misplaced.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">After the Bengal Deewani the East India Company began to fancy itself as a state. To make its unconscionable plundering look like a respectable vocation, Warren Hastings was tasked to produce a piece of machinery that English officials could operate and English opinion tolerate. Collector, the emblematic figure of British imperialism, the king pin in Hastings’ plan for the better administration of Bengal, was the answer. This instrumentality of collector was such a roaring success in fulfilling the objectives of the company, while satisfying easily satisfiable British opinion, it was consistent with British “ideas of justice and the proper discipline, forms of deference, and demeanour that should mark the relations between rulers and ruled, “that it was replicated in Southwest Pacific as well (Bernard Cohen). Collector was the man on the spot who knew “the natives,” who was to represent the forces of “law and order.” “Law and order” became the magic mantra and the Superintendent of Police became the magic wand – that he could wield. After the creation of the ICS the office of the District Magistrate was manned by the members of the service.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The successors to the British administration, quietly supplanted themselves in the place of the rulers. The office of the collector, created solely for legitimizing exploitative profits of the Company Bahadur, remained the king pin of the administration which was now supposedly centred around people. It was thought that what was sauce for the colonial goose would be sauce even for colonial gander.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The DM, heads the disaster management authority created by the National Disaster Management Act of India, 2005, at the district level, while the national and state level authorities are headed by the PM, CM and DM respectively. The DM as the head of the authority at local level enjoys unlimited financial powers and huge immunity. Of course, he cannot command the elements, he cannot ask the storm to stop raging or sea waves from lashing the shore, everything else he can. On pain of punishment, he can mobilize every resource and seek almost everyone’s cooperation. NDMA, SDMA, also have retired IAS officers, some representation form retired military officers and a retired IPS officer as well.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The management of Covid-19 by the DMAs, the unplanned migration of workers and the management of the second wave, especially the supply of oxygen and other lifesaving materials, has led to untold misery, an unmitigated disaster. It tested the premise of IAS officers acting in their capacity as DM to deliver, and they failed miserably. As a counter factual it may be noted that a doctor acting in his capacity as district magistrate in a remote district of Maharashtra managed the crisis so well that it became a national success story. There were some others too, I name Rahul Kumar DM of Purnea in Bihar about whom I only heard good things, who acquitted himself very well, which point to the doability of the task. But impersonality and indifference, the defining characteristics of bureaucracy have overshadowed every requirement and trait, in their handling of this crisis. A District Magistrate quipped in face of the shattering image of a child riding a suitcase which his mother was dragging on her long haul back home, that he also similarly rode his father’s suitcase. An audio tape that went viral has a doctor on 24/7 duty in a Covid ward pleading with the health secretary, for some arrangements to be made for his accommodation so that he is not forced to go home and endanger, his wife, his children and his parents. The health secretary asked him to resign and threatened to send him to jail for arguing with him. But the image of rampaging Agartala DM, who bet up the bridegroom, humiliated the guests under the garb of enforcing Covid curfew, will for a long tie represent the public perception of a DM. The production of moral indifference in its handling of Covid was an absolute shame. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I have been a member of the UPSC interview board for civil services for a couple of years. Year after year, the procession of candidates would begin by spelling out their vision of how would they serve the people when they became the collector. No one saw himself as an officer of any other service, no one envisaged any other role for an IAS officer other than that of a collector. I loved to rile them by putting across the proposition that they would be lucky if they got into the IAS, lucky if they became Collectors for more than a term of a year or two, they would have certainly thought about the remaining thirty odd years of their service. They obviously had not. The civil service examination which has been identified with the IAS, and the IAS with the office of the collector fuels - and provides the outlet for - the private little feudalistic fantasies of every eligible candidate alike, even highly qualified professionals earning phenomenal sums of money.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hasting’s gift to the nation has the potential of turning, has in fact turned - many administrations on the model of East India Company. They are run on the lines of profit-making corporations for their political masters and many of these officers have enriched themselves to become “the King of nabobs”. But that is a different story to be told another time.<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div class="l9j0dhe7" id="jsc_c_1j" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; position: relative;"><div class="l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="b3i9ofy5 l9j0dhe7" style="background-color: var(--comment-background); font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="j83agx80 soycq5t1 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gmql0nx0 gpro0wi8 datstx6m k4urcfbm" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FUpscforAll%2Fstatus%2F1518228439803006977%3Ft%3D9_MPLzA2UPuMdcR5k9qoGg%26s%3D04%26fbclid%3DIwAR3drqLN5ivYyg_FHjD713bUc8rYxIgTlyXF274qDWqnYDvH41s3Hfm-rwI&h=AT3W02KEKfDQ7K8TOVU1lBDNtNxAdNo86Dick3PPaYVvqLuCwb4lHeEVYppoZbfUp2EUWvw4aNNmoCcynX5zfUwDbVmrL97F3aPhYei9UGeY7VxsfF0VdYwLUanenoUnHHWSVqClFw&__tn__=H-R&c[0]=AT3OCwz--0GbDQ06SMy5PsRKDnqe19HkB5HV_aIb_SWmmn3_ybIA7NsrGKqTQN5UpuI2Fk_zd3lWwqOuoZ9wmzv7ER2dLLyEpax7ES8M17rNiHe4cx3-1lmZeuIFZRQ259H16rbf3PADOxcXBChfuHMHdQ" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; height: 308.031px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; width: 590.109px;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="bp9cbjyn cwj9ozl2 j83agx80 cbu4d94t ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7 k4urcfbm" style="align-items: center; background-color: var(--card-background); display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 590.109px;"><div style="font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 500px; width: calc((100vh + -325px) * 1.91571);"><div class="do00u71z ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 308.031px; position: relative;"><div class="pmk7jnqg kr520xx4" style="font-family: inherit; height: 308.031px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 590.109px;"><img alt="Upsc Civil Services Exam on Twitter" class="i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 datstx6m pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 k4urcfbm bixrwtb6" height="261" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://external.fpat4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?w=500&h=261&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FFRHUshaaMAI_N51.jpg%3Alarge&cfs=1&ext=jpg&_nc_oe=7001a&_nc_sid=06c271&_nc_o2e=1&ccb=3-6&_nc_hash=AQFoVVM5etYs830s" style="border: 0px; height: 308.031px; inset: 0px; object-fit: cover; position: absolute; width: 590.109px;" width="500" /></div></div></div></div></a></div></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-70785020394664850532022-04-29T12:20:00.004+05:302022-04-29T12:20:49.756+05:30<div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc dati1w0a e5nlhep0" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_2q" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">सड़क पर श्री राम !</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">सब कुछ बदल रहा है। मेरी आँखों के सामने मेरा पटना बदल रहा है. मैंने पचासों वर्ष पटना में गुज़ारे हैं लेकिन प्रभु श्री राम को, गली गली मदोन्मत्त भीड़ के कंधे पर पर शर संधान की मुद्रा में गश्त करते हुए कभी नहीं देखा. प्रभु श्री राम ने जब भी शस्त्र उठाया, धर्म की रक्षा हेतु या किसी , दुर्दांत ,अपराजेय दुष्ट के वध के लिए। अन्य अपराधियों की खबर लेने के लिए तो अनुज और उनकी सेना ही काफी थी. अचानक कौन सा ऐसा संकट आ पड़ा है? क्या गली गली रावण, खर , दूषण , त्रिशरा और बाली उत्पन्न हो गए हैं कि स्वयं प्रभु श्री राम को पुलिस की भांति गलियों में सशस्त्र गश्त लगानी पड़ रही है. क्या यह भी स्मरण कराना होगा कि आज के दिन ही माता कौशल्या ने प्रभु श्री राम से विष्णु स्वरुप त्यागकर " कीजे शिशु लीला अति प्रियशीला यह सुख परमा अनूपा." की विनती की थी। आज का दिन तो श्री राम के उस नयनाभिराम नवजात शिशु रूप का दर्शन कर ह्रदय जुड़ाने के लिए है. क्या हम इतने क्लीव और नपुंसक हो गए है कि नवजात शिशु श्री राम को भी नहीं बक्शते। मेरे मन में - और अधिकाधिक हिन्दुओं के मन में - श्री राम का असीम करूणा का स्वरुप ही रचा बसा है. बिना जगज्जननी सीता का उनका ध्यान ही नहीं होता। सिया राम मैं सब जग जानी . करौं प्रणाम जोर जग पानी. आज श्री राम निपट निस्संग क्यों हो गए? श्री राम सीता जब भी सीता से विलग हुए हैं उसका एक लौकिक उद्देश्य रहा है । सीता हरण रावण की मृत्यु का कारण बना साथ ही रावण जैसा विद्वान, प्रतापी ,शिव भक्त सदा के लिए कलंकित हो गया। सीता का निर्वासन भी हुआ , समकालीन मर्यादा के निर्वाह के लिए. आज किस प्रयोजन की सिद्धि हेतु या किस उद्देश्य की पूर्ति के लिए किसने श्री राम से उनके जीवन संगिनी को सदा के लिए विलग कर दिया? किसने रचा ये विधान ? शास्त्रों,पुराणों , परम्पराओं का संपादन , संक्षिप्ति करण , रूपान्तरण कौन और किस प्रयोजन से कर रहा है? हर हिन्दू के लिए जानना आवश्यक है क्योंकि रामचरितमानस /रामकथाएं हमारी साझा विरासत है किसी फिल्म का स्क्रिप्ट नहीं जिसे व्यापारिक कारणों से कोई ट्विस्ट दिया जा सके.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="stjgntxs ni8dbmo4 l82x9zwi uo3d90p7 h905i5nu monazrh9" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic" style="border-radius: 0px 0px 8px 8px; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="tvfksri0 ozuftl9m jmbispl3 olo4ujb6" style="border-top: 1px solid var(--divider); font-family: inherit; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px; margin-top: 12px;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 pfnyh3mw i1fnvgqd gs1a9yip owycx6da btwxx1t3 ph5uu5jm b3onmgus e5nlhep0 ecm0bbzt nkwizq5d roh60bw9 mysgfdmx hddg9phg" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: space-between; margin: -6px -2px; padding: 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr g5gj957u n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Leave a comment" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s rnr61an3" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="background-color: var(--hover-overlay); border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="cwj9ozl2 tvmbv18p" style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 4px;"></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-42203732160518053442021-10-28T16:17:00.003+05:302021-10-28T16:21:37.215+05:30CBI and The Folly Of The Wise : A Reprise Item It Was Written A Couple Of Years Back <p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">Italo Calvino’s memorable fable, Numbers in the Dark, contains some timeless observation on the folly of the wise. A conscientious accountant comes across an error – a small error committed long time back – by the legendary Annibale De Canis, “the master of bookkeeping,” in a giant Italian conglomerate.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: heebo;">“This infallible man” made a mistake, a stupid mistake of four hundred ten lire in an addition... Over all these years, you know that mistake of four hundred and ten lire has become Billions! Billions! The calculating machines and electronic brains and whatnot can grind out numbers they like. The mistake is right at the core, beneath and bigger than all their numbers, and it’s growing bigger and bigger. The company has grown big, huge, with thousands of shareholders, hundreds of subsidiaries, endless overseas agencies, and all of them grinding out nothing but wrong figures, there’s not a grain of truth in any of their accounts. Half the city is built on these mistakes. No, not half the city, what am I saying? Half the country. And the exports and imports? All wrong? All wrong, the whole world is distorted by this mistake in the life of Annibale De Canis, the master of bookkeeping, the giant of accountancy, the genius.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: heebo;">That’s the point, if genius, great leaders, founding fathers, statesmen err, their errors also are commensurate with their stature. The Congress has ruled the nation for the best part of seventy years and has indeed given us some wonderful institutions and memorable moments of governance but they ruled just long enough to fritter away not only the inheritance of their forebears but have also gone on to commit such a vast compendium of illegalities, immoralities, mal-governance and other evils that their non Congress successors can always cite instances of worse immorality for every immoral deed of their own, for a long, long time to come.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">To quote just one trenchant example: when the Modi government was being pilloried for pestering the RBI someone cited the case of the harried south Indian governor of RBI who was forced to resign because of Nehru’s intransigence.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">Congress also created some organisations which threaten to rock the very foundation of our democratic polity. I am thinking of CBI, spawned in 1963, for some noble purpose no doubt, but it has proved to be by far the greatest disruptor of our political process in the last several decades, and its activities – antics –are constitutive of the political history of our time. It has destabilised governments, helped oust popular leaders, shored up the sagging fortunes of those who should have been condemned to jail, destroyed dynasties and consigned many highly regarded public figures to the moral twilight between guilt and innocence, forever.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">The remark of Supreme Court about the CBI being a caged parrot was not in the nature of a judicial pronouncement nor even an obiter dicta but it has acquired the finality of an axiom. The observation of the court is only half true. The CBI is an aberration, a bio mythological monster. It is not one bird but a combination of two: a parrot, a popular domestic pet and a vicious bird of prey, a hunting falcon that can be set upon those required to be hunted by those who exercise control over it. It can be recalled midway from flight. For those who control its career prospect, it chirps sweet nothings, but ask those whom it is set upon, how vicious can it be!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">The division bench on Guwahati and Meghalaya High Court has in a matter WA No. 119 of 2008 in WP (C) No 6877 of 2005 challenging CBI investigation a couple of years back declared the CBI to be an un constitutional entity. The judgement has been stayed by the Supreme Court and the matter is pending there. But the facts regarding the creation of the Frankenstein monster which threatens to gobble up our federal polity are revealing. Let us give a careful reading of the deliberations on the original file, the foundational document:</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">“Whether it is necessary to have a new comprehensive Act to define the functions and the powers of the Central Bureau of Investigation and to give it the legal authority for conducting enquiries and investigations all over India?</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">If States are to be consulted and if a new comprehensive Act has to be passed by Parliament before the setting up of the Central Bureau of Investigation, this proposal is likely to be unduly held up. Objections might be raised or doubts might be expressed by some States and the process of resolving them will necessarily take time. Some difficulties might also arise from the standpoint of the spheres of responsibility of the Centre and the States.”</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">The creation of CBI, it appears, was absolutely necessary and it could brook no delay so here is what they came up with. “Even with all the care in drafting and preparing the Act it is likely to be questioned in courts and it is difficult to anticipate what the decision of the courts would be on the validity of the new Act or on legal points arising from it.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">On the other hand, it might be mentioned that the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act has already gone through this process. Its provisions have been debated in courts from all possible angles and it has withstood onslaughts from all directions. Even the highest courts have upheld the validity of the provisions of this Act. It is a matter for consideration whether it would be worthwhile framing a new Act just at present with all the delay and difficulty that this involves and with the risk that it is likely to entail.” (The above quotes have been cited in the judgement declaring CBI unconstitutional)</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">Under the Government of the time headed by Sri Jawaharlal Nehru and comprising of the top icons of the Congress pantheon, a resolution was issued under the signature of the then Secretary to government of India S. Vishwanathan bringing into being the CBI from 1st of April (1st of April?) 1963.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">CBI was thus born, riding piggy back on the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. But once launched it has been on a roller coaster ride, gathering destructive potential along the way until its perilous adventure has brought the polity on the brink of an abyss fifty-five years later.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">Those who are really keen to educate themselves must refer to the judgment itself, for its sheer architectonics, if for nothing else. It is built like an impregnable castle, designed to withstand every assault. The court has appointed an amicus curie to obtain non-partisan advice apart from the contestations of the rival parties. Then it goes on to make sure that there was no previous judgment on the issue before them for the consideration, that is, ‘whether the CBI is an entity created by due process of law.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">There was none. The many Apex Court judgements delivered from time to time, explicating the role, power, and jurisdiction of the CBI are gone through with a fine toothcomb, and like a trained surgeon wielding a scalpel the ratio decidendi is separated from the obiter dictum. The matter in its extant formulation has never been heard.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">The division bench begins at the beginning and asks the union of India as well as the parties to the writ to produce all the relevant papers as to its creation. The original file concerning the creation of CBI is missing and the Union of India produces an attested copy of the file procured from the National Archives. Having exhausted this search for papers the Court puts them to diligent scrutiny. The stark fact of the matter is that there is no paper to suggest that the CBI as a police organization was ever created. In fact, the CBI in official parlance and an icon in popular culture can be connected to the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act only through inference, obliquities and indirect references.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">There have been half a dozen amendments since independence and yet the word CBI does not occur anywhere in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (DSPE). DSPE is like Hamlet without the prince of Denmark.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">The resolution which creates this organization has not been vetted by the union cabinet nor does it have the Presidential assent even to qualify as an executive order. “...that CBI has been investigating offences and prosecuting alleged offenders in the garb of being an organization under the DSPE Act, 1946. In fact, we have already indicated above that the impugned Resolution, dated 01.04.1963, is not, strictly speaking, an executive action of the Union within the meaning of Article 73 in as much as the executive instructions, embodied in the impugned Resolution, were not the decision of the Union Cabinet nor were these executive instructions assented to by the President. Therefore, the impugned Resolution, dated 01.04.1963, can, at best, be regarded as departmental instructions, which cannot be termed as ‘law’ within the meaning of Article 13(3) (a) nor can the executive instructions, embodied in the impugned Resolution, dated 01.04.1963, be regarded to fall within the expression, "procedure established by law", as envisaged by Article 21 of the Constitution”.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">The Court went on to quash the resolution “In the result and for the reasons discussed above, this appeal partly succeeds. We hereby set aside the impugned judgment and order, dated 30.11.2007, passed, in WP(C) No. 6877/2005, and while we decline to hold and declare that the DSPE Act, 1946, is not a valid piece of legislation, we do hold that the CBI is neither an organ nor a part of the DSPE and the CBI cannot be treated as a ‘police force’ constituted under the DSPE Act, 1946.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">The Government of India challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court and the judgement has been stayed. Matters sub judice are to be approached with utmost care and respect, therefore, I have studiedly avoided making any comment and have stated only quoted facts and observations from the judgment. My simple submission is this: why did Mr. Manmohan Singh’s government not make a special plea to the Supreme Court to decide this matter on an utmost priority. What stops the present government, political party activists, jurists, civil society spokesmen to make a common cause before the Supreme Court now to take up the matter straight away instead of PILs about peripheral issues.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">But that is not going to be. Every politician, every political party worth the name aspires to the Sultanate of Delhi. All of them would like to use this versatile tool when their turn comes to discipline their rivals. CBI is happy to be used and has found innovative ways to be ever more useful.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #505050; font-family: heebo; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">The judgment needs to be more widely known and read in the original by whoever cares about constitution and constitutional proprieties.</p>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-82688728745773941872021-10-20T16:52:00.001+05:302021-10-20T16:52:05.687+05:30 बिहारी होने का दर्द <div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc e5nlhep0 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_11" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> सोचा था आभासी दुनिया से संन्यास ही ले लूँ। वानप्रस्थ अवस्था में भी अगर आध्यात्मिक चिंतन ,मनन नहीं करूंगा तो कब करूंग। आध्यात्म तो हम बिहारियों को विरासत में मिला है . कपिल वास्तु से आकर, दर दर की ख़ाक छानने के बाद परम पूजनीय महात्मा गौतम बुद्ध भगवान को ज्ञान आख़िर बोध गया में ही प्राप्त हुआ. बोधि वृक्ष के नीचे।सनद रहे यह ज्ञान दाई भूखंड बिहारियों की खतियानी ज़मीन है . और वह बोधि वृक्ष हमारी कल्प तरु. गाहे बगाहे बौद्ध धर्म की अनुयाई देशों को एक टहनी भेजकर उससे हम गुडविल कमाते रहते हैं। मैं एक ही बार बोध गया, गया. ( शुक्र है कि मेरा नाम गया नही है ,नहीं तो "गया गया गया " , इसे अंग्रेजी में कैसे कहेंगे ,जो लोक दर्शन का सबसे अहम् प्रश्न है , में फंसकर रह जाता। एक जांच के सिलसिले में गया था इसलिए थोड़ी हड़ बड़ी में था वरना थोड़ा बहुत ज्ञान तो तब ही प्राप्त हो गया होता। बहरहाल सरकार ने एक अच्छा काम किया है, जो अभागा बोध गया न जा सके उसके ज्ञान प्राप्ति के लिये स्थानीय व्यवस्था करा दी है. पटना रेलवे स्टेशन जाने के रास्ते में में एक अत्यंत रमणीय स्थल में एक बुद्ध स्तूप बनवाकर. कुछ भौतिकवादी कुतर्क करते हैं कि बाइस एकड़ के इस भूखंड का पटना के सबसे व्यस्त इलाके को डी कंजेस्ट किया जा सकता था। लेकिन नकारे लोगों की कमी कहीं नहीं होती. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> मेरा ख्याल है कि स्टेशन पहुँचने की हड़बड़ी में शायद आपको वातानुकूलित मैडिटेशन सेंटर में ध्यान करने का अवसर न मिले, पर निश्चिंत रहिये , इस भवन का ऐसा माहात्म्य है कि पटना के बाहर पाँव रखने के पहले आप को यहाँ आना ही होगा. नगर विभाग के कुशल रण नीतिकारों ने इसके ठीक सामने ट्रैफिक की संरचना महाभारत के एक अत्यंत प्राचीन पांडुलिपि में वर्णित चक्रव्यूह के अनुरूप की है. अभिमन्यु को छोड़िये इस चक्रव्यूह को भेदने का तरीका मैं बताता हूँ। आप जहाँ भी इस ट्राफिक भंवर जाल में फंसे गाडी से या टेम्पो से उतरकर सामान अपने सर पर लें और सीधे स्टेशन की और दौड़ें. लेकिन सर पर आप अपना सामान तो लेंगे नहीं आप. मानव मात्र घमंड एवं अहंकार पुतला है, पर बिहारी तो बस पूछो मत . बड़बोलेपन में भी उसकी कोई मिसाल नहीं। कुपोषण और अशिक्षा से कृशकाय उसके शरीर का एक आधा हिस्सा हाडमांस बाकी आधा अहंकार ,बड़ बोले पन और डींग हांकना है । रण बांकुरा तो ऐसा कि बस बात बात में तलवार के जगह बाल की खाल खींच कर अपना डी एन ए निकाल लेता है । </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> विरासत की बात जब चल निकली है तो यह भी बताये देता हूँ कि श्री वाल्मीकि की ही परंपरा में वाल्मीकिनगर में अवतरित महाकवि श्री मनोज वाजपेयी जी ने बिहारियों के यायावरी प्रवृत्ति, त्याग एवं आध्यात्मिक रुझान पर एक महाकाव्य ही लिख डाला । इसका अखंड पाठ एवं मनन के उपरांत रेलगाड़ियों में गठरियों ही तरह ठसाठस भरे हुए हर दिशा में जाते , हर दिशा से आते बिहारियों के पलायनवादी प्रवृत्ति के गूढ़ दर्शन को आप समझ सकेंगे । सब कुछ तो है बिहार में , दूध घी की नदियां बहती हैं, शिक्षा के अवसर हैं, फिर भी पलायन? "दू बिगहा में घर बा लेकिन सूतल बानी टेम्पो में। " तप , त्याग , विषय वासना से मुक्त बैरागी का रहस्य जानने के लिए आपका ट्रेन छूटना ज़रूरी है. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">आपकी गाडी छूटेगी इसकी गारंटी मैं लेता हूँ. हमारे भोज पुर में भविष्य द्रष्टाओं ने इस की परिकल्पना बहुत पहले की थी। 'तीसरा उड़ान में तीतर पकड़िहें।" लेकिन अब ये आसान हो गया है , आप दूसरे प्रयास में ही ट्रैन पकड़ सकते हैं। सामान क्लॉक रूम में डालिये , सकुचाइये मत आप के साथ कुछ जाने वाला नहीं है, हाँ क्लॉक रूम से हो सकता है कि अंतिम यात्रा के पूर्व ही आपकी इह लोकिक सम्पदा आप से विलग हो जाय. पर इसकी चिंता मत कीजिये , आपकी अगली गाड़ी १० -१२ घंटे बाद है इसलिए घर जाने का मोह त्यागिये। पैदल ही निकल लीजिये मैडिटेशन सेंटर की और , ध्यान रहे बौराये ट्रैफिक में कहीं आपकी आत्मा शरीर से विलग नो हो जाय। ध्यान से आत्मा का गहरा समबन्ध है। मेरा अनुमान है ३ ४ घंटे में आप अवश्य ध्यान केंद्र पहुँच जायेंगे। ध्यान लगाइये , ध्यान रखिये ऐसे भी ध्यानावस्थित न हो जांय कि गाडी फिर छूट जाय। लौटने ले लिए चार घंटे बचे रहें। कश्मीर, मणिपुर , त्रिवेंद्रम की गाड़ियां दिन रात चलती है, लद जाइये , किसी में. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> जम्मू कश्मीर में बिहारी लगतार मारे जा रहे हैं। बिहारी तो रोज़ ही देश में मारे जाते हैं ,रोज़मर्रे की घटना का खबर क्या बनाना। उनके मरने का मातम भी क्या मानना जो देश की एकता और अखंडता के लिए अपना सर्वस्व न्योछावर कर दे। जहाँ पूरा देश पृथकता वादी , आतंकियों,राष्ट्र विरोधी तत्त्वों का अखाड़ा बना हुआ है सही मायने में पूरे देश को एक सूत्र में पिरोने वाला बिहारी ही एकमात्र जीव है । इतिहास गवाह है , बिहारी नागालैंड में मारे गए हैं , आसाम में मारे गए है , पंजाब , गुजरात महाराष्ट्र , द्रविड़ उत्कल ,बंगा , सबने इनका शोषण किया, ज़ुल्म किया। हमारे नेताओं ने अनेको बार कहा "बिहार में सकुछ है " , फिर भी उन घुमक्कड़ों का सरकार क्या करे जो यहाँ की बड़ी नौकरिया छोड़कर पहलगाम की वादियों का लुत्फ़ लेने के लिए वहां गोलगप्पे बेचनें चले जाते हैं . </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">लेकिन एक प्रश्न मेरे मन को लगातार लगातार कुरेद रहा है. ये बिहारी है कौन ? पचास साल के सार्वजनिक जीवन में एक भी बिहारी बिहार में तो कभी दिखा नहीं। यहाँ तो राजपूत मिले ,भूमिहार मिले, स्वजतीय कायस्थ मिले , यादव , बनिया पासवान लेकिन बिहारी तो कभी नहीं मिला. यदि बिहार में पासवान जी मरते तो ये दलित मामला होता, साह जी मरते तो ओ बी सी का मामला होता, फॉरवर्ड कास्ट के होते तो अगड़ी जाती समझती , ये अचानक नई परंपरा की शुरुआत क्यों हो गयी।नेताओं के बयानों से लगता है पूरा बिहार शोक निमग्न है. क्यों भला ? वोट जात को देते हैं , तो संवेदना गैर जातियों को क्यों , यही सबक हमारे नेताओं ने सिखाया है न , इसी पर जनता को चलना है न ?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> ज्ञान , अज्ञान ,सामाजिक न्याय की आभासी दुनिया, राजीनतिक यथार्थ की वोट लोलुप दुनिया , वैराग्य, भोग, त्याग के मकड़ जाल में फंसा हुआ मैं सोचता रहा कि ज्ञान पिपासा के इस कीड़े ने मुझे कब काटा? गाँधी मैदान की तरफ तो बरसो से नहीं गया , और ज्ञान भवन बनने के बाद तो ब्लिकुल नहीं। शपथ। "कौन है ये बिहारी , बिहारी , बिहारी ?" पर अचानक एडवर्ड केकुले की तरह मुझे अनुभूति हुई.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">बाहरी प्रदेशों में निषिद्ध एवं एवं हेय व्यक्तियों की पहचान का शब्द है बिहारी। गले में घंटी की तरह . बिहार की सरकारें केंद्र सरकार के आगे पांच लाख , दस लाख करोड़ की मांग करती है विपन्न बिहारी का रूप धरकर ,कुछ इस तरह जैसे पृथ्वी विष्णु भगवान से याचना हेतु गाय का रूप धारण करती है. शौकिया बाहर मज़दूरी करने वाले इस प्रदेश के निवासियों को रैंडम हिंसा में मारे जाने पर सरकार मरणोपरांत दो लाख रुपये, श्वेत चादर और 'बिहारी" की मानद उपाधि देकर दुनिया से रुखसत करती है. बिहार में बिहारी को खोजना मुश्किल ही नहीं नामुमकिन है ।</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="stjgntxs ni8dbmo4 l82x9zwi uo3d90p7 h905i5nu monazrh9" data-visualcompletion="ignore-dynamic" style="border-radius: 0px 0px 8px 8px; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="tvfksri0 ozuftl9m jmbispl3 olo4ujb6" style="border-top: 1px solid var(--divider); font-family: inherit; margin-left: 12px; margin-right: 12px; margin-top: 12px;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 pfnyh3mw i1fnvgqd gs1a9yip owycx6da btwxx1t3 ph5uu5jm b3onmgus e5nlhep0 ecm0bbzt nkwizq5d roh60bw9 mysgfdmx hddg9phg" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: space-between; margin: -6px -2px; padding: 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t g5gj957u d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Like" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 pq6dq46d mg4g778l btwxx1t3 pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb lzcic4wl n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql abiwlrkh p8dawk7l" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 g5gj957u rj1gh0hx buofh1pr hpfvmrgz taijpn5t bp9cbjyn owycx6da btwxx1t3 d1544ag0 tw6a2znq jb3vyjys dlv3wnog rl04r1d5 mysgfdmx hddg9phg qu8okrzs g0qnabr5" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class=" pq6dq46d" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit;"><i class="hu5pjgll m6k467ps" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://www.facebook.com/rsrc.php/v3/yl/r/OtU2J237ghM.png"); background-position: 0px -306px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></span></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v lrazzd5p m9osqain" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Like</span></span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div><div aria-label="React" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 pq6dq46d mg4g778l btwxx1t3 pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz b4ylihy8 rz4wbd8a b40mr0ww a8nywdso pmk7jnqg i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb lzcic4wl n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql abiwlrkh p8dawk7l pphx12oy hmalg0qr q45zohi1 g0aa4cga" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clip-path: polygon(0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px, 0px 0px); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 13px 0px; position: absolute; right: 6px; text-align: inherit; top: 1px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><i class="hu5pjgll m6k467ps" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://www.facebook.com/rsrc.php/v3/yW/r/ttTXZ6XJuCZ.png"); background-position: -17px -166px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 16px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 16px;"></i><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t g5gj957u d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz rj1gh0hx buofh1pr n8tt0mok hyh9befq iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 2px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div aria-label="Leave a comment" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 pq6dq46d mg4g778l btwxx1t3 pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb lzcic4wl n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql abiwlrkh p8dawk7l" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 g5gj957u rj1gh0hx buofh1pr hpfvmrgz taijpn5t bp9cbjyn owycx6da btwxx1t3 d1544ag0 tw6a2znq jb3vyjys dlv3wnog rl04r1d5 mysgfdmx hddg9phg qu8okrzs g0qnabr5" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; height: 44px; justify-content: center; margin: -6px -4px; min-width: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 0;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><i class="hu5pjgll m6k467ps" data-visualcompletion="css-img" style="background-image: url("https://www.facebook.com/rsrc.php/v3/yl/r/OtU2J237ghM.png"); background-position: 0px -268px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; filter: var(--filter-secondary-icon); height: 18px; vertical-align: -0.25em; width: 18px;"></i></div><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb j83agx80 cbu4d94t pfnyh3mw d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz ph5uu5jm b3onmgus iuny7tx3 ipjc6fyt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px 4px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v lrazzd5p m9osqain" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Comment</span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s rnr61an3" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="background-color: var(--hover-overlay); border-radius: 4px; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="cwj9ozl2 tvmbv18p" style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 4px;"></div></div></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-17228366798240309432021-08-20T18:10:00.004+05:302021-08-20T18:10:39.565+05:30HOLLYWOOD DOES IT BETTER <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="9d3mi-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9d3mi-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="ei89p-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ei89p-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ei89p-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="dhpoj-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dhpoj-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dhpoj-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Hollywood script writers have done way better than American policy planners and generals put together. The movies accomplish impossible missions , while the American administration not only leave their tasks unfinished , they create a huge lot of mess , leave behind their allies in the lurch ,and the believers in American superpower status in deep shit. But when it comes to cost, neither the Hollywood nor the USA worries about it , whether in terms of dollars or in terms of misery of the people whose human rights etc , etc , etc had beckoned American intervention in the first place .The US of A enters with a bang and exits with a whimper . It is by now accepted as the style statement of the super power. But their naivety is beyond imagination. Apologists say they have stitched a face saving exit by the treaty with Taliban; actually it was something much more precious they got away with, considering the predilection of the Taliban. Americans have been sleeping with Pakistan for ages and still they have not figured out whether it is their trusted “keep” or a two timing ally , their spy or a double agent.</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="9mcp9-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9mcp9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9mcp9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="9nu2n-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9nu2n-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9nu2n-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"> To provide a historical context , Independence Day- a film made in 90s , is chillingly smug and self-assured in its basic assumption of the idea of a unipolar world of which America is the unquestioned leader .The experience that I was able to bring back from the viewing was an overwhelming sense of gratitude , that Americans were members of the human race and a reinforced belief that under the global leadership of America, we shall overcome even the more advanced extra-terrestrial monsters.</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="5paga-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5paga-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="5paga-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="dt5ba-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dt5ba-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dt5ba-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">A satellite engineer detects a 3000 mile-wide mothership approaching the earth with none to friendly intention. Before an appropriate response could be mounted it has caused significant devastation and now America is threatened. Let that sink in- "America is threatened." It is decided that the lives of "more innocent American civilians' should not be risked". The President-a former fighter pilot dons his G-suit, helmet and gloves teams up with scientists and others who have reverse engineered the technology of the aliens to combat their design. After that it is all over. The Africans emerge then some seeming Arabs, a timely reminder that it is Americas burden to save these hapless creatures as well. Which war is unwinnable which difficulty insuperable if America is in forefront of the enterprise? Which cause, which treaty, which world order can be questioned if the Americans sponsor these? The President of America appropriately declares July 4-The American Independence Day as a day of commemoration for the entire planet which is just as well perhaps because America takes a decision and expects the world to ratify it.</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="d42i4-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d42i4-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="d42i4-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="eva9b-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="eva9b-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="eva9b-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Cut back to reality. James Reston, one of the most influential political commentator of his time in an interview with Paul Niven Of the National Educational Television described the American foray into Vietnam thus "(I was) worried whether we could really exercise our power all across the' Pacific Ocean...the big easy walking American kids...! saw the same kids walking in the elephant grass. They had gone to a strategy of searching the enemy and destroying him on his terms, in his country." This same millenary mission took them to the Desert Storm "we went…we didn't ask why-our country called and we felt proud".</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="dn8ah-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dn8ah-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dn8ah-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="9btl7-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9btl7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9btl7-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"> It is the privilege of the homo Americanus to feel proud in whatever they do. Whether they rain napalm bombs on innocent civilian population or spread chemical defoliants in Vietnam or sow land mines like some malevolent tubers . To these immemorial events , we must now add some of its more recent humanitarian acts in the interest of saving democracy from non-existent WMDs . During the Iraq War, a squad of Blackwater mercenaries killed 17 civilians at Nisour Square, a traffic intersection in Bagdad. But it pales into insignificance before the much more heinous and culpable Haditha carnage. In 2005, a squad of U.S. Marines shot down 24 unarmed civilians ranging from age 3 to 76 , one of them was in a wheelchair, some still in their pyjamas in their bedrooms reviving brutalities memories of the My Lai massacre. No one, however , came to grief and even the squad leader, Staff Sergeant Frank D. Wuterich, was acquitted in a court martial. It needed telling in some detail because America keeps a very detailed account of all transgressions against Human rights all over the world. </span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="4lh22-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4lh22-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="4lh22-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="c6rt6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c6rt6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="c6rt6-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But think what they might even the American might is worsted sometimes and they were forced to retreat from Vietnam , with as much good grace as they could, in a sticky situation. (They have overhauled this record in Afghanistan. In Vietnam there was a decent interval in the change of regime , Taliban did not even show them this courtesy).</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="akmqu-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="akmqu-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="akmqu-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="2l306-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2l306-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="2l306-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">To Hollywood now falls the task of redeeming their self-esteem which was denied them in history. Regular sorties are made in films like Lost In Action to rescue American soldiers who were taken prisoners of war by the mean and "yellow Asians." The likes of Sylvester Stallone finish the task of "destroying the enemy on his own terms in his own country", piecemeal. Unmindful of the historicity or the morality of the issues involved in Iraq , Afghanistan etc, the simplistic movies use conflict simply as a backdrop , as in Iron Man , or merely as a pretext for display of individual heroism in Lone Survivor . As an American film critic observed movies are becoming a way to create public memory. </span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="e4ji4-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e4ji4-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="e4ji4-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="eebbu-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="eebbu-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="eebbu-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">In reality Americal also manipulates public memory. Taliban was once poison? It was the epicentre of global terrorism. Americans travelled 12,000 kms and hunted them for decades to make their homeland - and the world -safe from terrorism. In the end they departed in a spirit of bonhomie and making the gift of a fully fitted out modern military state. What happened in these twenty years? Those who know should have known, because America changes its views about worst offenders without notice.</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="ato6n-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ato6n-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ato6n-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="ekieh-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ekieh-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ekieh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"> Look at mainland China. It was not recognised by it, till 1979.As an entity it stood in the same category of political evil as Russia. Thanks to its ally Pakistan , America saw great possibilities in China. Its appalling record in human rights, organ harvesting, political executions, detention of the dissidents, and other unedifying activities suddenly ceased to matter. A well-crafted narrative made engagement not only acceptable but the Chinese isolation for so long look like a bit of a 'mistake. Mr Clinton who had squarely denounced George Bush for "coddling" to the Chinese leadership in the end decided “ Let us go and make our visit.”</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="4rcji-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4rcji-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="4rcji-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"> The Chinese charmed the world by unrolling its Oriental pageantry at its best, something even Hollywood could be proud of , to make this event truly historic.This was a different kind of footage shot "live", but it exploited to the full the possibilities of what Umberto Eco calls "event as mise en scene and life a scene setting.' Mr. Clinton and Xiang clashed over human rights, as scripted , at Tieneman Square- the symbolism need not be lost - for the benefit of the audience back home. Clinton was fielded all the right questions at the Beijing University, and the host spared no effort to make "the democracy in Chinese village", that President Clinton saw appear credible to the rest of the world. This time round, in the interest of democracy global peace etc , America stooped to conquer the enemy, to capitulate to the enemy "in his own country on his own terms". China became wholly good.( The the process of revising the memory has been undertaken timidly. )</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="di70q-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="di70q-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="di70q-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bt6bp" data-offset-key="bpr1u-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bpr1u-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="bpr1u-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">So are there any lessons to be learnt from Afghanistan, other than what Kissinger’s, which was not taken seriously. It is dangerous to be America’s enemy but to be its friend is fatal. To me there appear to be two: one , beware of the American bearing the gift of democracy. Two the moral capital of America is its dollar and if expenses in dollars mount , then saving dollars becomes a moral imperative greater than ushering in democracy. General Smedley Brown once said , “ The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.” The reverse is also true .If costs in dollars of a noble mission start mounting the American flag folds up ,retreats and the American soldiers follow their flag .</span></div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-57856941971245938932021-08-01T15:41:00.001+05:302021-08-01T15:41:41.339+05:30AS ABOVE SO BELOW :HOW POLITICAL CONTROL OF POLICE IS THREATENING THE FEDERAL CHARACTER AND EVEN THE INTEGRITY OF THE NATION<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">There is nothing new to be said about our police forces , what was said fifty years ago or seventy years ago will hold good even today .Writing for The Indian Express two decades back I had said that “The growing ineffectiveness of state police forces in the face of powerful offenders creates a demand for CBI investigation, even in cases which are well within the professional and logistic competence of the state police. The CBI itself becomes eminently vulnerable to charges of bias once the affairs of the Central Government become the subject matter of enquiry. The state police forces are well on way to being reduced to a level where they will be good for nothing but ceremonial parades and watch and ward duties and a day may come when the CBI too may face an erosion of credibility. Who shall we turn to then? The Interpol, the FBI, or Scotland Yard?”</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The moment of reckoning for the CBI seemed to have arrived . The family members of SSR sought the intervention of the Supreme Court to bring in the CBI . Then we are told members of SSR family seem to be distressed at the way CBI is investigating the case. What shall be done now?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> The reiteration of the trite fact will help illuminate the dilemma of both police and the public. “The popular mind has a very straightforward and simple expectation from the police. It is that police should make itself useful to them in all sorts of circumstances. It is a demanding task. You cannot be useful to the victim and the offender, to the complainant as well as the accused, to the party in power and the ones in perpetual quest of wresting it, to the underprivileged and the powerful, all at the same time.” The only way in which police can navigate this situation is by remaining strictly neutral and following the dictates of law. Therein lies the rub. Police never was, nor is, the agent of law , it is the handmaiden of those who control it. The word has gotten around that those who bring to bear the most pressure on police win the day.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The organizational culture of police puts too much premium on their blind obedience of orders . Stanley Milgram, a management expert conducted a series of obedience experiments in Connecticut in 1961 and advanced a hypothesis that human beings have a natural tendency to obey men in authority and they will even stoop to needless brutality and inhumane treatment of their fellow beings should they feel so commanded by an authority. In the light of above findings we can better understand the conduct of the police force in which obedience is drilled in day in and day out. The senior police leadership of the day, and in days to come, need to be put through a crash course in disobedience to refuse to make the organization available to the dictates of political expediency. But who will do it?</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One must also now admit the sad but inescapable fact that increasingly it is the criminality of various echelons of governments that often require to be investigated . The fate of political leaders holding responsible positions in governments sometimes depends on the outcome of the investigation of a criminal case. The manifest centrality of impartial investigation for the functioning of democracy can no longer be ignored . The political control of police is leading to unheard of situations. Police officers acting as flag bearers of their respective governments find themselves pitted against each other. In West Bengal it was the CBI vs local police , in the instant case an IPS officer from Bihar was incarcerated by BMC. But the worst instance of police the mistaken direction that police has taken is the exchange of fire and tragic death of police men. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“As above, so below” was one of the central tenets of the ancient hermetic philosophies – the world in which humans lived was a reflection of the glories of Heaven, but at the same time, the heavens were affected by what happened on the mortal Earth. The eternal truth, “as above so below”, holds good .</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215028655438309441.post-29837239464056211542021-07-28T14:03:00.002+05:302021-07-28T14:03:16.292+05:30Life In The Shadow of Covid<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The decline of Covid cases to double digits ,in both Delhi and Bihar, signaled for me the opportunity to head for home.I booked my and my wife's tickets for Patna;a planned visit to Delhi for 18 days became a near permanent residency. I was under the absolute maternal care of my daughter and son in law ,and my two grandchildren but thoughts of how things might be at home never left me .</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I arrived home to an uncertain welcome. The torrential rains thwarted the many attempts of the pilot to land at Patna ILS,notwithstanding.We got diverted to Varanasi and could land only after the weather at Patna had cleared .</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> The Covid figures have again started going up , from a low of 25 thousand sometime back to 43 thousand yesterday .Kerala accounted for more than 22 thousand of those 43 thourand , a state with less than 3 percent of the population toted up 50 % of the total number of new cases. Kerala, we are told is the most literate and progressive state. Its monitoring system was publicised as worthy of emulation. Maharashtra another standard bearer of modernity and prosperity has been consistently adding disproportionately large number of new cases .It is not in good taste to question these states. Only when poorer ,laggard states fumble , it becomes a matter of national concern . Meanwhile the two states keep the hope of an early third wave alive . Or has it already , as one report on twitter says?</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Covid 19 has proved to be the greatest disruptor known to mankind in recent times. We, in India, looked for redemption in the heat of the scorching Indian summer; it was a virus of the colder climes, we told ourselves. But summer came , the way it always did, spent its fury in vain and made way for an uneventful rainy season. Covid 19, contrary to our hopes ,stood taller and firmer, if anything ,notching up new heights every day. The fabled Indian immunity, acquired by our long association with filth , dirt, lack of civic amenities , its familiarity with tuberculosis and measles did not seem to be giving us a free pass either. It was another one of those chimera which we had been pursuing!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Days passed by , seasons changed but we still had no idea how long would this ordeal continue. There seemed to be no end , no event , no hope in sight , only a paralysing sense of fear and foreboding : it could last a life time or go away in a year. Living and partly living, we pinned our hopes on 2021, in the upcoming Vaccine . Vaccine was the new redeemer! </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">But come 2021 and Covid 19 numbers petered off. And up surged the self-esteem of our leaders, like ink to the nib. Some needless frontier bravado and avoidable chest thumping at having defeated the disease percolated down to the grass root levels. A wave of mass delusion swept the country and people let down their guard. In The Plague in the city of Oran had similar delusions, “Our townsfolk were not more to blame than others; they forgot to be modest, that was all, and thought that everything still was possible for them; which presupposed that pestilences were impossible. They went on doing business, arranged for journeys, and formed views. How should they have given a thought to anything like plague, which rules out any future, cancels journeys, silences the exchange of views. They fancied themselves free, and no one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences” </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The virus bounced back with vigour and redoubled ferocity, as if to mock the vanity of human agents. While we are getting the logistic right ,we had overtaken as world leaders, notching up a figure of more than 4 lacs per day and rising . The surreality of dead bodies being cremated on pavements foregrounded our fears of an apocalypse. Those who tried to wish it away realised that , “A pestilence isn’t a thing made to man’s measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. But it doesn’t always pass away and, from one bad dream to another, it is men who pass away, and the humanists first of all, because they haven’t taken their precautions” . Not even to a super man’s measure , one may add. The redeemer vaccine was way off in the future and has now started trickling down. The redemption had been postponed We are still bobbing up and down the second wave, but at our backs we already hear the winged chariot of the third wave hurrying near. If we are able to vaccinate a large number of people soon enough, we may open a window for some fresh air to get into our lives. We are clinging to that hope, desperately . We hope to live a little between the second and the third wave because Covid like “the plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good; that it can lie dormant for years and years in furniture and linen-chests; that it bides its time in bedrooms, cellars, trunks, and bookshelves; and that perhaps the day would come when, for the bane and the enlightening of men, it would rouse up its rats again and send them forth to die in a happy city.” </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I guess, “That is how life will have to be: with happiness and moments of delight when all goes well, but with the threat hanging there—life set between parentheses.” as Simone de Beauvoir says in Adieu. Like the proverbial mice , we will play a while, till a fresh Covid wave sends us scurrying behind masks and for cover in our homes</div></div>Manoje Nathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14700691084169082963noreply@blogger.com0