Indian Politics: lets nominate the winners and losers

So, the year is closing in and New Year is approaching. Lot of expectations, balance of trade and commerce, economic fundas, lot other things to make us happy and sad! So, let us look into the political story and nominate the winners and losers, the ones who made the news, laughed and clicked, while the ones who made themselves a laughing stock and dug own graves.

Here are the nominations for the winners:

Suresh Kalmadi: No doubt, one of the main contenders for the Gold medal for politics this year, with his self styled motto” Thank God for Commonwealth and Corruption”.  Hats off to his impeccable way of licking money and wearing that spotless bush shirt and trouser. He has made fraud an epitome of success and shown that honesty was never the best policy to be a star in the Indian administrative level. All's Well That Ends Well and the Commonwealth went off well - what more can you want? At the end of the day, the wealth is common and there’s no harm if it’s taken; did anyone prevent you from taking it? So it’s your fault altogether. Kalmadi, again one of those intelligent Indians after Harshad Mehta, who you should be proud of. In fact, he should be made the sports minister.

A Raja:  A man whom every MBA graduate should look up to, that’s how you handle crisis management. In fact he should be made the dean of any crisis management college. And again it has been proved that “looks can be deceptive”, Raja may not be that beautiful and suave, but his brain is as strong as ten heads of Ravan put together.  Tell me, how many times have you seen a man smile and remain stoic, even if you have the whole media, nation or your own government against you?  Hang the CAG, Supreme Court, 2G, 3G or whatever…the main motto, “paisa kamao” for you and your party.

Manmohan Singh: One of the safest Prime Ministers around, Mr. (ahem Dr), Singh has shown how easy a job it can be to become the PM of the largest democracy; actually there’s not much work. Like Suhel Seth rightly points out, “we are still debating if there is anyone running India or is it on autopilot”.  Before they used to kill PMs, but given the tight security nowadays, there are very slim chances of that too.  From onion prices to tiger deaths, he has got committees for everything. So Indians can have a peaceful sleep. Yes, his obedience towards the party and his leader is something that we should all learn from.

Mamata Banerjee: Trains, trains and more trains…the Indian rail Gadi minister, has her eyes fixed on the Bengal CM throne, (thanks to the Red corruption curtain).  She has a simple tactic: first deter industrialists from setting up plants and then use that vacant land to make a rail factory or introduce more trains to appease the Bengal audience.  After all, it’s the ‘ma mati manush’ that matters.

Oh, I forgot- the chairs and tables of the parliament.  Respite at last! No fat bodies to sit on them, no hands and fists to bang on the tables; no slangs, no quarrels, no fights- pin drop silence. The furniture of the parliament are really enjoying their time of solitude. The Indian parliament is in deadlocks, thanks to the 2G doing the rounds!

Now let us see the ones who sadly could not win this time-

Nitish Kumar: He may have become the CM, but then to quote Suhel again, he showed that, “Indian voters do care about silly things like development and all that”.  What the use of becoming the head of a state, when you can’t fill your bank balance and what’s the use of trying to trim down corruption, and making Bihar a better place. All that you are doing is injustice to mafias, MLAs and your corrupted bureaucrats; they too deserve a decent living, even if it is at the cost of public money.

Buddhadev Bhattacharjee: We should really pity the cultured and suave Bengal CM. Unlike Kumar, his neighbor has been made the ‘bali ka bakra’ for all the underdevelopments that his precursor, the great communist Basu did. And then you have the ‘devi didi’ who is ready to throw the spear on this white haired politician. He tried but he failed, thanks to the ‘no work’ attitude that has now become a household name in Bengal. Mr. Bhattacharjee, its better that you leave politics and become the chairman of Film Division of India- at least we will get to see some good films.

The aam admi: Lastly we the aam admi or the mango mass. Tried but always failed, filed cases but still waiting, cast votes but unfulfilled expectations- what more can you ask for being a loser. We don’t have security convoys and neither can we enjoy air travel always. All we can do is to watch Bollywood trash, listen to film songs and surf Lok Sabha TV to see some 520 buffoons playing cat and mouse with each other.  The average Indian will be sadder the next year.

So that’s the name of the ones nominated. Please send your choice via SMS (toll free) to 420. 

Indian Film Industry- the insurance factor

India has the world’s largest movie industry in terms of the quantity of movies produced. Since 1931, after the advent of talkies, the film industry has produced more than 67,000 films in more than 30 different languages. The year 2006 saw a great leap when the industry produced 1,013 films becoming the world's largest film producer.

The FICCI report states that the Indian Film Industry has a yearly profit of Rs 40 billion with employment to more than 6 million people. Making a film today involves a huge sum of money- huge sets, risky stunt scenes, latest equipments, let alone the huge salary paid to the actors. These factors demand some kind of mechanism through which a producer can safeguard his losses. This is where ‘Film Insurance’ comes into play.

Ironical but some untoward incidents prompted the emergence of insurance in Bollywood. After the arrest of Sanjay Dutt during 'Khalnayak', Subhash Ghai decided to insure his next movie 'Taal' by paying Rs 1.5 million as premium. Since then, producers have insured their movies against unforeseen risks. Some block busters that were insured included Mohabatein (Yash Raj Films): Rs 150 million, Lagaan (Aamir Khan Productions): Rs 150 million, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (Dharma Productions): Rs 220 million and Kuch Na Kaho (Ramesh Shippy): Rs 100 million.

Simultaneously, ad films too are seeing insurance. Today’s advertisements and promotional demand new concept and that needs more funds and set ups. The stunt scenes shown in the Akshay Kumar Thumps Up ad are pretty risky demanding insurance. All these factors lead the ambit of insurance to stretch to even ads.

Film Insurance is a healthy indication that Bollywood is now ready to recognize the new concepts which will help make it lucrative.   

                                            

Indian FM radio: not grown up yet

6:30 AM: Rahul gets up from bed. The weather’s cool outside and it gets his mood going. While readying for college he switches on the FM. But then something goes wrong, the station is playing the same Hindi song, he changes it and there too another Hindi movie song. Change after change, shuffle after shuffle, but alas he hears the same songs that he hears everyday- the same dull, drab Bollywood. Rahul turns off the radio in irritation. In a matter of minutes, his mood has changed from good to bad!

Well, not only Rahul, it can be your or mine story too. We at times feel irritated and over fed by the FM radio. Tell me how many times can you listen to the same songs over and over again? Whether it is the new ones or old songs, it’s Bollywood all over FM radio in India. And to add to it, you have those gyrating DJs blabbering drab and dull bullshits. The FM, it seems will never be able to get out of the boundary of Bollywood and think otherwise. And this is where it lacks behind the radio culture of other nations. I doubt how many programmes are aired on the FM channels, apart from Bollywood, Bollywood and Bollywood? Hardly few!

According to popular singer and composer Remo Fernandes, the FM channels here still have a long way to go to match the channels in western countries. There you have different stations for different music genres- if you like rock, you can turn on the rock stations, while if you like classical you can switch on to the similar ones. That’s how radio should be, but here its all absent, he laments. His concerns are echoed by real music buffs (not those stupid Bollywood music fans), who are sick and tired of listening to depth less Hindi film music. The situation is so under developed that you will only find a handful of regional FM stations.

Yes, our good old All India Radio does play a variety of music programmes, starting from talk shows to classical ones. But then there you have other problems (often illogical ones). Suddenly in the middle of a song, the news starts or an advertisement springs out of nowhere (which the human brain is incapable to understand). The result: your whole enjoyment is marred.  

Sadly, FM radio, being one of the major mediums of urban mass entertainment, is still in its embryonic stage. To be a perfect entertainment medium, it needs to shed the Bollywood image and act beyond that.

           

At last Govt. wakes up to e waste management

India, as we now know, has become a den for electronic goods. With the software boom and globalization taking full effect, India today has become a huge platform for electronic and software products, with renowned e giants setting up bases here. Well, all things said and done, it’s unfortunate that (amidst all these electronic and economic so called boom), our government has never really thought or looked at the problem of e-waste. The result- heaps of broken and shattered electronic products in almost all streets, lanes and by lanes, in the rivers, seas, mountains, forests everywhere. No, it’s not a sci-fi movie or some unrealistic Bollywood trash. Given such negligence, our nation will soon turn into an e-waste junk yard.

However, there is something to be optimistic about. Thanks to the campaigns of Greenpeace and some other NGOs, the center has decided to think about the issue of e waste management. The efforts have borne fruit and the Environment Ministry has drafted a regulation, to be sent for people’s feedback shortly.

                                              

What exactly is this e waste management? Simply, it is a law which will limit the dumping of e waste and reduce pollution significantly. Lots of nations already have e waste laws in place and the awareness is spreading fast enough. The law will include some clauses which

• Will hold electronic producers responsible for the disposal of their raw materials. Moreover, they also have to guarantee the life cycle of their goods, thereby ensuring proper recycling.
• Will pressurize e firms to use less hazardous raw materials and substances. That means less FBRs, less PVC and lesser degradation of our eco system.
• Will also ban the import of used and second hand e products in India. This will have a positive impact as developed nations will be disallowed to dump toxic e waste here.

To start with, these clauses can lead to effective e waste management. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. It’s high time that the government does something to prevent India from being an electronic trash heap.

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                   

                              

Center too laid-back on Maoist issue

When it was reported about dozens of Maoist camps in Shilda, West Bengal or when 6 policemen were killed in Sheohar in Bihar (among the numerous Maoist insurgencies), the Home Ministry was quick to pass the buck saying that it was the duty of the respective states to tackle the Maoist problem. The Home Minister went on to say that as per the constitution, the center is helpless and cannot intervene in the states’ affairs to maintain law and order. So much so, he may be right to some extent.  The Seventh Schedule of the constitution states that” public order and police (including railway and village police) subject to the provision of entry 2A of List I”, which makes them completely a state subject. However, it does also mention, unless the situation deteriorates to such a degree that central aid becomes necessary, thus meaning that if the situation goes out of control, the center has every right to intervene. So how can our Home Ministry evade responsibility on the issue of Maoist Insurgency which has acquired such a grave shape? 

Taking hint from the constitution again, there is a caveat in the public order which states, “not including any naval, military or air force or any other armed forces of the Union or of any other force subject to the control of the Union or any contingent and unit thereof”. Simply speaking, this means that wherever (in any part of the country) the center has deployed other armed forces apart from the army, navy or air force, it should share the responsibility. The Home Ministry therefore cannot or rather must not shy away from the forces act and make the states only liable. 

If the central home ministry does not have any role to play in the states’ internal problems (how grave they may be), one really fails to understand the use of keeping such a huge paramilitary force, which is more or less as big as the Indian Army, thus wasting a significant amount of taxpayers’ money. Well these forces do remain under the state’s control when deployed there. Fair enough, but then the right to deploy the forces rests on the center, and judging the situation, it should strengthen the counter terrorism measures in full flow. “It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every state is carried out in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”. (Article 355).

Thus, constitutionally speaking, the Union Home Ministry should be more responsible, dutiful and rather accountable for safeguarding the citizens in the Maoist prone areas. A blame game or dodging responsibility will take us nowhere.

Some meaningless words with a meaning

Do all words have a meaning, or rather is it necessary for all words to have a meaning? Time and again, we come across words which may not have found a place in the dictionaries, but are used in our conversations or dialects. Mostly colloquial, these words are a mixture of real words, idioms and chit chats. Well, while reading newspapers, magazines and surfing the net, I came across some meaningless yet meaningful words. They have interesting pronunciations and some of them can even pass off as tongue twisters.

Hypoallergenic- Not a typical dictionary word or term, yet it does have a meaning. Simply speaking, a hypoallergic product will not cause any allergies. Just the opposite of hyper I guess!

Subtok- Another widely spoken meaningless word, it is mostly used as a slang or insult. It mainly means dumb, foolish and impotent.

Hokoboroho roruportu- Just like its meaning, the pronunciation is also difficult. Pronounce hoko-boroho- roru-portu. After toilsome research, I came across a satisfactory meaning, which said confused or bewildered. So when you are bemused, you are hokoboroho roruportu.

Tekken- It originates from a fighting game and the meaning too means the same. You can use this meaningless word to define a hard or dodgy battle.

Brab- A word with no lexicon definition, yet it can be used to term something which is dull or drab. For example, “don’t talk foolish, it’s sounding brab”

If I get more such meaningless words, I will share them with you.

P.S: To conclude here’s a crude joke. You may laugh or get irritated. Anyway, both are human emotions.

Spielberg is directing Jurassic Park V, a sci-fi version set in Uranus. He decides to cast Aish as the lead heroine. However, a problem occurs. In a scene, Aish has to do a bed scene with a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which she strongly refuses. Anyways, the problem finally gets solved when A.B. decides to act as T Rex.

                                                                                                     

                                                                                         

                                             

Kebabs of Calcutta

Let me write about one of my favorite hobbies- eating out. I love visiting restaurants and dining outlets and taste the food they serve. Well, I guess it’s very natural, given the rich dining tradition that Calcutta is known for. It is one of the few cities in India where you will get almost all types of food, starting from Rs 10/- a plate to Rs 5000/- for a platter. Apart from the Indian gastronomical delights, one can even get food from other parts of the world too. So doing justice to my hobby, I one day decide to walk around the city and visit the famous kebab outlets. 

Before I start my journey, let me give a small idea of the history of kebabs in Calcutta. Kebabs of rather Mughlai food first came here, with the arrival of Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Lucknow or Oudh. Shah was a connoisseur of good cuisine, dance, music and other good things of life. After he was deported to Calcutta, he brought along with him a contingent of ‘bawarchis’ and ‘khansamas’, who eventually became pioneers of Mughlai food in the city. The rich dining culture provided a wonderful platform for this new genre of cuisine and steadily became popular. 

So back to my journey, my first stop is at the famous kebab galli behind Nakhoda Masjid in central Calcutta. Located at Zakaria Street in the Rabindra Sarani area, you will get almost types of kebabs here at throwaway prices.  Not as big as the kebab galli of Delhi, but it does have the ingredients to bring that saliva to your tongue. From lip smacking seekh kebabs to delectable noorani kebabs, you can experiment with a range of them.  The best time to visit the place is during Ramzan, when you will get more varieties.

From Rabindra Sarani, I take a 32B bus and head on for Esplanade, commonly known as Dharamtala. It’s hot and humid outside, so I change my mind against walking the whole way. Well, it would cost me 6 rupees but, then the heat is pretty uncomfortable. After passing through innumerable potholes, bumpers and traffic signals I reach Esplanade after 40 minutes. (Well, it’s just a 20 minutes journey, but considering the traffic in Calcutta, the extra 20 minutes are like hidden charges). At Esplanade, I head on to Nizam Restaurant, famous for its Mughlai delicacies. One of the oldest dining places in the city, Nizam is famous for its Burrah kebabs and Chapli kebabs. With an odd 75 rupees, you can easily have the taste of the day here. 

After enjoying a serving of food at Nizam, I now take the route towards Park Circus. I decide to walk through Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Road- around 15 minutes. This place has a strong Muslim culture and here you will find a number of small kebab shops near Maulana Azad College. One of them, Mezban serves wonderful Kakori and Reshmi kebabs. You can enjoy a great serving by taking plate of lachha parathas and kebabs here. The cost is pretty reasonable- around 80 to 100. 

Now I reach Park Circus and head on to Arsalan, a popular Mughlai outlet in Calcutta. A lot of us have tasted biryani here, but one thing that everyone misses is the tasty doner kebab that they make.  It is priced around Rs 100/ and is simply awesome. And if you like beef, head on to Naafil, just opposite the street and enjoy a taste of hot and fresh beef Galouti kebabs with a special type of salad. 

Coming towards the end of my journey (it’s already evening), I head on to Park Street, the dining and booming hub of Calcutta. Park Street’s tryst with good food dates back long and you will get a range of Chinese, Mughlai, Indian, Thai and Continental restaurants. My interest being kebabs, I walk past Little Russel Street and come in front of the grand white building- Prudential Hall, and enter the famous Peter Cat.  Perhaps, whoever knows Peter Cat also knows that it’s famous for Chelow kebabs. Nowhere else in the city will you get this delectable Iranian dish at so an affordable rate.  And yes, to most Calcuttans, Peter Cat and chelow kebabs bring back a sense of nostalgia. Surprisingly, I meet two of my old friends here and we have a good meal of chelow kebabs with some pegs of scotch whiskey.

I get out of the restaurant and go to my last destination, Lazeez at Elgin Road (near the Forum shopping mall). Here you will get very good Kathi and noorani  kebabs. The cost is a bit higher but the money is worth considering the taste, the interior décor and way of serving. I am already full, and only have a small serving. The rest I pack for home. 

My stomach is already throwing goose bumps and I reach the Rabindra Sadan metro station and head back home. I gulp some gelucils and go to bed. Thus my expedition as a gourmand ends!

Some ads for a better India

Avishek Ganguly

Advertisements are not only about promotion of products and services; they are also about creating that motivation and inspiring the public about change. In almost all countries, ads have been and are made on different social and national interests to motivate the public and create that sense of awareness and enthusiasm.  In fact, these promos and advertisements can be one of the best forms of communication through which a social message can be delivered to the public in a unique, creative, yet casual and jovial way.

In India too, lots of such national interest promos and ads have been made on various issues. They have been conceived, directed and produced by renowned ad gurus, directors and esteemed media houses. I have always been a keen observer of these ads and later as a student of advertising, when we I used to analyze these, they became more interesting. Out of the many promos, here are some of the ads, which were very successful and helped create that ‘feel good factor’. Apart from the motivational aspect, please look into the fine points of the ads and you will find how well they have been ideated and made. Click on the links to watch them.

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara- One of the iconic promos ever made to portray the unity in diversity of India, this great video was conceived by advertising greats Piyush Pandey and Suresh Mullick. It was produced by Lok Seva Sanchar Parishad and promoted by Doordarshan and the Indian Ministry of Information. It was first aired on Doordarshan on 15^th August 1988, after the Prime Minister’s Independence Day Speech. Since then its popularity has never ceased. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gstRrEmTcBc

Hamara Bajaj Commercial: You may ask what’s so motivational about this ad or what does it have to impart any social message. Agreed, it is about the Bajaj scooter which was then launched, but the sheer fact that the promo portrayed the changing attitude of India made it so nationalistic in nature. Made by renowned agency Lowe, its catch line “buland Bharat ki buland Tasveer” created ripples among the public and yes it did increase the sale. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEV8MWd1p3M&feature=related

School chale Hum: This highly enjoyable yet motivational campaign was made for the ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’, by the Indian government. It was mainly aired on Doordarshan, and later in some private channels too. Directed by Kanika and Bharatbala, this promo had a pleasing music, which was sung by Kunal Ganjawala and composed by popular trio Shankar, Eshaan and Loy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpc-jGZkbAk&feature=related

Doodh Campaign: Most of us perhaps still remember the popular ‘piyo glassful doodh’ song. Yes, this was a jovial promotional which was a part of the ‘Operation Flood’ promoted by Mother Dairy. It was mainly done to encourage drinking of milk and its advantages among the Indian public. The lyric too was pretty catchy and became very popular. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFH6yZ8LIA&feature=related

Lead India Campaign: Made by advertising giant, JWT, this highly inspiring promo was a concept of the ‘Lead India’ campaign of the Times of India. It bagged a number of awards and depicted the determination of the common public against the corrupted and inefficient administration. To some, this ad was a portrayal of the strength of the media and how it can play a pivotal role in making our country a better place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0M0EZ8T5J8&feature=related

Anti smoking Campaign: One of the funniest national interest ads made, this was promoted by the Indian cancer association. Made by agency BBDO, it was a blatant satire against the popular belief that smoking is a sign of smartness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p69Q8lTkZTc&feature=related

Anti Eve teasing promotional: One of the promos among the series of national interest campaigns made by Aaj Tak, this ad is an amusing take about how eve teasers should be tackled. This 30 second spot had a very funny plot construction, which makes you laugh but at the same time instill that courage to stand against the menace of eve teasers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk6Bi23Q7-E&feature=related

Indian Railways promo: This recent ad was made by the Indian Railways for the Commonwealth Games. This illustrates the role our railway system plays in connecting the whole of India and bridging the gap between different communities in the country. Very well made, it plays the famous “railgaadi” number sung by Ashok Kumar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5lcDCZVbnc

Thus, this is how these ads and many others have done their bit in making Indian society a better place to live in.

                                                                                      

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara- then and now

“Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, to sur bane humhara”, most Indians must be accustomed with this iconic song which used to be aired on television in the late 80s and 90s. Well, that time TV meant Doordarshan, most people had B/W sets, life was simple and stress free, there were more trees and farm lands and the fangs of capitalism and materialism had not shadowed the life blood of the country. And during that age, came this grand music video, ideated by advertising greats Piyush Pandey and Suresh Mullick, which used to flash on the screen of the national television. In fact, there was something so very special about this promo that it glued Indians to the set and made you and me proud about our nation.

The video, glorifying the unity in diversity of India, was a blend of both performers and amateurs. On one hand, it featured music maestros like Balamurali Krishna, Ravi Shankar, Bhimsen Joshi, Zakir Hussain, Lata Mangeshkar, film stars such as Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Hema Malini, Shabana Azmi, Mithun Chakraborty, Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri, sports stars Narendra Hirwani, Prakash Padukone, while simultaneously, it also featured the common Indians- farmers, rural folk, urban Indians, school students, every community singing the same tune in their own language. There was so much originality and warmth in it that all of us related to the song. Who can ever forget that great long shot scene of the Taj Mahal, with the sun’s rays in the background!

Now cut to 2010- a new or rather recreated version of “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” has come up. Presented by Zoom Television, this new version is named as “Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara- the corporate edition”. Well, the term corporate itself, brings about a sense of aloofness to the concept of unity. Not all Indians, or rather most Indians, relate to the corporate culture. It is for a handful few, whereas in the older, you had that tune and scenes, which portrayed the simple Indian, the common people, who are the real life blood of the nation.

Like its antecedent, the 2010 version too has singers, dancers, film stars and other celebrities but some where it misses that element of belonging. Here you have an ultra modern portrayal, which gives a wrong picture of the country as a whole. India is not about shopping mall or potato chips youth, it is about the ordinary man or woman who toils hard for livelihood, but at the same time is happy and satisfied with the simple things in life. In its course of making the new version more glamorous, what was been produced is nothing more than a rosy picture of the nation- bereft of its own true values and traditions.

The actors and other celebrities, who feature in the recreated edition, do not match an inch with their predecessors. Here you have some actors, sports persons, industrialists and others wearing some designer outfits and making fake gestures, whereas in the original one, everybody had put their heart and soul into the video, a real portrayal of India.  The level of dedication was much more then!

Seeing the new edition, one hardly understands why such a recreated version was made of a video, which still retains its originality and uniqueness, even after passing so many years. I guess, to some extent, the latter has done justice to today’s India. We have started forgetting our own traditions and cultures and blindly try to imitate the west. The new Indian goes for tours to Dubai to see shopping malls and five star hotels but fails to see the beauty of his or her own motherland (to me one birth is not enough to see the whole of India- such is the greatness of our country). We are gradually losing our ‘Indianness’, rather by free will, and one example of it- the ‘Corporate Edition’.

P.S: The other day I received an interesting sms from a friend of mine, Rakesh. Here it goes:

Funny Fact: Boys & gals fall in love bcoz of misunderstanding… and break up when they understand each other.

Fact of life: Poor man runs for his daily food…while a rich man runs to digest his daily food.

Government servants- time to work

I would start this blog with an interesting excerpt, contributed by a gentleman named Vipin Bucksey that I recently read in a newspaper. Here how it goes:

 “A man dies and goes to hell. There he finds that there is a different hell for each country. He goes to the German hell and asks, “What do they do here?” He is told, “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German Devil comes in and beats you for the rest of the day”. The man does not like the sound at all, so he moves on and checks the US hell as well as the Russian hell and many more countries…he discovers that they are all more or less the same as the German hell. Then he comes to the Indian hell and finds a long line of people waiting to get in. Amazed, he asks, “What do they do here?” He is told, “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay out on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Indian devil comes in and beats you for the rest of the day”. “But that is exactly the same as all the other hells- so why are so many people waiting to get in here?” he asks. “Because the maintenance is so bad that the electric chair does not work, someone has stolen all the nails from the bed and the Indian devil is a former government servant, so he comes in and signs the register, then goes to the canteen.”

So, that’s how the situation is government departments in India. We tend to believe that we are a growing (leaps and bounds) economy and can compete the developed nations, but, very sorry to say, we do not have the mentality and attitude to work dedicatedly and honestly. Red tapism prevails everywhere, but nothing surpasses the “never work” mentality of our government employees and those white collared bureaucrats. Peep into any government office and you will see mountain ranges of files (most of which may even date back to the pre independence period). The same goes with the judicial system, where half of the year is a holiday. And talking about west Bengal’s administrative affairs, some of the untouched and neglected file heaps will soon beat the highest peaks of the Himalayas, considering their size and height! The only thing our government servants are do and quick at is to demonstrate for increasing their pays and incentives month after month, whatever be the state and level of their work.

To give you some examples, we all know what happened in the Commonwealth Games. Everything was disorganized and only after so much criticism and media glare did the concerned authorities spring into action. Well, fair enough, but why were the whole tasks kept in such a messy state? No one knows. Since the commonwealth was such a huge international event, the government felt concerned, but what about the prestigious domestic sporting events? Take for example, the 34^th National Games to be held in Jharkhand. Nothing has been completed and the event has been deferred for the 6^th time already. Such is the work culture in our country.

So what’s the remedy? I guess it’s virtually impossible, but Indians have to change their mentality. Privatization is not the only solution to end such mess in the administrative level, but yes, educated managers and youth will have to step in. I guess B-school graduates may raise their eyebrows thinking about working in government jobs (but then some have to take the initiative). A combined effort can only solve the problem.