It is from Guwahati that Sachin Tendulkar donated Rs 25 lakh for construction of a boys’ hostel in the insurgency-ravaged Karbi Anglong district of Assam. Sachin’s fans went rapturous; but detractors went deeper to discover that the cricket entertainer had only recommended the amount to be drawn from his MP lAD fund, which is pure public money. Sachin, the most ineligible recipient of Bharat Ratna is known for his greed. He didn’t pay taxes on his gift Ferrari way back in 2001 and is fighting civic cases to have deviations in his residence building regularised out of turn. The UPA regime broke rules to bestow upon him the highest civilian award, for which many people have not forgiven Congress leaders because the ‘Ratna’ was originally awarded only to people for exemplary contributions to public service, arts, literature and science having proven selflessness, huge sacrifices and truly austere living. But the Government expanded the criteria to include “any field of human endeavour” in December 2011 only to accommodate Sachin into the fold. The worst thing was to have the ‘Ratna’ devalued beyond conceivable limits. So, when politicians demand the ‘Ratna’ for their popular leaders alive or late, learned citizens suffer humiliation as the award does not carry the original value anymore. ‘Ratna’ is not a coveted prize today as of yore. Odisha politicians seem to have lost sanity in nagging for a devalued prize for the legendary Biju Patnaik now instead of asking for more grants for the poor, which would please the great soul. They made Sachin an MP of the Upper House where his seat remains empty on most days during the sessions. The Air Force made him a big officer too, and God only knows what benefit the force gets from him. The Olympic games came and went just a couple of days ago, but the billionaire cricket god never bothered to part with a few lakhs in rewards for any of the achieving Olympians from his personal treasury. People say he entertained television viewers with his strokes. But then late film actors Dev Anand and IS Johar entertained more and for a much longer period without evading taxes. They also donated liberally for worthy causes. So, why not a ‘Ratna’ for them! The Guwahati reporter is not exactly a seasoned journalist, the same way as the present day Odisha politicians are perpetually confused as to what is right for the State and how to get the best deals from the Centre. The Mahanadi issue has exposed their ignorance and negligence over the years.
*Doctors are being attacked more frequently than before in Odisha. A non-priestly servitor of the Puri temple hit a doctor on duty and went to jail. People supported the doctor because they hated the unruly servitor. But by and large, doctors are not a respected community anymore. They have to ensure that the doctors making money through referrals are heftily punished by losing jobs or landing behind bars. They shirk public work and steal money from patients at private businesses. When posted to rural or hilly tract zones where they are most needed, they vanish into thin air. Notably 613 missing Government doctors have already been declared ‘fugitives’ by the State. Most of them were trained with huge public expenses, but they never felt ashamed for cheating people. They need to be dismissed forthwith and the expenses made to make them doctors be recovered from them without mercy. But yes, the very small number of sincerely dutiful doctors must be given Z category security if necessary, without which they might fail to save lives.
*The Odisha Bandh called by the Congress was a criminal act because it disrupted normal life, forced the poor to go starving, killed some patients in need of emergency help and had thousands of commuters stranded without help. The Kerala High Court had ruled against bandhs in 1997. Justice KG Balakrishnan was one of the judges of the division bench. Ironically, the same KGB, who rose to become the CJI, made a U-turn in 2009 to rule that bandhs are perfectly legal in a democracy. This great judge was later denounced for corruption and is still fighting a battle to obtain a clean chit. Odisha has one hundred other problems that need urgent fixing. But the headless politicians don’t seem to care. BJP loudmouth Dharmendra, aping Modi’s oratory voice modulation to irritate even a cockroach, is trapped in a straightjacket because of blind party loyalty. He is not able to hurl a single strong word of criticism or disapproval at the Chhattisgarh authorities because BJP honchos would hound him out. The Bihar MP may not get a political foothold elsewhere. He better remains smug singing the ‘first time products and special facility’ numbers at the Paradip refinery to remain safely live in media. Bandhs are considered illegal by the masses. The expression ‘bandh’ means ‘protest by striking all public activities by intimidation’. Only Indian and Nepalese politicians resort to this disruptive technique to grab a spot in public glare. Striking work is a democratic right granted to lowly-paid workers to protest against exploitation by employers who force the former to longer hours of slugging with lower wages. It’s a weapon for collective bargaining. The ‘strike right’ is not for politicians who do not study or research into issues and problems like in India. Strangely, the BJD authorities never cared to have the Congress hooligans taken to task because the Mahanadi row is a sensitive matter.
*The media seem to have gone overboard in sensationalising the Parala King’s plight. The woman palace manager, condemned beyond limits, was forced to die mysteriously along with siblings. Not a simple bite was extracted from the accused for the public to judge. Women activists never came forward to her rescue. The media carried her death news in boldest headlines the same way as Osama bin laden killing had inspired them. A media trial killed a whole family. The Press Council now has a job of containing mad media coverage.
*lastly, the latest about the Puri temple criminals at large: Some of the servitors (long-hated only for the sins of a few though) ganged up and pleaded for mercy before the no-nonsense, gutsy District Magistrate. With their limited knowledge of law, they failed to know that the compromise time was long past. When an accused evades legal procedures on purpose and does not cooperate with the enforcement, law courts view status differently and construe that the accused as having committed the crime. Hence, the courts get tough to ensure that the accused are not let off for the simple apprehension that they might tamper with evidence and intimidate witnesses. The District Magistrate did not play tough; he only played right by sticking to law. As on date, the missing hoodlums after having been declared fugitives by courts and subsequently their pictures splashed in public, with a ‘Reward-linked Wanted’ note. History has been created by a daring top magistrate. But the Hindu community has not forgotten or forgiven the law Minister and the chief temple administrator for enjoying the scene from a glass box as if an action movie was on, without once screaming down on the offenders or rushing to the spot. They say the senior bureaucrat did not even show up at the IAS officers’ meet later to display solidarity and support to the gutsy colleague engaged in reforming rotten systems and fixing rogues at Puri.
*Happy birthday to lord Krishna, the greatest diplomat-saviour. He protects any life form upholding qualities of truth, valour and sacrifice. Hopefully, our politicians, social activists and the so-called intellectuals will imbibe the spirit to usher in lasting joy and peace by recognising the prevailing malaise.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)