March 31, 1964 was a sad day for thousands of Mumbai residents. The 90-year-old tram would make its last journey from Boribunder to Dadar, clanging the delightful tram bell for the last time. The Bombay Tram Services Company organised this curtain fall event at 10 pm with all carriages packed with commuters who came to bid a tearful goodbye to the carriages that bore their burden for so long. Tram service was first begun in Wales, UK in 1804, the first horse-drawn to be subsequently powered by steam and electricity, successively.
The Bombay High Court has just banned the age-old horse-driven Victoria carriages that have been providing unfailing delight to locals and visitors for more than a century. long after Independence, multifarious advocacy and pressure groups emerged and a few of them had their hearts melting for beasts of burden. They petitioned the High Court against torture to horses and mules pulling the historic Victoria. A two-judge Bench ruled against the most beautiful luxury carriage to be out of service as the beasts were not looked after well with too much burden, too little food.
PETA (People for Ethical Treatment to Animals) people are celebrating the judgement while 700-odd families have lost sleep as they would be losing livelihood. The Victoria is absolutely pollution-free: no noise, no toxic fumes. Its operators work in turn and each makes between two and three thousand rupees per day from around 130 carriages. On festivals and other important tourist days, each family would earn between four and five thousand rupees a day. But the High Court chose to bring in more fossil fuel vehicles by completely discarding the non-polluting carriages powered by horses. The British planted it in India then as a transport mode for the rich, especially women.
Rather than banning the beauty, the courts could jolly well have directed the authorities to ensure the Victoria operators did look after the animals with love and care. Any sick-looking horse or mule would be taken away and the owner hauled up for being unkind to the creatures of burden. The PETA does sometimes turn very unreasonable. Across the country, there are millions of stray cows and bulls, dogs and cats in acute need of loving care. PETA people are not campaigning for these animals’ healthy survival vigorously enough to attract the attention of authorities.
Now 700 families would lose their livelihood. This unfortunate decision agitates the mind illimitably because India’s President too has a most magnificent horse carriage which is used for ceremonial purposes. Do the President's horses feel great to be tied and whipped (no matter how gently) to obey the cart masterIJ PETA activists would do good picketing in front of the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan to sensitise the world around them.
The High Court judgement has hurt heritage lovers who say some animals are born to bear burden as that ensures food for their survival, particularly because these species are docile and do not have the skills to steal or hunt food. Further, they love human company. The beautiful tram was gone in 1964; the Victoria is going to vanish.
The CVC and CIC appointments appear suspect as watchful activists would alert. Even in Odisha, a few terrible fellows who were sycophants became Information Commissioners. One was an innocent teacher who posed to be a socially conscious environmentalist, and the other, an NGO founder, despite the organisation byelaws forbidding one from involving in any political, sectarian or partisan activity. Yet, he was installed to become Information Commissioner only because a law-ignorant powerful political leader imagined the guy was a messiah.
The vibrant social media spread the news of an info commissioner stooping so low as to claim reimbursement of a 90 thousand-rupee medicine bill. Obviously, the incredibly exalted status packaged with a hefty salary would madden any ineligible person. Rumour has it that he is eagerly waiting for a pension to be given away to the poor. There was a CIC, a writer-bureaucrat who was exposed as a land grabber by watchful activists. He had to step down and is in virtual hiding.
For the first time in history, the Government has invited application from interested persons with good antecedents for the post of CIC in Odisha, which is a perfect democratic process. In case of NGO candidates, the scrutiny should include educational, criminal, pending Income Tax evasion cases, and internal charges slapped by co-founders within the organisation for mismanagement, misappropriation and dictatorial conduct, apart from suppression of facts.
Most NGO guys present themselves as saviours of mankind without ever having paid for any worthy cause one rupee from the pocket. They showcase projects for which huge external grants come to be spent without much accountability. Ordinary financial auditing by friendly professionals ensures clean chits and the founders look qualified to occupy high social places.
The Commissionerate Police finally cracked the judge robbery case and the media was hyperactive in sharing the stupid sensation. The sore point is that the police have to be equally active about any robbery from anybody. The judge in question was targeted primarily because of the posh, palatial house with swanky cars and lustre-glitter all around. like the AIDS virus does not discriminate between castes, economic status and sex, robbers consider all potential victims the same.
All that attracts them is glamour and lustre that smell of money and wealth. So the bigger one is, the smaller should be the show of wealth and glamour. Besides, huge houses with enviable objects are likely to madden the militant have-nots who are likely to espouse crime as profession for easy earning. Most of them do not fear conviction except that of death.
On the contrary, they capitalise on having been out of jail. People consider them powerful and give in to their extortion tactics. living simply, not austerely, can guarantee protection, at least in physical demonstration of property and wealth.
The Discretionary Quota land scam report is least likely to yield result as the matter will get locked in courts, for sure. What the Government should do is slap monetary penalty as per prevailing market prices and close the chapter for those who have availed single units of property. The ones who have taken more than usual may be permitted to return the extra units and take refund without interest. Hopefully, the State authorities would take notice of this small piece of advice and resolve the issue with a happy ending.
The Muslim outfit which discards yoga as a typically Hindu practice is most certainly a mad one. For that matter, the universally accepted medicines and health devices that have been discovered or invented by the Indian Hindus have to be discarded too. The human body is the same irrespective of religion. The Surya Namaskar is only an exercise to keep body and mind in fitness. The hardest liner Iranians are great preachers of yoga today like the people of Egypt do. The Sun and the Moon are common heavenly properties which are not divided or discriminated on territorial lines.
Discarding yoga by any community would mean loss of health. The Islam scriptures nowhere prescribe or proscribe any practice that offends mankind. Only in the recent times, intolerant Muslim sects and cults have been misguided by blind and senseless militant groups of late to their own disadvantage. Sane Muslim communities have invariably upheld all good things of life, no matter from which religion or sect it came.
Interestingly, Manmohan Singh, after being constantly hit by opponents as a docile, puppet Prime Minister, lashed back at Modi, saying Modi is superior only on one front: boastful salesmanship and persuasive communication. Singh has been found to be credible on this remark as many in India would approve. He saved the country from economic disaster in1992. No other financial wizard of India can take pride of such a feat. In the People’s eyes, Manmohan Singh is still a great soul who could never pick the skills of wicked politicians for private gain at public cost. The Modi team needs to learn divine reticence from Singh. Some of them are talking too much jarringly and to the detriment of their own prospects.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)