Satisfied only with 'announcements', 'inaugurations'

The first half of the year has ended with baffling headlines in the media. They are indicators of the ripples and rhythms in the pulse of the society. let us look at a set of headlines that have dominated the print media (and also the electronic media) during the last few days. They have a pattern and they convey many lessons.

Here is a non-exhaustive catalogue: Half of rural India is poverty-hit and 35 lakh urban families have no income, A national boxer is driven to spray disinfectants on the Howrah drains on a wage of less than rupees 250 per day. Investigative journalists are killed and burnt by the alleged mining mafia. Vyapam scam erupts in MP; more than forty-five witnesses die under suspicious circumstances. An ace investigative journalist Akshaya (38) suddenly collapses and dies under mysterious circumstances. An alleged tribal informer is killed by Maoists. Twenty illegal crushers in the vicinity of Bhubaneswar are directed to be closed. A lady sarpanch is accused of bribery charges in administering Indira Awas Yojana: the amount may involve crores. A patient falls from the third floor of the SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack and dies.

A democracy without politics and a citizen without right are the two pillars of good governance. Maximum households depending on begging in rural Bengal, The lalit Modi panorama keeps a large number of politicians and bureaucrats on tenterhooks. Eight airstrips in Odisha to be further developed. Suicides by farmers increase as rural debt in Odisha reaches a high level. The CBI now proceeds against three more chit funds in the old scam. Fifty-one per cent village homes live on manual and casual labour; 54 thousand households in Odisha live on begging with 34 per cent illiterate and so on. And add to all these, the startling revelations by Dulatji regarding the cozy give-and-take arrangements between the terrorists and our intelligence and politico leadership.

These headlines by the first look are mindboggling and touch upon the nerve centres of a democratic administration. But to pick out the last one, which is in some ways more revelatory than others, the book has done a yeoman service to the honest recording of history of India. Any study in the realm of administration would now hopefully be better informed and more transparent. A terrorist and militant leader conveys a request to the Intelligence chief of Jammu & Kashmir and he is favoured with the admission of his son in a Srinagar Medical College. Dulat is right in saying that this was an opportunity to gradually persuade him to come back to India. He puts the blame on the political leadership in having soured the pitch at the last crucial hours. Political machinations are facilitated by the electrifying money-power. Accommodative facilitation is also admitted to be mutual. In the inclement weather in the valley, good whisky is a successful smoothener. Political power games and chicanery are well-described by the author. Governing parties may periodically change, but the governing pattern remains the same. Finally, there is a feeling that all the so-called big political bosses have feet of clay. How does one match this with demands for a change to eradicate “corruption”IJ

But amidst all these gloomy headlines, there is a flicker of hope in a highly progressive judgment of the Supreme Court which goes on to hold that unwed mothers are legal guardians. It is time the courts struck down the word “illegitimate child” from many of our laws.There is a discernible difference between the “Total Revolution” call by JP and the movement of Anna Hazare when it comes to the essential contents and meaning of the expression “corruption”. Days have changed. KD Malaviya, a Minister in Central Government, had to resign on an allegation of having received ten thousand rupees from a mining leaseholder from Odisha. And now, we have often to count the number of zeroes to the right and have probably gone immune to its magnitude.

Back home in Odessa, according to SECC-2011, 54,000 households live on begging; 88.88 per cent of the households have a monthly earning of less than Rs 5,000. Only 2.79 per cent are graduates with about 35 per cent of the total population being illiterate. Fifty-four per cent of the households in rural areas are without any land or houses. Additionally, local indicators point towards a decline of agriculture and allied activities. The curse of “poverty” has had its evident impact both on the rural and urban sectors. Social impact and its further shadows over economic growth go on inserting elements of imbalances and distortions.

All this persuades one to believe that we have all got used to being satisfied with “announcements” or “inaugurations” and have forgotten the real and vital relevance of “performance” and “fulfilment”. The most affected section of the society is its own future, the youth. They have become a misdirected force in the hands of the political powerbrokers and appear to be used by such forces for many disruptive activities. They feel momentarily exalted providing security to persons in power or as their henchmen to achieve objectives not permissible under law. As days go on, they grow older. Once they are less effective, they are replaced like old doormats.

Short of seventy years after Independence, we are not in a happy state of affairs. The excuse of political instability is a thing of the past, with a stable Government in power for three to four consecutive terms. A dominantly majority party has been in the reign of power. But the changes are cosmetic or statistical. The political mask might have changed, but the orientation, attitude and responsiveness of the Government have worsened. When things are assured to be on the path towards apparent growth and prosperity, there is visible decline in social stability and inclusive development. A limited section has become superrich; there is some unbalance shift in the structure of the middle classes and the base of the pyramid (with the poor at the bottom) has widely expanded. This has resulted in avoidable social conflicts, aberrations and unrest. In real terms, we are now a lot in quest of a new identity. This could be the most opportune hour for the catalysts to surge forward to ensure a better future, at least for our future generation.  

Such being the scenario, the youth have to wake up from their slumber for their own protection and for their own cause. As they are our future, we are agonised by their plight. Probably, they need a helping hand, not from one but from all of us. This is a serious matter requiring immediate remedial action and cannot be brushed under the carpet. Undoubtedly, this concerns all of us!

(The writer, a Senior Advocate, is a former All India Service officer, a former diplomat, a former editor, a former President of Orissa High Court Bar Association and a former Advocate General of Odisha. yantdas@hotmail.com)