Babus’ despair over CM’s elusive ears
Babus are in a fix. They are eager to whisper precious suggestions into the exclusive ears of the Chief Minister Harish Rawat to rid them of the dogging insinuation that they are not doing the bidding of the CM. But they regret that the CM being always surrounded by two or three of his colleagues, they do not chance to step into his ears. Things are going from bad to worse, they say. Yet, the CM cannot stem the tide because he is ‘blissfully’ ignorant of the worsening state of things, thanks to the machinations spun by his so-called well-wishers surrounding him. The sagacious Babus do not dare even throw hints as to how to better things lest their suggestions turn public knowledge, courtesy those who are always breathing down on the CM’s neck to keep his ‘safe’ from his true benefactors. The sooner the CM sifts the corn from the chaff the better for him and the state as well, they say despairingly, wondering whether they would ever be blessed with pouring wisdom in the CM’s ‘befuddled’ ears.
Nothing beyond platitudes
Uttarakhand, especially Dehradun, known as education hub, thanks to the elitist schools thriving here and churning out shining students for years, has a peculiar plight confronting it. After the schooling is over the students perforce repair mostly to Delhi for higher education. This despite the fact that universities keep on sprouting like mushrooms here. The students have no option but to leave the state as most of these varsities are bereft of the required level of quality. Things keep on vegetating with successive state governments not taking things beyond the realm of highfalutin platitudes. Ironically, the vice- chancellors are becoming political appointees with competence remaining at a discount. The only qualification that would decide things is that he must not have the spunk to throw a dare to irregularities plaguing the institution. Besides, he must not be in the least connected with the world of academics.