MOROSOVIRUS: UNWANTED SUCCESSOR OF CORONAVIRUS

   Sitting at home  during lockdown within the four walls of my flat in Delhi, like in a compartment of a stranded  wayside railway yard, with a   pantry jointly managed by my wife and me , it is only natural for me to be carried  by  a wave  of imagination  about  what it will   be like  after the  invisible demon chooses to say good bye to us.  I wonder what kind of specie we will emerge after the protracted war with the unseen is deemed to be over.

   Only a couple of months ago, whenever we met in a get together with our friends and families, we felt miraculously rejuvenated. And this was in addition of our daily habitual meets with our kith and kin and a wide circle of friends. There were no hiccups, no hesitations.  And now , with the present concept of social distancing  being taken a little too far, I am afraid,  social distancing  may not   in the long run, begin to  mean distance of miles even between the closest of kin , as an  unfortunate legacy of coronavirus,  if  at any point of time  it deludes us into the belief that it has left for good .

 My fears are born out of its  mode of  behavior that has  forced us to live the life of  prisoners, some in the house arrest , many others in the dungeons and many more running  away to escape being caught endangering their  lives in so  many ways. If we shun these negative expressions then let us call it ‘living the  life  of a recluse’.

    

   I find the   behavior of coronavirus  very funny . I  feel it is all the time around me, with its large family , wherever I am  , though I have not dared stepping out  even ones.  A little natural cough or a periodic sneeze  and  I shiver in my shoes without wearing them, as  I  see it coming and run to kitchen  to gulp in quickly  the hot water as if with every gulp I have shot it down and am watching its spoils with the pride of a skilled hunter.

    If  a vendor  comes to my  door at my calling , we jump, nevertheless, to the floor ,  rush to wear the mask and take the packet of medicines from him  with half opened doors  as if he is a ghost and is  handing  over a can of scorpions. The faces familiar for years have become suddenly alien, and still worse,  have become untouchables and  in many cases woefully  stigmatized for none of their  fault. We  keep washing hands fearing it is in our fists . While we pretend to know where it is, none knows for certain where it is. It is such a deceptive enemy. I call it deceptive because, with  all my claims to knowledge about it, I may come absolutely unscathed despite being in the crowded market without mask, and , if  ill luck  would have it , a single  transaction with a single unknown person may get me into the worst problem .  

   

   And finally , my mind goes to the future , the uncertain future , when the semblance of previous life has returned and the world, which was standstill, has started moving again.  But can it move with the same pace and fashion ? Now the very same people who would  hug me  at the very sight of me  will indeed move ahead to hug me, as old  habits die hard,  but will pull back quickly  and will rub hands in exasperation .  I do not know  when will the time come when we can hold the hands again and  shake them as  earlier, instead of contented with folding  hands saying Namaste  invoking   our rich cultural practice, a virtue out of necessity .

   With  phobia and fear psychosis building up all over the  world  I see coronavirus  throwing up  morosovirus  as its  successor. It is  creating  a vast  trail of  morose people . I see, hear and read every day about people’s changed behavior, in some cases verging on perversity, idiocy, and even lunacy. I see the old sacrosanct norm of love thy neighbour being thrown to winds. I loath to imagine a scenario where  the present day tactical distancing  becomes  a permanent barrier like international border  between two  people howsoever close they may be .

   While  the nation through its democratically  elected governments, both at centre and at states, has risen to the occasion, pushing all  possible resources to combat deceptively aggressive  invisible enemy ,  coronavirus  and   endeavouring ,at the same time,  to mitigate the suffering of  millions of poor  who, being in unorganized sector have been disorganized and disoriented, will surely succeed in winning  the war against coronavirus , but how  will it  contain the evil impact of morosovirus   remains to be seen as this virus, jocularly called morosovirus,  may be left behind by  coronavirus as its  successor as  Seleucus was left behind in India  reluctantly by  Alexender as his successor. 

       

     I pine to see the day when we shall  overcome the impact of  both , the predecessor as well as the  successor  and return to the good old days forgetting  both of them . I pray the day comes sooner than we desire . 

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Propaganda: An Effective Weapon

    

        Two  full scale wars that India fought with the  neighbouring country in 1965  and later in 1971provided first hand knowledge  how  truth becomes  the  first casualty  during  war time  so much so that we refuse to  trust the media of our  own country . And the reason is simple.  Communication, with all its effective tools, becomes the most formidable   weapon to outdo the enemy. Simple modes of communication, called media, in collective sense,  which  is supposed to  function as a trustworthy  watch dog, assumes the ferocity of  toxic propaganda during war times. 

        The distinction between publicity and propaganda, as we know, is that while truth is necessarily the base of a publicity campaign, propaganda is marked essentially by total absence of truth.  While for  both  the same communication tools are used  to put across the messages , the magic of propaganda is that, by crafty use of media, a worst lie can be projected as a sacrosanct truth by repeating it with skillful manipulations. And skillful manipulations involve excessive slanting of news, creating fake news and flooding it through all available channels like radio, televisions, print media, word of mouth and whispering campaigns.  With the coming up of digital media, propaganda  has further assumed lethal character as lie garbed as  news can freely travel on emails  and  social media platforms  leading to unquestioned acceptance by millions of  gullible users.

      Though India has not been at war with any country recently, we could witness the propaganda machinery in full operation during recent elections within the country.  Every election in a democracy, whichever the country, is fought like a battle to undo the opposition and to acquire absolute political power. But the candidates of political parties who contested elections  held in India before the advent and expansion of electronic media did not have the advantage to woo it and  pick it up as an effective weapon  in their hands .However , with the multiplicity of television channels, the situation has drastically changed . Hundreds of television channels now operate round the clock for all the seven days, vying with each other to   gain TRP for their survival and to ensure continued sound health for their channels.  No wonder, barring a few who valiantly fight to retain their professional sanctity, many of them succumb to irresistible temptations and unbearable pressures.

    Added to it, the internet, with easy access to social media platforms and   immense hidden possibilities to push the communications as fake news, has eroded whatever little has been left of media sanctity.  The result is that the picture that emerges, after dust settles down, does not inspire confidence in our democratic system of governance   which throws up thousands of candidates of different political parties chasing to occupy seats of power with scope to manipulate media to their advantage.

     How to reverse the process and return to original sanity is a matter  of serious concern because   to expect  the powers that be  which , directly or indirectly, use it as a ladder to climb to the seat of power and  depend  on this well tested machinery to survive and  promote their socio-political agenda, will take steps in this direction is   nothing short of wild goose chase .   But the trend does not auger well for the future of the country. Once the media has got entangled in the wiremesh of propaganda trappings, it will be well nigh impossible for it to get out of it. And a strong pillar of democracy and trusted watchdog to ensure adherence of democratic norms will stand to  lose  its credibility  for all times to come.

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The Kejriwal Phenomenon

The downside slip of  Arvind Kejriwal,  as manifested by his dharna against Union Home Minister  for as frivolous a cause as the demand for suspension of some  policemen and then  grabbing the face saving offer of sending them on leave  for  withdrawing the agitation hastily , was as disappointing a phenomenon as phenomenal  and euphoric had been his emergence on political firmament with a bang . And now, his  exit from Delhi, after he could find an escape route to get pushed to  the national scene, with general elections round the corner, leaves  many  amongst millions, who had pinned hopes with him and his   Aam Admi Party, in a state of fix, though the aura  around him lingers on and  people seem to cling to him even now with the bag of hopes on their backs .  

Whatever be the case , this certainly leaves me, and perhaps many like me, worried  since we had  started looking at him as the harbinger of change   that the country so badly needs ,  the torch bearer  who may beacon light to put the nation on the right track. My worry emanates from  inevitable assessment that he is not the stuff  for the national scene, unless he shows up signs of dramatic changes  in his personality, attitude and  style of  working on a mission.  Not that I had expected miracle from him or from  his newly formed party. To be honest,  I had reservations initially  about Kejriwal and his party’s capability which I aired unhesitatingly only to be the butt of friendly  scoffs  in course of discussions in drawing rooms.

 I had reason for my  reservations about Kejriwal even on the face of his overwhelming popularity when he  wiped out the then  ruling party in the Assembly elections of Delhi. I had reservations because he could not measure in my eye to be really able to make a dent into the existing political system of India which , to my mind, is at the root of all ills and evils that have been   eating up the vitals of the country  like moth, leading to all round   frustrations  despite apparent glamour and prosperity. The fact is that we expected our democracy and democratic institutions   to come of age by now.  Instead,  what have matured and got deeply entrenched   into our socio-political life   are the  ills and evils associated with democracy.  Somehow, the system of governance, which otherwise  is deemed ideal for human existence with dignity, stands woefully polluted and  has become breeding ground for  ills and evils like corruption, nepotism ,parochialism, casteism, communalism, to name only a few.  I am afraid that an old adage: ‘Politics is the last refuge of a scoundrel’ may not become the order of the day later or sooner.  And the task of cleaning  the rotten  system  seems to be  an utopia, perhaps as impossible a task to achieve  as was the plan of the rats to tie a  bell round  the neck of   a cat which had been  hounding and devouring them one by one every day by stealthily treading on their space. Who was to do it?

But  I started  entertaining hopes with the new party and its leader, dismissing my earlier stance of disapproval , when I looked at Kejriwal’s  advent in political arena against the backdrop of this utterly  depressing scenario. When he  sent chilled waves in political circles, engulfing even  age old political parties,  shaking  even the political veterans of established  outfits  by buffets  of his stormy  victory in Delhi elections, I started  nourishing  the  thought  that , may be , he is the one who may lead the light in the right direction and put the nation on track. A ray of hope kindled on the horizon.  While his upward swing could be attributed to his superb leadership qualities and ability to pull masses who are desperate to locate an alternative to the existing political parties, doubts are now overtaking us that he may not really  come up to our tall expectations   because of some compulsive parts of his personality.   One of the  telling weaknesses  that his personality appears to reflect  as a leader   is his impulsive temperament . Once his brain is fired by an idea , his agitating mindset would not let him stop and think . He would jump the guns, whatever the results. And a massive systemic change in a country as vast and as diverse as India  does not come by thoughtless haste, howsoever sincere be the  intentions . It needs a cool and calculative mind added  to superb  leadership attributes that can make a difference.   

Kejriwal, perhaps, needs to be advised by the intellectual giants in the country who have so far chosen to  sit in their protected  professional boundaries  and then he may be  able to work out a sensible and foolproof  road map, after thread bare analysis of the ills that have crept in the system . It is only when wisdom is mixed with   emotions  that some tangible results can be expected, for emotional approach may pull the masses that may be needed to support the struggle, wisdom will guide the leadership to carve its way ahead to reach the set objectives. Otherwise, it remains  the cry in the wilderness.  



Aurangzeb :the Film

Aurangzeb: The Film  

We come across a good film these days by chance, thanks to their churning out at a speed faster than rolls of fabrics  in textile mills. Though the word ‘good’ by itself  has hundreds of connotations,   the film that I saw and   I am calling  good is for the choice of its title. Film “Aurangzeb”  when put on the screen at home, the   thought that crossed at first  was  that  one more  historical magnum  opus in the sequence of Jodha –Akbar is on cards . But it turned out to be  different.

 I had to admire the ingenuity of its producers for  the metaphorical use of the name of the  Mughal Emperor  as  its title , basing the theme  on a ‘quote’  by him  when he   usurped the throne through  an open bloody revolt against his Emperor father,   annihilating Dara Shikho , the legitimate claimant as successor , and  his other two  brothers.

 “Badshahat bhaichara nahi  dekhti ” (Kingdom does bother about brotherhood)  are  the words quoted in the film as central to the theme while the message is packaged in the punch line-“Apno ki keemat Sapnon se ziada hoti hai” (Value of kinship  is much higher than the value of  dreams)  ’-  with which the film begins  and with which it ends .

 Not that  the film is any better than others  in terms of cinematographic  qualities, such a film certainly goes  beyond the realm of entertainment just for sheer choice of its  theme and title. The script writer , director and other creative artistes have taken pains to project  how  ‘greed’, verging on the rapacity of plunderers, corrupts a person to an extent that he does not hesitate to shoot his own son who, inadvertently though, without any inkling of his father’s complicity in the series of  murders for retaining his pelf and power, tries to take his DCP father in confidence.

Let there be a  property and you can see  brothers of yesterday turning into an alien of  today and  tomorrow, if not exactly the foes. Peeling off the crust of  finer emotions  of  love and respect , with not a smite on their conscience, they move  away, far away, from those for whom they were ready to shed blood on a single call. When it comes to material wealth and property , it takes no time for many of the good Samritans to become  Aurangzebs living on the false notion that Aurangzeb carried the throne to the next world.

The redeeming part, however , is that there also exist characters (as  played in the film  by Anupam Kher) who die heroically  having lived  with the conviction that “Apno ki keemat Sapnon se ziada hoti hai”.  May their clan expand for the survival of the civilization or else  this world will stand reduced to a jungle of selfish and self centred brutes.                    

FREQUENTLY ASKED TWO QUESTIONS

With  General Elections  round the corner ,  there are two questions which are being  frequently asked and these  are :  (1) Who will form the next Government ?  (2) Who will be the Prime Minister in the next Government?  Frankly, in essence it is one question. But since, contrary to the spirit  of  parliamentary system,  the thrust is  on ‘build up’  of   prime ministerial candidate by BJP without declaring it,  which is provocation enough for the ruling party to be drawn  to  the plank and join the race , I have  framed it in two for the sake of convenience in  seeking  the  right answers.     

With  spates of happenings in the recent past, one scandal after the other, the  Coalgate, the  Railgate ,  the spotgate, growing insecurity of women , rapes and murders  etc etc, the ruling party  at the centre  is naturally in dock for non- governance, besides being   pushed to the wall on the issue of  corruption. By virtue of being on the saddle ,it  is  not merely being charged  for its  failure to control  fast growing monster of corruption  and  punish or atleast seem to punish the guilty , but  is being perceived as party to it.  With its sagging image , its chances of coming back to power are woefully bleak.

However, the victory of the Congress in Karnataka only endorses the view that the image of a party has nothing to do when it comes to planning the strategy and managing elections.  Public memory has always been short and there is no guarantee that it will not be short now. However, much will depend on the alternatives available with the electorate. If the choice is between Congress and BJP alone, with their coalition partners, as in the past, well, then  it is immaterial where they cast their votes.  For them, it will be no better than robbing Peter to pay Paul, or vice versa.  This may  be the answer to  the first question, but only partially. Let us look at the alternative to Congress.

There is none except  BJP, with its cobbled up coalition, which can come up as an   alternative to the Congress. But, NDA led by BJP,  does not seem to  stand  on a convincing footing either. About its relations with coalition partners, Bihar is the living example of strains within NDA. The relationship can collapse any time  depending upon  the pitch that is  picked up in building up Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate.

 And Narendra  Modi, who started with a bang in a bid to be  projected  as BJP’s undeclared prime ministerial candidate is, emerging steadily  as a ‘rallying point’ for the party. He is seeking  support from within the party and from all other corners, obliquely and with subtlety ,  to be established as a leader of  guts and competence who can  take the party to the magic numbers in the next Lok Sabha. The clan of people having faith in his candidature is increasing leaps and bound and the impression that   he  can  pull the country out of the morass of  poverty and lack of governance is gathering mass gradually.  But, the other side  presents the picture of fissures and divisions within the  party. There are not many takers of his candidature even in his own party and the fissures concealed behind the pretensions of unity at present are likely to widen the moment party declares him as the official candidate.

 Unfortunately, there is none of the stature of Atal Behari Vajpayee  who could head the BJP Government with unadulterated image of a thoroughly  secular leader which helped him to complete his full term  by first cobbling a viable  coalition and then keeping it sustained despite party’s  known  clamour of Hindutava. The senior most leader, L. K. Advani could perhaps match his status but his image as a hard liner is against him so much so that he is watching the emergence of NAMO from the side lines whereas, in terms of seniority and experience, he should have been at the helm.  But who knows that he turns the tide at the right moment with the massive silent support that he has within the party because of his experience and other leadership attributes cutting across the bogey of his advancing age as an handicap .

 NAMO’s image is also  far from being that of a liberal and , much worse, with doubtful secular credentials. It is a strange situation where party is looking to him to push it to power which is possible only if he is  acceptable by all the sections of Indian society . And this in no case is possible in his case. It is thus a grave risk for the party to rely on him for its success at the polls. That is emerging as star campagner for his party cannot be denied.

 However, despite all my efforts I could not bring myself on his side for the different reason.  I am convinced  beyond any doubt that  howsoever competent NAMO , or for that reason , any other national leader may be to take charge  as prime minister , there is a very dim chance of the country to be governed with any semblance of competence under the present parliamentary system of governance. What we are passing through is  basically ‘system failure’. I may sound prophet of doom , but I make bold to say that none, not even the God incarnate, can provide  a sound governance in India  as the head of the Executive under the system of governance that we have adopted  under the Constitution. Why ? The reasons are not difficult to find.

If you watch him/her work as the prime minister ,you will find that  eighty percent of his/her  time is spent on putting the living fish within the basket, leaving him only twenty percent time to be devoted on  matters of governance. Even that twenty percent of time is eroded by issues which, though very important for the survival of the country in the comity of nations, are seldom seen with an impact on the  teeming millions of the country . It should not  surprise anybody then  if the image of the prime minister takes a beating, for while he is called upon to govern with comprehensive  vision  by his deep involvement, he/she  does not have the time enough to do it really. I am therefore not impressed by the argument that NAMO will set things right, unless there is proof enough to show that he really has located  where the stem lies. No such proof  has so far been visible .  For me, therefore, it is not material who the prime minister in the next Government will be. For, he /she  will be as good as not being there in the present system                           

 As for  Rahul Gandhi, he  is normally dismissed as an immature politician who owes his present status in the party by virtue of being a Gandhi scion.  Yes, it is too early to expect him to come up as prime ministerial candidate of the Congress party . But what I admire him for is the fact that  he is  being catapulted  though into the fray by constant  pulls and pushes  in his own party , he seems to have no misgivings about himself and knows it well that he is  too young and inexperienced  to hold the highest  executive  post. He has been spurning any such suggestions and insinuations   within his own party, as and when they crop up. He knows that he can wait till the party has gained enough strength to stand at its own without the crutches of the coalition. I see a lot of potential in him , if he can keep the lust of power at bay and keeps working with a sense of purpose that he has been showing so far.

But more than anything else, I hold him  high for his  wisdom which dictates him to talk  of the ‘system failure’ without mincing words and  which indirectly means  that he is aware that  the parliamentary system is playing havoc with the country, begetting nothing but lawlessness and corruption, besides being a handicap to fast decision making and efficient functioning of the executive.

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No Difference in Congress , NDA Regimes : Pawar—(The Times of India -28^th Feb 2013)

Yes: The Two have Drifted Closer

When NCP Chief and Union Agriculture Minister , Sharat Pawar said at a book launch function on 27^th Feb 2013 that he did not find much difference in the policies of the Congress governments and the Vajpayee –led NDA regime , he   may have done so to keep his options open   with his eye on the forthcoming  general   elections,  but he  has pointed to a most interesting aspect of present day political scenario  .We may call it  “ merging of political identities” or say         “ Confusion of ideologies”.

Congress and BJP, the two major national parties were poles apart, like two shores of a vast ocean and, understandably ‘twin shall never meet’. But , ironically ,there has in the past decades definitely the drifts, not apart , but closer to each other, blurring the traditional hard lines of divisions based on their respective polices and manifestoes. . The veteran leaders of leftist leanings like George Fernandes  and  Nitish Kumar  became the  part of the NDA coalition. This could not have been possible without NDA manifesto becoming   the  basis of the formation of NDA  as distinguished from BJP’s  manifesto involving BJP’s core issues which had to be put on the back burner forced by the political expediency. Far from their version of Hindutva , they talk of secularism in tones similar to congress. On the other hand, apart from   Meneka Gandhi  and Varun Gandhi , the  hard core congressmen like P.A. Sagma joined NDA . And now Sharat Pawar seems to justify in advance his stand to be the part of NDA depending upon what the circumstances will be post elections 2014.

It was a life time chance for BJP to form the Government in 2004 and it goes squarely to the credit of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpai who   presented a liberal face for keeping NDA constituents of various hues within its   fold  in accordance with the agreed manifesto which was the only way to ensure  full term of the Government.  The conclusion is not difficult to be drawn . The distance between congress and BJP  narrowed down sufficiently as both north and south poles  moved from their original  positions and drifted closer to each other by diluting contents of their respective ideologies, specially the tenets which have been the cornerstones of their basic political philosophies. The out cry like secularism  by congress and Ram Mandir by BJP  are no longer clamoured   except  to re-establish their lost identities by sporadically pouring  out their commitments to their basic philosophy just to keep the cadre and leadership on the same wave length.

However, though apparently the merging gaps between the two national parties may sound  odd , the country will stand to gain in the long run provided both the parties gain enough strength to stand at their own  instead of being on the crutches provided by  the regional parties. The trend which has led two major national parties to forge coalitions by wooing smaller and regional forces does not portend well for the future of democracy. It is a well established fact that for a effective and efficient functioning of democracy, be it parliamentary or presidential, there has to be at least two major political parties, each with clear manifesto, indicating clear cut directions on the one hand  and on the other hand political base from top to bottom so that they could stand at their own without any outside support. . The electorate, far from being confused, will then have clear vision based more on performance and policies than on ideology to choose one or the other as an expression of their political will.  The absence of this kind of scenario is a sure move towards either monopolistic governance by a single party on the dint of its crude majority, without any effective checks being exercised by a strong opposition or brings the government on the crutches of coalition politics. In either case, it is the future of democracy in the country that get into jeopardy .    

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 Hoping  for the  Hopeless

The spontaneous upsurge of the angry and anguished  people following  brutalities  perpetuated on the hapless girl  and her  male friend in the  moving bus on  December 16 has  brought into focus rising rate of  crimes against women and   inadequacy of the Government apparatus to curb and  control the commission of such ghastly crimes in the Capital of India  which should have been the role model for the entire country . Though this case has become the watershed moment  in the history of crime and punishment  in so far as it has served to be a catalyst for over hauling crime control mechanism in Delhi  with “major changes being put in place’, it is rightly observed  by Delhi Commissioner of Police of Delhi , Neeraj Kumar in his press conference on 18^th of January 2013 that “ …..This case has the power , strength  and propulsion  to bring about major changes  in the way offences against women  are dealt with by police , prosecution , courts  and even medical teams.” 

There should not be  any disagreement on it  and also on  his comment in the foreword to the annual report where he has stated , “…….It is not uncommon for citizens to target us in such situations  as we are the visible arm of the government . But somewhere the anger was directed not only on us ,but, perhaps, against the criminal justice system  as a whole and the inability of common people to correct it quickly.”

But , when he talked about the changed   attitude of the ‘police and other agencies towards crime against women’ it sounded a little too tall a claim. It is not only difficult to change the attitude of whosoever , much less of the power wielding force like police , it is almost impossible to achieve this wonderful feat in such a short span. And this  is the only thing most desirable in the present context.  

Nevertheless, it is heartening to see that serious efforts are being  made towards changing the attitude of the police and other law enforcing agencies along with hundreds of other speaking measures  to control crime against women. Why women alone? Every  one of the law abiding citizens of this country is entitled to safety of ones life and  property and to live in peace without  threats of any kind. But that seems utopia in the present phase of our national life since  the only hope to achieve success on this score lies in the ‘Attitude’ of the police personnel who need to fight it out with the rare display of capabilities like intelligence, untiring zeal and , above all the conviction which is possessed  more as an exception than as a rule.

It is indeed true that there is a complete chain to follow in case of commission of a crime which broadly includes bringing the culprits to book through investigations with admissible evidence, preparation of loophole free case for prosecution and then prosecution in the court . 

It is thus  the police which is there on the scene  from the stage of commission of an offence / crime  till the final judgment by the court of jurisdiction  It is there at the place of the commission of a crime and then finally at the  flours of the courtrooms to take the case to its logical end. And that is  why the investigating police personnel  assume an unique position in the administration of justice . If they are serious as against being casual as a matter of routine,  and upright as against given to petty temptations , every body around him , from witnesses to medical teams and to the courts, will automatically fall in line. 

 But this is hoping against the hope ,for, in the general  realm of falling standards of ethics and character, it is too much to expect that a chunk will remain untouched by the impact of expanding tentacles of corruption and lethargy in the country. When the whole cake is rotting there cannot be a part of it which can remain unaffected by contamination. After all policemen are not from outside the country.They are as much an Indian as we are, sharing  all that is good and bad in us. And so, let us first stop ourselves from falling low as a nation and all else, including police ,  will automatically  fall in line .