BHARAT KA RUPANTARAN (02/12/2017)

Hon'ble Vice President Sri M. Venkaiah Naidu delivers his speech on "Bharat Ka Rupantaran"

Hon'ble Minister Col. (Retd) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore addressing the gathering.

Got an opportunity to listen to the Hon’ble Vice-President of India Sri M Venkaiah Naidu on the occasion of the 46^th Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture at the Vigyan Bhavan. It was organized by All India Radio (my previous department) which has been hosting this memorial lecture since 1969. It was nice to hear from the Hon’ble Vice-President about the transformation of India in the last 70 years. He reminded the nation of the industrialization of the fifties under Nehru, “Green Revolution” of the sixties, “Telecommunication Revolution” of the eighties, Liberalization of the nineties and flurry of decisions in present times which are aimed at transforming the nation. His speech was a balanced analysis of the transformation the nation has undergone in the last 70 years giving credit where it was due. The speech will be broadcast by All India Radio on 3^rd December 2017 on the birth anniversary of Dr. Rajendra Prasad.   

WILL HE OR WILL HE NOT? (31/10/2017)

Delhi observed two events today- celebration of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel’s birth anniversary and remembrance of Smt. Indira Gandhi on her 34^th Martyrdom. While the celebration was a government event the martyrdom was a party’s affair. The Patel Chowk Square was heavily decorated. This was the venue of the “Run for Unity” held today. 

The 21^st Century India stands fragmented on the lines of caste, creed and religion as never before and now we watch division of leaders of yesteryear by its political masters to suit their political compulsions. It reminds me of what Sardar Patel had to say for such division and I quote "... Every Indian should forget that he is a Rajput, a Sikh or a Jat. He must remember that he is an Indian and he has every right in this country but with certain duties." We need to ponder on whether we strive to achieve the ideals laid down by Sardar. The “Run for Unity” aimed to achieve this objective symbolically if not comprehensively. 

Two news items in today's news paper drew attention today- the first was a newspaper advertisement inserted by Congress, and not by the nation, reminding the nation of Smt. Indira Gandhi’s martyrdom. The second piece of news was directed towards Mr. Rahul Gandhi with the caption “Why aren’t you taking charge?”- A fit case of pygmies seeking support of another pygmy. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. (JOHN MAXWELL) Unfortunately, Mr. Rahul Gandhi lacks on all these front and this is the greatest tragedy of Congress (I) which claims to be the oldest political party of India- though many may contest the claim since Congress (I) is certainly not the Congress that was founded in 1885 and was presided over by Womesh Chandra Banerji as its first President- A party where there was no dearth of leaders unlike the Congress (I) of the present times which, I believe, is not even a pale shadow of the gigantic organization which was once steered by the Mahatma.

THE CRUMBLING FOURTH PILLAR OF DEMOCRACY (18/10/2017)

I was drawn towards a discussion among a group of young college students who boarded the metro at Rajiv Chowk for G.T.B. Nagar near Vishwavidyalaya. They were discussing the state of democracy, particularly the role of media in present times. The debate drew my interest for even though I read newspaper daily, the manner these students were analyzing newspaper reports left me amazed at the level of their maturity. They were unanimous in their opinion that the media has lost its credibility in present times. To prove his point one of them drew attention of his fellow colleagues towards a news item in a leading national daily “THE TIMES OF INDIA”. To cut matter short I decided to verify the facts my self when I reached home. The particular news item had missed my attention. The Times of India, which prides itself as the most circulated newspaper in NCR had published a news item on 15^th October 2017, giving it the prime of the place in the newspaper in bold, titled “NTPC jobs for Akhlaq Lynching Accused”. This piece of news, one will agree, had the potential of flaring up the tempers in a fractured society in these volatile times. The Times of India did not bother to cross check the correctness of the report. 

 

The Times of India, October 15th, 2017

On the very next day it published the denial from the NTPC with the caption “No jobs for Akhlaq Accused: NTPC”. But while doing so it conveniently tucked away this piece of news item in a corner without offering to apologize for publishing a news item without verifying the facts. This can be termed as the height of irresponsible journalism. It is unfortunate that nothing happens and no one punishes media for such failures. 

 

The times of India, October 16th, 2017

The parting words from one of the student struck me. “It is pathetic that the fourth pillar of democracy is crumbling faster than the other three. God save the country”.     

JANTAR MANTAR- THE “SAFETY VALVE" OF THE 21ST CENTURY INDIA (23/09/2017)

Jantar Mantar in the heart of the inner circle of New Delhi is a historical site of astronomical value. In those days it helped in keeping a watch on time and in study of the movement of earth, sun and moon. Built by Sawai Raja Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1724, the observatory played a vital role in a period when there were no wrist watches.

Today Jantar Mantar is known not for the Samrat Yantra, the Mishr Yantra or the Prakash Yantra, which were architectural and astronomical marvels, but for the various Satyagrahas and sit-ins that are organized in the vicinity, just like the famous “Hartali Chowk” near Patna Secretariat. 

 

Time seem to have stopped at Jantar Mantar and for the scores of protestors for whom the place has virtually become their second home.  Some of these protests such as the one led by Ex-Army men who demand OROP or by the farmers who sit in protest against suicides seeking justice from the government with no success or breakthrough is indeed heart-rending. It makes a mockery of "JAI JAWAN JAI KISAAN" and of our commitment to the cause of Fauzi and Kisan. While the Government waits for their patience to fizzle out, these protestors who have spent years at high altitudes during their service career (Army-men) or out in open fields (Farmers) do not blink, looking right into the eyes of the Government-eyeball to eyeball- so much so that they even braved the lathis of an insensitive government and yet maintained their peaceful protests in true Gandhian way.

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Some of these protests such as the one for a separate state of Gorkhaland for the Gorkhas are relatively new. Attendance of protestors at such site is encouraging, though only time will tell for how long they will be able to maintain the tempo.  

 

The Cause may be noble, not so noble and completely ignoble- yet the protestors do not buzz from here. Just like protest by staunch followers of Asaram Bapu and Rampal who too have been sitting in protest for years together, though the attendance at these protest sites have fizzled out.

Just as the safety valve helps release the pressure from the cooker, the Jantar Mantar helps in gradual release of pressure as protests become milder with each passing month. No one pays attention to their grievance- real or otherwise. While they all believe their protest is for a noble cause, the press, the public and the successive governments think otherwise. This reduces the significance of their cause significantly, so much so that the powers that be pay virtually no attention to these protests. Yet this is an important breeding ground for prospective leaders. Public figures such as Anna Hazare and Kejriwal have risen to fame from this place. Hence prospective leaders still spend time at this place which has become a sort of nursery, nurturing future leaders of India. When this happens, the traffic is regulated much to the discomfiture of the daily office commuters who view such protest as mere political gimmick by novice leaders interested in their own political career building.