DailyPost 2035
SUPER VISIBLE INDIA
Sai Baba provided drinking water to the whole of Anantapur district a long time back. Dr. Kurien made the Amul and white revolution out of nowhere. Same goes for the Aravind Eye Care System, avoidable blindness was the scourge, it tackled effectively, revolutionized eyecare in India and made it a role model for the world. Propaganda and long arduous programs / projects do not go hand in hand. Nor will the super performer have the time like the social media creatures have. They have realized the handicaps, understood the issue seven levels below what a normal person can see and worked it bottoms up. These are just examples of models of organic change, growth and development, which get deeply rooted in the local soil, society, economy and culture. Their minds were like X-rays on Indian ground reality and they spent a lifetime to turn it around.
Today the super visible India cannot be seen by anybody; the bureaucrats, police officers, educators, health administrators, politicians, elected representatives, political executives, the modern gurus, even the industry and philanthropists at times. First issues first, amongst the group mentioned above, can they tell us what Indian reality is hidden from them? Do they feel they can make a difference or are they there to exploit the pitiable ground conditions? Last but not the least is the media, which can’t see anything that is happening on a day-to-day basis, impacting all of us, competing with Bollywood. Government runs through departments and programs / projects, how many of it gets reported for the ills they face. Pilferage has been the order of the day, what has been done about it? it has been years since Lokpal came into existence.
Talking of quality is blasphemy. Administration, media and the political executive cannot see these eye sores all around and complained about in the most heart-rending manner. Janata darbars for whom and for what? Encroachments are a new battle cry. Very difficult to find places without encroachments. Let any municipal corporation declare its encroachment-free areas. With the nature of official machinery and resources provided for, can encroachments happen on their own? No one comments on any one’s knowledge of law, because in the huge plethora of laws, the only functional dictum is, show me the person or give me the situation and I will give you the legal provision to get away with the high handedness you intend to unleash.
What about the building bye-laws and its compliance? The normative reality is non-compliance. The design / drawing is just treated as a box in the checklist. Regularization? Who makes these rules for what? What has been done to the utilities in the urban centers of this country, even closed eyes can see. Are we wedded to urban chaos to sustain the flamboyant lifestyle of the groups being talked about. In the urban dungeon and beyond how things move are being debated in percentages all across India. The quality of public education for what price? And the final fate is the health chaos experienced across the country less than a year back, does not attract any culpability. Nobody is responsible for anything, they can certify each other. In the cobweb of criminality every spider is in. How do you stall your visible nemesis?
INDIA STILL REMAINS THE LAND OF RULERS RATHER THAN OF GOVERNANCE PROFESSIONALS, COMMITTED TO QUALITY DELIVERY.
Sanjay Sahay