All those who had fervently (and as we now know, foolishly) hoped
for a better political discourse in the country when a people-propelled
movement metamorphed into a political party are in a state of shock and
despair. It is a clear case of ‘kya se kya ho gaya’. Politics
without money or muscle power, responsive public representatives, no VVIP
culture, swaraj, democracy and what not. Now it turns out that what we were
actually hearing was not alternative politics but an alternate political party.
How stupid of us, no? The drama that has unfolded in AAP over the past one
month has all the essential ingredients of a potboiler. Conspiracy theories,
betrayal, personal egos and ambitions, ruthless dictators, fawning sycophants,
secretly taped conversations, suspect donations and a hint of sleaze too. The
cheerleaders and the ultra-optimists are left with a bitter taste in their
mouth. It is improbable that the aam aadmi would be enamoured
by a similar movement in the future. When all turn out to be the same, why
bother? Whose father’s what goes, really?
We all, I am sure, have had this feeling of despondency and
resignation at one stage or the other in our lives. You see a broken water pipe
on the roadside on way to your office, slowly spewing trickles of water. Should
you call the municipal authorities? Even if you call, will somebody respond?
How long before the plumber decides to pay a visit to the site and repair?
Should you call or let somebody else do it? Then you call and
a person replies that the problem would be fixed soon. While returning from
office you make it a point to check whether the pipe has been repaired. No,
water is still leaking, pouring out hundreds of litres by the hour. Your
concern and efforts have not yielded any results. That is when you get this
feeling-whose father’s what goes?
(This spot in 18th cross, Malleshwaram is under
repair for the past two years or more. A fit case for accidents,
especially in the nights.)
(A regular scene in the evenings on either side of
Sampige road in Malleshwaram, for the past four years, at least.)
Today morning this thought came to me after a not-so-cordial meet
with the head of a civil construction department. I was upset about the quality
of construction of residential quarters of our staff. The building is about ten
years old but had started to leak even before its first birthday. Things have
only gone worse since then. Some government agency or the other keep spending
thousands of rupees every year to seal the seepage, replace the rotten
wardrobes and plug the cracks. After the disgruntled officer left my chamber
mumbling his displeasure, I sat lamenting my indiscretion. What was the point
in antagonizing an officer of a different department? The work was executed by
his predecessors about a decade back in which he had no role to play. At least
on paper, the quality of the building was checked, found ok and payments were
made. The occupants of the quarters have never sat on a dharna against the poor
quality of construction and I am anyway not staying in that campus. It may look
selfish but if you keep stretching your involvement, there is no end to it.
This brings us to the moot point. ‘Is it only ‘karmanye va
adhikaraha te ma faleshu kadachana’? What constitutes one’s karma and who
defines it? No social or civic responsibility, no call to the electricity
department to switch off the street lights in the hot afternoon? Or is it also
a part of karma? How far and wide does the boundary of karma extend? When a
pang of guilt pricks, donate some money to charity and feel happy and proud
about it? When the general state of affairs need redress, even when they do not
concern us directly, should we be indifferent? And how long can genial interventions last if there are no perceptible end results?
Here is another example. Some time back, I came across a case of
contract labourers being paid less than what is due, even lesser than the
minimum wages by employment agencies. The agencies collect money higher than
the minimum wages, including their service charges from the organizations and
then shortchange the workers. (This is a phenomenon across the country. You can
crosscheck with the security at your office gate!) There was a complaint by the
affected. It is no rocket science to understand that minimum wages act is
applicable everywhere. An inquiry was conducted and irregularity was pointed
out. But not unexpectedly, nothing happened. Either to the agency or to
the workers. Status quo is maintained and life goes on. Then you curse yourself
for taking undue interest in the matter, wasting your time and energy when you
jolly well knew that the person who should take a call, is either incapable
or willfully indifferent.
Just to get a clarification, and to highlight this sickening
trend, I emailed to the Secretary, ministry of labour and employment, GoI, New
Delhi. It is more than six months now and a reply is awaited. The next time I
see a similar case, I would perhaps be less inclined to get into the details.
Why take the pain when you know that the chances of a change are bleak? Whose
father’s what goes?
Recently, a well-meaning senior officer had this piece of advice-“look at the
problem from a distance”, he said. “Like how a mechanic sees a bike in his
garage. Dispassionately. See what best you can do if it is in your domain and
then move on”. Who can argue with that? Easier said than done because the
officer himself is now disenchanted by the state of affairs in the
organization where he is working.
Let me end the blog with a positive note. Some people - ordinary
folks, not those who are paid to work for others - even while knowing well that
things might not change much, doggedly carry on with their efforts with a
single-minded determination. The best example I can quote here is of a group
called ‘The Ugly Indian’ in Bengaluru, that has a simple motto - ‘Stop Talking,
Start Doing’. Not an easy job when it is more comfortable to be ensconced in
our comfort zones of office, family, friends, malls and vacations. May
their tribe increase.
