IIPM Press - Balmiki Mandal

He has been sleeping on the footpath for seven years. Few days back, while he was returning from the Gurudwara after having his meal, a car hit him from behind. When his friends at the footpath dragged him to his native West Bengal on the pretext of rest, his family failed to recognise him. Long beard and a weather-tempered body have changed his physical outlook completely. A disturbed Mandal says, “For seven years, I have been waging this battle. I have not managed to offer anything to my family. Naturally, my wife and children are angry with me. He pauses and stares towards horizon. “They no more look for me,” he sighs. Take a look at his battle. Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) runs 34 schools in Burdwan district of West Bengal. They fall under the Union Coal Ministry. About 167 teachers from these schools do not get paid since 2001. The school for the children of coal workers was about to be shut. Teachers protested and continued to teach. ECL till date cites lack of funds. All the teachers tutor privately to run their families. Mandal can’t afford even that because he is busy fighting his battle here. His family lives in penury. In seven years, he has met 17 ministers who have handled Coal portfolio but all he got were mere assurances..

When asked why he didn’t approach courts, he says, “We are poor and justice in court is too costly. We are sure that our democracy will get us justice.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Telecom Tellall

This high stakes game continues to fill the coffers of corrupt private players, even as the government loses millions.

Surbhi Chawla on the sector’s ugly past and present

Wireless telephony reached Indian shores in 1995 – the year Spectrum was allocated to private players for the first time. From those early days itself this sector has been plagued by controversies. Every minister who took charge of the telecom ministry found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The unfortunate trend was started by Sukh Ram – the first telecom minister to take charge after the sector was liberalised. In 1996 when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided his house, the sleuths had found crores of rupees stashed away in – of all places – his prayer room. The investigations that followed the seizure revealed that the minister had made this illgotten fortune from private players keen to hop onto the telecom bandwagon. The immense potential of the segment had the minister taking huge advantage.

It was in 2002 – during the NDA regime – that Reliance Infocom (now renamed Reliance Communications) and Tata Teleservices began introducing the CDMA technology in the country to replace GSM, which was all we had at the time. Back then the late Pramod Mahajan, who was telecom minister in that government, was alleged to have favoured big corporates by giving them Spectrum at a relatively low cost. Mahajan subsequently drew heavy flak in Parliament, where some among the Opposition had gone to the extent of branding him as the Reliance man in the NDA government.

Dayanidhi Maran was the next to be asked to vacate, though his own case was rather different from the others. For though Maran was M Karunanidhi’s poster boy, his brother Kalandhi, who headed the SUN TV network, was unacceptable to many.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Sunderbans calling

Mangrove forest may become one of the seven wonders

The world’s largest estuarine mangrove forest area, the Sunderbans, may soon find itself in the list of seven wonders of nature. Chances of it getting into the top list are high as Bangladeshis are ready to vote in favour of the Sunderbans.

The Bangladesh government has already been informed by New Delhi about the vote. And the good news is that both countries have agreed to vote in favour of the Sundarbans. Chief minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told reporters: “This is indeed good news for both the countries. It will be great that the people of both the countries will vote to put Sunderbans in the top tier.” Other contenders from India include the Ganges and the Kaziranga National Park. Mount Everest, K2, Chitwan National Park, Baikal Lake and the Dead Sea are the nominations from Asia. The nomination process is on with 261 entries received for the top 77 slots. The results will be announced in 2011. The New7Wonders Foundation said the campaign would surely renew people’s interest in nature.

Two years back, fans had voted for the iconic Taj Mahal for a position in the new seven wonders of the world. This time too people are hopeful that Sunderbans will clinch it. No body wants it more than Kolkata-based environmentalist Subhas Datta. “The ecology of the region has to be preserved and that will definitely bring in tourists from all over the world,” he said. He is right. But what about the damaged embankments in the Sunderbans that were destroyed by cyclone Aila? And why did the government take five months to acquire lands? There are many unanswered questions.

However, the state government is all set to acquire 5,963 acre for reconstruction of 834 km of embankment in the Sunderbans with Rs 100 crore of Central assistance. “The decision has been taken for restoration of the area,” said state FM Asim Dasgupta. But many doubt the government’s decision as it was announced after dates of by-polls to the 10 Assembly seats were out. The ruling Left Front was routed in the recent polls in districts where Aila wreaked havoc. Senior journalist Sankar Roy told TSI that acquisition of land in this case may be less cumbersome. But he added, “Is the announcement legal because it came just after by-poll dates were announced?” The readers will know the best answer.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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“Trinamool trying to fish in troubled waters’’

Atul Kumar Anjan, Central Secretary, CPI

How do you view the Maoist violence in Bengal and Jharkhand?

Violence is violence and whoever the perpetrator, it cannot be justified. It should be condemned in the harshest of words. But the way it is being politicised is unfortunate. The Trinamool Congress’ actions reek of electoral opportunism.

Mamata has called for banning CPI Maoists and CPM in Bengal. Your comments?

She is doing this political stunt keeping in mind the Assembly elections. She is a politician and has the right to demand this. But in this case, it is outrageous. CPM is in electoral politics and the demand itself is laughable. The demand becomes ironic when she supports the cause of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities that hijacked the train, This group is based in Lalgarh. There is a need for proper enquiry into the matter.

The Centre says the West Bengal government is not serious about the implementation of Forest Act.

This is preposterous. The accusation falls flat on its face. We have done a lot to give the tribals ownership rights over their land.

It also wants you to appeal to the Maoists to lay down their arms.

We are all for it. They should shun violence and come for talks.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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“Government exists but only as a tool of oppression’’

RSP leader and PWD minister of West Bengal Kshiti Goswami says it would be better if the people could do away with the state government, Chandrasekhar Bhattacharya finds out more.

The Left Front government is considered as pro-worker. Can you claim success on the labour front?

The government could do nothing on this front. Rather, workers’ struggle has gone from weak to weaker. Bogged down by economism, Trade Unions failed to boost political movements. The labour department has failed to protect labourers. Today, the owners dictate the terms and submit memorandums, not the Trade Unions. That’s why the state tops the list of Provident Fund defaulters. But the government takes no action.

The issue of land acquisition has been rocking the state for more than 3 years. How correct is the government’s stand?

The government’s stand is basically fallacious. There was no Land Map which could have clearly demonstrated the character of land including how many crops it yields, what kind of crop, etc. Neither the government has any Land Bank. We, along with other partners like CPI and Forward Bloc, have been pressing the government to evolve these two. But our voices have not been honoured. Snatching land is not a matter of joke. Communists, who have gone through the experience penned in ‘Quiet Flows the Don’, should have learnt it from the former USSR’s instance. After Singur and Nandigram, we thought this should at least be halted. But Rajarhat showed again that land grabbing was initiated to benefit CPM-backed touts and thugs. A CPM legislator is also involved in it. This party has lost control over its cadres.

What is your comment on the government’s approach towards the tribal people?

They have been blatantly neglected by the state, specially their economic and social needs. But historically, they had deep allegiance to the Left Front. But we neither understood their social dynamics nor gave importance to their social uplift. We did not care to integrate them into the mainstream. Narrow partisan approach is responsible for this. The habit of looking through party glasses has widened the gap to an unfathomable distance.

Tribals also inhabit the North Bengal tea garden area. Do they get proper treatment?

The state’s approach towards the tea industry is wrong. As the Centre earns foreign currency through tea export, the state’s approach has been: Let the Centre take care of problems in tea gardens. The Centre also thought on the same line, hoping that the state would step forward. This has helped garden owners to grossly violate the Plantation Labour Act, one of the best pro-labour act of India. This has pushed the plantation workers to the brink of disaster. On the other hand, involvement of touts and middlemen has jeopardised tea workers’ interests. The situation is such that the present generation of garden workers feels betrayed and some of them may be forced to take up arms against the state. The Trade Unions also can not abdicate their responsibilities.

Can the West Bengal government claim any success in the field of education in the last 33 years?

The state, in fact, has had no firm stand on education since the nation followed the path of globalisation. It has taken a 180 degree turn on the language issue, from mother tongue to English, without considering the ground realities of remote villages. Regarding privatisation of education, the state is in a dilemma and addressing this half-heartedly. These have led to unplanned privatisation of education — from mushrooming ‘Benglish’ medium schools to critical manifestation of PTTI, B.Ed and other issues. Vishwa Bharati is another issue where sheer party politics is creating all the trouble.

Can we say the state has failed to deliver on health services, to check the outbreak of tropical diseases, to arrest infant mortality and to address malnutrition?

Not really. Still people have faith on government-run hospitals, which really have excellent doctors and nurses but lack modern equipment. One may not find ICCU or modern blood test facilities at district level hospitals. But it’s a fact that the government could do a lot more than it has done.

Does Chief Minister’s call for “Do It Now’ matches reality?

There was nothing wrong in the chief minister’s dream. But like Socialism, it has also failed. Bureaucracy has failed it. This can’t materialise without administrative reforms.

Let’s come to the Maoists. What is your understanding of the scenario?

It is being said that the Maoists have taken up arms and so, armed action is required. Before I reply, please tell me the name of one country where Marxists or Communists have increased their strength without the use of arms. Nowhere! Even in India, did the undivided CPI increase its strength without arms? What happened in Telengana or Tebhaga? Can you explain B T Randive or Pramod Dasgupta’s ‘half-partisan line’? Was that a peaceful path of revolution?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Shock after the marked decline in incidents of LOC

Wani, and others of his persuasion, feel that the PDP has not played the role of a responsible opposition, as the NC had done for six years between 2002 and 2008. The party chose a confrontationist approach, even as the security agencies worked at odds with the government, and was accused of shameful conduct. This came as something of a shock after the marked decline in incidents of LoC infiltration and militant activities.

Everything points to poor coordination between political parties and security agencies, hugely compounding the problems of the state’s youngest chief minister who initially held out so much hope and promise. Talks between New Delhi and the separatists have come to a halt, and the composite dialogue process between New Delhi and Islamabad has been all but abandoned after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. And the different camps of separatists, who wish to be part of the dialogue, have been exploiting this waning of political discourse by providing cover to the almost daily protests in the valley.

The Manmohan Singh government had formed five working groups on Kashmir, four of which have submitted their reports. But none has been implemented. At a time when everyone is seeking meaningful political intervention, the Omar establishment finds itself ill equipped to resume the dialogue on Kashmir.

Indeed as violent protests become the norm in Omar’s regime, previous claims of administrative accountability are being replaced by all round cynicism and a sense of hopelessness. After taking over as chief minister, Omar continued with the administrative arrangement that was put in place during Governor’s rule.

This arrangement hurt Omar when his government’s own economic adviser and other senior bureaucrats failed to answer certain questions raised by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram during his Srinagar visit.

Omar’s own interface with the public is depressingly limited. His only political adviser is a businessman from Jammu who does not speak Kashmiri. Party sources say his attitude has resulted in widespread disgruntlement, not only among general visitors but also cabinet members. The result is that what little interaction Omar has with people remains limited to district-level public darbars. The J&K Police too has given a rough time to the chief minister. After the Shopian incident, Omar publicly admitted that he had been misinformed by the police, and that they had gunned down several stone-pelting protesters.

So it looks like a case of being now or never. Kashmir-watchers are of the view that unless the Centre acts fast and bails out Omar by engaging the separatists, there is every chance of his first turbulent tenure as chief minister being drastically cut short.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Indira Gandhi used to say, “my father was a saint

Indira Gandhi used to say, “my father was a saint. I am not.” To Jawaharlal Nehru realpolitik had a bad odour. Not for her. He really had an easy political ride from 1947 to 1962. Not Indira Gandhi. She had to fight and fight hard before she obtained supremacy. I remember so well the atmosphere at 1 Safardarjung Road when the results of the 1967 Lok Sabha elections started pouring in. There was no comfort, no cheer. The outcome was dismal. She presided over a government, which depended on the tacit support of the Left. With great courage and sagacity she navigated the Indian political craft in rough waters with a steady hand. As far as I know, she very seldom was subject to a common phenomenon called cold feet. When necessary, she would dig in her heels and not budge come what may.

In my five years in the Prime Minister’s secretariat, I travelled around the world with her. What a presence she had! Among all the Kings and Captains of the world she stood out, beautiful, confident, regal and yet immensely human. Even her common touch had something of the aristocratic swing of her father.

I asked her after she had met Margret Thatcher, “Madam, what did you make of the Iron Lady?” Her answer: “What Iron Lady? I saw a nervous women sitting on the edge of the sofa.” Her father was loved. She was loved and feared. He was a world leader of his epoch, she of hers.

She grew in her job. She infused inspiration. She invited loyalty and she received it in plenty. But there is the other side of the coin. Until she demolished the odious Syndicate, removed Morarji Desai as Finance Minister, she needed strong nerves to meet the political challenge and came out on top.

I have just put her letters to me in my forthcoming book, Yours Sincerely. She enjoyed receiving and replying to letters. They made her intellectually relaxed. The real epistolary treat that one gets from Sonia Gandhi’s Two Alone, Two Together is quite something. She has edited the book, which contains a huge number of letters father and daughter wrote to each other, with amazing frequency. Open the book on any page and you will not be disappointed.

Her great triumph was the creation of Bangladesh. She displayed patience, grit, intuitive foresight and statesmanship of the highest order. She got Europe and Russia on her side, also the international media and liberal America. Mr. Nixon and the too clever by half Henry Kissinger were isolated.

Foreign policy was her forte. She wrote an article for Foreign Affairs in October 1972. She spelt out hardcore India’s foreign policy. “India’s foreign policy is a projection of the values which we have cherished through the centuries as well as our current concerns. We are not tied to the traditional concepts of a foreign policy designed to safeguard overseas possessions, investments, the carving out of spheres of influence and erection of cordons sanitaires. We are not interested in exporting ideologies.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Polytheism in the name of Allah

Chairman of National Fatwa Council of Malaysia, Abdul Shukor Husin, while passing a fatwa against yoga last year stated, “Many Muslims fail to understand that yoga’s ultimate aim is to be one with a God of a different religion. When one has affirmed to ‘La Ilaaha Illallaah’, how can a Muslim think of another “God of a different religion?"

‘La Ilaaha Illallaah’ (literal translation: ‘there is no god but God’) establishes beyond argument that there is only one God. If a Muslim thinks there are different Gods for different religions, he is negating the essence of Islam and unwittingly subscribing to polytheist beliefs. However, differently we may pray and by whatever name we may call, it goes to that one source. Further, the Quran clearly states that God can be invoked in different names. “Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious by whichever name you invoke Him. He is always the One, for His are all the attributes of perfection [Al Isra 17:110]. Another verse [Al Hashr 59:22] proves that God is beyond even the 99 names mentioned in the Quran. “Glory be to God, beyond any associations. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.” This means that God can be addressed by anything that’s uttered in reverence and with a sense of beauty.

The time has come for religious leaders to go to the basics of tauhid and reinterpret it to present the real essence of Islam to the world. Such a correction will go a long way in stopping many atrocities against humanity committed in the name of cleansing the world of infidels.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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“Don't tinker with Test Cricket’’

Gundappa Rangnath Vishwanath was a purist’s delight. The game has changed beyond recognition since the master was at the height of his prowess, but the diminutive right-hander still ranks among the most elegant batsmen the world has ever seen. His square cuts were a sight for the Gods and his straight drives had inspired artistry written all over them. In an exclusive interview with TSI’s Satish Chapparike, Vishy, as the cricketing world knows him, looks back on a glorious international career and airs his concerns about the rapidly changing face of Indian and world cricket. Excerpts from a free-wheeling conversation:

You’ve been a part of international cricket for 40 years. How do you view the evolution of the game?

Oh, I didn’t know this! From 1969 to 2009....yes, it is 40 years. In my days, we played only Test cricket: five days plus a rest day in between. I did play two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, but I still find it a bit difficult to believe that I did. Cricket has come a long way since then. When I watch an ODI or a T20 encounter, I often wonder, “Did I actually play two World Cups?” The game has changed beyond my imagination.

India won only one match in those two World Cups!?

Yes, but I don’t think that was surprising. It had something to do with our approach towards the one-day format. We used to play 60 overs a side. Sixty overs were a hell of a lot. We thought that the steady and classic approach was enough. Today, ODIs are a completely different ballgame. T20 cricket is now in. IPL was a huge success and now KPL, being organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), is about to take roots. The T20 format is here to stay. The crowds love it.

As a cricketer do you love the Twenty20 format?

To be frank, I don’t, certainly not. But as a spectator I enjoy it. I am part of the crowd now and I really enjoy it. But this format is for the spectators. It is a fast game and some cricketers also really enjoy it. I don’t think all of them really enjoy this format. Those who are playing international cricket really love Test cricket. Not only old and established cricketers, even youngsters who have got the opportunity to play one or two Test matches will tell you about the value of Test cricket. Test matches are the real thing.

At what stage of your life did you begin to take cricket seriously?

I started playing seriously probably when I was 10 or 11. My brother played for his college and a private club. A neighbour played for Mysore those days and he hit a hundred on his Ranji debut. That really inspired me. I started watching these two regularly when they played. I followed in their footsteps.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
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