First Look / Deep Focus - Oct 28, 2012

TOI has the following 3 in today's FL/DF page.
1. Shobha De coming out with a novel on the contemporary politician
2. How some of the IAS officers have got the gall to face the machinery of the contemporary politician
3. The dangers from the international mafia - to the Gujarati diamond merchant at Antwerp



Shobha De has been pretty active with her writings on contemporary India and has shown strong likes and dislikes. She has been pretty aggressive on some of the well-knowns in the India scenario. So no wonder she decided to come out with the omni-potent Indian politician whom we Indians only have made all - powerful. Would love to read the novel to find out Amrita's (daughter in law of Sethji) actions and how the same could be replicated.

We know of  IAS officers who do not bulk under pressure from the contemporary politician and pay the price for same if not with life but with 26 postings in 26 years etc. India works becoz of these Babus. We have quite a number of them. Most of them operate at tandem with the Governmemt machinery and are part of the same. Once in a while some of them are singled out for disproprtionate assets etc. Sometimes their children also hog the limelight for the wrong reasons. Only a handful of them stand up to say 'No, Minister' and face the commensurate punishment.

I had cleared the IAS prelims twice but did not turn up for the finals. I shudder to think facing the wrath of the minister.

I am not sure whether the contemporary politician is aware of the existence of one layer of people who are actually above them. I am talking of the international mafia. They work seamlessly across boundaries. I understand the Goa Government is trying to fight them. There are parlors in every locality. Good luck - Goa government. International mafia is all-pervading. They are now striking at the few Gujarati families still operating their diamond cutting business from Antwerp in Belgium. If required they will shift base to Dubai. May be they will be saved then as they will be operating from the den. No issues - after all if you can't beat someone, join him.

Where To.....

 One question that keeps haunting me is where to.

Mankind where to?

The erudite will rightfully tell me - Man - go and do your work. The Almighty will take care of the rest. Very right. No questions asked. Still I thought I'll ask where to? Where are we destined?

Two conflicting thought processes keep coming to my mind - the good that is happening and the not so good that is also happening almost simultaneously.

The world today is reaping the harvest of scientific innovations. The poor and the rich are talking on mobile phones and are well-connected at their respective levels. Improved medication has enhanced the life-span all over. I understand hundreds of NGOs all over the world are working to mitigate the sufferings of the millions.

On the other hand the thought of the Ganges and the Yamuna being totally polluted and going dry in due course is nerve-racking. We are so helpless to keep mother nature intact. Global warming is giving us enough warnings of the shape of things to come - that substantial parts of the world will submerge under water. Most likely then also the seven sages will take a boat ride to safety and a new world will start from them.

So the best way is to keep going by doing what is allotted to you. There is no choice. what else can you do?

The process of  keeping doing the work allotted to me is also fraught with issues. City life is becoming complex by the day. Pressure of population and pollution are making life unbearable. Villages have other issues of gigantic proportions. Soon the money earned will be spent on food and housing only as the increased demand out-manouvres the limited supplies. Now I understand why many people in the advanced nations of Western Europe prefer not to have families.

Being an ever-optimist I am sure mankind will find out solutions to its issues. As long as the Sun is shining and the earth keeps rotating and revolving- mother nature will not fail us. But at the end it should not be that we fail ourselves and mother nature as well. Fighting amongst people has been an eternal phenomenon. Greed for controlling the resources nationally within the country and internationally amongst the countries is nothing new. So as long as mankind is there we'll have strifes. But strifes at what cost? Is anyone bothered?

So !!! Thinking about where to leads me to nowhere! Better that I keep doing what is allotted to me. Only Time will tell.

Glory to the Almighty!! You save us.