Zero tolerance for corruption

Good, bad co-exists. There is no way to iron out the bad completely but we can extract the good as much as possible keeping bad at bay. Not everything is bad. At a time when both options seem insatiable, we have to select an option which is less bad. 

A Government, selected through the democratic system, has all the power to do all necessary adjustment or to implement necessary policies but he has two responsibilities as a selected head of the country: good governance and accountability. Whether the present government is competent enough to steer the wheel of the country is a moot point, but accountability is a bigger matter; it has to explain whatever steps it is taking; this much transparency should be there within the Govt. So at any point of time we have the complete right to criticize our own Government if, any time, it goes astray. But at the same time we can’t subvert the power of highest institutions like Parliament, Bureaucracy.  In a vibrant democracy like India, where everybody has the freedom to protest or freedom to express his opinion, we can’t blackmail Govt. by the extreme power of protest: fast-unto-death. Among 13 non-violence movements of Mahatma Gandhi, during our freedom movement, only three were fast-unto-death but none of them was to extract particular demand from British rather they were meant for uniting the whole country against a particular cause. Also this type of movement was justified at that time to bring democracy in a non-democratic system, now it’s outdated. And if it becomes successful then it may open floodgate of many such movement in future.  

Till 15 august, 2011, I was confused, thinking whom to support and was maintaining a silence over the whole matter of Anna Uncle’s movement, but it can’t help. Better I opt the less bad option which is apt to the crisis. Then I thought if I call Anna’s way of protesting is an outdated one then I have to call the agitation in Arab countries a crime. J If this is blackmailing, then let it be, as long as it’s for a noble cause, as long as it facilitating our country where both of the ruling and opposition party fail to carry out their corresponding responsibilities. Selected Govt. may or may not take the suggestion of the common people but govt. can’t gag the voice of its detractor whether it’s an opposition or common people like Anna Hazare. The Govt. or opposition is preaching in for maintaining the supremacy of parliament but when opposition creates ruckus in parliament or walk out from parliament to show their disagreement, nobody cry foul for undermining Parliamentary supremacy. We may or may not support Anna ji but we can’t just turn our face off from the noble cause he is fighting for. I believe, this Lokpal is not the only solution or not that Lokpal bill will create a corruption free society but we should think positively and Lokpal bill is the first step for that. It’s not that only the Govt. employees are corrupted, common people or civil society is also corrupted; but we need to start the process of controlling this. A fish start rotting from head to tail so also the corruption. If our leaders show us the right path by setting up example their good vibes bound to cascade downwards. So the correction process should start from top towards the bottom of the pyramid. 

Let’s join our hands in pray for “Corruption free society”.

Jai Hind.

Jago mango people Jago!! Now it’s time to raise our voice against “Bandh Politics”.

One of the most evil results of human civilization is “Bandh” (in English general strike). This is the most powerful means used worldwide to protest against the injustice or to fulfill a political goal but the easiest way to establish political identity in India. As per the communism theory, this is the last and most effective weapon to set the authorities’ teeth on the edge.  It used to be the last of all protests when all other doors were closed; also it didn’t involve violence if the demand was not reached. 

In the history communism, Bandh, Hartal, General strike all these means of protest were in a society, when there was problem of capitalism, when there was no means to increase public awareness or when there was not so active media. May be this was right at that time and in that kind of society, but, now-a-days this tool has lost its meaning due to its overuse not only by communist party but  also by all small and big parties in India, especially in West Bengal. Common People (I mean apolitical) see it as a mere political vandalism which means a loss of business, loss of time, loss of money, loss of property overall depletion of economy. On any Bandh, people stay closed in home or spend it as a holiday; it’s not that they do it to show solidarity rather they do it out of fear or to avoid harassment. When other countries around the world have chosen other means of protest, we still love to be in the 19^th century dragging the country backward. 

The state with the maximum Bandhs in India is West Bengal  where the average number of bandhs per year is 40-50. So we can imagine how many crores of rupees they loss each year. Yesterday, I heard news that out West Bengal Govt. is looking for a law or legal way to counter this evil way which stalls the human life. I don’t know whether it’s a gimmick or not; but, respectable Chief Minister, if you could bring such change to our state averting all kind of political repulsion, not only the people of WB, but also the entire India will remember you as a leader, a leader to be followed. 

Quality Education, that’s the urgent need of the hour.

Change! What does it signify? Does it mean the change of the label glued on a wine bottle or the change of the entire wine bottle with its content? Our new west Bengal Govt. has pitched in for many educational reforms, one of them is abolishing pass-fail system till class eight. I believe this is just a cosmetic change or a noble idea without any real material in it. The very purpose of education is awareness or creating innovative brains or developing the society. In the present learning system, students, below 10^th standard, come to school or read books not for brainstorming or for knowledge gathering rather they do it for their parents or out of a compulsion. Many of them could not do with this after few years, and opt to neglect study because of financial condition or lack of interest, or repeated failure or they find a better option to live with. 

In our country’s educational curriculum class eight is seen as one of the most key milestone as the course from this step could be considered as the 1^st building block of higher education and it’s quite a different path from the earlier classes. The average age of the student, in class VIII, is 14 and from this pre-adult age, many qualities like: self-esteem, consciousness, self-realization etc. start blossoming. It’ll not be wrong to say till age 13 a boy or girl is in his/her childhood days and they start exploring their pre-adult age afterwards. What I’m trying to indicate is, from class VIII a student start realizing, irrespective of their reason, what education is all about or, at least, we can make them understand.

 Education is our primary right but at the same time we don’t have any right to snatch the most precious time, childhood,  from the children putting them under curriculum burden. On the contrary, it can be argued, why not then abolish pass-fail till class X? We have to think in a comprehensive manner. To improve the quality of students, there should be a healthy competition among students; at the same time without taking the extreme position we have to impose the restriction somewhere within the path. The object should be to give utmost opportunity to the students for maximum learning without impairing the quality of student.

In bigger picture it can be said, the consciousness, the passion or the curiosity of student about study, knowledge raise once they are mature, once they understood the meaning of education or once they think about their future and that begins, I think, after the class VIII. If the student, who opt to leave the school after V, is given chance to continue till class VII, may think (being conscious or grown-up) twice to be back on the journey of knowledge for better future; if not still we will be benefitted as the average educational qualification of whole country will rise. It’s true that good students will always be there to take the education seriously, it’s not that the burden of education (read exam pressure) makes them better student; they becomes good because of their knack, their culture, their passion to be the one among of many. Not that they will be least interested or their quality will degraded due to absence exam-pressure. Why can’t we think that they may get ample opportunity to go astray and think beyond the syllabus. In these circumstances, it seems, it’s a welcome initiative of our Govt.

Having said this, I want to make stern allegation against our education quality. Whatever I said earlier is possible only when the knowledge distribution system is changed. Whatever knowledge we get in schools is just some written knowledge which they need to remember till the exam comes; which subsequently brings private tuition in picture for this read-for-exam system. This indicates that the quality of education in the schools is not per excellence. Why should a student come to school, just to be literate or for a compulsion? Before anything, student should be made to realize (that’s not being done really) that education is not a burden, it’s for their better future; it can give an alternative (or better) source for bed and butter and above all to make one a good human being. So education should be a lure of bright future than a compulsion. So until unless, the quality of education is improved no reform or corrective step can be beneficial.