Miscellany…

Here's my take on some issues that made for eye-grabbing headlines, expressed in no particular order...

The End of Kasab!

How does it get any better any than this! Not the hanging in itself, (which, in my humble opinion is overdue) but the manner in which he was executed.  It is difficult (and rather disastrous to imagine the kind of circus the media would have indulged in had there been a prior notice). The fourth estate would have gone berserk as always and the issue would have ended up being trivialized. End of the day – it was good riddance of bad rubbish without media intervention for once!

The Aam Aadmi Party!

Mr. Arvind Kejariwal (messiah of the ‘mango’ people) has arrived with his party for the people, by the people and of the people, christening it as the “Aam Aadmi Party”!   

Rewinding a little, the events prior to the launch of the party have urged me to think that news channels should now have a separate corruption bulletin, something on the lines of a “SportsCentre”, “World of Sports”, or “Weather Update”. The said special can highlight the day’s exposé, a status on the last few exposés and so on. Throw in a Top-10 of Exposés as a highlight and interested people can keep tab, while others can stick to regular news! There is some reprieve these days considering these revelations have slightly lost their steam!  

 

If it sounds absolutely cynical and irresponsible to make the issue of corruption look trivial, that is certainly not the intention. Corruption is an ultimate evil and needs to be addressed. The point that I am trying to ascertain is that the aam aadmi is beginning to lose interest in these “startling exposés”, considering they are going nowhere besides ‘Breaking News’ on TV. It is not front page news anymore, none of these seem to reach a logical conclusion and the ones named in them are not going to get hurt, barring, maybe, minor electoral setbacks. 

What I think is being missed in this ‘press-conference-driven-system-clean-up-act’ is, we Indians are almost used to corruption and there is no element of shock or surprise to this.  Probably one of the sensible comments was made by a Union Minister was when he stated that the amount mentioned in a so-called scam was too low for a Union Minister to get involved in.  While he may have defended himself (read clarified) later by saying he was misquoted, but come to think of it, what he said made perfect sense and I’m sure the majority public agrees with him. Public is already of the opinion that such things are a part and parcel of politics and “yeh chota mota corruption toh chalta hai boss”!!  

What the Aam Admi Party could rather do is focus on what they can offer other rather than mere exposés. At the end of the day, you do need capable people to run government not just clean people!

Parliamentary functioning!

What amuses me is the childish behavior of politicians, especially the so-called Opposition. In India, Opposition takes the word ‘opposition’ a bit too seriously – they HAVE to oppose everything.  It is understood that there are few contentious issues, for instance ‘FDI in retail’. Why can’t they conduct regular business and agree on agreeable things like passing a simple economic legislation like Companies Bill? Why stall the functioning of parliament for an issue which they don’t have a consensus on or rather an issue on which they don’t want to have a consensus on?  It’s funny but that’s democracy for you. Latest is the opposition wants two separate voting and discussion on same issue of FDI in retail.  It is hard to imagine the time that gets wasted and of course, the taxpayer’s money.

Tendulkar and the ‘R’ Word!

Disclaimer – like the millions of other Indians, I also like Tendulkar – but the way things are unfolding is nothing but disappointing.  To see THE MAN struggle and allowing every Tom Dick and Harry (including me) to debate on his calling the shots is appalling. Let’s hope he goes out on a high and not like this.

Indo-Pak Cricket Diplomacy! 

In spite of a thousand debates on this, it still does not make any sense.  The only beneficiary of this is the BCCI considering the moolahs they get to make from this one. As we all know, cricket diplomacy has not helped the two countries improve their ties in any way.  It’s just a gimmick.  And yes, India and Pakistan have been playing against each other on other tournaments, which should be enough to cater to a cricket fan’s appetite.  We are under no moral responsibility to revive or help Pakistan Cricket by offering to play a series with them.  The only outcome can be some law and order problem in the country which, we have in plenty anyways!

The Sahara Saga!

Another news making headlines these days is the Sahara saga.  To re-capitulate, Sahara Group has raised huge sums through issue of OFCD (optionally fully convertible debentures) and it is alleged that they violated several statutory provisions of Companies Act and SEBI regulations. Strangely, while the whole world knows Sahara gets funds by running these finance schemes, SEBI got to know about this only when the group initiated listing of two of their companies and filed prospectus with SEBI.  The concern here is the OFCD issue through which the funds were raised were actually cleared by the Registrar of Companies and it appears that they are not being held responsible in any way for this mess!

Apart from the legalities, I happen to read an interesting piece on how companies like Sahara succeeds in an article titled ‘Why the poor are willing to hand over their money to Sahara’ which is worth a read…

http://www.firstpost.com/business/why-the-poor-are-willing-to-hand-over-their-money-to-sahara-438276.html

A few more thoughts in a probable Miscellany 2!! 

ABSURD…… Is that the right word?

Free mobile phones to every BPL (below poverty line) family with 200 mins of talk time p.m.!

If things go well (for the UPA and disaster for the nation), that’s how the beleaguered UPA attempts to woo the voters. The scheme is supposedly termed 'Har Haath Mein Mobile’ (a mobile in every hand). 

Would admit – that’s some kind of innovation even for the ‘been there - seen all Indian public’.  





 UPA is trying to take the nation the Tamil Nadu way where ‘free’ was the key word in last few elections.  DMK started with free TV and AIADMK followed by offering mixers/ computers etc. free.  Disaster is a mild word in these kinds of situations.

There has been a lot of debate / shows on ‘cash for vote’ during election times (of course by the media for the media).   What is striking is how this is different from ‘cash for vote’.   The minor deviation is ‘whose cash’.  Here it is the tax payer’s money.  If the idea is to grab votes… why not from their party fund?

See the timing.  We are looking at a general election due in 2014 and  this weird benevolence will take its own time and may fructify only in 2013.  Voter’s memory will be fresh and what more can the UPA ask for!  A bulls-eye! 

Consider the economics of this benevolence which is estimated at Rs.7000 Crores.  Isn’t it peanuts compared to a 2G scam /coal-gate / CW scam and the list goes on.

The only saving grace, if it’s not posturing… is the report that the Finance Ministry is not keen with this proposal.  



I somehow feel that the whole thing is ‘absurd’ and that’s why that word is in the title of this blog.

Oh I forgot......... What about ‘ROTI, KAPADA AUR MAKAN’.  

Come on… thats no big deal when you have a mobile phone and 200 minutes of talk time per month.  ho jayega.......

The Ghost of Dematerialisation!

The attempt here is to capture how the self proclaimed small ‘shareholders’ take Corporate world for a royal ride! I am in no way advocating that Companies are good and the shareholder is bad or vice versa.  It is just that the lawmakers left a big hole, intentionally or unintentionally, on a sensitive issue of corporate governance, which has been exploited by a set of people.

Since this is an academic write-up, I’ll start with explaining the term dematerialisation or demat!

Dematerialisation or Demat: It is the system through which shares in a Company are held in an electronic form. Unlike olden times, you don’t get a share certificate. Instead, what you get is a statement evidencing the title of your shareholding in a Company.

Where it started:  The Government of India promulgated the Depositories Act, 1996, which enabled a shareholder to hold shares in electronic form against the traditional physical share certificates. The intention was perfect and it worked well to revolutionize the securities market. All those litigations arising out of bad delivery, delay in transfer of shares, long book closure periods etc. became the thing of past. It also saved lot of money for shareholders as there is no stamp duty on transfer of shares in electronic form.  Awesome progress all in all!

In the year 1998, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) abolished the concept of market lot. Hitherto, shares were to be bought / sold/ held only in market lot which was traditionally 50 shares or 100 shares. To popularize demat and also to widen investor base, SEBI came out with these reforms, which was initially extended to 31 scrips and later extended to all scrips trading in demat form. 

What did it do: Unscrupulous shareholders started buying 1 or 2 shares each of Companies and strangely, as the law stands today, they are entitled to the same rights as that of any other shareholder with few exceptions? From here began their journey of harassing Companies.  What helps them is the existing archaic Companies’ Act.  Without quoting the sections, it gives them power to inspect a Company’s records, seek copies, move resolutions to remove directors, etc.  Yes, they can also move court against scheme of arrangements / amalgamations etc.

What is happening now: These unscrupulous shareholders harass Companies by making unreasonable demands; the ulterior motive is black mailing and in turn, money-making, and unfortunately, most Companies end up falling for it to buy peace! They threaten Companies by moving a resolution to remove a director, seeking all kinds of documents in the name of corporate governance. The regulators are blissfully silent on this whole issue.

Economics of this misuse: Let me try and put this across through a hypothetical situation.  Say, a shareholder holds 1 share of Rs. 10/- in a Company. To send an annual report to a shareholder who has not provided his/her email id, the Company has to incur at least Rs.30/- (a conservative estimate for printing / mailing).  The trend is, most of these shareholders ask for physical copies for reasons only known to them. Worse, if the Company decides to declare a dividend – say 15%, which is Rs.1.50/-, they have to incur at least Rs. 5/- (mailing of warrant if there is no bank mandate and if there is a bank mandate, mailing intimation about payment of dividend). There are instances when these warrants of Rs. 2/- or Rs. 3/- comes back to the Company for revalidation as the shareholders forget to present them within the stipulated 3 months time. Yes, last year, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs allowed sending communication to shareholders through email. But the catch here is providing email id is not compulsory. Further, sending the reports/ notices through email also has a cost attached to it since the Registrars charge for emailing.  The question is, whom are we serving and how does this madness qualify as corporate governance? Imagine the plight of a Company like Reliance Industries which has around 34 lakh shareholders out of which approx. 33.50 lakh shareholders hold shares that are worth less than a lakh each of rupees in nominal value!

The magnitude of this wastage is not known. Maybe it would be a good idea to ask Companies to disclose expenses incurred on servicing shareholders.  Or should we call it ‘governance’ expenses’.

What happens in a Shareholders meeting:  The scenes witnessed in a typical shareholders meeting are really pathetic. I have had the sad privilege to attend general meetings of several Companies in the last decade and without exception, what happens in a shareholders’ meeting is nothing short of a ‘circus’. These small shareholders land up at the venue to gobble the gift / sweet box / refreshments / meals.  Some of them rarely enter the meeting hall. Thanks to dematerialization, they can open multiple accounts and demand whatever is given for each folio / demat account. They are rarely bothered about the Company’s financials, performance, track record etc.  Their only focus is to extract maximum mileage out of a hapless secretarial department by fighting for an extra food coupon, conveyance and the likes!  Another trend is they normally land up with their entire family including kids. With 1 or 2 shares, they also demand factory / plant visits. Without slightest exaggeration, I have stood witness to scenes as bad as “a shareholder bringing a thermos and taking tea and coffee in the same thermos”.  Of course, there are so many other cheap antics they indulge in which one can’t even imagine. 

The concern: Who benefits out of this whole tamasha? There is a huge cost in serving these shareholders. No one, except these ‘small shareholders’ who have anything but concern on how a Company runs or on the concept of corporate governance.  Why are the regulators silent on this whole mess?   In the process, is it not true that the actual idea of governance gets lost?  Without sounding like an environmental activist, what about the tons of paper being wasted in this whole exercise of sending annual reports?

Plausible Solution: Bring back the concept of market lot or set a minimum investment requirement in Companies for these privileges, i.e., it can be number of shares, amount etc. Others can always invest through mutual funds. Alternatively, curtail rights of shareholders who do not hold minimum number of shares.  i.e., set this at 100 shares or Rs. 50,000 investment amount at least. Shareholders who do not fall in this category should be entitled to only dividend, not even an annual report or attendance in a shareholders meeting. This eligibility setting is not a new concept; the Companies Act has this provision when it comes to eligibility to demand a poll.  A shareholder or group of shareholders should have 1/10^th of the total voting power or must hold shares worth Rs.50,000 to demand a poll. Also, make email id compulsory for a depository account. Regulators can also look at setting up investor centres at major cities where annual reports of all Companies can be provided for reading or should I say ‘analysing’. 

Caveat: I am not advocating that Companies are angels! I firmly believe that if a Company is indulging in unethical activities, it should be punished without exception.  But that should be the job of the regulator and there are enough laws that provide them the power to monitor and penalize. It is far from sensible to leave a Company at the mercy of a bunch of people who has not interest in a Company’s welfare.

On a Concluding Note: What I have listed here today is merely wishful thinking.  As it stands today, in India, the Government acts only on issues which would tend to hurt them or majorly due to the coalition push.

On a lighter note, may be if a coalition partner raises the issue as a condition for support, there could be some action.  Till then, we have to live with this menace.

Populist Politics or National Nautanki!

The Railway Budget 2012 – that’s what triggered me to put down my thoughts after a long time.

To summarize, India’s Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) presented the Railway Budget amidst heaps of couplets and poetry! To recapitulate, this was a portfolio held by his Party Chief and TMC President (‘owner’ would be a better word) Mamata Banerjee for past few years, till her party won the assembly election in West Bengal and she chose to become the Chief Minister.

The budget had the following broad elements:

Passenger fares increased marginally. The increase will be by 2 paise/km for suburban and ordinary second class; 3 paise/km for mail/express second class; 5 paise/ km for sleeper class; 10 paise/km for AC Chair Car, AC 3 tier and First Class; 15 paise/km for AC 2 tier and 30 paise/km for AC I. Minimum fare and platform tickets to cost Rs.5.

As per statistics, hike in railway fares has happened after a gap of 9 years. What makes me wonder is; is there anything in this country that has not witnessed a price hike on a regular basis? Be it diesel, petrol, LPG, auto, bus, taxi, air fares, movie tickets, tax rates, electricity, water tariff, and the list is endless, so much so that I can dedicate a whole new blog-post on it!

While that was merely a recollection of facts, what left me rather intrigued were the developments that followed the budget presentation. Mamata Banerjee is seeking replacement of Dinesh Trivedi, for the hike is not acceptable to her party and shocking as it may sound, she claims that she was unaware of the budget proposal involving a hike! Yes, the Railway Minister also confirms this……How dramatic can a nautanki get in this country! Congress is obliged to replace him as it is a demand from the chief of an important 'ally' (for whatever it means). This is the same lady who is seeking an amendment to the President address to the Parliament after she had a chance to review the address. Poor Congress, which already looked lost and helpless, especially after the UP fiasco, is as usual, in a fix and loss of words!

Are we, the commoners, expected to believe that the Railway Minister presented a budget which was not approved by his party Chief?

Well, if that is the case, the verdict is out – Shri Trivedi is a "fit and proper person" to be the Prime Minister of India.

Hail the nautanki, the drama and the populist politics! Jai ho!

Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India!

Today’s news and events are truly fitting to this title, which is borrowed from Ketan Mehta’s ’95 satire starring SRK. The latest diktat from the Election Commission, the “Operation Cover-up”, to ensure several huge statues erected by Mayawati (her own, Ambedkar’s, Kanshi Ram’s and of course hundreds of elephants) ahead of the UP elections, has raised many an eyebrow! While this news splashed across the media and the virtual world, all I could think of was “Oh Darling…. Yeh Hai India!! I mean where else can one witness such antics other than our very own I-N-D-I-A…

Think of this – all these years, the state exchequer was used to build and erect various parks and statues. In the land of countless laws with and without purpose, we failed to find a law that could stop this massive wastage of tax payer’s money. It is reported that more than Rs.2500 crore was spent on projects of five parks and memorials in Lucknow between 2007 and 2009. There were even cases filed in the Supreme Court against raising these ‘memorials’ – as they call it. Yet, it is mortifying to see that no one has been able to stop this wasteful expenditure. Today, out of the blue, the Election Commission wants to cover all these humungous statues with their burqa!!

Now, the ‘cover-up’ situation at hand has become a logistical nightmare for the government authorities. Once again, the government money is wasted on this exercise and it would not be an uphill task to imagine that this clothing exercise will not be anything but futile. For me, and I would presume it is human nature that a closed or covered piece generates more curiosity than an open one. So why bother to cover it up now? Are we not giving more publicity to this ‘statue politics’?

The question at hand – what happens to these statues if the BSP does not return to power? And what happens if they do?

Last heard was a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Lucknow High Court stating that Elephant is a religious symbol and hence ‘burqa-fying’ elephant statues should be stopped.......... What an Idea Sirji!

On an exaggerated note, I was thinking out loud – Are we looking at a situation of arranging over 200 million (which is the estimated population of UP) pairs of gloves to cover all Hands/Palms in UP (because this happens to be the symbol of the rival Congress)? Covering of the ‘Lotus’ and other party symbols will be child’s play as compared to this mammoth task in hand.....

The Glove-making Industry… are you listening?

Welcome to the greatest cover-ups of all times........It happens only in India! Jai Ho!

2011... Of Protests and Protesters!

As we come to the end of another year, we generally tend to look back at all that stood out, all that was special. Well, what really was the highlight of a tumultuous 2011 were those protests and the protestors of all kind….the good, the bad and some, really ugly!

Even the ‘Time’ selected ‘the Protestor’ as the ‘Person of the Year’. (Read more at http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2101745_2102132_2102373-1,00.html

While the focus of Time was on the global protest scenario starting from Egypt to Wall Street, I would stick to what was going on in our backyard.

Think of the changing tides backed by fasts and protests and the name that immediately strikes our minds is that of Annaji – the angry old man and his gang of “Angry Birds” protesting for a 'STRONG' Lokpal (strong means ''whatever they demand'). As I write this, their third protest for the year is on at Mumbai. Since I have already commented on this in my previous posts, I restrain from getting further into that. My views on this issue continue to remain the same. He has made an huge impact and there is action and debate. Beyond that “One cannot hold the country for ransom”.
There has been progress in terms of the bill in the parliament after 60+ years and the elected representatives are debating on that. The least step would have been to protest post the debate in parliament. The breaking news in television channels while I was scribbling my thoughts late last night was ‘Rajnikant supports Annaji and offers his marriage hall in Chennai for team Anna’. Now here is a man with a larger than life image, who had the golden chance of making big in politics. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the courage or conviction to take that bait. How I wish he had taken up that responsibility and brought about some change rather than indulging in these bystander activities.

Out of all this, how can I miss commenting on the ‘Opposition’! The new-age definition of opposition is ‘the one who opposes everything the ruling party proposes’. Looks like the BJP failed to recall that they were in power for a long period and while they did introduce the bill twice, they could not pass the so called ‘strong’ Lokpal. The Left and their dead ideology (thankfully – they are not in power anywhere now) wanted the moon. The same Left front supported a Congress Government for a long time and they were in selective amnesia about corruption at that time.

Coming to the local protests, the first issue that flashes immediately is that of the nuclear plant located a Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu. A plant where a whopping Rs.14000 crores was spent, is at a limbo due to protests by locals fearing nuclear disaster. Let us go a few steps back and recall that the plant was conceived in 1981 and the work commenced in 1997. This means that 2011 is definitely not the time when you stall a project of this magnitude; there were various stages in which it could have been stalled. Jayalalitha, who is otherwise considered a progressive politician, is also surprisingly playing a spoil sport. We have, at one side, issues linked to rising power tariff and power cuts and on the other, when there is an effort to salvage the power situation through nuclear power – there is nothing but PROTEST.

The second most-talked about (read: protested) issue at hand is the Mullaperiyar dam crisis, an inter-state dispute on for a long time. Well, how it came to the forefront all of a sudden is still a mystery to me! What is rather worrying is the sudden politicization of the dispute resulting in bandhs, burning/ destroying of shops of the Mallu / Tamil community. The issue is quite complex (read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaperiyar_Dam)

And here’s to an ultimate paradox! ‘FDI in retail’ - an issue in which the consumer or common man was ignored in the process of protecting the interests of traders. The opposition sent the Government into a tizzy with their protests and backlash. Did the BJP go into “Ghajini-mode” and forget that FDI in retail was part of their 2004 election manifesto. And of course, the TMC and Mamata – Congress, am sure, is still not certain whether the TMC is an ally or an opposition. At least, these politicians could have debated before stalling it.

I am in no way protesting that there should not be protests. But if we take a look at year 2011, things were at a complete standstill and no progress whatsoever was made. Protests, fasts and a lot more… but an underlying, mute question always remains – Who is this protestor? Who is the instigator? What is he protesting for? Why is he protesting? To sum it up and quote from the current rage.............. why this kolaveri!

As those who wish to protest are still going strong, I choose to rest my case.....................

Happenings......

It’s been a while since I have scribbled something….not that I have a string of people yearning to see a new post every second day! Whilst there is so much happening around us across spheres, it was still difficult to zero in on a specific area to ponder and pen down thoughts. In such a case, I though the next best option (read shortcut) was to touch upon a few ‘happenings’.

Rajneeti………

The first thing that crosses our mind is Advaniji ki Rath Yatra! I wonder its relevance at this stage, especially as he is more of a ‘former future prime minister' with no bandwidth among his party men and the masses. He was on a rath yatra against corruption while one of his party’s poster boys was in jail / hospital (interchangeable when it comes to VIPs) for corruption. What’s more is a bomb that was found in Madurai on the same route as his yatra. Who in their senses, will want to disrupt a harmless rath yatra? Anyway, that’s for the security agencies to ponder.

Discussing Rajneeti without talking about Annaji and Lokpal is a non starter. A lot has occurred since his last fast and it’s no rocket science to conclude that things are not in his control anymore. His core team members like Bhushan, Kiran Bedi and Kejriwal are under fire for diverse reasons. Few of the core members have walked out from the morcha and as I speak through my blog, his blog is defunct as his blogger has a different take on the way things are happening. All said and done, let us give the man some credit for the clean notions, but it’s about time he realized that it’s not easy to control even a small group, leave aside a political party. To borrow a word from an article I came across……… “The moot question is that if Anna Hazare cannot get three or four people of integrity in his core team, what would be the fate of Lok Pal?” Read more at…… http://www.sify.com/news/bedi-and-kejriwal-not-the-perfect-role-models-news-columns-lkyxvvfbhch.html

Reports also suggest that the political stand in the Hissar bye-election was purely based on his eagerness to teach a lesson to the Congress and it had nothing to do with corruption. And yes, he always wanted everyone to respond and talk when he was on fast (including the Prime Minister), and when all these allegations against his core members surfaced, he was conveniently on mauna vrath. Despite all claims, although his last fast grabbed a lot of eyeballs, it didn’t get the desired results, thus forcing him to settle for something very inferior to what he bargained for. No Lokpal was passed nor did we see a time-line in which it will be passed. In all probability we can see one more fasting in the near future and the question is how much support the media will give him this time around.

Movie time…

Diwali season, apart from the family diplomacy, is movie time for any Tamilian and am not a rebel here. It’s just the question of which movie to see first and I picked Velayudham, a Vijay film, for the Diwali day. I came out smiling and I was entertained. I had a good time…… No claims of changing the face of Tamil film or saying something new…… it’s simple entertainment (of course, one should like Vijay and his antics to enjoy this one). As it stands, we won’t get to see a Vijay film in its true sense in the near future as reports suggest that his future projects are being directed by the likes of Shankar, Gowtham Menon and AR Murugadas. Next stop was 7 am Arivu, a Suriya film which generated lot of hype. It was a damp squib… While I appreciate the hard work and intensity of Suriya, the makers didn’t know whether to entertain or educate. This movie didn’t do both. I personally believe that liking a film is all about the mindset in which you enter the movie hall. You go with some expectations and you always judge the film against your expectations. The third one I ventured into was Ra-One, marketed to such an extent, that it became a duty of any Indian to have a dekho and by the time I decided to fulfil my responsibility, the critics had crucified the movie and SRK. From where I see it, it was the comparison that did the damage. It was an admirable attempt; it was time-pass; it was paisa vasool. Instead of appreciating SRK for a good attempt, the critics and media chose to crucify him by comparing it with Salman’s ‘cut and paste’ films which did good business. Yes, the Rajni piece was a joke.

And finally….Books…….

Revolution 2020 – that’s the title of the new book by Chetan Bhagat. A potboiler, which is a rehash of his earlier books that offers nothing new.

Is Jan Lokpal the solution to the evil called corruption?

I have, in the past, voiced my thoughts on corruption through this blog. Today what has dragged me to the same topic is the hoopla surrounding the Team Hazare protest that has gained unprecedented momentum. After my “Anna-lysis”, the views expressed below may tag me as an ‘anti-national’! The only solace, however, is the readership that the blog currently enjoys.

Pardon me for being forthright, but I can only say that the current scenario is completely flawed. The Congress Party was plain unlucky by being in power at this juncture (disclaimer – am not a Congressman). Despite tall claims of the opposition parties, they would have acted in the same way as the Congress and Congress would have done what the opposition is doing now. Like every other common man, I am all for the end of this corruption menace – an ideal situation, wishful thinking – which, I think may not change unless people also do their bit…(I am no cynic, unless putting across the reality bluntly is classified as cynicism).

While Team Hazare has created uproar, curiosity, mobilized the country through peace protests, candle light marches, revived the quintessential ‘Gandhi Topi’ and introduced fancy Anna-inspired merchandise, I have a question to ask. Will all these candle light supporters and ‘I Am Anna Crusaders’ take a public pledge that ‘they won’t pay a single paisa as bribe and stick to it’? If their answer happens to be in affirmative, then perhaps there is a possibility that the country makes some headway…

Being a democracy, India has and continues to witness upsides and pitfalls. We have all heard the hullabaloo about the strong sentiments and views expressed by Team Anna. Discussions on television, newspapers, chain e-mails on the “more-popular-than-Abhi-Ash’s-impending-parenthood-and-team-India’s-disastrous-test-performance” Lokpal Bill!! The herd mentality, coupled with insensible and over-the-top media reporting by TRP hungry visual media has led to the crusaders of corruption to hold the country for ransom for almost ten days! From sharp and shrewd CEO’s to the Six Sigma Certified Dabbawalas, from housewives to children, each one is directly or indirectly falling for a lucrative dream that is being offered through Jan Lokball bill – a miraculous end to corruption from every nook and corner of the country. What is rather ironical absurd and annoying to my partially sane mind is the support and solidarity shown to the protest by none other than some ex-chief ministers, union and state ministers who had to vacate their positions due to the very allegation of corruption.

Once again, at the cost of sounding cynical, we must accept the dreaded reality that things are certainly not going to change overnight. The way things are today, the bill may get passed (end of the day – it’s all about votes). But the question to be addressed is – what happens next? To set a parallel, the whole world knows that the once highly ambitious Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act or TADA did not end terrorism and ended up being misused and abused, leading to a decision of putting it in the back burner after some time.

Let’s break this down a step further. For a bribe to materialize, it needs two parties – a giver and a taker. Now, while the fourth estate is gung-ho about the taker, how are we going to address the issue of giver? Of course, you can say that they are forced to pay and my humble submission is why these evangelists can’t say no. They won’t and that’s the psyche the taker is banking upon.

While several extended examples of the giver-taker mentality can be endlessly listed, on a concluding note I’d like to say that the Jan Lokpal Bill can be a starting point, but not a solution. Unless the media-influenced, frenzied masses gathered on the streets pledge that they would do their bit by not paying bribe and stick to it, by being vigilant and responsible citizens, we are going to have another ineffective legislation.

Team Anna and their crusade is just one side of the coin. We need to wake up (Jaago re in the truest sense) to the fact that by merely passing a bill, corruption will not vanish. Going by that philosophy, crime or criminals should have vanished from the face of the country considering the strong laws to curb that from time immemorial.

Corruption started not when someone asked for a bribe, but when someone agreed to pay!

Here are a few links which, in my opinion, add a second dimension to the as-of-now unilateral thought process.

An article from the New York Times at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/world/asia/18iht-letter18.html?_r=1&src=tp&smid=fb-share

Thoughts of Nandan Nilekani at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/anna-hazares-campaign-simplistic-and-uni-dimensional-nandal-nilekani/articleshow/9681641.cms

An article from the Outlook magazine at:
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?278063#.TlD_2iIdf8M.facebook

Do we really need a Censor Board!

For those who have been following the news about Prakash Jha’s film Aarakshan, It’s an easy guess as to what prompted me to venture into this area. The film is about various aspects of the education process, the reservation policy being just one of them. The film was banned by the State of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The reason for the ban is multifold – As per the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government - the film, if released might create law and order problem in the state. As per the Andhra Pradesh government – the film may hurt the sentiments of weaker sections. The Punjab Government which banned the film initially allowed its release after the producer agreed to make certain changes to the concerned scenes. The ban across all these states is based on representations made by the SC/ST panel.

Apparently, the film has remarks about reservation system which is allegedly anti Dalit. Who decides what is anti-Dalit is of course an issue that deserves another post itself.

The biggest joke is that the UP government is banning the film for only 2 months from the date of release. In today’s digital era, with pirated DVD’s flooding the market even before a movie releases (being an eternal movie buff who loves watching movies in cinema halls – can’t still figure out, why can’t this menace be curbed) and movies being aired on satellite channels within few days of their release, which film maker in his right senses will plan a movie re-release after 2 months.

I never gave much thought to the Censor board certificate which precedes the screening of any film. The recent developments around the movie Aarakshan – got me curious enough to dig deeper into, what this Censor Board or CBFC is all about.

In layman terms, The Central Board of Film Certification (popularly known as the Censor Board or CBFC) is set up under the provisions of The Cinematograph Act, 1952. It is a government of India regulatory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after certification by the Board.

According to the Supreme Court - Film censorship becomes necessary because a film motivates thought and action and assures a high degree of attention and retention as compared to the printed word. The combination of act and speech, sight and sound in semi darkness of the theatre with elimination of all distracting ideas will have a strong impact on the minds of the viewers and can affect emotions. Therefore, it has as much potential for evil as it has for good and has an equal potential to instill or cultivate violent or good behavior. It cannot be equated with other modes of communication. Censorship by prior restraint is, therefore, not only desirable but also necessary.

Fair enough - but the only concern is if a regulatory board set up by the Government of India with 25 members give clearance to a movie, what business do these states have to ban or put an embargo on its release.

The entire visual media were airing shows on these developments with the film makers justifying the film on one side and another section defending the ban – must have clocked good TRPs. The last we hear is that the producer has approached the Supreme Court for removing the stay.

I would like to borrow the words of Komal Nahata – the famed critic’s quote on the development- "It’s politically motivated and brainless with no application of mind. When Censor Board has cleared it, why should anybody have a problem with this?"

If the government cannot uphold or protect the constitutional right of freedom of expression, why do we need such rights? Is it not the right of people to judge the merit in a film once it is cleared by the Censor board?

If the Central Government feels that the Censor Board is doing its job, they should provide protection for the peaceful release of these movies.

Why not regulate Godmen!

When I was watching the theatrics of Ramdev Baba during his fast and the hoopla around it, the thought of regulating the activities of Godmen crossed my mind. Think about it….doesn’t it make sense? While technically the Baba in question may not be a Godman and a yoga teacher by vocation, he certainly passes off as one!

In a country, where laws and regulations are found and scripted by the dozen for every given situation, it is surprising how Godmen and their activities are let off the hook! There seems to be no dearth of scams in this industry (pun intended). Today, these Godmen have become bigger than God and they have achieved a larger status and share of devotion, so much so that people are willing to forgive and forget their atrocities. In the ultimate battle of blind faith versus faith, it is surprising and rather disturbing to see these so called custodians of faith getting away with their antics. This is witnessed across all religions and there is definitely unity to that extent!

So coming back to the opening thought…why not a watchdog for the activities of these Godmen? Envisage a regulation called “Godmen (Regulation and Development) Act, 2011”. It will encompass registration procedures, qualifications to get registered, penal provisions, appeal mechanisms, tribunal with retired Supreme Court or high court judges… will be fun. All religions in the country will, by all means, unite and oppose such a bill (one positive from such a move).

I am in no way suggesting that we impose such a law. However, the fact that these Godmen are moving about scot-free is something that cannot be ignored. Analyze this –‘Cash to the tune of more than Rs. 11 crores found in a politician's or an industrialist's bedroom’….the outcome? Media uproar (with animated anchors seeking sms voting in all news channels), effigies burnt, maybe an opposition boycott of few parliament sessions etc). However, when over Rs 11 crores in cash along with over 85 kg of gold and other assets were found in Satya Sai Baba’s bedroom, none of these things happened.

Have we forgotten that recently, there was a large hue and cry (incidentally led by Ramdev Baba) on unaccounted black money being stashed away by politicians and industrialists abroad?

Another recent trend that seems to be on a rise is of Godmen making political statements without any commitment or responsibility. To be fair to politicians, at least the righteous ones, it is a tough job! It is easy to make comments from outside without any commitment but the complexities of being in politics, facing elections, being accountable for their statements, keeping cadres intact etc. is no mean task. As compared to them, these self declared custodians of goodness seem to get away with anything.

To cut the long story short, while the reference to bringing out a law is an exaggeration, it is imperative that the educated, level-headed masses need to unite against the unlawful activities of these Godmen, to reinstate faith from blind faith. Yes, if acted upon - we do have enough laws in place to punish these crooked self declared messiahs.

To have a feel or idea of the kind of enterprise these so called holy men run – please visit
http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-lifting-the-veil-on-godmen-and-their-wealth/20110620.htm