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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 20:10:54 +0000 Many a time in India's short history have Indians wondered if Indians would have been better off with a benevolent dictator. In the banned book -- The Lotus Eater of India by D F Karaka there is a letter to the editor supposedly written by Nehru himself. One sentence reads -- "A little twist and a little turn and Nehru could turn into another dictator..." Some might argue that for all practical purposes Nehru had become a dictator. Only two MPs in Parliament had the guts to debate with him. One was his son-in-law Feroze Gandhi and the other was Dr N Jaisooriya. However, Nehru cherished the institution of democracy. It is said that when there were rumours of General Thimayya taking over, Nehru got wind of it and sent him abroad as an ambassador. The evolution of democracy resulted in the removal of Indira Gandhi by the masses when she tried to curb the freedom of the press and curtail democracy. It was a dangerous situation. Thank God Nehru's daughter had enough sense to call an election. The only thing that threatens India's secular democracy is the rise of the BJP. The viability of the country itself is threatened by its population growth and uncontrollable corruption. Let us hope that Indians as they grow in wisdom will learn to lift themselves out of the mess they brought upon themselves by electing corrupt politicians. Now, that they have learnt to use the power of their vote to elect governments they should learn to exercise this with greater wisdom. Once they get rid of corruption, decent people could once again enter politics. I hope that while the world adores Gandhi, Indians will learn to follow the footsteps of Gandhi, Nehru, Azad, Patel and appreciate the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters to get that most precious of prizes ... freedom. Every Indian must make sure that people like Palkhivala do not bring down their precious freedom with their poisoned pens. J B Canaran
Date sent: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 07:56:45 -0700 Nobody could be more right than Nani Palkhivala. He has hit India's problem on the nail head, we are a third rate democracy. Today's leadership is attained from goondas, thugs, cheats, rapists and rampagers. A country of over a billion human beings and not one true Indian leader. Every politician is stealing and plundering this country and transferring the wealth to foreign bank accounts. The IAS has become corrupt by working under crooked ministers, the IAS has become ("I ATE SOME") too. A lot of IAS officers take foreign vacations, where do they get this money from??? The fundamental problem of our democracy are the poor electing candidates without education. There should be a minimum requirement for contesting an election, with character being one of the essential ingredients. By that I mean good character, moral values, college level education with specialisation in one of the fields. Any brush with the law should be scrutinised thoroughly, the press should be free and fearless, and the protection of a free press should be one of the main ingredients. The PM should be elected directly by the people. Limiting the number of parties contesting elections will also reduce the chaos. There should be no caste or gender based quotas, everyone should be an Indian and raise their standard of achievement. Foreign born Indians should be excluded from political offices. JUST LIKE NANI PALKHIVALA SEES INDIA DETERIORATING, WE SEE IT TOO.
Date sent: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 09:56:57 -0500 Right on! Mr Palkhivala has correctly stated that the present style of democracy is not suited for a country like India. We need a very strong man (like L K Advani) with a clear vision to make India strong -- economically, militarily and technologically within the next ten years. Democracy, as Indians practice it, is a joke -- it is not the fault of the politicians. I put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the Indian people. They have given themselves a self-defeating system where the system produces visionless, spineless, corrupted self-seekers. Trade unions have a beef, they shut down the whole state of Bengal (imagine General Motors employees who are currently striking in the USA shutting down the states of Michigan and others where GM plants are located). Regional parties blackmail and hold the functioning of the country to ransom (Jayalalitha) -- if indeed such arrangements can bring down a government, how can Mr Vajpayee, or any other leader, focus on LEADING India? Every Opposition member is trying to score points on the nuclear tests against the BJP -- without realising that the Western media does not portray that as an asset to Indian democracy but as a way to show Indians are "divided" and "confused." In spite of talented individuals, the entire diplomatic corps and the Indian Foreign Service failed internationally in the post nuclear-fallout. The only face seen on American television defending India's position was a stoic Naresh Chandra steeped and couched in 18th century verbose like "our neighbour to the north and neighbour to the west" and "these things have been explained before" (don't the Indians watch and study how Netahnayu and other Israelis talk directly to the Americans???) Post Nuclear tests, Vajpayee looked like a LEADER when he announced the tests. After that he was AWOL (as opposed to Pakistan leaders who were all over world television). The next time we see Vajpayee, he is brandishing a sword at a Sikh festival. How asinine! Which clip do you think American television show over and over again -- Daniel Ortega and Saddam Hussain to remind Americans of Panama and Iraq. Ortega slamming his sword on a dias and Saddam Hussein firing his pistol in the air. Which clip do you think they will pull out of Vajpayee if they want to show India in a bad light? How are the handlers of Vajpayee? They should be punished! Indians take comfort in the word -- coalition. Editorials herald the fact that the coalition is here to stay. Look up the meaning of the word in the dictionary. It is a TEMPORARY ALLIANCE of distinct parties for joint action. When you coalese, you compromise, and when you compromise you stagnate, and when you stagnate you cannot LEAD. The 100-day-old government in India is already beseiged by calls to bring down the government. In a parliamentary system, this indeed is the case -- nothing wrong with it. IT IS NOT SUITED FOR INDIA. Indians have to trust themselves and give authority and power to an individual or party which can LEAD India for a five year term without the fear of being molested. (In spite of all the controversies surrounding President Clinton, he is assured of a full five year term to LEAD the USA. There is no chance of a Republican Gingrich hatching a plot to bring him down so that he can manipulate to become the president). Think of that Indians. THINK! Have the courage, trust and wisdom to elect a person and give him full powers to take India fighting into the next century. And do you realise something? YOU are so close to achieving greatness. By 2010 you can become the 3rd largest economy in the world leaving behind countires such as Britain, France, Germany and even Japan (the Chinese are on the verge of doing it -- so don't doubt yourselves). And don't worry about Britain and other countries which are giving you a black eye these days on account of the nuclear test. In five years from now, that will not even matter -- what matters now is BASH ON REGARDLESS!! DO NOT LISTEN TO LIBERAL MINDED INDIANS who want peace at all costs. Do you know that the USA is investing ten billion dollars to do research in pure fission technology which violates the CTBT? The Indian liberals will have you believe that India is safer by proclaiming that it is the land of Buddha and Gandhi. They will tell you that the money can be better used for "education" and "poverty alleviation" of the masses. CROCK! Not that more money should not be used for these purposes, but spending money in such areas is like putting money in a sieve -- it will keep on draining WITHOUT any real effort at "povery alleviation." Case in point. As a native of Bihar, I can testify that in the early 70s a "poverty alleviation" programme was launced in south Bihar in the Chotanagpur area. Cement houses were built in tribal areas for shepherd families. They were "educated" about bathrooms, water taps etc and then the case workers left. After three months, they revisited the village. The tribals had made the pucca houses a holding area for goats, lambs and cows and they themselves continued to live in thatched huts. Oh! not a correct example, the liberals tell me. How about this. A superintendent of police of Jamshedpur, Bihar posted in the late 70s had five children. Two of them were over twenty years old and three were in their 2's, 3's and 4's. Reason. The earlier two were born when he was a small time village teacher and the others were born when he joined the IPS and could economically afford to produce more. So educating a person does not necessarily make a person wiser. "Ah," say the liberals -- "that's an exception and reflects only an individual case." Here's another which reflects society as a whole. Again, as a native of Bihar, I know that the most educted lot enter the government services (IFS, IAS and IPS etc). Now if you would think that the most educated in our society would make the right decision by not accepting or demanding dowries for their wedding. But think again! The most educated Biharis - the future IFSs, IASs command a premium (in those days it used to be 10 to 20 lakhs) dowry for their marriage. So don't tell me that the Indian government should put more money in "poverty alleviation" or "education." And if you insist, give the government powers such as controlling fairly and firmly laws such as -- "One family - one child" (like the Chinese) so that that money actually can be used to "educate" one individual; give the government powers to inflict harshest sentence on dowry takers.
Again, in the current parliamentary democractic system, you cannot fault
the so-called leaders for not seriously discussing issues such as: Let's put it honestly. You will NOT elect him/her if it hurts you individually. It makes sense if you elect somebody who will look after your interests, and not somebody who talks about some obscure national priorities. As an autocratic and strong leader, (benevolent dictator we used to call in the 70s) an Indian leader CAN address these issues and prod Indians into accepting and swallowing such hard measures. I can write about these for ever and ever, but enough for now. SO Mr Palkhivala is absolutely right that India NEEDS a powerful dictator right now to LEAD, and in my opinion, Mr Advani fits the bill (even though I have apprehensions regarding some of his Hindutva philosophy). As a proud Hindu myself, I offer this solution on the Ayodhya dispute. (If we as Hindus are so conviced that it was the original birthplace of Lord Ram, or even if it was a Hindu temple before a mosque was built on it), let us do this: An expert committee consisting of archealogists, historians, both Indian and international (even Pakistanis) and some from Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, and other eminent scientist should be formed. Modern technology can accurately determine the age of the building. Let them determine whether a Hindu temple existed before a mosque was built on it. If it is proved that it did exist, then here is what the Hindus should do. DO NOT DEMOLISH AND MAKE A TEMPLE! Instead, have it recorded on a huge temple outside the building that it originally was a Hindu temple and around the date circa such and such under such and such ruler, the temple was brought down and a mosque built. Let this monument produce a deep sense of shame and guilt in all Hindus when they visit Aydhoya so that it gives us moment of quiet reflection that NEVER AGAIN will we allow this to happen. (In fact, the plaque should read: NEVER AGAIN). And if we as Hindus do force a temple to be built on it (and given the numerical strength, we can do it -- but then we will lose much more than that), the reason for Pakistan's creation would be justified. Instead, right now HINDUS should be concentrating their energies on KASHMIR. Let us ask ourselves this question: How may of us as Hindus (Sangh Parivar particularly), have physically travelled to Jammu and Kashmir to show solidarity with our Hindu and Muslim brothers and sisters? How many of us have offered our humble homes to Kashmiri Hindus who have become refugees in our own country? Takes more than building a temple, doesn't it? And mind you if Kashmir goes, you can draw Pakistan's border at Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. And do you think Pakistan will stop at that? Since Pakistanis feel that Pakistan was created to take care of the interests of all Muslims in the subcontinent, they will then take the cause of any minor Hindu-Muslim problem to justify creating problems in India. Again, INDIANS THINK! When Mr Advani said that India will have a pro-active approach in Kashmir, it shattered a very negative mind-set besetting passive Hindus. In the annals of modern India, for the first time did an Indian say that he would not take things lying down. Indians -- be PRO-ACTIVE -- don't react to situations. STRATEGISE, PLAN, ANTICIPATE, and above all ACT. On a national level, Hindus should realise that for long period Hindu India has been considered a fertile ground for conversions -- both by Christians and Islam. What has been our reaction to it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! As a strategy, present this to the Muslim world. That we welcome Islam in India, but you should welcome Hinduism in the Islamic world. (Do you know as a Hindu, I cannot carry a Bhagvad Gita in Saudi Arabia?) In the short term nothing will change, but follow this line, address this at the UN level and make it a Human Rights issue. Ask for the help of Indian Muslims that they put pressure on Saudi Arabia to allow Hindus to open temples in Saudi Arabia. Here's another way to strategise: make religious conversion worldwide a violation of fundamental human rights. People who are converted are generally very poor or illiterate and hence very prone to conversion through deception or charity. Hindu India should make this a fundamental human rights violation. Bal Thackeray should concentrate on these issues on an intellectual level than the pedestrian threats to Pakistani sportsmen and entertainers in Mumbai.
Date sent: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 09:39:51 -0400 I think his views are commendable. Mr Palkhivala has apparently been an avid follower of the Indian political scene for many years now. The amendments that he proposed for the Constitution makes perfect sense. I think this is the only way we can put a stop to the atrocities that are being committed by the politicians in power.
Date sent: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 16:59:08 +0530 I quite agree that we are a third rate nation -- not because there aren't any first rate people around, but because we have degenerated into a third rate society. I believe that our single greatest failing is that we are incapable of organising anything -- whether it is for the good of our nation or our life, or even a tea party. The 5,000 years of recorded history of this land mass can be cited as proof of our chaotic society. Thus, I do not believe we can generate enough steam to amend our political ethos. I have never understood why the elected representatives are not looked as just that -- elected representatives and NOT leaders -- and here I blame journalism in India to a large extent. We have to get out of this servile mentality. It is the people who should *lead* and the elected representatives are the one's that should follow. Also, even Mr Palkhivala seems to fall into the mindset of referring politics as a *career*, which in my opinion, has been our biggest obsequiousness to professional politicians and the resultant thuggery. As I understand it, politics is a mere method to run a society and the DUTY of the representatives is only to provide governance, acting as per the collective wishes of that same society. I have yet to see that happen, in India, in the last 50 years, and mere fiddling with the written word is not going to make it happen. Mr Palkhivala talks of changes in the Constitution. It is the way a sensible, logical and an enlightened person *should* talk. However, this presupposes that there is a collective will in this country to be *fair minded*. I am afraid this fundamental requirement of a civilised society is *totally* absent from the populace, never to be found again -- and I talk basically of that minority of the population that throws up the riff-raff that pass for our body polity and vote them to power. There is perhaps no practical way to actually empower the huge majority, that, because of their remoteness, total engagement with the overwhelming need of physical survival, apathy, and a lot else, will never be in the political mainstream. I believe that we are unfit to exist as a nation for the welfare of its own inhabitants and have always required, and will always require, a single strong person to wield the big-stick to gather and drive the herd. This has its dangerous fall outs too, but since, historically, there have been more beneficial reigns than otherwise, I see no reason for the statistics to change now. In any case are we any better off in this so-called *democracy* of ours? Any bettement that we have seen in this country -- food, literacy, life expectancy et al - has been through natural processes and, if I might say so, inspite of political parties and governments. So who's afraid -- bring on the social brobdingnagians!
Tapan Basu
Date sent: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 09:41:57 CDT I am not a great guru on the working of the Constitution of India, however I strongly agree that we have failed in every aspect of a democratic country. In Palkhivala's article ..... "The understanding of which is the cause of greater pain -- of a democracy that failed to improve the lot of its people. We are not made for democracy. We are made to be ruled by a strong man. Like Kemal Ataturk. I have said repeatedly that India needs a strong man, not adult franchise. I haven't seen anyone yet. I hope it does happen in my lifetime." Anybody who thinks that there is no hope is a pessimist, anybody who thinks that everything will be okay is optimistic, but somebody who accepts that we have failed and something drastic needs to be done is a realist. What else can we say about the corrupt system and corrupt practices? Sunil Thakkar
Date sent: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 23:26:16 -0500 (CDT) Let me introduce myself first. My name is Solayappan and I'm a masters student at the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, USA. Well, the article was very interesting. During the course of the article there was this statement: "What is the use of people in America reading it. People in India should read it." Let me start with my opinions and views generally. You may know the number of students who come to the US today. Let me tell you one thing. As a student I know the mentality of every student in India -- by some way get rid of India and go for higher studies to USA or Australia or any foreign country. It's true that the reason for this is peer pressure and if nine out 10 houses in your street and all your relatives have their sons and daughters in the USA, obviously parents also want their children to go abroad. In USA the education system is so wonderful. For example, Thursday I had my exam and the next Tuesday the professor corrected and gave back the test papers and discussed the answers. Unfortunately, our education system is so bad that you are forced to study what you're not interested in and the correction system, paper chase, recorrection and it goes on and on. Why I'm telling all this is because everywhere there is good and evil -- we should take the good. The US is such a nice place where you to learn a lot from these guys. For example, since I'm doing my masters, I think why can't we have an educational system like this. If you were in India, you don't bother to think about anything creative or about changing anything. You are so protected and attached to your family that you think anything you do -- from dating a female of another caste or religion to wanting to do which interests you will hurt your parents. Recently my friend was telling me that generally every parent in India is jobless. Every time you call home they talk about marriage. Parents attitude today is to send your children abroad, get them married, let them earn money, send, and invest it in India. They are fed up with everything in India, and all they think is to send the kids to the US, at least they'll be happy there. I was in India till my undergrad. I know when I was in India, me nor my friends or parents or relatives or anybody for that matter ever cared to think radically about changing India because of obvious reasons -- you don't have the freedom to choose or do anything radical on your own. But in the US there is no relatives problem or any other problem. You have the money, luxury and the atmosphere to think. That's why I'm saying guys abroad should take all these ideas to India. Every guy has this urge and dreams, but they all give it up thinking they'll hurt their parents. You know that's is the reason there is casteism and rotten politics. So many guys like girls from different castes but they are afraid for the above reason. Illiteracy is the first problem. The illiterate people vote for some candidate based on castes. Recently I wrote to the author of the article "Education Emergency" in Rediff -- Mr N Vittal -- and we exchanged couple of e-mails. If only the education system is changed and we have the freedom to choose our own life, India will become better. But everything has its own time. Recently I was speaking to an American guy and he asked me, "Why are there so many Indian students in engineering and that too in CSE, do your parents force you guys?" The answer is yes and it's 100% true. But after coming here you are a free bird and every guy out here should use this opportunity, make money here for sometime and go back to India and fight the problems prevailing there. I appreciate your time and patience. Solayappan Alagappan
Date sent: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 09:24:28 +0800 I totally agree with him and some more. But as he said right at the outset, who in India is reading it? What's the point of Indians outside reading and reacting to the issue. Is the article being published in BOLD in the leading newspapers? I would go further and say, we not only need a strong person to govern the country, we would actually need a "silence period" -- say a 1,000 day period wherein all political parties are disbanded, a state of emergency is brought about and a strong personality is given the responsibility to "improve India" -- revise the Constitution, bring about tougher laws, in general "clean up the place" and then hold elections with a revised Constitution after 1,000 days. Aniruddha
Date sent: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 17:16:57 -0700 I was very pleased to see that there are still some visionaries left that know the nerve of Indian democracy and its current usage. I commend you for letting us know the views of Mr Palkhivala. Mehdi Ali
Date sent: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 18:52:12 EDT There are many *ordinary* Indians who have exactly the same views as expressed by Palkhivala. But if an ordinary person, like me for instance, says aloud that we are unfit for adult franchise, he would be hounded and branded unpatriotic. It doesn't require a genius to see that we are unfit: we elect Sukhram, Jayalalitha, Laloo Prasad Yadav and many otheres like them. Everybody knows about Bofors and many like it. Investigations are a farce. In all these 50 years, has a single minister been found guilty and given the appropriate punishment as prescribed by the criminal code which is applied to all ordinary persons? None; does it mean that there was not even a single minister who committed an offence punishable with imprisonment? It is a good thing that an eminent intellectual like Palkhivala said what needed to be said. But unfortunately, as Sri Palkhivala himself fears, few people would read what he said. The few who read are ordinary people like me, who just cannot do anything about it, however strongly they feel. M V Subbarao
Date sent: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 14:12:30 -0700 I am a student of chemical engineering in USA. However, I have been an ardent admirer of yours for a very long time, since my childhood. It has something to do with the school from where I got my primary and secondary education. I have heard your lectures when I was in my 5th and 8th grades. I was present for your visit to Ahmedabad to unveil the bronze bust of your dear friend Indravadan Nanavati for the Gujarat Law Society. Whenever we read the articles on Rediff it is with so much frustration and helplessness. I, for once, always feel that we, the younger generation that flees to USA for greener pastures should return to the country, but even after it is done it is this hopelessness that keeps one away from the system. Why can't we at least elect graduates to Parliament? But it would then seem to people like Laloo Prasad Yadav and gang that the "urban upper crust" is there to crush the lower caste. Isn't it very funny to note that in every state of India even today the diligent social workers are from the so-called urban upper caste? (If I am mistaken please clarify). Why can't the educated and the intellegentsia in India do something about it? Looks very nice for me to sit in another country and mouth off such words. No, actually my entire family is in India. Both my parents and my brother, all these people are educators and social workers of some form. They have helped numerous poor school children and people from backward areas into some profession or other. Still I could see the disappointment on their faces. The only reason I think for this has been the growing difference between education and actual education. Everyone is out there to elect or defeat a candidate on some personal agenda. It is so difficult for people to see with a very candid look and elect the representative. Because of these feelings being very rampant in the younger generation like ours, it is a common thought that the USA is a great democracy and will do anything to call a country like India all names. Frankly speaking, we are a country for hero worship, we cannot digest democracy because it doesn't serve to our palate. It is very evident in every election that this phenomenon is predominant. However, candidates who win elections based on this hero worship also have feet of clay. This is very common because the moral grounds and conservativeness (by which I mean sticking to your view point) is lost in this hype of being democratic or so-called liberals. In general, the common man has lost this himself so the people they elect are no different. In every household we see this "parliamentary behaviour," in offices and workplace too, so why do we expect something very different in the Cabinet? I am just a very disillusioned young person who has great aspirations for a country like India, and nothing looks so bright for a country with so much potential. It is true that people will read Nani Palkhivala's article on Rediff and these people probably have similar sentiments towards this cause, but can it be possible for it to be read and understood by the people in Parliament? Anyway I want to end my tirade. But I am a great fan of Nani Palkhivala, it has to do with his lectures that I had a chance to listen to in Ahmedabad at a very young age. Thank you so much Mr Palkhivala for such foresight and compassion for the country. I hope somewhere, someone emerges as a great leader again. How Readers responded to Pritish Nandy's last column
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