Girish's Blog

I have been reading and watching with deep consternation the repeated assaults on the innocent public by terrorists who are out to kill for whatever cause they support. Terrorists basically are brain-washed robots who have been suckered into an ideology and are used by their controllers to achieve their so called ambitions. That may be a bit simplistic as some of the terrorists are in it for the money and the adrenaline high it gives, but killing people randomly is too cowardly an act to be justified or condoned. Where is the connection between terror and corruption you may well ask! After Mumbai was held spell bound by the antics of the half dozen terrorists from across the border that attacked VT and the Taj and Oberoi hotels, the Maharashtra Government immediately ordered 28 high speed patrol boats for the coast guard at a cost of Rs. 250 crores over and above 20 boats allotted by the Central Government of a total sanction for 58 boats. Of these boats as of date only 8 boats are o...

If you happened to view the above two BBC TV serials, I am sure most of you would remember these rib-tickling serials of yore. The mention of these serials is necessitated by the fact that these were a commentary on the British bureaucracy whose Westminster model we inherited. The bureaucrats used to confuse the ministers with their bureaucratese to perpetuate their perks and control over Government, with the assumption that it is not politicians who run Government but the bureaucrats. In a large part it is true, as the bureaucrats form the crucial backbone of the Government to ensure the policies and program of the Government of the day are executed in a silent and efficient manner. In theory this is all fine – but with reference to India – what does happen in reality? In view of the various scandals which have seen the light of day recently from the CWG scams, Adarsh Housing scandal, Karnataka land scams, Maharashtra mining scandals, and the list could prove endless – someone needs t...

I have written earlier on bureaucratic apathy and how it makes life miserable for the common man. This note is for R.K. Laxman’s common man – the man on the street who also faces the same set of problems though in his/her context. Mind you, the problem’s may seem small to you and me but for these people their problems are real and could be the root cause of nightmares and in extreme cases may result in suicide. This is further compounded by the fact that the common man is not educated enough to take on the small time bureaucrat (the chota babu of my blog) and has to suffer untold mental agony at his hands. This post is because of the article which was reported today on the fisher woman being locked up in a clerks government office because she had the temerity to ask for a Rs. 5 market tax receipt, when in fact she has been paying this daily tax to the Satpati Grampanchayat for years, but had never been provided with a tax receipt. You may well ask why will she want a receipt now? It so...