Friends,
Many a times we worry and discuss about the problems facing our Nation
and the
way we can get rid of some of the unwarranted ones. We also delve into
the
nuances and characteristics of our National culture and its facets. It
is in
this regards that I present a part of the message that was sent to me by
one of
our friends Sri Sanjay Singh. Sri Singh is the Resident
Manager,
New India Assurance Co.( Trinidad & Tobago) Ltd., St. Lucia ( West
Indies) and he is in St. Lucia since last three years-
“1. I am in the Caribbean for the last three years and my experiences
here are
in stark contrast to that back home. Any public service- police, income
tax,
electricity supply, ministry, passport, visa , airport- you name it ,
carries
with it the spirit of service against that of 'authority' there. Most of
the
public servants, unlike in India, address the visitors with the
salutation of
'sir'. Can we imagine that in India? I just ponder why is it so?
2. People often blame the feudal mindset tracing its origin to colonial
era.
But is it really so? I am inclined to say 'NO'. These islands were also
colonies. But they do not carry any such legacy.
3. The reason appears to be both education & lack of it. Education,
because
those who are educated ( & got a job) exploit those who remained
uneducated.”
Though he said he was I replying this privately, yet I don’t bind myself
to his
words because I never had given him such an assurance. Moreover, I am
completely
assured that these thought are such that must be known by one and all
and must
be made public -
1. To stir some of our conscience
2. To let us have an inward look at ourselves
3. To give us a food for thought
Other than this he also commented upon the experience I had shared with
my
friends about the booking clerk at the Gomtinagar railway station in
Lucknow.
He says-
“Experience in this part of the world is vastly difference. Corruption
is
present here also but it does not confront common man like it does back
home.”
He tries to sum it up by saying- “There needs to be mass education of
target
masses about their basic rights and responsibilities to fight this
menace of
corruption." Finally commenting on the role and perspective of the Right
to Information and RTI Act he says- "Only education can lead to
meaningful exploitation of instruments
like RTI.”
Though apparently it might look like the run-of-the-mill stuff to some,
but if
seen in proper perspective, we will see that there is much in what he is
presenting, particularly about the observations he makes while
contrasting our
milieu with the global and the Caribbean one.
So, how do other friends react to this?
Amitabh Thakur,
IPS,
Currently at IIM Lucknow
# 94155-34526
