The time when indian democracy was attempted to be squished

[kunjuppu]

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you have to be over 40+ to remember the era when indira gandhi, at the behest of her son, sanjay, enforced sterilization on lakhs of men, all hindu, in the name of family planning, and population control. all in UP MP Bihar. had he touched even one male of islamic faith he would have had the whole of india in flames then.

this week there was held a memory of the MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) enforcement. . MK and his son went to prison along with Acharya Kripalani and old time freedom fighters.

But memory is short. or forgiving. today MK is aligned with the daughter in law of Indira.

Here is an article in this week's Junior Vikatan. Justice Chandru, that gadfly of law, and a perpetual bee in the bonnet that is the establishment, spoke here..hence..inspite of the dubious sponsors, and even more dubious venue, i think, it is worth a mention in this august(!) forum.

In memory of MISA

 

[Vaagmi]

you have to be over 40+ to remember the era when indira gandhi, at the behest of her son, sanjay, enforced sterilization on lakhs of men, all hindu, in the name of family planning, and population control. all in UP MP Bihar. had he touched even one male of islamic faith he would have had the whole of india in flames then.
this week there was held a memory of the MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) enforcement. . MK and his son went to prison along with Acharya Kripalani and old time freedom fighters.
But memory is short. or forgiving. today MK is aligned with the daughter in law of Indira.
Here is an article in this week's Junior Vikatan. Justice Chandru, that gadfly of law, and a perpetual bee in the bonnet that is the establishment, spoke here..hence..inspite of the dubious sponsors, and even more dubious venue, i think, it is worth a mention in this august(!) forum.

Dear Mr. Kunjuppu,

Indira did whatever she did with the country's welfare in mind. The subsequent political developments proved that with jokers like Raj Narain jumping up and down energetically despite the tethers held by the Thakurs. It was not Hindus alone who were vasectomised. That was a misleading piece of twisted info. If I remember correct the muslims were also done that(in fact the Imam of Delhi's masjid complained about that) and India was not in flames as you have said. Sanjay was an aberration and Indira's affection for him was her weakness. But then who is not guilty in this? Is MK an angel or Charan Singh an unblemished mahatma? MK and his son and many others went to prison because the Govt. wanted to neutralise their mischief making potential at that point of time. I am amused when people claim their MISA prison term as a great sacrifice made for the country. That way the Gangsters in Tihar are also making great sacrifices because of their mischief making potential. about the judge for whom u have encomiums and the nature of the sponsors you have ridiculed I am holding back my views. It may start a war here between you and me and others. Thanks.

 

[sangom]

you have to be over 40+ to remember the era when indira gandhi, at the behest of her son, sanjay, enforced sterilization on lakhs of men, all hindu, in the name of family planning, and population control. all in UP MP Bihar. had he touched even one male of islamic faith he would have had the whole of india in flames then.

this week there was held a memory of the MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) enforcement. . MK and his son went to prison along with Acharya Kripalani and old time freedom fighters.

But memory is short. or forgiving. today MK is aligned with the daughter in law of Indira.

Here is an article in this week's Junior Vikatan. Justice Chandru, that gadfly of law, and a perpetual bee in the bonnet that is the establishment, spoke here..hence..inspite of the dubious sponsors, and even more dubious venue, i think, it is worth a mention in this august(!) forum.

In memory of MISA

When Sanjay Gandhi implemented his programme, I think the emergency was on and even Muslims were not spared from the population control. This is what I remember. But the muslims did not forgive Indira.

The vikatan article is available only for subscribers. Your giving the link does not help all.

 

[zebra16]

When Sanjay Gandhi implemented his programme, I think the emergency was on and even Muslims were not spared from the population control. This is what I remember. But the muslims did not forgive Indira.

The vikatan article is available only for subscribers. Your giving the link does not help all.

In fact Rukhsana Sultana was the force behind many excesses including Turkman Gate demolitions.

For behind the scene action just before and after proclamation of emergency, this link may give some idea:
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20080425250808200.htm&date=fl2508/&prd=fline&

 

[kunjuppu]

dear sangom,

i have pasted the vikatan article here. justice chandru is one i admire, though the venue of this speech, is what i would consider, somewhat of dubiuos elements, ie breakaway DK group, who have no access to periyar thidal, which normally is the place where meetings called by these elements are called.

still, the validity of the article remains a noteworthy reminder of how fragile how democracy can be.

interesting though..many of those who went to jail then, are now allies of congress..

இந்திரா காந்தி 1975-ம் ஆண்டு ஜூன் 25-ம் தேதி தனது பதவியைக் காப்பாற்றிக்கொள்ள மிசா என்கிற 'மெயின்டனன்ஸ் ஆஃப் இன்டெர்னல் செக்யூரிட்டி ஆக்ட்’ கொண்டுவந்து 38 ஆண்டுகள் ஆகிவிட்டன. அந்த நெருக்கடி​நிலைப் பிரகடன தினத்தைத் 'துக்க தின’மாக அறிவித்து கருத்தரங்கு ஏற்பாடுசெய்திருந்தது தந்தை பெரியார் திராவிடக் கழக சட்டத் துறை. இதற்கான ஏற்பாடுகளை வழக்கறிஞர்கள் குமாரதேவன், இளங்கோவன் ஆகியோர் செய்திருந்தனர்.

எழும்பூர் இக்சா மையத்தில் இடம்பெற்ற அந்தக் கூட்டத்தில் உணர்ச்சிகரமாகப் பேசினார் சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்ற முன்னாள் நீதிபதி சந்துரு. ''உத்தரப் பிரதேச மாநிலம் ரேபரேலி தொகுதியில் இருந்து இந்திரா காந்தி தேர்வுசெய்யப்பட்டது செல்லாது என்று அலகாபாத் உயர் நீதிமன்றம் தீர்ப்பு வழங்கியது. உடனடியாக அவர் பிரதமர் பதவியிலிருந்து விலக வேண்டிய நிலை. உடனே, எதிர்க் கட்சிகள் கலகம் செய்யப்போவதாகக் குற்றம்சாட்டி தன் பதவியைத் தக்கவைக்க நெருக்கடிநிலையைக் கொண்டுவந்தார் இந்திரா. நாடு முழுவதும் ஏராளமான அரசியல் தலைவர்கள் கைதுசெய்யப்பட்டு, கொடுமையான தண்டனைக்கு ஆளானார்கள்.

தந்தையர் தினம், அன்னையர் தினம் என்று ஏதேதோ தினங்கள் பற்றி பத்திரிகைகளில் போடுகிறார்கள். இன்று வெளியான எட்டு பத்திரிகைகளையும் படித்துவிட்டேன். அதில் ஒன்றில்கூட மிசாவை நினைவுகூரும் கட்டுரையோ, செய்தியோ இல்லை. இந்த மறதிதான் அரசியல்வாதிகளுக்கு சாதகம் ஆகிவருகிறது.

ஓய்வுபெற்ற ஐ.எஸ்.ஏ. அதிகாரி எம்.ஜி.தேவசகாயம், தகவல் அறியும் உரிமைச் சட்டத்தின்படி நெருக்கடிநிலை தொடர்பான கோப்புக்களைக் கேட்டிருந்தார். இன்று வரை அந்தக் கோப்புக்கள் கிடைக்கவில்லை. மிசாவுக்கு யார் எல்லாம் கையெழுத்திட்டார்கள் என்பது இன்றும் ரகசியமாகவே இருக்கிறது.'' என்று பழைய நினைவுகளைச் சொன்ன சந்துரு, நடப்பு அரசியலையும் தொட்டார்.

''முன்பு 60 கோடி ரூபாய் ஃபோபர்ஸ் ஊழல் பெரிய ஊழலாகத் தெரிந்தது. இப்போது 1,76,000 கோடி ரூபாய் ஊழல். அதற்கு எத்தனை பூஜ்ஜியங்கள் என்றே தெரியவில்லை. இந்தியாவில் ஒவ்வொரு ஊழலும் முந்தைய ஊழலை மழுங்கடித்துவிடும். இப்படித்தான் கொடிய சட்டங்களும் மழுங்கடிக்கப்பட்டன. முதலில் மிசா, பின்னர் தேசியப் பாதுகாப்பு சட்டம், தொடர்ந்து தடா, பொடா என நீண்டு செல்கின்றன.

மிசா நேரத்தில் கடுமையான தணிக்கைமுறைகள் பத்திரிகைகளுக்கு இருந்தன. தணிக்கை அதிகாரிகள் அனுமதிக்கும் செய்தியைத்தான் வெளியிட முடியும். அரசியல் பத்திகள், கார்ட்டூன்கள் போன்றவை அச்சாகும் நேரத்தில் திடீரென நீக்கப்படும். அதனால் பத்திரிகைகளின் இடையிடையே வெள்ளை வெள்ளையாக இடைவெளிகள் இருக்கும். மிகப் பெரிய நாட்டில் ஒரு பெண்மணியால் ஜனநாயகம் படுகொலை செய்யப்படுவது, மேலை நாடுகளில் உள்ளவர்களுக்கும் பெரும் அதிர்ச்சியைத் தந்தது.

பிரிட்டன் அரசியல் தத்துவ ஞானியும் ஆக்ஸ்போர்ட் பல்கலைக்கழகப் பேராசிரி​யருமான An Eye to India 'இந்தியாவில் பல இடங்களையும் சுற்றிப் பார்த்தேன். அங்கு எங்கும் குற்றவாளிகளைக் காண முடிய​வில்லை. அவர்கள் எல்லாம் மாவட்டக் காங்கிரஸ் கமிட்டி தலைவர்களாக மாறிவிட்டதுதான் காரணம்’ என்று 1977-ல் வெளியான கிஸீ ணிஹ்மீ tஷீ மிஸீபீவீணீ என்ற புத்தகத்தில் நெருக்கடிநிலை குறித்து விரிவாகப் பதிவு செய்திருக்கிறார்.

அன்று பத்திரிகைச் சுதந்திரம், அரசியல் உரிமைகள் குழி தோண்டிப் புதைக்கப்பட்டன. ஆனால் இன்று பத்திரிகைகளே அதை மறந்துவிட்டன. மிசாவில் ஒரு லட்சம் பேரைச் சிறையில் தள்ளிய ஓர் அரசு, இன்றைக்கும் பதவியில் இருக்கிறது. புற்றுநோயை அறுவைசிகிச்சை செய்து அகற்றுவார்கள். அதேபோல்தான் சில அரசியல் கட்சிகளுக்கும் அறுவைசிகிச்சை வேண்டியுள்ளது'' என்றார்.

மூத்த வழக்கறிஞர் செ.துரைசாமி, ''இந்தியாவைப் பொருத்தவரை மூன்று சம்பவங்கள் முக்கியமானவை. ஒன்று, 1942-ல் நடந்த இந்திய சுதந்திரப் போராட்டம். இரண்டு, 1965-ல் நடந்த இந்தி எதிர்ப்புப் போராட்டம், மூன்று நெருக்கடிநிலை. மிசா நேரத்தில் திருமணத்தில் விருந்துக்கு அதிகப்பட்சம் 25 பேர்தான் கலந்துகொள்ள முடியும். இஸ்மாயில் கமிஷன் விசாரணையில் பல அரிய செயல்களை நானும் நண்பர் சந்துருவும் சேர்ந்துசெய்து முடித்தோம். நெருக்கடிநிலை நாட்டுக்கு ஏற்பட்ட நெருக்கடி இல்லை. இந்திரா காந்திக்கு ஏற்பட்ட நெருக்கடி.

தலைவர்கள் சிறைகளில் கொடுமைகளை அனுபவித்தார்கள். கைதிகளின் முன்னாலேயே உணவில் சிறுநீர் கலந்து வழங்கப்பட்டது. தி.மு.க. எம்.பி-யான சிட்டிபாபுவைக் கொடுமையான முறையில் சித்ரவதைசெய்து கொன்றார்கள். 37 லட்சம் பெண்களுக்குக் கட்டாயக் கருத்தடை செய்தார்கள். இலங்கையில் இப்போது நடக்கும் கொடுமைகள் எல்லாம் மிசாவில் பெற்ற பாடம்தான்'' என்றார்.

எந்த அடக்குமுறையும் நாகரிகத்துக்கு எதிரானதே!

 

[sangom]

எந்த அடக்குமுறையும் நாகரிகத்துக்கு எதிரானதே!

This is true only if the population is law-abiding and its leaders are transparently honest and free from greed. India has never reached such a stage in the last 2000 years, I will say. That was why Gandhi knew that "non-cooperation" would suit the Indian ethos rather more easily and effectively. The mentality of the Civil Disobedience Movement still pervades - even after 80 years - the minds of the vast majority of Indians because the leaders of that historical movement were later honoured as national leaders. That is the genetic defect with which we got our Independence baby and it has grown to be a monster having as its limbs, extremely greedy, unprincipled and unfit political leaders.

Hence, India will fare better if it is lucky to have a benevolent and patriotic dictator, I believe.

BTW, kindly decrypt ஆக்ஸ்போர்ட் பல்கலைக்கழகப் பேராசிரி​யருமான An Eye to India and கிஸீ ணிஹ்மீ tஷீ மிஸீபீவீணீ !! Thanks in advance.

 

[kunjuppu]

dear sangom,

re post #5, i dont know if india would be lucky to get a benevolent but honest efficient dictator. after all north india is ethnically related to pakistan and east bengal. look at the dictators and the type of govt they have. when i was young, many a relative used to speak highly of ayub khan and how much better he was than nehru and congress.

but today after multiple army coups and elected prime ministers, pakistan is a basket case. bangla desh is not much better.

would we be lucky to get confucius ethicked deng xiao ping or lee kwan yu? lee had a comparatively easy job managing a city state, but china is comparable only in population. they have an overwhelming han majority and so inspite of gargantuan corruption, the communist party has been able to deliver the goods.

there is probably a large section of chinese who are unhappy - those whose lands are grabbed with no or little compensation mainly. but considering the size of the problem, china appears on the surface to progress. they seem to have a vision ie long term strategy, and are yet to make any mistakes in foreign policy or get into foreign wars.

for india, with its mulitiple power points, based on language, caste, religion, region, i think, democracy is the only alternative we have and we have to make the best use of it. atleast we get a regular turnover of governments with each election, though this appears not to have solved the problem of honest administration.

maybe ultimately only technology may be our salvation. i am thinking of telephones...when i was young, we had to wait for 7 years to get a land line. with the cell phones now, even the maid has two phones so maybe, maybe, inspite of bad governance, corruption and pillaging of land/water, we may squeak through, thanks to technology. the true god of tomorrow

the book, an eye on india by david selbourne, is referenced in this wikipedia url. apparently david is a famous social observer, and this book by him on indian emergency, is somewhat of a classic. have not read it. my contribution to indian democracy during emergency was, to be actively engaged in amnesty international. not much. but something.

David_Selbourne

this url gives a little more info on the book. not sure if it is authentic or valid though.

synopsis - an eye on india

incidentally, my parents supported indira gandhi, and the emergency. that appear to be the trend of that generation at that time.

 

[sangom]

dear sangom,

re post #5, i dont know if india would be lucky to get a benevolent but honest efficient dictator. after all north india is ethnically related to pakistan and east bengal. look at the dictators and the type of govt they have. when i was young, many a relative used to speak highly of ayub khan and how much better he was than nehru and congress.

but today after multiple army coups and elected prime ministers, pakistan is a basket case. bangla desh is not much better.

would we be lucky to get confucius ethicked deng xiao ping or lee kwan yu? lee had a comparatively easy job managing a city state, but china is comparable only in population. they have an overwhelming han majority and so inspite of gargantuan corruption, the communist party has been able to deliver the goods.

there is probably a large section of chinese who are unhappy - those whose lands are grabbed with no or little compensation mainly. but considering the size of the problem, china appears on the surface to progress. they seem to have a vision ie long term strategy, and are yet to make any mistakes in foreign policy or get into foreign wars.

for india, with its mulitiple power points, based on language, caste, religion, region, i think, democracy is the only alternative we have and we have to make the best use of it. atleast we get a regular turnover of governments with each election, though this appears not to have solved the problem of honest administration.

maybe ultimately only technology may be our salvation. i am thinking of telephones...when i was young, we had to wait for 7 years to get a land line. with the cell phones now, even the maid has two phones so maybe, maybe, inspite of bad governance, corruption and pillaging of land/water, we may squeak through, thanks to technology. the true god of tomorrow

the book, an eye on india by david selbourne, is referenced in this wikipedia url. apparently david is a famous social observer, and this book by him on indian emergency, is somewhat of a classic. have not read it. my contribution to indian democracy during emergency was, to be actively engaged in amnesty international. not much. but something.

David_Selbourne

this url gives a little more info on the book. not sure if it is authentic or valid though.

synopsis - an eye on india

incidentally, my parents supported indira gandhi, and the emergency. that appear to be the trend of that generation at that time.

Dear Kunjuppu,

we had gen. sam manekshaw and may be a handful of others from the older generations who had the feeling of "Indianness" in them, coupled with utmost honesty and fairplay, but, as of today I find none who can be a good dictator for India.

I don't understand how technology, mobile phones, faster communications etc., will or can act as our saviours. At present all these technologies are only alienating our population from India more and more and creating empty aspirations in the minds of the youngsters without imbibing in them either a national spirit or the readiness to do hard work for the nation's progress.

Since our political leadership and the almost moribund government/s show how to make easy & illegal wealth and how to stash such ill-gotten wealth successfully abroad, our youngsters also aim at such get-rich-quick means of life and their aim in life is to somehow emigrate to some developed country.

Emergency cannot be justified at all, I agree, but I do feel that Indira gandhi had more of the indianness and indian pride in her than all the subsequent leaders. And as a politician she was astute but somewhat autocratic. Nevertheless she knew the real hardships of the populace much better than either MMS, SG, RG etc., I feel.

 

[kunjuppu]

Dear Kunjuppu,

we had gen. sam manekshaw and may be a handful of others from the older generations who had the feeling of "Indianness" in them, coupled with utmost honesty and fairplay, but, as of today I find none who can be a good dictator for India.

I don't understand how technology, mobile phones, faster communications etc., will or can act as our saviours. At present all these technologies are only alienating our population from India more and more and creating empty aspirations in the minds of the youngsters without imbibing in them either a national spirit or the readiness to do hard work for the nation's progress.

Since our political leadership and the almost moribund government/s show how to make easy & illegal wealth and how to stash such ill-gotten wealth successfully abroad, our youngsters also aim at such get-rich-quick means of life and their aim in life is to somehow emigrate to some developed country.

Emergency cannot be justified at all, I agree, but I do feel that Indira gandhi had more of the indianness and indian pride in her than all the subsequent leaders. And as a politician she was astute but somewhat autocratic. Nevertheless she knew the real hardships of the populace much better than either MMS, SG, RG etc., I feel.

dear sangom,

i agree that with basic infrastructure like roads, water we need government initiatives.

but agriculture, food distribution, tele communication, knowledge disbursement etc technology helps. today, i heard, that the vegetable growers in the districts know the real retail price, and are not gouged as previously by middle men. knowledge is the best weapon, and with internet spread, more people can be really educated about the ways of the world.

world famous universities like MIT Harvard are having free online courses, and increasingly on just about every subject. even IIT Madras has joined the fray, and so, students are freed from dependence on poor teachers and classrooms. atleast for many non professional non lab requiring courses.

with solar panels, people can generate their own electricity and free themselves from the perpetual blackouts. i agree all these are patch measures, but atleast it easens day to day living.

today i read that the IT industry in chennai might have to be closed, due to lack of water for the offices. now that is shocking. and dont know what can be done there.

 

[sangom]

dear sangom,

i agree that with basic infrastructure like roads, water we need government initiatives.

but agriculture, food distribution, tele communication, knowledge disbursement etc technology helps. today, i heard, that the vegetable growers in the districts know the real retail price, and are not gouged as previously by middle men. knowledge is the best weapon, and with internet spread, more people can be really educated about the ways of the world.

world famous universities like MIT Harvard are having free online courses, and increasingly on just about every subject. even IIT Madras has joined the fray, and so, students are freed from dependence on poor teachers and classrooms. atleast for many non professional non lab requiring courses.

with solar panels, people can generate their own electricity and free themselves from the perpetual blackouts. i agree all these are patch measures, but atleast it easens day to day living.

today i read that the IT industry in chennai might have to be closed, due to lack of water for the offices. now that is shocking. and dont know what can be done there.

Exactly, Shri Kunjuppu, that is the point. By just some patch-up works, it will not be possible to launch India into either a prosperous country mode, nor into a matured democracy mode. Both will require to be built up from the grass roots, upwards. We as a people were good at uniting to drive away a common, perceived enemy but, sadly, our national leaders from Gandhi onwards were so impatient to oust the british and to "rule" the country from high places, that they forgot to prepare the soil properly before sowing.

And, we are still reaping the results.

 

[kunjuppu]

Exactly, Shri Kunjuppu, that is the point. By just some patch-up works, it will not be possible to launch India into either a prosperous country mode, nor into a matured democracy mode. Both will require to be built up from the grass roots, upwards. We as a people were good at uniting to drive away a common, perceived enemy but, sadly, our national leaders from Gandhi onwards were so impatient to oust the british and to "rule" the country from high places, that they forgot to prepare the soil properly before sowing.

And, we are still reaping the results.

sangom, i dont know how practical it was 'to prepare' ourselves for self rule. we were in a hurry to get independent, and the british were in an equal hurry to leave, finding the burden of ruling an empire, an impossibility after a debilitating war.

we were also getting to kill each other, and had not partitiion taken place, the murders would have spread country wide, instead of the pockets in east and west of india.

we gave universal franchise. this was morally and ethically correct, though might have had an adverse reaction, re electing honest and capable administrators. who knows?

our constitution was architected by an untouchable, who built in safeguards against the possibility of theistic hegemony, and our first PM brought the hindu succession laws to the 20th century, enfranchising our women, whose fruits my generation onwards has come to enjoy, and in urban areas, our females are almost as equal as males, re opportunities. i think.

our bane is our politicians. but these started as voice of the disenfranchised. for example, the dmk spoke passionately about the tamil undercastes, and have been able to carry on a social revolution, which in all other countries has resulted in bloodshed, and the killing of the erstwhile ruling class. somewhere along the line corruption set in.

the congress also became corrupt, wherever it ruled. only time will tell, if india is destined to decent governance. or will only chaos result, and who knows what will come out of that chaos?

 

[kunjuppu]

dear sangom,

here is a hopeful story at the grass roots level. nattarmangalam is a village in kadalur district, managed completely by women.

among the achievements, all houses have indoor toilets , there is water for everyone, no huts (all houses made of cement/tiles), self help small scale industries, plastics abolished and so on and on.

what is surprising, is the level of subsidies available from the various levels of government. i wonder why other villages do not avail of these! or if they indeed do, i guess these get sideswiped by corruption into someone's pockets instead of the final beneficial product. oh well!!

thanks to this week's aval vikatan. here is the full story.

மண்ணின் மாதரசியே வருக’, 'பெண்ணினத்தின் பெருமையே வருக’, 'ஊராட்சியின் உத்தமியே வருக’ என்று அந்த ஊராட்சிக்குட்பட்ட கிராமங்கள் முழுக்க வரவேற்பு தட்டிகள். இதெல்லாம்... 'அம்மா' ஜெயலலிதாவுக்கு வைக்கப்பட்ட பதாகைகள் அல்ல, அந்த சின்னஞ்சிறு கிராமத்தின் ஊராட்சி தலைவிக்குத்தான்!

''அட, ஊராட்சி தலைவர்களை விடுங்க, வார்டு கவுன்சிலர்கள்கூடத்தான் இப்படியெல்லாம் பேனர்கள் வெச்சுக்கறாங்க... இதுல என்ன அதிசயம்?'' என்கிறீர்களா?

அந்தக் கிராமத்தில் வைக்கப்பட்டி ருக்கும் இந்த பதாகைகள் அனைத்துமே... பேருக்காக வைக்கப்பட்டவை அல்ல... நூற்றுக்கு நூறு உண்மையாக வைக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதுதான் அதிசயம்!

கடந்த 2011-ம் ஆண்டு உள்ளாட்சித் தேர்தல் நடந்தபோது... கடலூர் மாவட்டம், காட்டுமன்னார்கோவில் அருகேயுள்ள நாட்டார்மங்கலம் ஊராட்சியில், தலைவர் மற்றும் ஒன்பது உறுப்பினர்களையும் பெண்களாகவே, அதுவும் போட்டியின்றி தேர்ந்தெடுத்தார்கள் கிராமத்தினர். அதைப்பற்றி, 25.10.11 தேதியிட்ட 'அவள் விகடன்’ இதழில், 'நூறு சதவிகிதம் பெண்களுக்கே... ஓர் அதிசய ஊராட்சி’ என்ற தலைப்பில் எழுதியிருந்தோம்.

முழுக்க பெண்களே நிர்வகிக்கும் அந்த நாட்டார்மங்கலம் ஊராட்சித் தலைவி சுதா மணிரத்தினத்துக்குத்தான் இத்தனை பாராட்டுக்கள் இப்போது. கிராம நிர்வாகம் மற்றும் சிறப்பான செயல்பாடுகளுக்காக 'பஞ்சாயத் சஷாக்திகரன் புரஸ்கார்’ எனும் விருதை, பிரதமர் மன்மோகன் சிங் கையால் பெற்றுத் திரும்பிய சுதா, சென்ற வாரம் சிறந்த ஊராட்சிக்கான விருதை தமிழக முதல்வர் கரங்களினால் பெற்றிருக்கிறார்.


''எங்க ஊருக்கு இவங்களும், இவங்க வீட்டுக்காரரும் செய்த தொண்டுகள் நிறைய. அதனாலதான் இவங்கதான் எங்க ஊர் தலைவரா வரணும்னு முடிவு செஞ்சோம். பட்டதாரி ஆசிரியரா வேலை பார்த்திட்டிருந்தவங்கள வற்புறுத்தி ராஜினாமா செய்ய வெச்சு தலைவரா ஆக்கினோம். மற்ற உறுப்பினர்களையும் பெண்களாவே தேர்ந்தெடுத்தோம். அது எவ்வளவு பெருமைக்குரியதுனு நிரூபிச்சுட்டாங்க!'' என்று புளகாங்கிதப்படுகிறார் 65 வயதைக் கடந்த மலர்க்கொடி.

டெல்லியில் செயல்படும் 'இன்ஸ்டிட்யூட் ஆஃப் சோஷியல் சயின்ஸ்' நிறுவனத்தின் சார்பில் வழங்கப்படும் 'சிறந்த பெண் ஊராட்சித் தலைவர்’ விருதும், மாநில அளவில் வழங்கப்படும் 'கிராமிய ரத்னா’ விருதும் பெற்றிருக்கிறார் சுதா மணிரத்தினம்.

''முன்னயெல்லாம் எங்க ஊரு, ஒரு ஊராவே இருக்காதுங்க. இப்ப, 'டீச்சர்கிட்ட (சுதாவை அப்படித்தான் அழைக்கிறார்கள்) சொல்லிடுவேன்'னு சொன்னா போதும், எல்லாம் பெட்டிப்பாம்பா அடங்கிடுவாங்க. ஒரு குப்பை கிடையாது, குடிதண்ணிக்கு பிரச்னை இல்லை, வெட்டிக் கூட்டம் போடற விடலைங்க இல்லை. இப்படி எந்த தொந்தரவும் இல்லாம நிம்மதியா இருக்கறதுக்கு இந்த மகராசிதான் காரணம். இனி, காலாகாலாத்துக்கும் டீச்சர்தான் எங்க பிரசிடென்ட்!'' என்கிறார் வழியில் எதிர்பட்ட தமிழரசி.

''சுத்தம், சுகாதாரம் முக்கியம் என்பதை பள்ளி மாணவர்கள் மூலமாக விழிப்பு உணர்வை ஏற்படுத்தியதுதான் முக்கியமான விஷயம். அதன் விளைவாக, மக்கும் குப்பை, மக்காத குப்பையை மக்களே பிரித்து வைக்கிறார்கள். அதனை எடுத்து வர 10 பேர் கொண்ட தன்னார்வக் குழுவினர் இருக்கிறார்கள். எல்லா வீட்டிலும் தனிநபர் கழிவறைகள் ஏற்படுத்தப்பட்டு விட்டன. அதற்கு அரசு கொடுத்த தொகையோடு, நான் 3,000 ரூபாய் சேர்த்து நன்றாகவே கட்டிக்கொடுத்திருக்கிறேன்.

மழைக்காலங்களில் குடிசைகள் வெள்ளத்தில் அடித்துச் செல்லப்பட்டு மக்கள் அகதிகளாக தங்க வைக்கப்படுவது ஆண்டுதோறும் வாடிக்கை. இப்போது எல்லா குடிசைகளையும் கான்கிரீட் வீடுகளாக மாற்றிவிட்டோம். 'இந்திரா நினைவுக் குடியிருப்பு’ திட்டத்தின் மூலம் ஒவ்வொரு வீட்டுக்கும் அரசு ஒதுக்கிய ஒரு லட்சம் ரூபாயோடு, நான் என் சொந்தப் பணத்தில் இருந்து 45 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் சேர்த்து, சற்று பெரிய வீடாக 84 பேருக்கு கட்டிக் கொடுத்தாயிற்று. 'தானே நிவாரண திட்டத்’தின் கீழும் 212 வீடுகள் வந்துவிட்டன. ஆகமொத்தத்தில் இங்கே குடிசைகளே இல்லை!'' என்று பெருமை பொங்கச் சொல்கிறார் சுதா.

திட்டங்களுக்கு நிதி பற்றாக்குறை வந்தால், தொழிலதிபரான கணவர் மணிரத்தினத்திடம் வாங்கி முழுமை பெற வைத்துவிடும் சுதா, பிளாஸ்டிக் உபயோகத்தை முற்றிலுமாக தடை செய்திருக்கிறார். பார்சல் டீ வாங்க பிளாஸ்டிக் கவரைத்தான் பயன்படுத்தி வந்தனர் ஏழைகள் பலரும். அவர்களுக்கு வீட்டுக்கு ஒரு எவர்சில்வர் தூக்குவாளி வாங்கிக் கொடுத்து, அதில்தான் டீ வாங்க வேண்டும் என்று சொல்லிவிட்டார். சுற்றுச்சூழலைக் காக்கும் வகையில் இதுவரை 2,500 மரக்கன்றுகள் நடப்பட்டிருக்கின்றன.

ஊரில் மகளிர் சுய உதவி குழுக்கள் உருவாக்கப்பட்டு.. கழிவறை கட்ட தேவையான பொருட்கள் தயாரிப்பு, ரப்பர் ஸ்டாம்ப் தயாரிப்பு, ஹாலோபிளாக் தயாரிப்பு என ஒவ்வொன்றுக்கும் ஒவ்வொரு குழு பொறுப்பேற்று வருமானம் ஈட்டிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது. பொம்மைகள், எம்ப்ராய்டரி என பலவித பயிற்சிகளும் நடத்தப்படுகின்றன.

பேருக்கு பெண்களை உள்ளாட்சிப் பொறுப்பில் அமர்த்திவிட்டு, 'அவர்களுக்கு எதுவும் தெரியாது' என்று தாங்களாகவே 'தலைவர்' என தம்பட்டம் அடித்துக்கொண்டு திரியும் அகம்பாவ ஆண்களின் தலையில் குட்டுகிறது... சுதாவின் நாட்டார்மங்கலம்!

 

[Nara]

....Hence, India will fare better if it is lucky to have a benevolent and patriotic dictator, I believe.

Sorry to seem very curt, the above is like looking for a meat-eating vegetarian animal.

Today's Congress is not the same as the Emergency Congress. Yet, what we now have in India are a bunch of parties ready to play second fiddle to USA. The Indians are eagerly waiting for the US to say jump, so that they can ask how high. We don't have democracy in India any more than in the U.S.

best regards ....

 

[Nara]

"India, meanwhile, put its tail between its legs and tried to defend the U.S."

India?s cowardly display of servility - The Hindu

 

[கால பைரவன்]

There is nothing inherently holy about democracy. It is simply rule of majority and so there should not be any surprise if turns tyrannical much as how a dictatorship can turn tyrannical!

 

[KRS]

Folks,

Any self respecting power, including the self imagined one, India, spies on other countries for economic, political, and self interest reasons. All these protestations are for local political reasons.

Show me a country that does not 'spy' at all, I will show you a basket case in the international power politics.

Regards,
KRS

 

[tks]

There is nothing inherently holy about democracy. It is simply rule of majority and so there should not be any surprise if turns tyrannical much as how a dictatorship can turn tyrannical!

Good point .. Actually any democracy is only as good as the character and competence of the constituents. Most voters in USA like in other democracies do not even know the basic issues (or what is good for them) and vote based on an emotional often manufactured to get them to the polling station. Many are not even registered and even those who register to vote do not do so.
The game is about how to get these uninformed voters to the polling station which can sway the result based on the strategy devised.

In India and other places the appeal is more raw - Vote for me and I will give you a TV or a stove or a sari for every household

Overall in most countries electorates are - to paraphrase expression of a teenager - 'dumb asses' who have to be prodded by some emotions on an issue that they may not understand but go to the polls and pull the lever for all the wrong reasons.

Spying is going to happen if technology allows for that .. it has nothing to do with the nature of the government

 

[Brahmanyan]

There is nothing inherently holy about democracy. It is simply rule of majority and so there should not be any surprise if turns tyrannical much as how a dictatorship can turn tyrannical!

Yes, electoral democracy is rule of majority, and the democratic systems differ country to country. No system is perfect in all parameters. In the system of democracy that has been adopted to rule our country, the fact is, it never works on rule of real majority basis. Rule of majority is deceptive. Based on the percentage of the results, strangely, we have always been ruled by minority. Take for instance the year 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, the total percentage of voters turnout was 56.97%; out of the votes polled , the undivided UPA got 37.22% with 262 seats and came to Power. In other words with 21.20% of total number of voters was called to rule the Country. If the voice of opposition is not given credence ,the rights of 78.80% is taken away in the minority rule. This is the inherent fault in this system.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, without liberal democracy, electoral democracy is “nothing more than mob rule where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49.”

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[Vaagmi]

There is nothing wrong in accepting that US is the Super Power. If they, because of their superior technology, are spying on you , better take counter measures to protect your secrets. There is no use shouting at US for spying on you. If you can, you too can spy on others. To join with a few basket cases of democracy in the world and gang up against US, condemn that country and pat yourself on your back for the valour that you have exhibited is plain stupidity. It is also called foolhardiness. sometimes putting your tail between your legs and walking away is more sensible than wagging it and getting it cut.

 

[kunjuppu]

Yes, electoral democracy is rule of majority, and the democratic systems differ country to country. No system is perfect in all parameters. In the system of democracy that has been adopted to rule our country, the fact is, it never works on rule of real majority basis. Rule of majority is deceptive. Based on the percentage of the results, strangely, we have always been ruled by minority. Take for instance the year 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, the total percentage of voters turnout was 56.97%; out of the votes polled , the undivided UPA got 37.22% with 262 seats and came to Power. In other words with 21.20% of total number of voters was called to rule the Country. If the voice of opposition is not given credence ,the rights of 78.80% is taken away in the minority rule. This is the inherent fault in this system.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, without liberal democracy, electoral democracy is “nothing more than mob rule where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49.”

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

Dear Brahmanyan,

The one redeeming feature of Indian democracy, is that the disenfranchised have been given power. Having a taste of it, undoubtedly they have become corrupted, but what it has done, is to save the country, from a continual epidemic of violence and unrest.

See what is happening in Egypt today. Once again, the disenfranchised are going to go underground, with a strong arm rule of the army, suppressing all dissent. Can you imagine what would happen in India, a country of 1.2 billion, if dissent is suppressed. The politicians may disagree with each other, but they will all gang up, the minute they suspect, the naturally enjoyed rights of the people, are going to be taken away.

The political parties are formed at the grass roots level, and the cadre based ones like BJP, DMK or ADMK, CPI, CPI (M) can within hours whip up hundreds of thousands into the streets, thus creating a law and order problem. So, for us, there is no better alternative than democracy, utterly flawed it may be as we practice it, but still, better than any other method. I think so.

The idea of a firm but honest dictatorship may appeal to many here in this group. As I mentioned earlier, it was a fashionable talk, during the 1970s, but I think, a single attempt at dictatorship by Indira Gandhi, failed miserably. The next time if it should ever happen, I do not know, what the ultimate consequences might be, but I can for sure suspect, that it would not be good for the country as a whole.

 

[sangom]

See what is happening in Egypt today. Once again, the disenfranchised are going to go underground, with a strong arm rule of the army, suppressing all dissent. Can you imagine what would happen in India, a country of 1.2 billion, if dissent is suppressed. The politicians may disagree with each other, but they will all gang up, the minute they suspect, the naturally enjoyed rights of the people, are going to be taken away.

I don't think there is any "disenfranchised" section of population in Egypt. According to my understanding, land reform measures, somewhat closely resembling the activities of governments in India under the influence of the land mafia, the palpable US control of Egyptian affairs and the highly islamist laws have been the reasons for the present uprising. And, it looks like any new dispensation there will bend over backwards (especially if Al Baradei becomes the President) to please the US.

The political parties are formed at the grass roots level, and the cadre based ones like BJP, DMK or ADMK, CPI, CPI (M) can within hours whip up hundreds of thousands into the streets, thus creating a law and order problem. So, for us, there is no better alternative than democracy, utterly flawed it may be as we practice it, but still, better than any other method. I think so.

None of the above parties (and even the other national parties) can sustain, in India, any uprising beyond a few days, because they have all lost touch with the grass roots, even in WB, due to many reasons, and uprisings today will require the 'laughing Gandhis' and arrack. So, the utterly flawed democracy works in India because of this weakness of the political parties. Even Anna Hazare and the AAP have proved to be mere bubbles.

The idea of a firm but honest dictatorship may appeal to many here in this group. As I mentioned earlier, it was a fashionable talk, during the 1970s, but I think, a single attempt at dictatorship by Indira Gandhi, failed miserably. The next time if it should ever happen, I do not know, what the ultimate consequences might be, but I can for sure suspect, that it would not be good for the country as a whole.

A firm but honest dictatorship may be a mirage of a dream, but it is an idea worth trying, imo. Perhaps such an experiment may put this country too to the military rule phenomenon. Still, I believe that what is most essential is that people of India should become more law-abiding, the laws should not become anti-people and a "national sense and involvement" should come about in the minds of the populace.