The "common man" has created quite a flutter in Delhi with the Aam Aadmi party catapulting to power. Even as Arvind Kejriwal is ripped apart into pieces by the Indian media one cannot but see the crystal clear thinking of the man; and the bane that the issues raked up by Kejriwal are. The Indian media appears either to be on the rolls of some or the other political party, or to be too dumb to qualify for a responsible and intelligent media. When I say this, I also concede that there are exceptions to the case. While the media and the experts judge Kejriwal by the day; and pooh pooh his angst as much ado about nothing; today, I was witness to the sentiment which is building up and boiling over; and sooner or later the slightest trigger will herald a revolution. After all, the fruits of freedom we enjoy today are because; more than a century ago a barrister was thrown out of a first class railway compartment in South Africa.
Today, at the office of the Joint Commissioner of Police- Hyderabad I saw that there were two elevators to take people up and down the mere five floors of the building. One of the elevators had a sign above it- "Only for Senior Officers" and the sign on the other elevator read, "For Junior officers and others". The senior officers' elevator had a policeman posted in front of it to see to that no one else boarded the elevator; and when an exalted official boards the elevator, the guard on duty would spare the officer of the drudgery of pressing the relevant button to take him to his destination floor. An old man who had to wait for a long time for his turn to get into the overworked and overcrowded, "Junior officers and others" elevator, commented that class and caste can never be banished from the Indian psyche. The signs reeked of the stench of the typical Indian babudom where an officer of higher rank exists in a rarefied atmosphere; and thus cannot travel in the same lift with his juniors !!! leave alone with outsiders and common public.
This babudom seems to be the hallmark of all fields in India. Look at the haughty countenance of a Member of Parliament or a Member of Legislative assembly or a bureaucrat; and a picture of royalty flashes in front of one's eyes. A dash of arrogance, the discourtesy in talking or the aloof air in communicating or their outright rudeness makes one wonder about the training of these politicians and officers; and above all their pious intention of serving the people. Again, I will have to concede that there are exceptions who baffle by their utmost humility.
In the capital city of my country, one often sees the bureaucrats in charge of cultural bodies being idolised as the Maharajas or even as Gods by artists; as they are the ones who dole out largess at their whim and fancy; often oblivious of today's concerns of art and culture and the vision or the mandate of the bodies they run.
There is a hierarchy other than that of a guru and sishya (the teacher and the student) in dance and other arts. The high and mighty in arts are distinguished not often by their superlative art but by how well connected they are or how many boards or committees they grace as members/advisors and the awards they are decorated with. They are the royalty of arts! Or are they the babudom of arts? Is arts untouched by the syndrome of " Senior Officers only"?
Today, at the office of the Joint Commissioner of Police- Hyderabad I saw that there were two elevators to take people up and down the mere five floors of the building. One of the elevators had a sign above it- "Only for Senior Officers" and the sign on the other elevator read, "For Junior officers and others". The senior officers' elevator had a policeman posted in front of it to see to that no one else boarded the elevator; and when an exalted official boards the elevator, the guard on duty would spare the officer of the drudgery of pressing the relevant button to take him to his destination floor. An old man who had to wait for a long time for his turn to get into the overworked and overcrowded, "Junior officers and others" elevator, commented that class and caste can never be banished from the Indian psyche. The signs reeked of the stench of the typical Indian babudom where an officer of higher rank exists in a rarefied atmosphere; and thus cannot travel in the same lift with his juniors !!! leave alone with outsiders and common public.
This babudom seems to be the hallmark of all fields in India. Look at the haughty countenance of a Member of Parliament or a Member of Legislative assembly or a bureaucrat; and a picture of royalty flashes in front of one's eyes. A dash of arrogance, the discourtesy in talking or the aloof air in communicating or their outright rudeness makes one wonder about the training of these politicians and officers; and above all their pious intention of serving the people. Again, I will have to concede that there are exceptions who baffle by their utmost humility.
In the capital city of my country, one often sees the bureaucrats in charge of cultural bodies being idolised as the Maharajas or even as Gods by artists; as they are the ones who dole out largess at their whim and fancy; often oblivious of today's concerns of art and culture and the vision or the mandate of the bodies they run.
There is a hierarchy other than that of a guru and sishya (the teacher and the student) in dance and other arts. The high and mighty in arts are distinguished not often by their superlative art but by how well connected they are or how many boards or committees they grace as members/advisors and the awards they are decorated with. They are the royalty of arts! Or are they the babudom of arts? Is arts untouched by the syndrome of " Senior Officers only"?
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