Murugaram Jayabhrathi - Blog - A crucible to discuss and arrive at ideas for better world - Welcome!

Murugaram Jayabharathi - Blog - A crucible to discuss and arrive at ideas for shaping better individuals, family, society and world - Welcome!

Wednesday 20 February 2008

Towards corruption Free India

Almost all day we read in newspaper about new corruption cases. Almost all departments including judiciary are corrupt today. Even after RTI act governments are opaque and the huge business of corruption is going on.

Committees after committees including law commission and Administrative reform commission have given holistic and innovative administrative and electoral reform recommendation to root out corruption from our country. Passage of bills regarding Lokpal, disqualification of corrupt candidates in election, forfeiture of corrupt property are some of the very basic recommendation. Till today there is no sign of any major initiative by government to implement these recommendations except for the RTI act. Today there is need for poplar national wide “People’s Mission against corruption and for inculcation of honesty in public life” by the people to force the government and political parties to accept the recommendation of various committees and commission. Mission plan to realize the dream follows.

Mission setup needed to realize the goal:

* Existing civil society organizations; retired honest bureaucrats, judges and vigilance official; politician and media should join together to form an umbrella organization or movement to educate the people regarding this important issue.

Action plan for Research wing of the Mission:

* Continuous dedicated research should be carried out by experts to study corruption scenario in the country in all levels of the society and the government

* Detailed case studies and legal case history need to be documents for future use and study.

* Best Practices in anti corruption reform and initiative need to documented and shared

* All India help line need to setup to help people facing corruption.

* Simple Handbook for smooth conduct of Citizen to Government (C to G) and Business to Government (B to G) interaction need to be prepared.

* Public Rating of government organization and functionaries should be carried out

* Sting operation technique need to be fine tuned and help to conduct them also need to be provided

* State, Cities, Town and villages need to ranked in the scale of honesty

* All public servant need to take public pledge to not to take bribe and also to remain honest.

* Basic minimum Code of conduct for all public servants needs to be devised.


Media Campaign:

* All member Newspapers should dedicate a common page or column with same title to report corruption news and information regarding it.

* All member TVs and Radios should all so broadcast dedicated programmes with same title to report corruption news and information regarding it.

* Dedicated national magazine and webpage to report corruption news and information regarding it is needed

* Films, Drama, songs, common mascot, logo, flag, and badge need to be created to convey the message.

* Present Vigilance week need to be celebrated in a big way to increase awareness.

* Public debate regarding reforms need to carried out across India

Action against Corrupt:

* Public apology need to be extracted from the corrupt person.

* Social exclusion need to be bought about for non apologizing person.

* Fund to protect victims of corrupt is needed

* Group of voluntary lawyers need to formed to fight case against corrupt people on behalf of poor people.

* National Award for honest public servant need to given.

* India’s most corrupt public servant need to be ranked and reported

Electoral Reform:

* Political Parties should be asked to include recommended reform measure in their election manifesto

* All reform recommended by various committees need to be implemented in a time bound manner.

* Citizen organized public debate among election candidate to extract electoral promises need to increase.

* Mission Members should adopt and watch individual MLA, MP and bureaucrats on their spending, income and activities.

Educational Activity:

* School syllabus should incorporate information about corruption, its ill effects and laws regarding it.

* All Government job exams should include question regarding anti corruption laws.

* Honesty shop which will not have shop keeper and similar other experiments to inculcate honesty need to tried in school, colleges and offices.

Above action plan for bringing about corruption free India can be realized with active support of all stake holders including media. Corruption free India can alone make India poverty and misery free.

Saturday 16 February 2008

India: Celebrate and Cerebrate

India is changing every second. In many areas we are progressing well and in many other we are losing out, The mood, self confidence and morale of the people – aam admi fluctuated according to the development that takes place around them, As media especially electronic media has profound impact on the people, it projects more of our shortcomings in our society and plays down some of our silent but significant achievement. To garner high TRP ratings they focus on trivial or mundane aspects rather than important issues.

In order to provide confidence and right orientation to aam admi, especially aam youth, media should project those aspects which will give confidence and which will give open personal challenge to youth. It has to not only celebrate success in T20 World cup cricket, but also on successful test of cryogenic engine, Agni III, success of ISRO, young inventors, young entrepreneur, CSIR awardees, Civilian and Military award winners, young collectors, successful young political leaders who didn’t have a great parent to launch oneself and so forth.

Even when showing saddening news or social evil, media should challenge the people, ask them what they individually will do to remove them. It can be Nithari killing, Kidney racket, Sarojini Nagar bomb blast, bird flu attack or climate change. Rather than simply blaming babudom and neta’s, it has to ask the people recognize their personal responsibility and also to take up their cause with babus’s and neta’s.

NCC,NSS, Green Corps, Nehru Yuva Kendra, SPICMACAY ,Scouts and similar other organization and students union should utilize their collective being to project the major achievement of our fellow Indians and also to educate the people about their responsibility towards social and national issue. They can organize little celebration alter India’s or Indian’s achievement equivalent to T20 Victory celebration. Similarly they can organize mourning for every soldier who dies fighting against terrorism, violence against dalit or tribal brethren, for every sister who faces eve teasing or rape…

As of today our media and youth organization can built up cheer group for

* Chandrayan I mission launch, similar to one china organizes for its launch
* Support Indian delegation to WTO and celebrate their victory there for our Indian farmers
* Indian Beijing Olympic contingent’s success
* All women Police contingent to Liberia
* Passage of women reservation bill, lokpal bill etc
* And many more

Enlightened social and political leaders should provide vision and direction to Indian media and youth. They have to boost up morale of Indian people. Have to wake them up to present day problems we face. Once people, especially youth‘s energy is kindled success can only be the result! Common India!!

Friday 15 February 2008

Gandhi's Satyagraha: Solution to our current problems

Satyagraha has simple logic and simple method. It is what we practice with our spouse, children, close relatives and friends every day. When they deviate from what we feel is correct or best,

* we persuade them to understand our view or opinion,
* we educate them,
* we listen to them to understand their view,
* we put across our arguments in a constructive way,
* we protest by blocking them proceed in a wrong way in order to save them,
* we suffer in order to convince them
* we may sometime show anger but not to harm them
* we seek a win-win solution.....

This is what satyagarha is to my understanding in a micro level or at family level. When the same is applied to in a large scale by group of people against another set of people's thought and action it is satyagraha at political level. The basic underlying factor here is 'Love for the opponent and self and for welfare of both'. This only gives the nature and tone to Satyagraha. Only when a person understands the collective good in a demand, he/she will accept it and this is what the task of an satyagrahai has to accomplish by make the other understand.

Now let me list down some of our current problem....

Within India:

* Naxal Violence
* Regionalism in places like Assam, Maharashtra
* Ineffective Implementation of NREGA, RTI etc
* Environmental degradation in various regions
* Violence against Women, unborn girl child, children in general
* Violence against minorities and many more

Across the globe

* Sectarian violence in Srilanka
* Protest for democracy in Pakistan, Myanmar
* East Timor unrest
* Kenyan post poll violence
* Maoist, Madhesi violence in Nepal
* Palestinian problem
* Darfur crisis in Sudan
* Climate Change solutions negotiation
and similar strife around the world..

The issues listed here range from economic to religious and ethnic origin. Each one of them is unique and looks tough to solve satisfactorily for both the parties. But here the point we need to focus is when we can solve this problem we all can live happily.

Here to solve them we need patience, belief in other party, multilateral facilitation, common accepted norm for negotiations and sincere leadership. Steps in this regard can be

* Analysis of the issue in an objective manner by both parties to under stand the root of the problem
* Considering benefits that will accrue to both the parties by accommodation of both parties demand
* Building up support for a accommodative solution, by serious campaign using latest available communication means, individual level door to door campaign, and use of individual sacrifice to convey ones sincerity
* Using necessary force to nullify the armed rebels in order to protect civilian casualties
* Assuring amnesty for armed rebels for acceptance of popular consensus
* Implementation of the plan of resolution under strict supervision of bi-party team of leaders
* Maintenance of the peace and amity through permanent channels of communication

Though the above steps may look general this the essence of the approach that need to be taken in order to solve the present day issues we are facing. If we fail to solve some of the issues of today and leave it for future generation to solve, it can be too late for future generation to exist itself!

Wednesday 13 February 2008

Opportunities for Indian Tourism in Buddhist Circuit

Maha Parinirvan Tour can become one of the most attractive foreign attaction. Similar to Haj, this tour can also help Buddhist from all over world and India to learn and enjoy the bliss in the land of Buddha.
The very fact that government has initiated this tour is good move. With more intensive campaign and enrichment of the tour this tour can attract thousands of devotees from South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia.
Following Steps can be taken to make it real success.
* Make special campaign to attract devotee from South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia.
* Get feedback and experience of earlier tourist who experienced this tour and disseminate this to prospective tourist.
* Incorporate 2-3 days of educative Buddhist discourse with special meditation classes according to Buddhist tradition.
* Similar tour in other Buddhist location in central and South India can be launched.
* Expert Buddhist monks can accompany the tourist all along the journey.
The benefits out of the success of the initiative are immense. Hope India Railways incorporate this and more feature to make it the star attraction of Indian Tourism.