Sridevi

                                                SRIDEVI

                

What a sad and sudden demise! Was shocked on Feb.25, 2018 morning when TV flashed a news that the  first lady superstar of the Bollywood, Sridevi had breathed her last in the previous night. I joined my job on Aug16, 1963 and she was born only three days before that. From zero figure to  skin texture, dancing talent, charming face and dialogue delivery, she appeared to be a complete heroine  and justifiably the heartthrob of the millions of cinegoers. Most of the films, she acted in, proved box office hits. Despite being married with two children, Bony Kapoor, like Dharmendra-Hema, became mad in her love and that ultimately culminated into the marriage. The couple have two daughters, the elder one already in shooting for her debut film. Unfortunately, Bony, who got coupled twice, still stands a widower.

There are many stories behind this unexpected death. There was not any family history nor any cardiac complication ever complained by her. Since she left the film at the height of her career of her own choice, there was no room for any depression. Her last appearance, after the break was MOM in which also she shone to the extent of making it a bloclbuster. She was eager to see her daughter’s film released. Still, the mysterious death did not have any mercy for this hawa hawai.

People, close to this matchless heroine of yesteryears, share that her over zealousness to maintain the figure and avoid signs of ageing, might have brought her end. The media reports say that she underwent 39 cosmetic surgeries to keep her sagging fleshes tight. Her weakness for making up lips repeatedly might have taken its toll as well. We hope that the husband and other family members may throw more light on this aspect. Anyway, now she is no more and we honestly pray for peace to the departed soul.

  MITHILA RAJYA

              -Dr. Bageshwar  Jha

The demand for a separate state for more develop,ent and better prospects, is a genuine demand of any Maithil. Already several linguistic groups campaigned and succeeded in achieving their separate state, latest being Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. Out of them, the longest struggle was undergone by the erstwhile South Bihar people, who pursued their cause for over half a century, occasionally turning violent. For some five years, the hill people of UP became vociferous enough, giving indications of insurgency to achieve their cause.

Today, some other linguistic and cultural groups/regions including Mithilanchal are feeling highly concerned over this demand. Out of them, the more significant struggle is by the Nepali people of Darjeeling and Kalimpong for their separate Gorkhaland. They have turned insurgent. In whole West Bengal, Darjeeling was the only parliamentary seat from where the BJP candidate, a Sikh from Bihar could win ignoring the prevailing wind in the rest of the state. This revolt againts Mamata Banerjee is visible for last over one year throwing all activities to haywire. No solution is visible yet but at the same time Gurkhas, braving all odds, are relentless. I am sure, no govt. can afford to ignore this popular demand indefinitely. The ongoing movement is definitely hampering public order, but amid rocklike unity of the people, the state govt, despite being presently reluctant, will have to succumb. This is democracy in which pressure groups, euphemistically known as votebanks, can compel the vote seeking politicians to concede the demand as a precondion.

In this backdrop, let all of us introspect our commitment to the cause. Has anybody been arrested or killed in police firing while strongly pressing for  the demand? Are we having any rocklike unity? Who is our sole leader? Have we so far reposed faith in any acceptable leadership which can steer through the movement? Unfortunately, by nature one element viz. lack of working in unison, has crept into our DNA. We love to blow our own carnate and drum. If somebody ventures to take a lead, others will simply pull his legs. Our society abounds in critics and lacks in constructive elements. These days see the FACBOOK. You will find multiple of posts giving an indication of a pro-Mithila whirlwind. They are the people who do not purchase Maithili publications, do not devote any time for the demand, do not agree with the policies of even genuine people, do not study to keep themselves informed and leave no opportunity to decry others.

As individuals, traditional sharp Maithils are brilliant in all fields, they have opportunity to operate. But somehow we have inbuilt propensity to work in a group. I have no individual agenda, and being on the wrong side of the age also lack the enthusiasm for such involving activities. Even if nobody comes to me for any suggestion, I shall be happy enough simply seeing the Maithils unitedly surging ahead to the so espoused destination. I am highly optimistic, so much so that sometimes I feel that the success is round the corner. My Lord listen.

GLOBAL PHENOMENON

       

Of late, I have been watching a trend in the country for blatantly decrying the authorities for even petty issues, as if the individuals have no role in improving the rot. Earlier I had written a post here, quoting a reputed Western politician, which already also had been told by Swami Vivekanand that instead of asking what the govt. is doing, we should ask ourselves what we are doing for the nation. Despite that, the fashion of projecting himself as a progressive citizen, one points out failings of the institutions. For highlighting such views, the social media is a platform, accessible to all with the freedom to post anything irresponsibly. This morning, when I pondered over this scenario, a question struck me, is it exclusive to India or a global phenomenon?

          In retrospect, I thought about several AIfro-Asian and Latin American countries who got freedom from foreign rule in last say about a century of time. Since the French Revolution, we have seen the unchallengeable might of the public. When the people at large unitedly stand for a cause, no autocratic might can sustain the pressure. For doing so, the people have a common goal for which they set aside their petty considerations and join hand for a covetable common objective. But once the colonial rulers are chased away and the power comes to the hands of the natives, the priorities change almost to the extent of a nosedive.

          The political and economic condition of such a newly independent country is pathetic as the colonial power had already made it pauper. This obviously leads to a situation of uncertainty in which the men of status become suspicious of their surroundindings and become extremely cautious of their own existence. They lose faith even in comrades who struggled hand in hand for freedom. You can have the example of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar and several others, who united under JP umbrella against the Emergency and once Mrs. Gandhi was discarded by the voters, they indulged in mutually internecine legpulling. An unending process of petering out of the Janata Dal ensued with the result that JP’s Janata Dal has hid in the pages of history. The name sake JD, led by Subramanian Swamy has recently merged with the BJP.

          In an atmosphere of political and economic uncertainty, two important developments take place. Firstly, the leaders do not have any faith in their fellowmen and so while distributing power, they either prefer their own family members or prefer some yesmen. Take example of Bihar. For Lalu, despite several senior party colleagues, the chair goes to Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti, Tej Pratatap and Tejaswi. Even a trusted lieutenant like Ram Kripal Yadav was ignored to favour Misha while allotting Patna Lok Sabha seat. Ram Vilas had to depend on his son to take charge of his party. Mulayam with eight family members grabbed all important positions. Karunanidhi family in Chennai does not permit any outsider to share the fruit of power. The same story is true about Delhi, Mumbai and Srinagar.

          The second aspect is that the leaders are afraid of their wealth getting lost in the prevailing political situation being in a flux. So they run in search of tax havens with secrecy provisions where their earning could be safe. It is this pressing psyche in neo-independent countries that the peers siphon their cash through hawala or other channels to the banks of Switzerland, Panama, Mauritius and so on. These countries become rich without doing any business with these foreign funds stacked in their coffer.

          In this backdrop, this global phenomenon takes root when eveyrbody wants to turn opulent overnight. Eveyrbody sits idle and blames others for any loophole, where the individual has only one job of abusing the govt. even for flood, storm, earthquake and other natural calamities caused by greenhouse effect. We believe, that in the time to come, the situation will get settled when the mutual trust will revive and there will be a new dawn in India.

          

Except Sanatanis, most of other religions are having an overriding agenda to convince others.. Let us briefly postmortem these fantastic claims.

                                    

                                      This Conversion

We the followers of the Sanatan Dharm, believe - स्वधर्मेनिधनश्रेय: परधर्मो भयावह। this message is for all that it is better to die with his own faith because other's religion is dreadful. Therefore, we feel surprised over some other faithfuls converting the innocent followers of other cults. Can anybody convince me that the Christian missionaries are globally operating to serve mankind? 8 Definitely they do that, but that is the facade to cover-up their hidden agenda of conversion. Ask them why conversion? If they convince the gullible that the gates of heaven are open to only Christians, any reasonable person can dispose it of as a pure and simple lie. In that case already all space must have been occupied by the Europeans in heaven.

The evangelists also trumpet that the Christianity stands for peace. Yet another hogwash. In 18th and 19th centuries, the Jesuit colonisers had unchallenged rule over entire Afro-Asian and Latin American countries. Those countries underwent massive incidents of conversion. Where is that peace? Instead they forced two devastating world wars on humanity. Were those wars waged by a Hindu or a Buddhist or a Jain?

There is yet another faith exhorting conversion. They say that only their faith is true and so it is the duty of faithful’s to convert infidels by persuasion or forcefully. Wherever Islam is preponderant, other religious minorities are not tolerated One has to see to believe the plight of Hindu refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Kashmir. The Kashmir Valley has no Pandits now and one generation of them were born and have been brought up in tents. Still they claim that their religion stands for love and fraternity. I saw Muslims of Kashmir feeling proud of Dilip Kumar, Muhammad Rafi and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Yesterday 46 fatwas were pass by mulla's against a 16-year girl of Assam for singing. Earlier an orchestra concert of young girls in Kashmir was ridiculed by such mandarins. Following their blind faith they forget that India is a democratic country where the Constitution has upper hand. It gives certain fundamental rights to citizens which cannot be snatched under any frivolous religious excuses.

To conclude, revert to the above quoted shloka which appreciated one to remain inside his faith. It further warned that the pasture on the other side may not be greener.

Plot and Bargain

PLOT AND BARGAIN

                                      -Bageshwar  jha

Rajendra Kumar, IAS and former Chief Secretary, Delhi Govt. has written a long letter seeking VRS. In the letter he has charged that at the instance of the Centre, the CBI was pressurizing him to provide materials to implicate Arvind Kejriwal. When he flatly refused to be a party to this nefarious plot, the agency raided his premises both official and domestic to concoct stories to involve him in prolonged legal battle which will not only harm him but also tarnish the image of the Chief Minister. Though the CBI has outright called it false, the issue is hovering in the corridors of power.

The real story is that this plot story is carved out of a bargain between Kumar and the AAP supremo. Kumar knows that even if he successfully fought the legal battle, by the time such a favourable court decision came, he would have retired long back. In this backdrop, he did not see any silver lining in his career graph. Then came the bargain. The AAP wanted him to go public vocally against Modi and the CBI before saying goodbye to his job. If he obliged the AAP, he would be favourably considered for a berth in the Rajya Sabha from where he could take his battle to a larger canvas. This offer appears to have attracted the bureaucrat. Thus by putting in his papers, he has started unwinding his plot story.

Now one thing is sure, Kumar is slated to be a MP/RS on AAP’s sponsorship. Will by then the public at large be aware of the underlying truth of the plot and bargain theories?   

MUSEUM IS DEAD

                                               

Fortunately for last nearly 25 years, the museum movement in India has been gaining ground very fast. Besides the opening of new museums, in their outreach programmes, major ones among them stage conferences, seminars and discussions on important themes of museology, which by far creates much needed awareness in the public at large.  After all the public involvement is a challenge for the museum professionals. If the museum fails to attract the mass, it has failed in its mission, I think.

In this connection, in a lecture series, one programme was held at the local Habitat Centre on Sept. 17, 2016 on the theme entitled “The Dynamics of Culture Conservation: Institution Building Practices at BLD Museum and INTACH”. The prominent speakers were Jyotindra Jain, former Director, National Crafts Museum and Tasneen Zakaria Mehta of Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum. While delivering his lecture, Mr. Jain commented, “Museum is dead” which has baffled me. What did he mean? Has any new definition of museum been coined? We are not aware.

Since the covering newspaper report is laconic, one has to depend on his conjecture. We know that in the present age of technology and fast communications, the traditionally known areas of museum have been encroached upon. TV, Smart phone, internet, parks etc are attracting crowds which normally was in the museum kitty. Moreover, these media are in ones pocket to provide instant information. So who will spare a day to visit a museum? If the speaker referred to these, he was right, but only partly.

Like the above gadgets, the museum as such has also undergone a sea change. It is no more generally known ‘ajaibghar’. A couple of years back, the Museums Association of India, in its Patna annual conference had the theme of use of technology in museum. I remember that my presentation was entitled “Go Tech to save museum from wreck”. To cope with the changing situations, the museum field has also started adopting technology and diversifying its activities to embrace the common man. Moreover, since it has strongly been established over the years that the museum is also a centre for education, more and more writers, journalists, researchers and authors have jumped upon its bandwagon to explore this new and interesting subject.

In this light I feel that the museum is not dead. It is very much alive and kicking and will remain committed to the service of the community.

AGE OF PARALLELISM

For nearly last 50 years I have been observing that the society has refused to continue with the previous single track approach to its activities. Like the parallel economy, in other walks of life also this parallelism has strongly developed and by all probabilities appears to stay. Why we prefer to this approach ? What are the losses and gains of this new practice ? It is our duty to sit and think over. I am afraid, if we gave it a long rope, it will ultimately hamstring the primary institutions.
Previously, we sent our wards to government schools as there was no concept of any other alternative. Then came the so-called public schools which are practically private. They charge higher fees and teach in English medium. Still today in India, the general understanding is that a good knowledge of English opens the door of success. Particularly for competitive examinations, this foreign language becomes a decisive factor. Moreover, getting the children admitted in a public school also enhances the social status of their parents. Consequently, this experiment proved to be a booming business. Today parents run from pillar to post to get their children admitted to any reputed public school for which they have to shell out a good part of their hard earned money. The thing does not stop here only. Despite being in a good school, in the present age of cut throat competition, the parents send the students to coaching classes for better results. Coaching has developed into an industry today. Coaching is available right from class I to post-graduation and for civil service examinations and other professional lines like medical, engineering etc. In this race, the mother institution is left behind and the parents are getting impoverished.
If you come to health sector, once again this parallel practice has weakened the established  system. Government hospitals, which were previously the mainstay for all, is now meant for only have-nots. Anybody of some status goes to a private hospital. Since the fashion of cashless treatment is made available by the employers, or CGHS card rebate is permissible, the beneficiaries invariably will run to a private hospital where the accommodation is hygienic, crowd is less and even the doctors are amicable and more responsive. This private treatment has also run into menace of parallelism due to greedy behavior of several doctors. They will see the patients and advise them to come to their own clinic for special attention. Even otherwise, they will force the patients for tests to a particular laboratory which will give commission to the doctor.
Today for every other services like Aadhaar card, passport, election i/card, ration card, paying telephone and electricity bills etc services are available in the open market. You have not to go to the concerned offices having huge crowds and incooperative officials. This parallel service has its own drawbacks. The govt. officials deliberately avoid doing work because the agents will give them commission. Most of them in a telephone office, I have seen playing cards in the nearby lawns for three hours. In such a situation, work culture becomes a misnomer. What about the post office? The parallel courier service has made it redundant. Similarly mobile phone has replaced landline. Money transfer in banks has made moneyorder a thing of past.
I once again wish people to think over this developing parallelism or alternativism to decide its relevance to the society. For some comfort or false satisfaction, are we not killing the basic institutions?