Encroachment on the Body

In spite of protests, public disapproval, and quite a number of laws, encroachment is a regular affair in India. Enforcement of laws is very weak, political interference hampering it more often than not. We have encroachment on public land and private property, forest land and sandy beaches, mighty hills and resourceful rivers, and on so many other fronts. But now we have crossed all civilized barriers. If the not so distant past and very recent events are an indication, we are a society that is increasingly trampling on the last frontier of life itself: the human body.

The Guwahati incident of the molestation of a teenage girl by a crowd of males in full public view was a matter of shame. Irrespective of the circumstances of time and place in which the incident occurred, the assault has been condemned all over, and rightly so. The alleged culprits have been arrested. The electronic media has displayed the incident to one and all. The argument is that by recording and displaying, the arrest of the culprits has been facilitated which might not have been easy otherwise. The question of the incident itself having been orchestrated by the television channel is being investigated.  Shock and shame, it has brought about. But has there been any restraint on those others with a similar criminal bent of mind? The answer is an emphatic no.

While the public condemnation of the first incident is still being aired and printed, another similar, even worse, incident has taken place near Maddur railway station in Karnataka, where a teenage girl was sexually harassed by four young men. Lewd remarks along with attempts to molest have been attributed to the group of four.  When the girl protested and threatened to inform the police, they are reported to have grabbed her and pushed her out of the moving train. The girl survived the fall only because she fell on the dry bed  of the Shimsha river, as reported in a leading national daily. The co-passengers watched the ugly scene without making any attempt to stop the incident.

In both the above cases, in quick succession, the group of men became more aggressive, instead of restraining themselves, after the girls protested and went on the defensive. Was their big but weak male ego hurt by the resistance? Or was it mob behavior where decency is dead? Where one mob attacks and the larger mob watches the tamasha?  In both cases there was none that stood up to stop the encroachment on the human body of the victim! After the incident in the train, the other passengers are said to have beaten up the culprits, and reported the matter to the police. If not for the dry river bed on which she fell, the poor girl might have been dead. This happened in Karnataka, where the infamous Ram Sena is active in defending culture in an uncultured manner. It would be in the fitness of things if the Sena could do something to tame the wild instincts of the molesters among men before targeting women. I would then recommend the Sena for a national bravery award for protecting our culture.

It happens many times, in many places, that those serving the nation in defense and police establishments encroach on the rights and dignity of those they are paid to protect and defend. Another teenage girl would have become the target of molestation allegedly by personnel from the army in the Sivasagar area of  Assam if not for the villagers who intervened to stop the evil. The inhabitants of remote Indian villages have traditionally shown more courage in defending their dignity and pride while the rest of us only  display our indignation.

The three incidents, I have mentioned above, are only indicative. The malaise is deeper and much more widespread. Those who travel in  crowded buses and overcrowded trains know better than words can tell. It is a daily nightmare for some, specially in the cities and towns. We have never taken this form of encroachment with the seriousness that it deserves. Our laws are archaic and full of loopholes. Our law enforcement agencies are far, far below normal expectations. It is only citizen’s groups, non-government organizations and the powerful media that can take up the public cause, and force the authorities to respond. It is happening in Sivasagar, Assam. More than twenty organizations have come forward to protest in an unusual way against the government for not punishing the army personnel involved in the molestation. The hope lies in more and more people getting involved in demonstrating their solidarity for a just cause.

Public intervention and protest are important, but these alone may not solve the problem. We  also need to look into our way of life and the ways of the media.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 29.07.2012 

Opposition Leaders Down Memory Lane

The monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly is on.  With the opposition yet to take off, it looks to be a tame affair. The opposition has to be strong if a democracy is to function properly. Strong does not imply that it has to be obstructive or destructive. The best situation is when the opposition is firm, persistent, vibrant and yet constructive: a sign of hope to those who are not happy with the government, to those who are looking for future alternatives. It doesn’t have to depend on numbers. One man can make the difference as has been amply shown in the past. In our present assembly, we are still looking for that one man. However, I must admit, that at least two legislators have shown some potential so far.

The government has been doing quite well till now. And the honeymoon phase with the people is still on. Nevertheless, the opposition members must look around with eagle eyes to find out people’s problems and point them out in the assembly. Perhaps the opposition MLAs, especially the ones who were ministers in the last government, are afraid that for every finger that they point out, three fingers may point back at them. Such a condition makes the opposition ineffective. But it can also make the government complacent, rather than keeping it on its toes. The end result is a government which is not at its best, and therefore the people do not receive the best.

Goa has never had a dearth of leaders in the opposition for the last forty-eight and  half years since the first assembly was elected in December 1963. The greatest of them was the Leader of Opposition in Goa’s first Legislative Assembly, Dr Jack de Sequeira. The numerical division was  ideal for the house, eighteen on the ruling side and twelve in the opposition. Dr Sequeira was not only an opposition leader in the house, but also outside the house among the people because the issues on the agenda were very crucial to Goa and its future. Goa’s first Chief Minister Dayanand  Bandodkar was also a leader of the masses. The issue of Goa’s merger with Maharashtra was of epical proportions, and the pro and anti merger leaders, Bandodkar and Sequeira, were also looked upon as larger than life by the people.

Dr Sequeira continued to be the leader of the opposition till the time of split in his United Goans Party during the third term of the assembly in mid nineteen-seventies, and even after that as an eminent leader of his own group and of the Janata Party from 1977 to 1979. That was the longest stint of any opposition leader in Goa stretching over sixteen years, and Dr Sequeira played it to the hilt.

 Anant Narcinva Naik, of United Goans Party and later the Congress Party, was an effective opposition leader in the second half of nineteen-seventies. Madhv R Bir, elected on the Janata Party ticket from Panaji in 1977, also played an effective role in the opposition during his short tenure of two years. When the Congress captured power in 1980, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak  Party  was reduced to seven MLAs, and further to just two after a group of five deserted the party to join the ruling Congress. Ramakant Khalap led his MGP group of two in a thirty member house, playing a significant opposition role. The opposition ranks swelled in 1983 when Dr Wilfred de Souza formed the Goa Congress with nine MLAs, having split from the Congress which he had led to victory for the first time in Goa. Luizinho Faleiro and Herculano Dourado became the leading voices of the opposition though Dr Wilfred was the leader. It must be noted that Dr Wilfred has not been as much of a vocal opposition leader in the Assembly as he has been outside of it, performing political operations to change governments with surgical skills.

The December 1984 elections brought in the independent MLA Uday Bhembre, known for his oratory, and MGP MLA Dr Kashinath Jalmi, known for his sharp criticism. Both these new MLAs, along with Luizinho Faleiro and Ramakant Khalap, played a leading role in opposition to the ruling Congress. In fact, Khalap and Jalmi raised the pitch for the MGP so much that their party almost won the November 1989 elections.

After the 1989 Assembly elections, defections and manipulations became the order of the day. We had so many chief ministers and opposition leaders during the nineteen nineties. Nothing significant happened during this period.  In November 1994, the Bharatiya Janata Party entered the assembly. Manohar Parrikar began to make his mark in the opposition benches. He achieved high ratings as an opposition leader. When Parrikar became the chief minister in 2000, Dayanand Narvekar became one of the leading voices in the opposition. Pratapsingh Rane was never impressive as the leader of the opposition. When the Congress came back to power in 2005, Parrikar once again played the role of the leader of opposition, winning for himself the people’s acclaim and subsequently a victory in March 2012.

As a tailpiece, I must mention Mathany Saldanha who was a natural opposition leader all his life. But he never played the opposition role in the assembly as he was on the side of the ruling BJP during his membership of the assembly, and was disqualified by the speaker when the Congress came to power midway. His disqualification was set aside by the judiciary subsequently, but we missed his voice in the opposition ranks in the assembly.

The opposition in Goa needs to be revived after a short lull. Those who have shown the potential must rise to the occasion. As in the past, the people of Goa will not only applaud but will reward them at the right time.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 22.07.2012 

Presidential Perspectives

The office of the President of the Republic of India is the highest in the country. The person occupying the Rashtrapati Bhavan is the head of state while the prime minister is the head of  the executive wing of the government. The president is expected to be above politics and should not be involved in party politics. He is the final authority to make decisions about whom to invite to form the government whenever there is a split verdict in the parliamentary elections or a political crisis arises due to subsequent splits and/or realignments during the five-year term. He deserves our highest respect and the presidential election process should be conducted with the highest decorum.

I do not wish to say that the best of persons have always occupied the chair. But whatever may be our opinion of the person, the personal view should not cloud our respect for the highest office. In case the person falls from grace or does  something unworthy of his constitutional status, there is an elaborate process of impeachment by the parliament, which has never been required to be used so far.

The presidential elections have always been interesting in our country even though the citizens have no voting right, the electoral college being limited only to members of parliament and state legislatures. The debate in the media has traditionally  been of high standards to enlighten the citizenry rather than to determine results. Even this year, various views were expressed as to what type of president we should have, whether he should be a person from the political field or an eminent apolitical personality. Intellectuals, political leaders, opinion leaders in the media, and many others expressed their opinions in a healthy way. A number of good names were suggested for the presidency, some excellent. The atmosphere became a little vitiated only after the ruling and opposition parties declared their respective candidates.

It may be useful to go through some unsavory aspects in the public discourse in the current election rather than sweep the same under the carpet. The first breach of confidentiality happened when Mamata Banerjee, after meeting Sonia Gandhi, declared to the world the names of the presidential candidates that the latter had told her in a confidential exercise to ascertain views and build up consensus for the candidate that the UPA would have to put up. There was no decorum in this, and it became worse when Banerjee  met Mulayam Singh Yadav, and the two of them rushed to the press to declare their presidential candidates in a preferential order. Sonia Gandhi had to cut short her confidential exercise, and the UPA had to declare their candidate Pranab Mukherjee almost a week in advance.

P A Sangma had  been advocating his own cause for quite some time. Being an important member of the NCP, he was perhaps trying his luck at being the candidate of UPA, the ruling combination of which NCP is a part and in which his daughter Agatha Sangma is a minister. When his party, the NCP, made it clear that he did not have its backing, he persisted in his ambition seeking the support of other parties.  Having secured the support of AIDMK in Tamil Nadu and BJD in Odisha, he walked straight into the opposition camp seeking support of the NDA through the BJP. Since the latter did not have a candidate after former president Abdul Kalam declined to contest, Sangma was successful in obtaining the backing of the NDA sans JD(U) of Bihar and Shiv Sena of Maharashtra, both offering their support to Mukherjee.

Sangma  first said it will require a miracle for him to win the elections but now he says the miracle will take place. He has failed in getting Mukherjee disqualified by the returning officer on grounds of still holding an office of profit. Having failed in this attempt, his campaign managers and the BJP now accuse Mukherjee of having resigned from the office of profit with a forged signature. Does that mean forging one’s own signature? When in Mumbai for his campaign, Sangma  is reported to have said that the Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used as a “dumping ground for the failed Finance Minister”.  He is also reported to have commented on Salman Khurshid’s remarks regarding his own party, the Congress. Should a presidential candidate pass comments about internal matters of other political parties? Was he not, till a month back, the member of a party which is in alliance with the Congress? I don’t like many things about the UPA but I appreciate their tolerance. Sangma’s daughter continues to be a minister in the UPA.

I like the way Pranab Mukherjee has conducted himself as a presidential candidate. As Yeshwant Sinha of the BJP  has said in a signed article in a national paper, no one had anything bad to say about Mukherjee as long as he was the Finance Minister, but after his resignation he is being blamed for the economic situation of the country.  Sinha has said that the Prime Minister can not absolve himself from the policies of the finance ministry as he is privy to the same. I shall not delve further into this except to say that Mukherjee has not fallen prey to this or any other criticism, but maintained his equanimity.  

I hope the pettiness generated during the polls will be a matter of the past, and that we will have a great President whom we can all look up to.




Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 15.07.2012 

From Green to Gold

We are in the middle of the monsoons. From the time of eagerly waiting for the rains to the time of wanting a little sunshine. And soon we will be looking for the rains to fade away so that we can have our seasons in the sun. If we look at the main occupations and industries in Goa, this is the time when agriculture is in the prime, education is in the forward mode, healthcare professionals are busy with seasonal diseases on the increase, and mining, fishing and tourism industries are in the slow mode but gearing up for the oncoming season. The common factor is that all are looking forward. In a sense, as our green fields turn golden colour, all of us in Goa will start striking our own little gold in various ways and proportions. Let us hope the mother of them all, our farming occupation, will be the first to reap a good harvest.

Farming needs more encouragement and fields need more protection. In the present times and circumstances, farming is not a lucrative business. We somehow manage to meet our food requirements from other states. Labour is expensive but machines are gradually taking over. We are in a transitory phase. What is not lucrative today may become profitable tomorrow. And even if not profitable, farming may become absolutely necessary due to climatic and other ecological changes. We do not know what the future will hold. That is why it is important, I repeat, to encourage agriculture and protect fields even if they do not yield much and are temporarily left fallow.

The builders and the construction industry are perennially eying the fields of Goa. It looks like they are itching to destroy our fields permanently for their own profits. Yes, there is a demand for housing. But most of it is for second homes and mere investment in real estate. Should the people of Goa allow the destruction of their fields, a natural heritage, to satisfy the greed of a few? We need to speak loud and clear in our gram sabhas, through our media, and directly to our politicians who are collaborators in the destruction of our beloved Goa. The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) is doing a good job, ever on the alert. Those who want to save Goa must support and join movements like GBA, and not national political parties which afflict your vocal chords making you dumb. The new disease is called party discipline. The remedies for this disease  are either resignation  or expulsion from the party to regain your independent golden voice.

The argument goes that it is not in the interest of our economy to keep fields uncultivated. I agree, and therefore say ad infinitum that government should encourage farming. But if it is not viable to do farming at this point of time, then our khazan lands and fields should be treated as any other investments for future. They may not be productive now but have a great potential for food productivity in the future, specially if and when there may be food crisis. Our khazan lands should be treated as our heritage. The Regional Plan 2021 had taken care of this aspect. And by the way, are not second homes that are closed for ten to eleven months and investment flats that are left unoccupied, are not these and other white elephants economically unproductive and ecologically harmful? They only turn more and more of Goa into a concrete jungle, changing for the worse her natural characteristics.

Tourism is an important industry in Goa. The monsoons used to be an off season for tourism. Now it is gradually changing as we see an increasing number of Indian tourists in Goa these days. The tourism industry may speak of the friendly people of Goa in its advertisements, presentations and brochures. Yes, we are friendly. But that is not the reason why tourists come to Goa. They come here to enjoy the beauty of Goa with the sun, sea and sand in summer, the greenery during monsoons, and the green turning gold between the two seasons. If we turn the green into cement grey and our ever green trees into concrete structures, then we will kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

Whether in agriculture or tourism, health or happiness, our gold lies hidden in the green. 

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 08.07.2012 

The First Priority

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has taken various initiatives during the almost four months of his government ruling in Goa. Most of his initiatives have been good. Some could have been delayed. I am not evaluating the performance yet, but only wish to point out that much more attention should be given  to the first priority of any state government: law and order.

The union government of India has four important priorities which are distributed among the four most high profile ministries: home, finance, defense and external affairs.  When it comes to the states, home ministry is very important as maintenance of law and order is the prime duty of the state. That is why the home ministry is traditionally held by the chief minister, at least in Goa. The only exception was during the tenure of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, when Ravi Naik was the home minister. And we all know how undesirable it was as it made Kamat so much less effective. The record of the home department, that has the police under it, was very poor to say the least.  Perhaps some of the mess still continues, and will require much attention from the current CM, who holds the home portfolio.

The UK advisory to their tourists visiting India mentions Goa, along with Delhi and Rajasthan, as a place where they should be on guard.  Thefts, sexual assaults and stray dogs have been highlighted as reasons for being cautious in Goa.  Now our government and the tourist industry may attribute ulterior motives and vested interests for this travel advisory. They may put up a brave front and even go in denial mode. These are the usual responses on expected lines. But it is important that our establishments accept the unsavory truth, and do something immediate and effective to correct the faults and improve the situation. I know the CM has many dreams for Goa. He has the goodwill of the people of Goa and four years eight months more to turn his dreams into reality. But improvement of the law and order situation has to be put on a fast track now, without any delay.

The travel advisory apart, the situation is quite bad for the citizens and residents of Goa. The crime rate is high as compared to the past decades. Public assets like telecommunication cable wires and even the humble tube lights are being robbed overnight. This has been happening in some places for quite some time. Burglaries have become so commonplace that there is hardly any surprise when one learns about them. Sexual assaults are ever on the increase. Criminal assaults and murders are reported almost every day.

We have become so familiar with the news of criminal behavior in our newspapers and television that we are no longer shocked by the same. But when something happens in our own locality or within our friend’s circle, then we are indeed shocked and find it difficult to come to terms with reality. That’s what happened to me when I read the news on 26^th June about the criminal assault on my friend Rajiv from Margao. I have known Rajiv for over thirty years ever since we were colleagues. He is characterized by simple living, non-interference and non-violence. I could never have imagined that he would be the victim of such aggression for the sake of a gold chain. He lives alone in his house in the heart of Margao. He does not possess any fancy gadgets or things that attract thieves. That is why he could keep the doors of his house open till late evening, even till 11 pm or later. Born and bred in Margao, he had perhaps never ever thought that he could be the object of aggression in his own home, in his own town. Thanks to the intervention of a professional driver, his life was saved in spite of the deep wounds on his neck, and one of the accused nabbed before boarding the train at the KR  station at Margao.

This incident and so many more in recent times have made us realize how far we have moved from a peaceful and safe Goa to an insecure place of living. The very next day after the attack on Rajiv, there was another case of assault on a businessman inside his office. This happened in Navelim. Earlier a middle aged lady from Baina, Vasco had been found murdered in her own house. What happened in Velim is even more shocking, the grandmother being killed by her own grandchild just for the sake of money.

All these cases make us sit and think: where are we heading?

There are many causes no doubt. All of us need to reflect, study and analyze the changing patterns of our individual and collective behavior. And all of us need to do something at a deeper level to bring about change. But first the government must act urgently by taking hard and harsh measures to halt the rising tide of crime.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 01.07.2012