The Golden Hen

A REVOLUTION IS A CHOICE

 

It was during the release of my Book “Passion for Courage – A Winner’s Creed”, that Lt Gen H B Kala, PVSM, SC, AVSM author of a seminal work on leadership in the army, had ascribed its contents to be cynical. The Book is a compilation of my writings during service and states matters as they were/are, without either air brushing and doing a snow job on the perceptions or else tweaking the facts to give these a subjective interpretation. Neither is the writing judgmental. It simply and forthrightly puts across events and happenings as these occurred in my service career in various ranks and the transgressions, attributed to those who draw authority from the organization, even when the same is not ennobled by principles and military values. When the hedge starts feeding on the lawn, the algorithm perpetuates destruction and results in a veritable disaster, which impinges upon the rights, duties, privileges and interests of all concerned. None comes out better from such happenings and the organizational structure takes an avoidable beating, which insidiously assails its beliefs and culture. That, there were a trail of incidents which involved senior rank officers of the Army and the Armed Forces in venality and financial impropriety and covertly continue to do so, is a testimony to the fact that this is more a matter of an opportunity, when the possibilities of being caught , discovered and punished are remote. Character does not assert its force and influence to prohibit one from acting in an unrighteous manner. This is the reality which obtains in our National scenario, with miniscule exceptions. While this was/is said of the Forces, where the situation is comparatively far better than what exists in the civil environment; and its many functional departments is woeful and pathetic, to say the least. Thus, the palpable contempt for the acceptable standards of morality that, occupy space in our professional, personal and social dealings. Pessimism is a natural consequence of such feelings and cynicism does eke out an existence for itself.

It is in keeping with the same assumption regarding the surmise and events, which continue to delineate, define and shape the course that the country is taking, which are extremely  appalling and disconcerting. Governance, what to talk of it being good? Has become a big liability for those who are in power at the helm, whether in the States or else the Center. Today, Democracy has become our Constitutional fault line, which is working towards the detriment of sustaining India as a Nation State. Political equality, in the absence of social and economic equality has become our albatross, which is slowly but surely taking the country towards a vortex of doom and disaster. The system of government, which we have adopted and lived through with 65 years of our young democracy, is much too evolved and several notches higher than what we are deserving of.  India as a democratic republic is not delivering and working in the manner it ought to. When children die by falling into open boreholes, get poisoned by taking food prepared in schools under government schemes, are malnourished, people die because of potholes on roads, get electrocuted owing to poor construction and drainage on city roads, human life is lost owing to wanton plunder of natural resources that predisposes a catastrophe, sub standard infrastructure causes loss of property and life and a long list of  an apathetic attitude towards the people’s needs and rights; then accountability rests with the government and non other. This and worse has been the state of affairs, which has engulfed the country, ever since corruption got institutionalized and politics criminalized.

The country has slowly but surely become bereft of character, wherein venality is all pervasive and it is more a matter of an exception than a rule, to find righteousness in any walk of public life. The political class and the bureaucracy have prospered in a quagmire of amorality and its nexus with the corporate community has siphoned public money and resources to its exclusive benefit and advantage. Today, we stand divided by religion, caste and class, which has been manipulated in a diabolical game of vote bank politics. The presumption, which many have about India succumbing to a multi faceted implosion that is embedded in its Democratic Republic Government, has a very sanguine possibility to be proved correct. Ours could very well be the case of the “Golden Hen, Which Laid the Golden Egg”. We will destroy the concept of India by subscribing to the nobility of democracy. While other Nations are moving from authoritarianism towards democracy, we have so misused and abused our democracy through our elected representatives that, the converse may well be the preferred choice for India. No more should the people of India tolerate the insensitivity and complete absence of empathy in its elected representatives and the cringing bureaucracy, which provides the edifice to the government. The people must weigh the option of collapsing under the burden of democracy or else nurturing a hope of living in a country , which gives it good governance, even if it is outside the framework of the hallowed panacea of democracy.  

The time has come for the country and its people to come together and rise against the reprehensible ploy of those who are in political power. A revolution could well be the choice that must get exercised, for INDIA to survive.

Brigadier  (retd) S D Dangwal

5339 W 64^th Street

Edina, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439