Capt. Shaji Kumar

Category: Politics & Social Issues

  • WHAT NOW….?

    More than a month has passed since the Prime Minister announced a National Lockdown. What Now? Do we continue in this state of suspended animation and continue to dwell ensconced within our respective dwellings? It appears that the respective State Governments do not want to take a chance. A chance with what? It is time that the Government starts work on a broader plan so as to allow the life to go on. Fear of death by Covid-2019 virus would far outweigh the fear of death by starvation. In absence of any lifeline or monetary support each business is left to fend for itself. The roll call at some point will determine as to how many would be left standing.

    In the meeting with Chief Ministers on Monday, the Prime Minister had rightly pointed out that importance needed to be given to the economy as well. It’s high time to walk the talk. There is no way that there is going to be an end game anytime soon as far as this particular virus is concerned. So when is it going to be the right time? Whatever, the diktats that may be given there is bound to be a massive fallout if this lockdown restrictions is not lifted and things allowed to resume post 03 May 2019. Yes this is definitely a risk that no State Government can avoid. People have become wiser and as adults, all the sane ones would follow the NEW Normal. We will forget what the Old Normal was. There was a logic to the first and even the second lockdown…but to nurture the thought of a Third…will most definitely be catastrophic and maybe even more devastating than the deaths which will be caused by the Covid-2019 virus.

    This undoubtedly is a crisis situation. When you’re in the midst of a crisis, it can be hard to think past your short-term response. Lockdown is indeed that – a short-term response. But, the primary focus of leaders should be on the long term. After all, it is their job to lead people into the best possible future. But their diverse army of experts now marched out a phalanx of hypotheses to explain the consequences.

    The People have been made adequately aware of the grave consequences this particular virus is empowered to inflict. Trust the people to handle the situation from hereon. Provide them with support and guidance. Locking them up in homes is definitely not a solution anymore. When it was right it was right, but now it is overdoing it. The virus isn’t going to go anytime soon, that is for sure. We just need to adapt to the NEW Normal. As Bill Joy, the brilliant thinker and engineer reminded us, “great medicines have saved lives, but it’s the simpler things, like clean water, proper hygiene and a cleaner way of life that have saved the most lives”. We are quickly learning what is causing our immune systems to react. Social distancing works but it’s a temporary answer. Lack of testing will haunt us but it will be solved over a period of time. Ventilators and hospitals will be better equipped and in a better state of readiness. We will see patterns on how to treat, or vaccinate, or both. In the meantime, there are ways to beat the virus and return to versions of a normal life. Masks hold the promise of protection at a minimum, and eradication at best. Just as there is a lot about the virus we don’t understand, there’s a lot about how it spreads we don’t understand. It can peter out and come back. It can weaken over time.

    Work From Home may become a norm in times to come at least for some time, not as a forced one but as a way of life in the future. We can see the multiple benefits of such an arrangement. What can be done for the IT Industry, can be adapted to other verticals as well. But we just need to take this calculated risk. Some collateral damage is imminent, however comparatively it will be worth the chance. However, we can just wait and watch as the decision makers have to take that call..

  • LOCKDOWN…Season 2…Coming Soon.

    At the end of this ordeal whenever that might be, we may find it rather constraining as habits would have been considerably altered. Think of it as how the birds who have been caged since birth would react when eventually released. At the moment, this seems to be the only plausible solution that Leaders of every Country across the Globe can think off. LOCKDOWN…Shut the doors on the Virus. What if this tiny “virus” like a  seasoned hunter stalking and waiting patiently for humans to open their doors and come out!!

    LOCKDOWN…Season 2 may start as soon as Season 1 gets over.

    Is this the only solution? What do I know, I am just thinking aloud. Is this a solution at all. As children, many a times when we got scared we just used to shut our eyes and everything will be normal. The present situation and the solutions may just be something akin. For how long will we keep ourselves shut out from reality. Maybe, plans should be devised for a frontal attack, rather than playing hide and seek. We have over the years across the World, spent so much resources on R&D and in creating solutions to fight all kinds of warfare – conventional, biological, nuclear etc, and only to be defeated by a virus – which like an “insider” hitched a ride and spread across the Universe.

    As the spread of the virus is fast gaining momentum so are the “forecasts” made by Astrologers and seers who had this epidemic in their radar and had foretold its outbreak and the fatal consequences. We have tried a couple of solutions over the last few weeks (results awaited), while our beloved neighbouring Country has as usual started threatening their medical fraternity with dire consequences with a gun held to their head (as reported in The Guardian), and even the all mighty Super Boss has started delivering direct threat of grave consequences in case we did not part with a portion of a particular drug which he feels is the ultimate “Brahma-astra”. We let him come visit and he went back with all our secrets.

  • Taking care of our senior citizens.

    What other developed Countries are already experiencing will sooner than later be applicable for India as well. As a nation we need to focus on capacity building at the grassroot level in order to use technology to successfully address the needs of our ageing population. Growing old is as natural a phenomenon as being born – a fact that we must all gracefully accept. However, it can become an issue in the absence of proper care, love and support from family. Thanks to the advancement of medical science, life expectancy is expected to increase further to 75+ over the next few decades.

    The government in 2017 had announced that it will come up with a new programme under which NGOs will take care of senior citizens, who are living alone, at their homes, besides bringing in a law to provide day care facility. There are about 100 million senior citizens in the country based on 2011 census. The current senior citizen population is expected to more than double to 300 million to constitute 20 per cent of the population in the next three decades. With a rapidly growing senior citizens, India is faced with the mammoth task of providing basic senior-friendly urban infrastructure.

    Organised Caregiver Communities

    These days most aged people are left alone at home, confined to solitude with minimal care and support, while their adult children are out at work. According to a study, 64 per cent of senior citizens living in an urban setup fall prey to loneliness and depression. The loss of physical independence along with mental and societal insecurities due to retirement or death of a partner can take a toll on the elderly as well.

    Caregiver communities: will offer independent living for senior citizens through senior-friendly infrastructure and trained personnel for elder care. The care-givers help with daily chores, medication and movement so as to make the seniors feel secured, empowered and cared for and can lead a stress-free life in a amicable social environment.

    Home Care

    Most senior citizens do not want to leave the comfort of their home even when faced with chronic ailments. Under such circumstances home-based care becomes crucial. There is a need to offer specially trained nursing and support assistance to the elderly at home. These professionals will be specially trained to handle various physical and mental ailments. They also assist in non-clinical care such as housekeeping, daily activity support, counselling and organising social group interactions.

    Use of Technology

    The Government has also started a program under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) launched in March 2017, where the government plans to reach out to beneficiaries in three years through NGO’s. The use of wearables and sensors for detection and recording of patient vitals, automated logging systems, real-time data updates, etc. are some ways in which technology is transforming the way we look at healthcare. Use of modern technology like for instance a health app can not only accurately record, analyse and update patient vitals such as blood pressure or heart rate but also relay any inconsistencies immediately.

    Caregiving has to rapidly evolve. The notion of professional homecare is growing in India with technology-based innovation. As a nation we need to focus on capacity building at the systemic level in order to use technology to successfully address the needs of our senior citizens as it is both our duty and responsibility.

    Astute Outsourcing Services Pvt. Ltd. under the aegis of Chaque Jour Aashirwad Social Welfare Trust plans to start its “Elder Care” program soon.

  • I Wonder…

    What did Moti Lal Nehru do? What did Jawahar Lal Nehru do? What did Indira Gandhi do? What did Sanjay Gandhi do? What did Rajiv Gandhi do? I seriously wonder as to what did these illuminaries actually do for this Country? Other than being part of a family which has over the last few decades been successful in creating a dynasty – a filthy rich and powerful dynasty. MLN or whatever his credentials were, must be a rather peaceful soul. The seeds which were sown by him in collusion with the British has borne fruits. I write this not because I have anything personal against them, or for the fact that these names spring up on all major roads, prominent buildings, major airports, almost every where in every state. We should rather thank our stars that we have so far been spared a Soniapath instead of Janpath or a Rahul Gandhi Nagar or Priyanka Vihar. When I try to garner information about them, their achievements does not befit the adulation and position or pedestal on which they are placed. Only thing I can summarize is a lineage of dynastic rule. I have often wondered why was Nehru never seen on the streets at the head of a violent protest march and being injured like Lala Lajpat Rai or a Patel. He was almost always closeted with the British dressed in his impeccable tunic complete with the customary rose, holding closed room discussions, when not sitting in his comfortable cell in any of the better prisons of the Country. There are so many people in this great Country who have “actually” contributed so much, so very much since civilisation began, but unfortunately their names remain hidden beneath the rubble of time, or buried in text books. The “fighters” who actually fought, rather than raise feeble protest and spend their time in the safety of the various prisons in the Country. I even dare to question the judgement of the Father. However, if history is the witness all dynasties have at some point ended – always.

    The real men who fought for the freedom did not go to prison and save their skin. They confronted and laid down their lives happily. Even if they did go to prison they did not find time to write books or long letters to progeny, but were sent to the gallows to be martyred. The British played a very shrewd game and they actually masqueraded and scripted a fine script which will see them returning to take hold of one of their darling colonies back into its fold. All the “actors” for this play were very carefully chosen and each played their part to perfection. Only they did not envisage the hiccups that changed the course of history and hence the well written script got disrupted.

    Here we have some, albeit a small group beginning to take up cudgels on our behalf. Narendra Modi, AAP, and recently a small bunch of ex-IITians. Will the people who hold the strings in this puppet folk dance allow these crusaders to succeed? It is just under 5 years and it is making everyone who oppose any such change in script very very uncomfortable. Questions are being raised as to what they have been able to achieve…seriously in 5 years what change can be evident unless we are all living in the World of J.K.Rowling and have studied in Hogwarts. We have been so patient with the others, and we expect everything to be put right in a short span or else we are ready to brand them as incompetent. I grew up in Delhi, and have seen the condition of the Government Schools…if we go around Delhi now there is such a marked improvement in the primary education in Delhi. Not much but enough to understand that we are on the right track For the first time schools are being run like it should be – as Schools. Also the Primary Health Care is showing a marked improvement. Five years back wherever we on the World forum, In all photographs we could barely catch a glimpse of the blue turban (thank God for small mercies) lurking somewhere in the corner. Today when I look at the pictures we find a silver haired bearded gentleman in full bloom, impeccably and stylishly attired (and why not) at the epicentre of every gathering. All my life I have always been the onlooker and we always try to surround the most important person in the room and stand there gaping or the smarter audience, asking relevant or irrelevant questions. We have come a long way, even if it has been just 4-5 years. There is a perceptive change in the way the World looks at us now. What we say matters and our opinion id not shrugged aside. I just hope that we do not lose hope and trust in the power of the common man. (Also if possible confiscate the passport of one particular masquerader of a politician as he can undo all the good work that has been done) This is not political by any standard, as I personally do not endorse the politician…to be continued.

  • The Story of a Valiant Indian…

    An interesting story from our Army, which maybe few would know about…….as forwarded by Brig. V.D.Nishandar (My first Commanding Officer)

    The story of Birba. The man who was awarded twice on Republic day including the highest gallantry awardbut is still unknown.

    Bir Bahadur Gurung was a young well built lad not yet into his teens. He lived with his family on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Upper Assam, in a thatched roof hut.

    Bir Bahadur Gurung was fondly called Birba by his family and friends. Needless to say, Birba was a strong swimmer. He also climbed nearby hills with the agility and sure footedness of a mountain goat.

    One day, Birba and his friends were lounging

    on the banks of the river. Birba saw a passenger ferry sail down stream, &which in Birba’s own words seemed to be ” walking like a drunken man “.

    Birba barked a few instructions to his friends to get ropes and jumped into the water. For the next hour or so Birba was in water, saving as many as he could from the ferry , that had now capsized.He came out of the water only after Army rescue teams arrived.

    For his act of exceptional bravery, Birba recieved the President’s Bravery Award given to children on Republic Day..On R- Day, Birba rode the  back of an elephant down Rajpath, waving excitedly to cheering crowds.

    Fourteen years later, Lance Naik Bir Bahadur Gurung and his team of crack Commandos scaled a vertical cliff all through the night to catch the enemy by surprise at dawn. During the firefight, Birba was mortally injured, but he contnued to fight on and breathed his last only after all the enemy had been eliminated and the Tricolour fluttered atop the peak. The detailed planning and flawless execution of the capture of “Peak Tololing” during the Kargil war is the stuff that legends are made of. Cadets in military academies around the world study this military operation in great detail. Many cadets have submitted dissertations on Birba as a part of their study program. “The Life And Times Of Birba” is a lesson that eighth grade children learn in schools across Canada –as a part of their English Language curriculum.

    Once again Birba’s name was called on a Republic Day. His widowed wife walked up to the President to recieve the Param Vir Chakra.

    Back home in Upper Assam, an approximately forty year old woman blows through a pipe  to revive the dying embers of the fire in the “chullah”. She lives in a thatched roof hut along with her aged in laws and an old aunt. The arresting feature of the hut is a framed colour photograph of Birba with two medals garlanding it. The woman keeps her body and soul together by working as a domestic help in a few houses in the nearby Oil town. All this whilst pot bellied men with oily smiles zoom around town in their latest SUVs.

    Fortunately, Birba’s only son — now a teenager has been picked up by Birba’s old Regiment, the Assam Regiment–where he is now a recruit.

    My friends , this is the story of a genuinely great Indian. Unfortunately, he will never be even a footnote in our history books though many other “”genuinely great Indians”” like numerous scam tainted will be talked of for years to come. There will never be a Birba Road anywhere or a Birba Statue in the middle of a “Chow rasta”. Such privileges are for people who sell their souls –and our motherland to the highest bidder.

    Sharing the story is the least you can do for Birba.

    Credits. Maj Gen Harsh Kakar .

  • I Wonder…

    Rape is an ignominious act. In fact there are no words to describe this despicable act committed by men who to my mind are mentally deranged. And when the victim is just a small child, the chilling rage that seeps into the veins is unbearable. Parents of Children live in constant fear. Today it does not matter whether you are the parent of a little boy or girl. But I wonder why is it always that the media stays focused on the victim and never on the perpetrators of this heinous crime? In recent times it has become a rising menace in our society however, I am yet to see the perpetrator, his family, his background being paraded. It is always the “victim”, the Victim’s family who have to bear the double “ignominy” one of being the victim and second becoming the source of “pity” and scarred for life, not able to fathom as to what happened to her. The victim suffers, the family suffers, but what happens to the “man” in question? It is always the victim which becomes the epicentre and never the rapist. Why. Is it because media wants sensation; as sensation would sell? 

    Like it happens in some other parts of the World, we need to make this crime punishable under public scrutiny. The rapist deserves no compassion, for him no law of the land should be applicable and the only justice that he deserves is a publicly executed death sentence which is both swift and without being allowed to hide behind the thick blanket of security of the legal system. The Constitution should get amended and the law changed and there should be swift and painful execution of sentence under such a circumstance. The only justice the “rapist” deserves is “death” since by indulging in this heinous act he has forfeited his right to live. 

  • I Wonder…

    Would I prefer to have my employees ask me not to pay them because they have not done the work for which they are being paid…and will it be acceptable to me as the business owner!!!

    Does this apply to the Parliamentarians? Vijay Mallaya was one of the first proponent of this theory…then he had no requirement of the “salary” then it was Sachin Tendulkar who donated his MP salary to the PM’s relief fund, possibly also an acknowledgement that the Rajya Sabha had not been the best fit for him. The Mallaya’s, Tendulkar’s, actors, actresses, personalities, et all should first of all never opt for this role in the first place as they are just an adornment as in ornamental value, nothing more. Now, NDA MPs have grandly decided to give up their salaries and allowances for the last 23 days, as parliamentary work has stalled.

    Over the years, scores of MPs across parties have offered to return their salaries, when sessions are unproductive. I sincerely doubt that this is a genuine expression of anguish at institutional dysfunction.

    More often though, it is an attempt to polish their personal images at the expense of their peers. ‘No work, no pay’ is a method used to break workers’ strikes, and it is absurd to apply it to MPs. MP’s should realize that they are not school going children, many of them are in advanced stage in their lives where the type of example that they tend to exhibit would put a kinder garden going child to shame. To suggest it, is to misunderstand parliamentary duty, and only play to public cynicism about politics. It blurs true accountability. Legislative work is a collective responsibility, it’s not about a few individuals being better than others.

    These are but just empty gestures designed to play on our sentiments and evoke our notions of virtue and our distrust of politicians. That attitude is part of the problem too. We can either think of ourselves merely as “taxpayers”, that is, as consumers berating our MPs for not doing their money’s worth of work, or we can think of ourselves as citizens who are invested in the stuff, the outcomes of their work. So should we demand a cash back and be happy about the “refund”; or should we “demand” performance. It gets reported the total output in 1% so say we get 1 out of 100 in our Class Test, would we be able to get the test papers signed by our parents?

    Because we’re cut off from democratic politics, most of us in the middle class fluctuate between impossible expectations and utter distrust of politics. Voting every five years is all we do, if at all. We barely notice the substantive aspect of parliament  — how thoroughly are bills examined, are they adequately discussed, are conventions respected? When our attention does drift that way, it is reduced to theatrics and hollering, and of late even trying on the physical prowess breaking furniture also.

    Actually speaking how many of our MP’s are of sound disposition? How many would actually command respect as a Parliamentarian. Collective decision-making is a process, It is two steps forward one step back, friction-ridden, worldly work that improves our lives.

    Like in the old days of the Congress, one-party domination is usually bad news for parliamentary norms. Or else the Nehruvian formula of threatening to resign every time any issue was presented. This ploy was like the rich kid who owns the toy and threatens to leave the game along with the toy.

    We need to implement a system of performance evaluation and take accountability. The high handed honey pot of power has been vested by the courtesy of the Citizens, which both the voters and the voted tend to forget. The mea culpa is at both ends. With elections looming ahead it is time we start demanding accountability. The ballot should seriously have an option of “none of the above”. We have this option in almost everything except on the ballot paper…why!!!

  • I Wonder

    I sometimes wonder as to what is the relevance of Commonwealth in today’s scenario. We in India have an age old adage that long after the rope has burnt, you still possess the right to assert your authority. Same is the relevance of Monarchy in The UK today. Charles desperately awaits his turn to adorn the Crown, while his mother fastidiously holds on, and so much so that maternal love has given way and she wants to let Charles play the King as well and is ready to abdicate the Crown. Since Independence we in India too despite our “democracy” been subjected to a dynastic rule by the Nehru-Gandhi Family. This is so ingrained in our sustem that it even prompted Rahul Gandhi to make a statement as to why not. An Actor’s Son carries the mantle, so does the Business Magnate so why is there so much hullabaloo being created when he is only trying to claim what is “rightfully” his!!!

    This brings me to wonder did we ever have “democracy” in its true sense in our Country? There are a lot of factors which challenges this belief. I happened to be listening to an Interview of Bal Thackeray by Rajeev Shukla long time back. Balasaheb did indeed factually question the veracity of “democrac”…I just wonder.

  • I Wonder…

    Salman gets bail is such a big news that all the channels are vying with each other…we wil 5 medals in CWG is stale and not worth covering. In a way it is right, what is CWG after all…it is just a celebration that we were “ruled” by the British at one time, so we celebrate slavery…and of course that is really not worth writing home about, but then does that make Salman a “Hero”…he was indeed accorded an “Hero’s” welcome after returning home having spent two restless nights in Jail. Pak cricketers have now been chosen as Brand Ambassadors, what with all other forms of endorsements not really coming their way…and certainly no inclusion in IPL…sour grapes really…the timing of the outbursts of professed patriotism can maybe a way to get recognised…as does Rahul with his new found “spiritualism” with endless visits to the Temples…Rahul Gandhi does not want to be equated with animals…but aren’t we all even though we differentiate outselves by wearing clothes, which by the way the Telugu Actress decided to shed in protest to the casting couch, and of course CBSE will always help you if you have the right friends by leaking the “exam” papers. And if that is not the cause for worry, the yearning to flee your own Country has received a setback by the US deciding to impose restriction on how many can bolt…

  • I Wonder…

    I wonder what would have been the status if Aryabhatt had not invented “0”…probably scams would have stopped at 9…a single digit scam is so much easier to fathom than one with the “crazy” zeroes. I almost always lose count…but then my economics and mathematics  was always a weak point. My heart cries out to the section of students who somehow manage to cram and scrape through the Board Exams and celebrate the end of the dreaded draconian “board examination”. And when you get dragged into giving a re-test all over again it surely is a testing time. Some may even have disposed of their books, celebrating “good riddance” and frolicking around. Throw the “unwanted” as far as possible. How are they going to survive this ultimate “test” of not only their feeble knowledge, but also of their resolve and effort to take up the cudgels once more.

    We have changed so many things, adapting and making them more relevant keeping with the times, but somehow in India we have kept the knowledge tightly closeted in the garb of “annual” examinations. The experiment with Continuous Evaluation was too radical for acceptance? Why should we not emphasise on learning and understanding; what we learn in context of our everyday life. Many School & College “dropouts” who went on to establish Large Corporations have proved their point time and again. I have always been abhorrent of this methodology of imparting knowledge. There are more than one thing which I understand better now when experienced practicing, which got lost in my attempt to cram the answer just for reproduction on the exam paper!!! Reproducing Pascal’s Law as his narrative definition was more important than trying to understand what Pascal actually meant. As an opportunity, this surely is a huge one for Modi. Imagine the “grateful” potential voters who like a mango tree would mature to bear fruits by the time he is fighting for this third term in Office (given the statistical percentages of India’s Youth brigade), to take the bull of examination by its horn and break the Education System…making it more potent and viable. It would be killing two birds with one stone, the perpetrators of this Examination Paper Leak Industry would be crushed once and for all, and also the youth who have to take on the World in the near future, would turn out to be more “knowledgeable”, it is just a mann ki baat…