Celebrating Wrath and Death

Daily struggle

Sunderbans- if you google it, you will come across the words like mangrove and largest delta. These words however, hardly captures the essence of the place. Sunderban is 45 kms from Kolkata and in just 2 hours you can reach the outskirts. You will be greeted by people who look quite similar to you and me- wearing Bata sandals, jeans, salwar kameezes and going about their way of life. If you ask, they will tell you which shop sells authentic wild honey; which shop to go to for the Gur Patali. A wide bridge now connects the islands with Kolkata and you are happy still to be part of civilization. Mobile tower is there for you to stay connected. You will be told by the tour operators to wake up early; hot water will be given for your morning chores and then you can set off for a visit to the forest on a launch. Everything is as it should be. It is winter, as you can see, best time to visit Sunderban.

Hope of surviving

 When you are happily ensconced in the warmth of the morning tea and bath, women are already out and knee deep in the icy waters of the backwaters or the “Khari”. They will stay there till the sun is up and it gets little warm. Their feet is turned white for staying so long in the saline water everyday- they are collecting the meen- baby prawns. For every bucket they will get only 25 rupees. If they try to cheat, their contract will be taken away by the Bheri wallahs. Most men by now are far away from the shores catching fish. They have to come back and sell their produce at the whole sale market by 12 so that they reach Kolkata markets by evening so that you and I can buy them on the way returning from our offices.

Boards have been put up at many parts of the forest- It is now illegal to collect honey or timber from these areas. The government is taking all measures to protect the national animal. You will be entertained by the stories of women who have survived an attack by the tiger- how only with a sickle they fought back and took out an eye or a paw off from the tiger. How a tiger can cross a mouth of seven rivers locally called “Saptamukhi” and take away cattle. How a tiger tracks the honey collectors for several kilometeres to target the weakest among the men and wait for the opportunity to pounce on him.

In the meantime unknown to you, people are struggling to raise even one crop of paddy. Post Aila half of the soil has become saline. So the yield is low and unlike other areas where flood is a harbinger of productivity, here people have started to dread the floods as more flood mean more salinity. The fresh water ponds used to raise the fish have been destroyed by Aila so that livelihood is also snatched away.

It comes to you as a very exotic tribal ritual when the front of the launch is painted red and a few flowers and agarbatti offered everyday by the head “Majhi”. You take photos of this ritual to show how you have been part of this exotic ritual.. maybe even recite the “Bonbibipaaala” in your drawing room next Saturday.

However, if you can take one step back in time, you will see how relevant this legend still is. How and why it is an enduring tale still recited by the people of Sunderbans- How they relate to “Dukhi” – the epitome of sorrow and how miraculously he is saved by Bonbibi. You will see that people of sunderban need to believe in this story, more now than ever before because they all wish the same- survive in the face of fierce wrath of nature compounded by power hungry bureaucrats and “shohure- babu”- those city people who draw up the policies without visiting them even once.

Here is a glimpse of that play. One of the Majhis in the play had been a school master. He lost his job when the school was destroyed by Aila. Then he was given the job of a tourist guide. He took up the job happily believing that now he would have some security. Unfortunately, the policy makers decided that such people deserve a blue uniform and an Identity card- that’s all. Whatever money they earn from the day is for theirs to keep but not to expect any allowance or pension- very magnanimous indeed- they gave him a job.

We are called for dinner by the tour operators. It is the last night in Sunderban. Tomorrow by evening I shall be home. The Paala wallahs are picking up their little props and costumes and putting it back in a large tin trunk. The care with which they fold each garment is the only testimony of their plight- that one trunk is their hope of survival- soon the tourist season will be over. However cold the nights are, however far they are from their homes, they will trudge on reciting their " Bonbibi Paala" for us..They will survive another year. Only Bonbibi knows what will happen next year... she will take care of them. If not, then also it would be according to what is written already - their fate.                       

Leadership and What It Entails

According to Webster's Dictionary, a leader is someone who has the capacity to lead: the office or position of leader. The keywords in the two definitions are "capacity" and "office". The leader is the person who is willing to listen, make decisions and most importantly takes the hand of his subordinates and inspires them to deliver their best. So, how do we judge who is a good leader? Simple, we look at his subordinates. If they seem motivated to go that extra mile for the company, if they are proactive and willing to take on new things, if they whistle and work even if there is overtime of  3 hours.... look for the person who is standing behind and smiling. He is a true leader. A leader is not just about the office or the designation- it is about the spirit of professionalism, honesty and dedication. 

According to Revenue Journal two of the important characteristics of true leadership are- being non-judgmental and being able to communicate clearly, precisely and concisely. In Indian context, I would add another characteristic- Being Fair-minded –to identify competence and do away with prejudice. Prejudice is numero uno enemy of just and fair. A leader should also display high emotional intelligence quotient. This calls for being sensitive to people’s problems, feelings.

A person who continuously flogs a subordinate for slipping or a fault , that too in public  cannot inspire anything positive in his subordinates. It shows that the leader is not honest, neither responsible.  Rather it creates an atmosphere of distrust. This may be conducive towards individual success but surely not a recipe of good team work. In fact, I call such a place as “ saving your own behind at every cost”.

As Indra Nooyi says, “your compass must point towards true north all the time, all the while.’ I have seen many offices of leaders being occupied by just highly efficient managers. Now, there is a difference between managers and leaders- a manager will run the daily chores while a leader would have a vision and an action plan to achieve that vision. Many companies in India has made their CEOs to parrot the jargon of leadership- team work, proactive, professionalism. However, they need to learn and learn fast that they cannot expect professionalism from their subordinates if they donot deliver it themselves- a case in point- many companies make the subordinates work overtime, work during holidays and crib when the employees take leave… they forget that they are not paying for the overtime, they are not taking measures for safety of their women employees, that there is rampant nepotism at various levels of the organization, gender bias.

I find that the best things come from the smallest packages. I find Harry Potter books a classic- it teaches without preaching. So here is something from Harry Potter.

“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Democracy and Pakistan

From 1947 to 1951, Pakistan as a fledgling nation did not run on the basis of a constitution. Government of India Act-1935 was the sole document that served the purpose of the constitution. After nine years the first legal constitution arrived in 1956. However the sanctity of this document proved short-lived. It was abrogated in 1958. This began the practice of accepting the intrusion of Armed Forces personnel in active politics in Pakistan. Iskander Mirza became the president with the support of General Muhammad Ayub Khan, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, who was named chief martial-law administrator. General Ayub Khan subsequently forced him to resign and became the president himself. When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto started the movement against Ayub Khan, there happened again a breach of faith in constitution. Ayub Khan resigned and transferred the power to Chief of Army- General Yahya Khan instead of following the rule of Constitution.This also shows that constitution of Pakistan has never earned the respect that a nation should owe to this ultimate endorsement of modern democratic philosophy. It was no wonder that Yahya Khan assumed the Presidency hereafter.  In 1973 the National Assembly adopted the country's fifth constitution. In 1977, the army Chief of Staff, General Muhammad Zia Ul-Haq, imposed another military regime. The Supreme Court of Pakistan sanctioned General Zia’s overthrowing of Bhutto government on grounds of necessity. This also set the precedence since now instead of being just a one time political event, the country accepted that whenever required, armed forces can become part of decision making process in the administration of the country overthrowing the legitimate avenues established in the constitution. When in later years, direct intervention of Armed Forces in governance was curbed in accordance with the constitution, General Karamat adopted an arm twisting tactic and resigned from the post of Army Chief. General Musharraf took over and imposed another decade of military regime in Pakistan. However he learnt fast from his predecessors. This time, he validated his dictatorship under the ruse of a referendum and got himself the Presidency through election-thus legitimizing his rule.

It can be thus concluded, that democracy in Pakistan has always been subservient to Army. It may be questioned that why do people allow the army personnel to interfere and later on usurp the power. The answer lies in the social makeup of the country and the state of economy.

In 1985 when election was held under General Zia tribal leaders were 157 in number in National Assembly. Businessmen accounted for 54 elected members. Industry was dominated by a few families and private ownership. Largely using their own resources, they accounted for the major part of investment and ownership in manufacturing during the first two decades after independence. Hence it is obvious that they would want someone in power to help further their individual profits. Whenever, anyone has tried to go against these handful of wealthy class of landlords and industrialists, they have ousted him. Case in point would be Mr. Bhutto’s administration. When Zulfikar ali Bhutto continued with his economic reforms, nationalization and limiting the power of Armed Forces, he incurred the wrath of these people which eventually led to his downfall.

 Sindhis and Punjabis have always dominated the political forefront in Pakistan. Whenever a political leader emerges in Pakistan his first campaign revolves around his ancestral home and biradari. Association and identification with a clan gives the popular endorsement to his views. In this, Pakistan is quite similar to Lebanon and other Middle Eastern nation states where national identity comes second to clan allegiance. This nature of politics is also a feature of any country where literacy level is low. According to UNESCO the education scenario in Pakistan is grim. Independent sources and educational experts place the overall literacy rate at 26 per cent and the rate for girls and women at 12 per cent. The situation is more alarming in rural areas. The significant spillover effect of such low literacy is reflected in political democracy of the country. A higher literacy rate would involve more people in the decision making process and would raise the economic status. Right now it is a vicious cycle of illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, lack of cohesion and national integrity. Corruption thus colludes the ideals and ambitions of people empowered to change the course of the country. At present growth rate stands at only 3.67. On the other hand, population growth rate is a staggering 34% between 2001 and 2011. Unless literacy and population control measures are adopted stringently, the economic benefits would be lost. Critics might say that this growth is due to the influx of refugees in the last decade. However the total fertility rate is highest in Pakistan- at 3.2 it is higher than India or Bangladesh.

So the challenges for the leading political parties in upcoming election are many- fighting corruption and terrorism, reviving the economy, establishing peaceful democracy and all its ministrations and increasing the literacy rate and standard of living.