"Kulbhushan-My Warm Good Wishes "-Ruskin Bond

As a Principal and now as a Director ,I have always been crowded by students .Its not very unusual to find them in my chamber .Sometimes they come with a complaint ,sometimes they come with a request (holidays on a rainy day !!),sometimes they come with sweets and toffees and sometimes they just come to give a compliment (Sir the speech today in the Asssembly was wow !!).So when Vaishnavi Aggarwal and Shubra Arora came to my office –it was nothing new for me .But it was the first time for them to enter my chamber (happens when there are more than 5000 kids in the school ).Vaishnavi cluctched on to a book in her hands and Shubra was accompanying her .

Vaishnavi

“Hello ,come in .Is it the first time you are coming to my office”,I asked them .

“Yes Sir”.they replied in chorus .

“What brings you here”,I asked .

“Sir ,I wanted to present you this book”,said Vaishnavi .

Ah !!another kid showing her gratitude for whatever little I did for her .There are some people like that .They are generous by nature and they want to do their bit incase they feel you have done something for them .They are the ones who go on to win hearts of people –they reflect magnanimity which is rare in a world full of selfish people .And sometimes children can be very selfish and cruel .

“No –I don’t accept presents from people and kids who don’t  earn”,I said .

“But Sir you do so much for us”,she said ,with a disappointed look on her face .

“No –I am not going to accept the book” I said .I did not even care to look at the name and author of the book .There is no limit if you start accepting gifts .As a Principal I have always avoided doing that –save accepting a toffee or a Cadbury bar on a childs birthday .

 “But sit down –lets talk .” I said 

Shubra

So Vaishnavi and Shubra sat down and talked .Vaishnavi hailed from Saharanpur which is the adjoining district to Dehra Dun .God knows how many times I must have gone to it with my father and on my own .It is famous for its furniture business as also for the ITC (Indian Tobbaco Company).It also used to have a famous movie hall called “DARPAN”-with a “ D”written backwards  . Saharanpur is also famous for its “Kalmi” mangoes .It also had a wonderful vegetarian dhaba called “Barkat”,and I must say it is the only chain of dhabhas I have seen in my life –there was one in Dehradun and one in Bijnor as well !!Run by the same peopl .Vaishnavi had had food there as well .Her parents are  hotel advisors and thus she hopped from city to city and stayed in good hotels .Shubra was from Jodhpur and very talkative .She said she wasn’t very fond of Mahatma Gandhi or Narender Modi .Probably too young to have a informed opinion .She also did not approve of beggars –“they are able bodied –they must work” she protested !!

Both girls are extremely intelligent .Both are interested in money . “Its nice to be rich .I like malls and shopping”,said one of them .They both loved coming to school –a sign that the school was child friendly.All good schools will have children wanting to come to it .

The conversation meandered from film stars to politicians and school .Both of them liked Amitabh Bacchan (their favourite Indian),and Shubras’ favourite actress was Madhuri Dixit –though Vaishnavis favourite was Kareena and after a thought –“Priyanka Chopra also!!”.

After sometime ,Vaishnavi looked at me and said again

“Sir please accept this book .I have got it signed specially for you from him.”

That caught my ears . “Whom  have you got it signed from?”,I asked

With a twinkle in her eyes she said

“Sir ,Ruskin Bond”.!!

Ahaa ! Good old Ruskin was still doing what he loves most –being among children .Everyone in Dehradun and Mussoorie ,knows Ruskin personally .Infact ,my father also knew him  -and I am  talking of 60 years ago .Ruskin is a legendary figure of those parts .One would always see him walking up and down the Mall or sitting and having a cup of tea at Jamuna Dhaba ,just off Camels back Road .Infact he is a neighbor of my first cousin Billoo and many times we have sat and had tea on the parapet wall just outside his small cottage .Sangeeta and Pratique had also gone to meet him 2 summers back .He was struggling a bit with his health .I asked Vaishnavi  how he now was . “Did not look too well Sir .He was sitting and did not get up .We had gone to invite him for a programme ,but he refused .He said he was not well .And Sir before we left ,he asked someone to bring a big box of books and told me to choose any number of books from it .I chose three .I asked him to write something for “my Principal”,and he wrote this for you .” .I took the book and had a look at it .It was a book in which short stories written by Ruskin Bond had been compiled .And on the first page he had written very neatly "Kulbhushan,My warm and good wishes ".The book not only brought back memeories of Ruskin Bond ,but also of my life as a school and college student and also about Mussoorie ,the beautiful hill station just 21 miles away from Dehradun.Vaishnavi  looked at me .
 “Sir please accept it”.!!.

I promptly surrendered .I accepted the book with all humility .

Not because Ruskin Bond had signed it personally .

But because Vaishnavi  had thought about me in far off Mussoorie .As also the fact that it packed too many memories in it .!!It was more than just a book for me .

Uttarakhand Mountains Weep and Cry .!!The Gods Are Angry.

 Calamities and pilgrim spots seem to be inextricably woven into a heady mix of tragedy .We have seen it happen over and over again –be it at Kumbh Melas ,or religious festivals in some temple town .I have myself had one of the most frightening experiences of my life while I was trapped in a multitude of millions in a small space at the temple town of Tirupati.The three of us(Sangeeta ,Pratique and me ) felt we would be flattened  thin as pages, with the pressure of people being exerted on us –and we could not move a inch  .It still remains a nightmare .The unpredictability of a disaster in a pilgrim town is no less frightening than a bomb blast by the terrorists anywhere in India .

At Hemkund Sahab.1984.

However what has happened in Uttarakhand is perhaps the saddest ,for people like me .It happened in my home state and in areas where I have trekked extensively .The names are so familiar –Ram Bada ,Govindghat ,Gaurikund ,Hemkunt Sahab ,Kedarnath ,Yamnotri ,Chopta ,Chamoli …..I remember trekking all the way from Govindghat to Hemkunt Sahab ,via Govinddham and the beautiful Valley of Flowers ,I remember travelling from Rishikesh through the “Panch Pryag “-places where major tributaries join the Ganga –Nandprayg ,Karnaprayag,Devprayag ,Rudraprayag ,Visnuprayag.I even remember spending a night at the beautiful guest house at Nandprayag becoz it had got too dark to travel .We were served lovely mutton curry by a very amiable Garhwali and I had even spoken to him in my stuttering Garhwali .!! And I also remember stopping at a dhabha at Pipalkoti and having “kadi –chawal”.It was the most tasty kadi chawal I have had in my life (and mind you ,I come from a family which has kadi chawal once a week at least ).I also remember being served the same by a very beautiful lass with brownish hair and light eyes .She had the most beautiful smile –very innocent and very captivating .I have always wanted to go back to Pipalkoti –as much for the kadi chawal as for the beautiful smile –though it is  nearly 30 years down the line now .!!Today   as Uttarakhand  tries to lurch out of the worst-ever disaster to have hit the region, with hundreds already dead and thousands other missing, heated debates have erupted over the actual cause of what the Uttarakhand chief minister dubbed ‘the Himalayan Tsunami’.

Just Short of Rudraprayag -1984!!

The administration insists that it was a natural calamity, environmentalists hold that this was a man-made disaster waiting to happen.
Torrential and unrelenting downpour, landslides and floods saw the raging waters sweep away more than 180 people and hundreds of livestock to death. More than 70,000 pilgrims have been stranded even as the Army and Air Force try to rescue them in a hostile terrain.More than 70,000  are still untraceable .
Of all the affected areas, Kedarnath is  the worst hit.This beautiful and serene temple town has been flattened  because of the  crumbling of the Kedar Dome, a glacier-like body of  rock and ice. This breaking of this enormous ‘glacier’ following the cloudburst and the eventual landslides caused a major rupture in the Charbari Lake that is situated just over 5 km from the holy temple of Kedarnath, situated at an altitude of 3600 mt.

Devprayag -confluence of the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda.

Kedarnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and situated near the Mandakini River in a valley of the Garhwal Himalayas, was constructed in the 8th century and folklore has it that Adi Shankaracharya oversaw the building of the shrine.I remember reaching it along with  with some boys with whom i was trekking  in the evening .It was “aarti”,time as we walked into the temple – and like soldiers who had fought a war on all fronts –we were exhausted ,we were limping and we wanted to sleep .But the “aarti’’ was uplifting .It completely washed away all the tiredness .For a young Marxist and a agnostic the question arose “Do Gods reside here?”.And for the first time –the answer was “Yes”.In the middle of the chiming of the bells and sounds of the “shanks”,I felt near God .

But today ,Kedarnath lies submerged under silt and mud .The God are angry .

Karnaprayag -confluence of Alaknanda and Pindar 

Heavy  rains have wreaked havoc and opened up its bosom to offload its fury  in the region, resulting in killer landslides.The  environmentalists,( like  Sunita Narain, and Pachauri) claim that man-made factors have added to the tragedy. The widespread and almost unregulated expansion of giant hyder-electric projects in the region, the incessant construction of roads to serve the burgeoning tourist population, and the adverse effect on the fragile ecosystem in the region due to growing human presence and pollution are the major causes for the devastation that Uttarakhand has been subjected to.It crude terms -it has been raped .

However, according to eyewitnesses huge rocks broke away from Kedar Dome after the flash floods caused by the cloudburst. These rocks, however, got stuck some distance away from the Kedarnath temple, possibly saving the holy shrine’s main structure from being demolished.

I watched with numbness on T.V ,entire stretches of motorable road just dissappear .Huge multistoried buildings collapsed like a pack of cards and unlike the ones in Mumbai –no one needs to do any cleaning up .The gushing  waters  carried away the debris leaving no signs that anything existed there .And along with the concrete ,it must have swept away the unsuspecting human beings 

Its time to spare a thought for the people of the hills who are caught in all this .Or even the pilgrims who went there from different parts of the country .I got two phone calls from friends in Jaipur who were crying because their relatives are untraceable now for a week .Dead?Swept away ?Alive ?Or living dead?The looters are also there –ripping of gold and ornaments from the dead bodies .The good people are also there –the armed forces as always are doing yeoman service .

What can we do ?At least create awareness on the social media .And though some of us may not be in physical shape to help extricate and transport the injured ,our time will come .In reconstruction .In sending financial and moral support to the people who as it is are living on the edge for most of their life .And I hope and pray that the man and his family who served us perhaps the best “kadi” –“chawal”, in Pipalkoti are safe .People with those smiles should never  frown or be in distress .Becuase those are the smiles one cant buy .At the moment –I am praying for them .And waiting to go back to my Uttarakhand which wept and cried so much -that we finally are looking at her .I am sure we will bring back the smiles .We owe it to the people there .

Remembering Gokul .!!

He was the first peon I had as a Principal .I really don’t know who selected him ,but he was there at the Railway  Guest House at Bhopal when I reached it on a hot May day in 1993 .He introduced himself as “Gokul”,and he bent and  touched my feet .I could see that he had a lot of grey in his hair and his face was terribly weather beaten .Dark furrows were evident on his cheeks and he had eyes that appeared sunk in for a man of his age .

“Kya umer hai aapkee”?(what is your age ),i asked of him .

“25 saal ka hun Sir .”

I did not ask him further questions –some people look years older than their age .The reverse is also true .Over the years ,I learnt that Gokul came from a place called Harda a District and Municipality town .It is relatively unknown but boasts of a good drainage system (developed by the British),and Lokmanya Tilak and Gandhiji had graced the town during the freedom struggle . ,It lies beyond Itarsi and  Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh .All trains on that line pass through Harda .I travelled through it a couple of times as well .
Gokul was orphaned at a very young age and managed to get into a orphanage school in Hoshangabad .He gradually moved up to become a daily wage earner and then hook onto a job in our newly opened school in the premises of the Coach Repair Workshop which was opened up by the  late Madhav Rao Scindia when he was the Railway Minister .He was married and had 2 daughters .His wife Maya Devi was a bit of a eccentric ,but tremendously hard working.

Our school did not pay the peons and the support staff well .I soon realized that the management expected us to manage from the finances that we generated ,which was really peanuts because since the  Railways  had provided us the building ,they expected us to subsidize the fees and the result was a very meager amount of revenue income .

Gokul was the hardest working man I have ever met in my life .And i have never seen a man laugh or smile so less .Whenever he smiled ,it seemed he was making a huge effort to do so .And he never ever lost his temper .He was what what Greek philosophers would term a "Stoic".The school was new ,we had lots of work to do ,there were no cars or scooters for our peons and support staff .Gokul would cycle all the way to the bank in Bazaria to deposit cheques or all the way to Lily Talkies to deliver our mail to the courier server .He would go to the market to get samosas or barfee ,as and when the staff and me demanded .He came in first and left after me when we shut the  school .Sometimes I would reach home at 8 pm and Gokul would cycle back to his home at that time .His salary in 1993 was about 700 rupees and he was hard pressed to make his two ends meet .I offered Maya Devi  a job in the school with the hope of  supplementing his income .However as I wrote –she was not very normal and one day she sat down on my chair and refused to budge insisting that she was the Principal of the school .She never returned back to work the next day .

Years passed .One day he told me he was buying a scooter rickshaw so that he could supplement his income .All he wanted was permission to leave school at 4 ,so that he could ply his scooter rickshaw  for 4 hours or so .Though my work would have suffered –I agreed .There was great fanfare as he brought his scooter rickshaw to my home and sought  my blessings .After a few months –I left Bhopal .

The new Principal ran into problems with Gokul .It is quite sad ,but this happens more often than not –the first casualities of a change  are the Principals peons ,Secretary or Driver .To that extent Principals are very small and insecure minds .Gokul was not allowed to leave school at 4 ,he was loaded with work deliberately till late hours ,and this hit his economic interests as it depended on him plying a scooter after school hours  .He was asked to leave and even accused of “politicking” with me .!!He started plying his scooter rickshaw .He phoned me up ,and even came to Jagdishpur and Jaipur to meet me .He said that he was making enough money and certainly more than what he was getting as a a meagre pay .Maya Devi had recovered and was doing a course to become a teacher .Things were looking up he told me .

He never forgot to wish me on any of  my birthdays .These days the Facebook reminds us of the birthday of our “Facebook Friends”.But how Gokul managed  to remember my birthday ,beats me .And whether i expect a call from other people or not -I expect a call from him on every birthday .I take it for granted that he will ring me up .!!

On 4^th of June ,at about 10 am my phone rang .The number blinked on it “Gokul Bhopal”.

“Sir Janmedin mubbarak”,he said .I thanked him profusely and also told him tha I expect a call from him every birthday .

“Sir aapko kaise bhool saktaah hun”.(how can I forget you).He spoke at length as to how he held me responsible for propelling him to buy a scooter rickshaw (I had given him a few thousand rupees as loan )and as to how he had reached where he had .I asked him how was he doing

“Bahut acchaa chal rahaa Sir .Ab doosra  scooter rickshaw lene ki shoach raha huh .Aur usko toh  maih “bhaadeih”,pe doonga ”.(he was thinking of buying another scooter rickshaw which he would sublet)he said with a tinge of confidence and happiness ."Aur Sir ,maineh ek chota sa ghar bhi banaa liyaa haih(he had also built a small house )Bhopal Hospital ke paas .Chola mandir se aagey "!!

“Aur Maya Devi Kaisee haih”,I enquired ,with a touch of apprehension .

“Sir who baalvadi school meih teacher  haih”!!Ha Ha !So finally Maya Devi did not have to forcibly sit on a Principals seat to become a Principal .Now she could  rightfully aspire to be one on her own! .I reminded him of the day and the incident many years back .Both of us had a hearty laugh .!!

He asked me as to when I was visiting Bhopal .I told him that whenever  I would do so ,I would get in touch with him.

“Mujhe scooter meih leneh aana Gokul”, I told him .(Come and pick me up in a scooter)

“Kahaan Sir aap to taxi  ya dostoh ki gadi meih ghoomeingeh.”(You will move around  in your friends car or a taxi ).

“Nahi –mujhe tere scooter meih bathnaah haih –taxi meih nahi. Bhopal ghomeingeh -Pir Gate ,Lal Ghati,Misrod ,TT Nagar ..........purani yaadeih .......”,I said .There was a pause from his side and then he answered

“Sir ,kab  aa raheh ho”.I could sense he was choking .I told him I would do so very soon .I also told him to try to buy a taxi next !! .I told him to move on to bigger things  .I told him that we live only once .And we should not be satisfied with our successes .He agreed ."Aaap aiyeh .Phir baat karengey"!!,he said 

Very soon ,I plan to visit Bhopal and meet Gokul who owns 2 scooter rickshaws, and his wife Maya Devi .They are no less successful than Narayan Murthy or Sacchin Tendulkar  in my eyes .Infact in many ways more successful because they have  risen from the pits .And will hopefully continue to rise .And i am looking forward to a ride in the vehicle of a man who was my first Jeeves .!! The sweaty , toiling orphan with a weather beaten face and now white hair .A man who epitomizes the spirit of "never say die".Someone who knows that surviving is the biggest challenge of living -because giving up is not a option .A bit like me !!

96.8 Per Cent -Is She Normal ?!!

She looks like the kid next door .Not too tall ,with specs and fair .She wore a white short kurta and a pair of faded jeans .She reminded me more of a girl from Miranda House (of my times –don’t know how the crowd is nowadays ),Delhi University ,than let us say from a college from a smaller town .She spoke effortless English and was amazingly up front and confident .Yes ,she is Aditi Gupta ,the girl from our school ,who topped the 12^th Board Exams with 96.8 percent marks in Humanities .She scored 100 in Psychology,99 in Political Science ,and 95 each in History ,Economics and English .

“Well done Aditi.You must be feeling really good .Thank God the hard work paid off”,I said as I greeted her into my room ,the other day .

“Actually Sir ,I never really worked that hard and I did not expect to do so well”,she replied .Thats the catch .Brilliant kids don’t work all that hard and they don’t expect to do so well because if you like something ,you don’t really feel you labored for it .How many of you feel you have worked really hard after you come out seeing a movie ?Or after you come back from a vacation ?Or after you have gone out for a 6 hour date ?None I think .Because you enjoy what you are doing .I remember  a teacher of our school in Balbharti School ,Bhopal,(where I was the Principal)  Meenakshi Maggan .We met her at a movie hall .We were entering a 3-6 , and she was exiting a 12-3 show .I still remember the movie –it was “Dilwale Dulhanian  Le Jayenge”!!.

“How is the movie Meenakshi?”,I asked .

“Sir ,I want to go back again into the hall and see it again .Aise laga ke sirf 5 minute ki hai!!”.

Yes when you do something you like doing ,then hours seem like minutes .Ramu Damodaran ,the legendary Doordarshan newsreader and one time good friend of mine hardly attended classes .We were both doing History at Delhi University .He was brilliant and could grasp the intricacies of History without putting any effort .He topped the Indian Foreign Service and is now a senior diplomat with the UN in New York .When Aditi told me that she did not put in much work and that she was not expecting good marks –she reminded me of Ramu and Meenakshi .She hardly felt the pressure of the effort and she is obviously brilliant .

“So where do you go from here”,I asked her .

“Sir I want to do law from Mumbai Law School.Though I have got into Gujerat National  Law University as well”.she replied .

“But why would you like to study in Mumbai .After all ,Ahmedabad is your hometown and GNLU is a good law school .You will have all the protection here”, quipped .

“But I want to be independent .I know I am going to  have to be on my own ,so  sooner –the better”,she said .

“Is money important for you?”.I was asking the obvious question .

“Of course it is.I want a Rolls Royce and I want Gucci bags”, she said with a smile .

“You don’t want to become a teacher”? I asked .

“No Sir”

“But why not .Is it because you wont be able to buy a Rolls Royce and Gucci bags”,I said with a smile

“No Sir ,its not about Rolls Royce or Gucci bags .I don’t like the way students behave with a teacher these days .They are very critical about them and don’t appreciate the hard work they (the teachers )put in for the students .”,she said .

“But Aditi ,let me put it this way .Maybe all teachers are not good .Some teachers will face the flak because they are not up there .And in any case everyone gets criticized –even Sachhin and Amitabh Bacchan .You cant NOT do something because it will entail criticism.”.

She smiled and said “Yes Sir ,even you were criticized when you reduced the unit tests and  held them in the afternoons.!!But Sir ,being criticized for inefficiency is different .Even the very good teachers get criticized”,she said . “And that generates negativity”.

“Do you see a future without teachers ?The computer taking over and no live teaching –only on the board with voice overs.Somebody from Harvard teaching through computers!!”,I asked .

“No Sir .The human element can and should never go out of the classrooms .The care ,the motivation ,the emotion bonding –all these are very important components of teachings .No teaching that is impersonal can ever be successful.That will not be education .That will be information”.Brilliant young girl .!!

She wants to do International law .She does not seem interested in Corporate Law or litigation .She said she enjoyed her life as a schoolgirl and she was effusive in her praise about teachers .She remembered each of the teachers who taught her from the Primary Class to Grade 12 .She thought that DPS Bopal was a great school and would never trade it for any other school in the world .

I asked her about her views on marriage .I nudged her a bit and said that life is going to be so predictable –get a good job ,marry a good and wealthy man ,have kids and go through with the 4 stages  as envisaged in the Hindu System   of life .!But she did not nod her head in agreement .

“My views on marriage obviously haven’t crystallized .I need to grow up much more to have definitive views on it .But marrying someone to give legitimacy and surname to a child is obviously not the purpose of marriage”,I let the thing pass ,though I think the society of the future will have a lot more live in relationshiops rather than relationshiops based on marriage .Good or bad is not something I am going to debate upon here ,but as a student of History and Sociology ,I feel the changes in technology and professions have made it necessary to align social systems accordingly .

I had talked with her for a long time .It was time to bid her goodbye .Before leaving my room ,I told her

“Aditi ,getting good marks and making lots of money is different from being happy .In many ways its far far easier to get marks and make lots of  money than get  happiness .I wish you happiness”. I shook hands with her .In many ways ,I was shaking hands with the future of the world .

I attended her  celebration party in a prominent hotel yesterday night in Ahmedabad .The master of ceremonies asked me to speak a few words .I spoke .But I forgot to quote what Iqbal wrote so tellingly and beautifully .I quote him

Tu Shaheen hai parwaaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasmaan aur bhi hai.

(Shaheen is the mythical bird which once it takes off never comes back to the earth bcoz of its desire to search the heavens )

Keep soaring ,keep conquering ,but Aditi ,do keep coming back to your roots and friends.God bless . 

Why Indian Politicians Dont Retire .!!

Why do Indian politicians not retire ?Because they are not like you and me

What do we  do when  there is nothing to do? Well for us  that is not a problem. We sleep. We laze. We bond. We read or, more probably, doze before the more mindless television junk. We might even indulge in some minor free-market crime, like watching pirated movies.Or have food at a dhabha or a restaurant.Or log on to Facebook for hours .  There is lots to do when there is nothing to do. For normal people.

But since those who have once tasted power tend to be too grand to be normal, they have a problem when ejected out of office. After a spell of life during which every minute is allotted, either to work or to flatterers, the absence of a printed schedule (not to mention the absence of hangers-on) can be tormenting.

Politicians in other countries  have  found solutions. In America they all sign up with agents who put them on lecture tours. America is a very audio-friendly society. Instead of falling asleep at lectures, people actually pay to hear them. An orator like Bill Clinton makes millions out of lectures. This may not sound surprising, given the number of women anxious for proximity!!; but even serious men are willing to lay out a budget for the privilege of hearing him speak. Even British politicians with some cache are beginning to get on. Then there is membership of the board of companies. British politicians are far more adept at becoming directors. The city keeps a fair percentage of its space at the top for out-of-work politicians.

Then of course there are books. The Clintons, Bill and Hillary, made, together, nearly twenty million dollars at the very least from their respective memoirs. Colin Powell saved himself from any chance of penury with his book about the first Bush-Gulf war. The trick of course is to be known well-enough to be a regular face on television. If you are seen on TV your book will be purchased by large numbers of suckers who have no desire whatsoever to open its pages, except perhaps to get the copy signed by the author.

We can see instantly that almost none of this works in India. Who was the last Indian politician who wrote a best-seller? Who was the last Indian politician who wrote a book? The only author-politicians who come to mind are Natwar Singh, Mani Shankar Aiyar and former finance minister of Bengal Ashok Mitra, and that is because politics is a second, post-retirement, occupation for them. (I can’t include Arun Shourie in this category because there is some doubt as to whether he was ever a politician. He was in office but never in politics.) Atal Behari Vajpayee wrote good poetry, which is evidence of his difference, but while poetry might fetch an audience it does not fetch royalties.

 
So does it mean that our politicians don’t retire because they are not good at earning a living outside politics ?Well true to some extent but not wholly .Kapil Sibal and Arun Jaitley are brilliant professionals and if they retire they will make their millions .Does it mean that Indian politicians cant write and speak like their counterparts in England and America ?Again yes and no .Just read what J.Nehru wrote  on Gandhi,  for at least two reasons: to glimpse the quality of politics in his time, and for the sheer joy of reading excellent prose.
 
‘And then came Gandhi… Much that he said we only partially accepted or sometimes did not accept at all. But all this was secondary. The essence of his teaching was fearlessness and truth … abhaya, fearlessness, not merely bodily courage but the absence of fear from the mind. Janaka and Yajnavalka had said, at the dawn of our history, that it was the function of the leaders of a people to make them fearless. But the dominant impulse in India under British rule was that of fear. Pervasive, oppressing, strangling fear… It was against this all-pervading fear that Gandhi’s quiet and determined voice was raised: Be not afraid. Was it so simple as all that? Not quite. And yet fear builds its phantoms which are more fearsome than reality itself, and reality when calmly analysed and its consequences willingly accepted loses much of its terror.’

Brilliant –but how many Nehrus do we have ???.

Anyway ,since I am not a politician ,and since I am not drawn to the cesspool of power –I am on my way to just about completing a book .It may not make me a millionaire ,but it will surely provide me with dal and roti –which is all that I eat these days .!!My wife earns enough and my son is on his way to becoming independent .So i dont have to worry about them .

Why We Must Take Sides.

As Indians we tend to accept a lot of things without actually questioning whether they are right or wrong .This has something to do with our educational system which makes us learn things by rote ,and also because of the philosophical postulates of our culture .

‘Jo kuch bhi hota hai ,bhagwan ke wajey se hota hai”(whatever happens is because God has willed it that way),or “Yeh to hamare karma me likha thaa”.(It was a part of our destiny ).We have a theory of reincarnation which hammers it into our psyche that whatever has to happen will happen .So just bear with it well and in your next life you will be rewarded .So we tend to accept .And ,the theory also has roots in Greek Philosophy –with its schools of Epicurean and Stoics .

The above has its advantages .My grandmother put up with a lot of tyranny at home ,slogging it out under a very oppressive patriarchal system .She was one of the most unfortunate human beings I have met in my entire life .She lost her husband ,her grown up son ,her son in laws ,her four daughters and finally passed away a paralytic leaving behind only one daughter from a huge family .I often found her smiling and working tirelessly and she always justified her existence by saying that it was a part of her “karma”.At least the philosophy must have anchored her in a world in which she lost everything at a very young age .

However ,there are people who don’t accept things as they happen –just because we cant stop or change them from happening .And I am glad that we don’t .How can anyone accept tyranny ,lies ,loose morality,corruption ,evil as if they cant be fought ,and because they are a part of our karma ?Some of us keep quiet because there are powerful people who form a part of the evil gang .Some of us keep quiet because it is “politically correct”,to keep quiet .Some of us keep quiet ,collaborate with the wrong to get benefits and then desert the wrong when it starts getting uncomfortable .As if there is a choice !!Rats .!!Read what one of the greatest minds of our times ,Ayn Rand writes .I quote

“The man who refuses to judge, who neither agrees nor disagrees, who declares that there are no absolutes and believes that he escapes responsibility, is the man responsible for all the blood that is now spilled in the world. Reality is an absolute, existence is an absolute, a speck of dust is an absolute and so is a human life. Whether you live or die is an absolute. Whether you have a piece of bread or not, is an absolute. Whether you eat your bread or see it vanish into a looter's stomach, is an absolute.
There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. The man who is wrong still retains some respect for truth, if only by accepting the responsibility of choice. But the man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to sit out the course of any battle, willing to cash in on the blood of the innocent or to crawl on his belly to the guilty, who dispenses justice by condemning both the robber and the robbed to jail, who solves conflicts by ordering the thinker and the fool to meet each other halfway. In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit. In that transfusion of blood which drains the good to feed the evil, the compromise is the transmitting rubber tube.”Unquote .

Amazing words .And spot on .And just read what the Nobel Prize winning writer Elie Weisel had to say .

“ Of course, indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction.

 In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony, one does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. But indifference is never creative. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it. Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response.

Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees -- not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity we betray our own.

Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment. And this is one of the most important lessons of this outgoing century's wide-ranging experiments in good and evil.”

Absolutely brilliant .And could have only come from someone who endured and fought evil when Hitler unleashed it against the Jews .

And also listen to what the great Einstein had to say .

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” 

Or for that matter the great Conservative thinker Edmund Burke who talked of the “collective wisdom of mankind  

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” 

When voices are suppressed ,when false propaganda starts to roll ,when lies and allegations start to do the rounds ,then the source of evil gets pinpointed .No matter what one does –the voice must be snuffed out .One cant remain silent and be a spectator –because spectators always want to watch a good game .And no ones business is his /her  business if one is in a public office like that of a politician,a school Principal ,a IAS /IPS Officer ,a actor –anything .It directly or indirectly affects us  and humanity as such .Do anything with your house or property .Do anything with your car ,sarees ,jeans or eat any food you want .But dont mess around with universally accepted ideas which give all of us a level playing field .Remember –no man is a island .
 

Welcome To The School, Principal Sahib!!

Yesterday ,a teacher from our school joined as a Principal in a town on the border of Gujerat and Rajasthan .He had told me he was picking up the assignment and in one of my meetings with him ,I had asked him why he wanted to become a Principal when he was in a job that was very visible and probably very satisfying .He had replied “Sir ,meri  bahut tammanaa thi Principal bannekee .Aur ab mujhe chance mil gaya”. My mind went back many years  when I started my journey as a Principal –nearly a quarter century ago .What lies in store for him or for that matter anyone else who is embarking on this very tempestuous affair with society ?And what are the likely challenges and how would he deal with it .?What are the necessary ingredients to be a reasonably good Principal ?

The first important thing to be a good Principal has to be the enthusiasm and desire to be one.The “tammanaa” to be one must be very strong .After 12 years of teaching ,I knew I had to make a changeover .Even though  my strongest skill was teaching .I hate to boast –but I think I was a good teacher .But after a point of time it started to take a toll on me .My reputation started to take a hit .And I had more pride than Sachhin Tendulkar –I wanted to quit on a high .I wanted to leave a taste of Lindt chocolates on the tongue –not of stale rotten fish .I was hungry for a change .I wanted to be a Principal .I wanted to be like Mr Bharadwaj –my Principal ,who was dashing ,smart ,sauve and unique .Of course ,I  never became  like him .!

The next important thing to be a Principal is to have energy .I am of the opinion that the best Principals are the ones who start when they are young . Forty Five ,  years is no age to become a Principal .The energy levels tend to drop and the health issues start to crop up by that time .Your son is looking for employment and your daughter is nearing marriageble age   .One tends to become defensive and one  generally does not want  to take on people and the systems which more often than not need to delearn and reform .Besides –one needs to be energetic to be seen all over the place .Principalship is a operational job –like a field posting – and not a secretarial one .One cant behave like a babu in a "dafter" .!!

A very important thing to be a successful Principal is to be grounded .All of a sudden one gets pitchforked to a situation where you are dealing with a different set of people .I remember how exicted I was when someone pushed a visiting card to meet me .Those days when someone sent visiting cards into your office it meant you were a VIP !!Of course these days even school children have visiting cards .!!But when one is 34 years of age –one tends to get carried away .I remember my response when the visting card reached me .I was free –but I told Gokul my peon to ask Mr Aggarwal to wait . “Unko kaho ki Principal Sahab thore busy hai .Wait  karey”!!Ha ha .When I remember the incident ,I get embarrassed –but I need to share it with all who will become Principals for the first time –try to get away from the false feeling that you are a VIP .You are not –you are the guy who is actually wearing a crown of thorns .Its a tough job .And you realize it sooner –rather than later .Be practical –know yourself well and you will realize that at the end of the day you are just like anyone else ,but with a difference that you accepted to take on the responsibility of anything that happens in your school .The responsibility that the buck will stop at your table .Dont ever shift the blame on someone else .It will not work .And that’s where the pressure builds up .Its not the quantum of work you do –it’s the way you live with a feeling that if anything goes wrong –its your head on the block .Believe me ,you will stop behaving like a Important man .!!

Its important to learn the art of empowering and delegating work .As a new Principal ,one tends to want to centralize and do everything .You want to control power and you don’t want to share it .So in the beginning you will want to do everything –make timetables ,personally allot duties ,give casual leaves ,hold umpteem meetings ,issue advisories ,check copies ,walk into classrooms,direct plays , etc etc .Remember it may be first job as a Principal –but  for the teacher s you are just another new face .

Most importantly ,a new Principal must know how to shift gears from being a teacher to becoming a Principal .One must leave behind all the bad experiences as a teacher(one has a lot of them believe me !!) and your views in the staff room when you become a Principal .Time and again ,I have seen Principals fail because they could not evolve beyond the confines of the staff rooms .One notices the biases creeping in even when you you get elevated  as Heads of Departments or Vice Princpals .Rememeber the designation never makes you a Principal –its your vision and your work that will make you one .I remember the great Indian cricketer ,the late Nawab of Patuadi talking to our football team (Rai) at the Modern School in Delhi when we had lost the final of the Limca Football Tournaments .He smiled ,looked at the team ,looked at us and remarked “You cant win ,if your kit looks so clean and no one was hurt .Look at the boys from Tashi Namgyal Academy ,Gangtok .They look so battered and soiled”.Yes –you don’t become footballers by wearing football kit !!You don’t become a Principal by just getting a tag of a designation .Its hard work ,you will be battered ,you will be soiled ,you will be hurt .But you will win .

What can you expect as a Principal ?A lot of brickbats for sure .There are 2 parents for every child ,your competitor schools and your managements .Dont expect to be applauded .But don’t let the criticism break your spirit .Remember ,we live in a democratic society and we don’t expect everyone to agree with us .So take that in your stride .Dont get overrun by nomenclatures –Member of Parliament .MLA ,IG Police ,Income Tax Commisioner ,SHO ,Padmashri etc .Yes they are all very distinguished people –but if you do some wrong to please them ,they will run a mile away from you if you are questioned .So stand your ground .Be firm and be flexible only in matters that are interpretive and not violative of a simple written and well understood law or policy .If someone has 68 percent and everyone is forcing you to give him a stream whose cut off was 86 and there were 50 children who had more than 68 percent and less than 86 –then  either give all the stream or no one .Even if the Prime Minister asks you to do .These A,B,Cs of school administration must never be violated .Never have a attitude that “sub kuch chaltaa hai ,baad me theek kar layege ”.
You need to be gutsy and brave to be a Principal .As a Principal ,i have been gheraoed ,physically handled ,had a mike thrown at me ,abused ,anonymous letters written against me ,and have had FIRs lodged against my name .Give a damn for these things .Never let your eyebrows crinkle up .Our worst fears never come true .And tommorow is always a new day .A good Principal will never hide when confronted .He will step out .

Apart from that –it’s a great job ,there is a lot of glamour (if you are a part of a good school),there is enough money ,and there is a fair amount of recognition .At times you might find it difficult to get your privacy in a mall ,a restaurant,a movie hall or a airport .You will be invited to big functions ,5 Star Hotels ,and Seminars abroad .So have a set of 4/5 suits ready (definitely one pure black and pure cream !!).My distinguished friend Madan Lal Garg who became one of the leading Principals told us once the difference between a teacher and a Principal “Bhai ,Principal ke pass 5 suit hoe jarroori chahiyeh.Bus itna farak hai uske aur teacher ke beech”.!!But he was obviously oversimplifying the matter .!!You canr reduce a Principalship to a few suits !!

Lastly –expect to be tempted by the lure of monetary benefits .And please ,please ,don’t ever fall into the  trap.Money is not what we become Principals for .No one is going to respect you as a Principal for the amount of money you have .That kind of respect is reserved for industrialists and businessmen because they are in the business of creating money .Not you .You are in the business of creating futures and values to sustain a better world .

I have always been influenced by this prayer of General MacArthur for his son .I think it is a perfect guideline for any Principal to model himself on .

“ Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee — and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, give him, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.”

Welcome to the world of leadership in a school .Welcome ,Principal Sahab !!