Karti Chidambaram believes that you have to take the bull by the horns if you have to get the desired results. He does not
mince words nor cast a bridle over his thoughts as he divulgeshow participative Indians can be in making democracy an effective tool for personal as well as social progress. Over to Karti on his views about the Right to Information act.
We are surging forward with full gusto, trampling upon all hurdles, be it terrorism or incidents of internal strife, economic upheavals, health hazards and innumerable other obstacles. And then suddenly there is a brake—a benumbing, barbaric, retrograde stumbling impediment that we are too shocked to believe or handle! A fervent attempt to take us backward to the Neanderthal age…. An endeavor to stifle whatever little progression half the population has wrangled from the society to emerge out of crippling social shackles in an attempt to contribute effectively to the world at large….. At a time when ‘change’ is the mantra every country is looking at, at a time when despite the bleak economic world ambience, an aura of optimism, grit and determination pervades, this shocking act to relegate the status of women will just snuff out the dreams that we have woven for ourselves. Karti’s views…..
What happened in Mangalore, in the garb of cultural. moral policing by the so called Shri Ram Sene is unpardonable. The act of barging into a hotel, pulling out women and beating them up mercilessly because they believed that women were behaving in an un-Indian manner, which is against Indian culture, is simply undemocratic that any thinking citizen of the contemporary world should condemn. This intransigence by anybody to decide what is culturally acceptable or unacceptable should have been nipped in the bud. It is totally undemocratic and goes against the tenets of the Indian constitution, which I personally believe should be the guiding credo of social and not private beliefs of individuals. Mr. Pramod Muthalik and his creed are free to dawdle in outdated, retrograde beliefs that ordain ways in which women are supposed to be curbed, specifying how a woman must dress only in a certain way. , must only be seen in certain places and must only do certain things. They think, if women transgress this lakshman rekha, it is inappropriate and unacceptable and are liable to be dealt with brute force.
Mr. Muthalik should probably find common ground with the Taliban mullahs than with free thinking Indians. Muthalik has clearly proved that fundamentalists of all hues and kinds are the same. The Taliban is bombing girls’ schools in Frontier Pakistan because they believe that women should not be educated. Here Mr Muthalik and his goons are trying to enforce a moral code, particularly against women. This kind of religious and intolerant fundamentalism must be put down in a stringent manner.
But of course, people like Muthalik are basking in the publicity that media is giving them and perhaps are emboldened to indulge in more brazen activities because they get the publicity. I have always maintained that publicity is a double-edged sword. We must have a free press. But at times, by highlighting irrelevant organizations like the Ram Sene the free press is also giving them greater life than they deserve.
14 February is now universally accepted as Valentine’s Day and it is a day which, even people in India have accepted, should celebrate love. Mr. Muthalik and his goons have proposed to disrupt that day and I hope that the organs of free, democratic and secular state of India will clamp down on this ruthlessly.
Karti Chidambaram believes that you have to take the bull by the horns if you have to get the desired results. He does not mince words nor cast a bridle over his thoughts as he divulgeshow participative Indians can be in making democracy an effective tool for personal as well as social progress. Over to Karti on his views about the Right to Information act.
The events that unfolded outside the gates of Dr. Ambedkar Law College would have shocked every right thinking citizen. The events cleared showcased everything that is wrong with our society. The unsavory incident showcased a brutal, young, angry, misdirected student population. It demonstrated an impotent police force and a sensationalist media.
This abject display of whatever is wrong with our society could never have been better exhibited to everyone within a span of ten minutes. According to the census of India 2001 the population under 34 years was around 41%. We have a huge student body upon whom it is incumbent to take our nation forward. This is more so for students of law who should be the custodians of our constitution and our future. It is unpardonable that students of law behaved in the vilest and brutal manner, attacking one other in such a savage display of brute force, which was probably only prevalent before codified conduct came into play in civil society.
And the underlying reason for this show of aggression is once again caste, which is the most clichéd cause that underlies innumerable incidents of civic unrest in our country. Despite frequent instances of lip service on the issue of eradication of this social malady it is quite apparent that this prejudice is deeply entrenched in the psyche of our society and it has also seeped into the conscience of our young people. Merely writing articles of condemnation and statements of disapproval will not eradicate this social evil. Urgent and direct action, which is completely different from what we have taken in the past is needed.
There cannot be single caste hostels any more. I do not want to get into the debate of reservation right now, but collection of caste details for database once the admission process is over in educational institutions, must be made irrelevant. Any group or society within a college campus, which even has a mild flavour of caste, must be banned. Anybody purporting to conduct any event which has a cast tenor must be clearly dissuaded and prohibited.
The composition of students within classes must be such that people from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds are duly integrated. When I studied in the University, it was the most egalitarian of all places. The only thing which mattered to people was whether we studied well or played sport well. Everything else is irrelevant. I think it is incumbent upon the people who run the institutions to emphasize on this ethos once again. Stringent action must be taken against all students who were part of this brutal display of force at the footsteps of the law college. All those who were involved must be penalized Criminal provisions of law where applicable must be applied. For those whom criminal provisions don’t apply, compulsory counseling should be arranged. The students on whom criminal charges are framed must be suspended and dismissed from the college and all those who were involved must be demoted by a year.
All those who were not directly found guilty but were associated with this incident must be demoted by a year. The bar council must note these names and if they by some chance do clear the bar exams at some point of time and choose to enroll in the bar, a strict investigation must be conducted once again to ensure whether they have shed their prejudices before they want to enroll in the bar.
This brutal event also reflected upon the impotent police force. If ever there was a clear example of a cop-out reason, this was a classic case. The police force which had prior information about the impending brutal attack was stationed at the doorsteps of the college. They witnessed the brutal attack on the students but did nothing, taking umbrage under a technicality which said they needed the permission of the college principal to enter the campus. This bureaucratic excuse for inaction unveils the classic manner in which our police force functions. The average citizen normally does not have great confidence in the police and the incident which was shown in the visual media to everybody has completed eroded the basic faith we had in our police force. The Director General of Police and the Commissioner of Police must take urgent action to restore the destroyed confidence in the police force. I know the government has taken swift action in suspending the officers who were directly responsible for this inaction. But mere suspension is not enough and much more stringent punishment; perhaps demotion must be considered.
Let us look at how the media which was present during this incident, behaved. I am a proponent of a free press but it is also true that the press feeds on a frenzy .The constant replay of this brutal event has only shocked the population into a fear psychosis. But while I do not preach censorship, I think a restraint is also necessary in the behavior of the press, which under the garb of investigative journalism fans casteist forces. I urge the editors of all papers and television magazines to handle this sensitive issue with great maturity and identify the real causes for such a breakdown in civility. The media should help identify the forces which perpetuated this crime and bring them to book.
Karti Chidambaram believes that you have to take the bull by the horns if you have to get the desired results. He does not mince words nor cast a bridle over his thoughts as he divulgeshow participative Indians can be in making democracy an effective tool for personal as well as social progress. Over to Karti on his views about the Right to Information act.
On the occasion of Independence Day, Eve’s Times posed Karti a few questions that elicited a torrent of responses from him.
Are we truly free?
We are as free as free can be. ‘Free’ is a relative term. I am a believer of individual liberty. But individual liberty is always contextual. What is free which is accepted in a certain context is not necessarily accepted in another context. Freedom for the sake of freedom at the cost of discipline or order is not necessarily freedom. I don’t think we can have an absolute definition of freedom. Freedom is always relative; relative in the context of the environment in which we are operating.
Can we say that if we are watching a cricket match then all the spectators have the freedom to rush into the cricket ground because we are a free country and stand around the pitch? Or we are watching a tennis match and we keep yelling when the point is being played? Because we are a free country and we have freedom of speech can you speak in your mobile phone when a movie is being shown or when you are in a concert hall watching a play or theatre? There will always be curbs to individual freedom.
But what those curbs are and how much the curbs will be exercised depends on the context. Of course we are a free country; let us not have a debate about that. How much freedom we have, where we have and what we have always depends on the situation.
The common man is not able to get what he wants because he is bound by the manacles of a corrupt system. What is your take on that?
It is high time that the common man stopped playing the role of a victim. Self pity must stop. Somehow or the other there is a widespread impression about the honest common man getting completely fettered and abused by the system. The common mans has the power within himself. Common people collectively have a great amount of power. They must harness that power and stop lamenting that they are victims of the system.
What about corruption, which makes it difficult for the common people to attain what they want?
Corruption is a different problem. As there is a taker, there is also a giver. Every problem is a two-way street. While we must condemn people who are abusing their positions, if people collectively refuse to entertain any modes of corruption, it can be contained. I am not saying that this is the only solution but there is also a duty amongst us to do that. But because of the environment we live in and we all want to get things done we are more than happy to cut corners when it suits our needs.
A free country should also ensure that the basic necessities of people are met. The fact that the power lies in the hands of a few people combined with corruption makes life difficult for people who are denied not only the right to live with dignity but also are not able to achieve what they want and can.
You are talking about economic disparity, which cannot be done away with overnight unless we have great economic progress. But I don’t think that in India today power is concentrated in a few people. Economic, social and political power is diffused. There are many political parties. Economic disparity is there in every country. The disparity is glaring in our country because in totalitarian regimes such as China, the disparity is hidden where as in our country it is not hidden. Disparities are there even in the most advanced countries including the United States.
Young India is growing on all fronts and how? How is this growth going to benefit all of us? There is a heated debate on the growth of India. The solution is not just taking a pot of gold and distributing to all but to find ways to create more pots of gold. In a country where Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped, why should anybody close their doors to the Goddess of wealth? Karti, for one, believes in welcoming the Goddess with open arms. After all, we are a country that celebrates the New Year Day with the ritual of ‘Kani Kanudhal.’ This custom encourages people to cast their first glance at a lavish spread of wealth before the Goddess of Wealth on the day the New Year dawns. This New Year, Karti Chidambaram unveils his thoughts about wealth creation.
Today there is a huge debate created by the people of communist persuasion saying that economic reform is not good for India. They are probably talking about wealth re-distribution. That is a wrong concept. First of all they assume that wealth is a zero sum game. According to them, if there is extra amount of wealth in some quarters, it should be taken away from them and given to those who do not have wealth. Wealth is not a zero sum game. Creation of wealth is what will work and reach people who don’t have wealth. The answer is not to take away wealth from people who have and redistribute it. As somebody said, what communism does is not distribute wealth but distribute poverty!
The answer is more economic growth, which will reach out to the masses. The idea is not to cut the cake to smaller pieces and give it to everybody. The idea is to make a bigger cake. How do you have a bigger cake? Only through economic development. Only through greater thrust in economy, by allowing people to grow businesses, hire technology, hire people etc. These people keep mocking India’s growth saying that the growth that is happening in our country today is irrelevant because it is not percolating to all. Growth will percolate to all if we grow at an average of 8 ½ to 9 5% every year. Our per capita income will double every ten years. Which means, a per capita income of 1000 USD today will reach 16,000 USD by 2050. It will double every year…One will become two, two will become four and so on and will become sixteen times in fifty years. If you want to find fault with the growth, you find fault with the rate of growth and aim for greater growth. The answer is not to mock and say we want less growth because this growth is not happening to everybody.
By arresting growth we will only distribute poverty and we will not distribute wealth. There are people in this country who are profiting by keeping people in poverty. It pays certain people politically to keep people in poverty. I think that must be fought. The evil of poverty must be fought only through growth. Poverty cannot be fought with the misleading concept of wealth distribution because wealth distribution only means distribution of poverty and not of growth.
If you have thousand rupees, if I take it and divide it equally among two people, it does not make both of you rich; it makes both of you poor. We must encourage people to work more, to earn more and pay more tax. We must create more employment.
There is nothing to be apologetic about creation of personal wealth. Through ethical and legal means we must encourage people to create wealth. It is up to them to decide how to spend the wealth they amass. I think individuals have the liberty and the intelligence to decide how to spend the wealth. It is up to them if they want to alienate their wealth. We must encourage pursuit of wealth in ethical and legal manner. There is no reason whatsoever to find fault with the pursuit of wealth. For India to grow and the growth to benefit everybody, we must grow at a faster rate and not shun growth.
Karti Chidambaram believes that you have to take the bull by the horns if you have to get the desired results. He does not mince words nor cast a bridle over his thoughts as he divulges how participative Indians can be in making democracy an effective tool for personal as well as social progress. Over to Karti on his views about the Right to Information act.
The RTI Act is a powerful tool we have with which we can design a truly democratic country. However, the public at large is totally unaware of this (tool). If we were to function as a participative democracy people should start using RTI a lot more effectively, getting a lot more information, demanding information and acting on that information. I think we will have far more democratic policies if RTI were used astutely by the public.
Unfortunately, we get the politics and the government we deserve. This is because we are not being proactive enough and we are taking democracy for granted. We are living in the midst of undemocratic neighbours. Yet, we have a valuable democracy, which we are taking for granted. The RTI act is a good tool for us to be proactive and make democracy work for us.
All one needs to do is ask questions in a stamp paper worth ten rupees. For e.g., if a public work has not been completed or not executed properly, ask for information such as who the contractor is, how much money was paid to him, how much was spent, does the contractor have any political affiliations, why the work was not done etc. Ask those questions and expose the issue.
Please understand that for every political party there is always an opposition that wants to exploit information to their advantage. All you need to do is to bring the information out and the exploitation by the opposition will happen automatically.
However, you must ask questions for public good. You can’t ask irrelevant personal information. There was this incident where a person asked about the marital status of a girl working in a department. They refused to give the information. Such information sought is not meant for public good. What is public good? Suppose we have allocated Rs. 10 crores to build tsunami houses you can ask, “Tell me how many houses have been built? How many people have gone and stayed there? How many of these people were fishermen before? Who was the contractor? What was he paid? Does he have any political affiliations?’ Those are the kind of questions the public must ask. The problem is that once we are given a privilege, the tendency is to misuse the privilege. Tell me is it important for the country to ask how many women in commerce ministry are unmarried? Is this why they have given us this privilege? These are all bizarre and irrelevant. Use the Right to Information, know your rights and duties and act like responsible citizens if you want to make democracy work for everybody. There is no point in blaming everything else if first and foremost you as a citizen are not responsible to yourself and your country.
