Nandini Voice For The Deprived

Dedicated to the cause of marginalised and downtrodden VOL XVII

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION - Rs. 100/-

ISSUE 4

JULY 2011

RS.10/-

COMMON MANS ANGER ABOUT CORRUPTION IS REAL. POLITICIANS AND BUREACRATS ARE BOUND TO BECOME THE TARGET, IF THEY WOULD NOT MEND THEIR WAYS.

THOUGHTS OF KANCHI PARAMACHARYA

NEED FOR SENSE OF GRATITUDE TO PARENTS

We must serve our fellow creatures to the best of our ability and extend hospitality at least to one guest a day. We must treat our parents with respect and do all we can to keep them in comfort. We cannot make sufficient recompense for all the sacrifices they make on our behalf. After they depart from this world, we must without fail, offer libations to them and perform the sraddha ceremony, all in the sastric manner. Though some people may ridicule the idea of performing sraddha, even they have agreed that we must care for our parents. The sesame you offer, the water, the balls of rice, the plantains and other items of food remain here, point out the reformists. Or we see someone removing them before our own eyes or eating them. You say that the departed parents are born again in this world. If that is true, is it not madness to claim that what is offered here will reach them? say the reformists. Some of you must be harbouring similar doubts. Let me tell you a story. A certain man had sent his son to college in a distant town. One day, the boy woke up to the fact that he had to pay his examination fee in a few days. So he wrote to his father: Please send such and such a sum by telegraphic money order. The father was a little perplexed. All the same, he went to the telegraph office and handed the clerk at the counter the money that had to be sent to his son. Please send it by telegraphic money order, he told the clerk. He had thought that the clerk would make holes in the notes, put a length of wire through them and send the whole thing to his son. Moments later, the clerk said to the man: Your son will get your money. It has already been sent. The villager was again puzzled. He saw the money still in the cash box without the notes strung together. He told the clerk:My money is still here. You havent made holes in the notes yet. The clerk assured him: It will reach your son. Now, he turned to his work of sending messages: Ka-tu-katu-katu. The poor villager was still not satisfied. But the money of course reached his son. Offering libations to ones parents is similar. If this rite is performed according to the sastras, the deities concerned will convey them to those for whom they are meant. If the parents are reborn as cows. the offering 2

made to them will be taken to them in the form of grass or hay. The deities in charge carry out the orders of the Paramatman. So the father or the mother whose sraddha is performed need not personally come to receive the offering. Does not the telegraphic money order reach the addressee? If the addressee resides in a foreign country, our currency will not be valid there. If rupees are paid here, arrangements are made to pay the money in dollars, pounds or whatever. The things offered to the parents according to the sastras are conveyed in a form suitable to them. What is important is a sense of gratitude to our parents and faith in the sastras. At parties, a toast is proposed to somebody and all the guests drink or eat to his health. They do so in the belief that by virtue of the mental power, the man toasted will become healthy. Sraddha means that which is done in faith. Faith is of the utmost importance. If we do something, we must do it according to the rules laid down for it. When you write a letter, how do you make sure that it reaches the addressee? I will write the address as I like. Why should I drop the letter in that letterbox over there? I have a better box at home. Would you speak thus? In the state of worklessness, love, devotion and jnana are not bound by any rules. But when an action has a purpose behind it, you have to respect the rules pertaining to it.
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA SPEAKS

WHAT IS DUTY?
It is necessary to study Karma-Yoga to know what duty is. If I have to do something, I must first know that it is my duty and then I can do it. The idea of duty again is different in different nations. The Mohammedan says what is written in his book, the Koran, is his duty; the Hindu says what is in the Vedas is his duty; and the Christian says what is in the Bible is his duty. We find that there are varied ideas of duty, differing according to different states in life, different historical periods and different nations. The term duty, like every other universal abstract term, is impossible clearly to define; We can only get an idea of it by knowing its practical operations and results. When certain things occur before us, we have all a natural or trained impulse to act in a certain manner towards them; when this impulse comes, the mind begins to think about the situation. Sometimes, it thinks that it is good to act in a particular manner under the given conditions; at other times it thinks that it is wrong to act in the same manner even in the very same circumstances. The ordinary idea of duty everywhere is that every good man follows the dictates of his conscience. But what is it that makes an act a duty? If a Christian finds a piece of beef before him and does not eat it to save his own life or will not give it to save the life of another man, he is sure to feel that he has not done his duty. But, if a Hindu dares to eat that piece of beef or to give it to another Hindu, he is equally sure to feel that he too has not done his duty; the Hindus training and education make him feel that way. In the last century, there were notorious bands of robbers in India called thugs; they thought it their duty to kill any man they could and take away his money; the larger the number of men they killed, the better they thought they were. Ordinarily, if a man goes out into the street and shoots down another man, he is apt to feel sorry for it, thinking that he has done wrong. But if the very same man, as a soldier in his regiment, kills not one but twenty, he is certain to feel glad and think that he has done his duty remarkably well. Therefore, we see that it is not the thing done that defines a duty. To give an objective definition of duty is thus entirely impossible. Yet, there is duty from the subjective side. Any action that makes us go Godward is a good action and is our duty; any action that makes us go downward is evil and is not our duty. From the subjective standpoint, we may see that certain acts have a tendency to exalt and ennoble us,
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

while certain other acts have a tendency to degrade and to brutalise us. But, it is not possible to make out with certainty which acts have which kind of tendency in relation to all persons, of all sorts and conditions. There is, however, only one idea of duty which has been universally accepted by all mankind, of all ages and sects and countries, and that has been summed up in a Sanskrit aphorism thus: Do not injure any being; not injuring any being is virtue, injuring any being is sin. The Bhagavad-Gita frequently alludes to duties dependent upon birth and position in life. Birth and position in life and in society largely determine the mental and moral attitude of individuals towards the various activities of life. It is therefore, our duty to do that work which will exalt and ennoble us in accordance with the ideals and activities of the society in which we are born. But it must be particularly remembered that the same ideals and activities do not prevail in all societies and countries; Our ignorance of this is the main cause of much of the hatred of one nation towards another. When I came to USA and was going through the Chicago Fair, a man from behind pulled at my turban. I looked back and saw that he was a very gentlemanlylooking man, neatly dressed. I spoke to him; and when he found that I knew English, he became very much abashed. On another occasion in the same Fair, another man gave me a push. When I asked him the reason, he also was ashamed and stammered out an apology saying, Why do you dress that way? The sympathies of these men were limited within the range of their own language and their own fashion of dress. Therefore, the one point we ought to remember is that we should always try to see the duty of others through their own eyes and never judge the customs of other peoples by our own standard. I am not the standard of the universe. I have to accommodate myself to the world and not the world to me. So we see that environments change the nature of our duties and doing the duty which is ours at any particular time is the best thing we can do in this world. Let us do that duty which is ours by birth; and when we have done that, let us do the duty which is ours by our position in life and in society. 3

Desperate Calls
You can enjoy your prosperity only if you share your income with the deprived and thus discover the satisfaction that it provides.
Research Centre needs support World Tamil Magazines Research Centre is rendering free services to all research scholars like M.Phil/ PhD students. The centre has more than 7000 Tamil magazines and it is life period of 100 years. World Tamil Magazines Research Centre requests kind hearted persons for financial support for purchase of furniture and extending the building. Contact address: Mr.Limca Ramanan, World Tamil Magazines Research Centre 770/1, ICF South Colony. 9th Street, Chennai-600 038, Cell: 944 254 99 83 ***** Support needed for purchase of school uniform Vanavil Blind Trust, Dindigul requests kind hearted persons for financial support for purchasing school uniform for the following poor students.
Name of the student Ms.G.Masilamani Ms.J.Manomathi Ms.J.Amala Jasmi Jo Mr.Arokya Revanth Ms.Amali Josefin Ms.Arokya Delsi Ms.M.Vidya Mr.M.Kalaiselvan Mr.C.Suriyaprakash Mr.M.Melvin Xavier Mr.S.Varadharaj Age Class Name of the School 13 15 8 14 16 13 11 15 13 13 15 VIII XI III 9 11 8 6 9 8 9 11 Loyola Higher Secondary School CSI High School St.Joseph Middle School St.Marys Higher Secondary School Government High School Punitha Valanar (G)Higher Secondary School Loyola Higher Secondary School Thirumurugan Middle School Government High School Nehru Middle School St.Francis Xavier High School

Heart patients need support for medical treatment * Master Sujeesh, 9 years old is suffering from congenital heart disease. Estimated cost of the open heart surgery at Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore. is Rs.1,25,000/* Baby Tinkle, one and half years old is suffering from congenital heart disease. Estimated cost of the open heart surgery at Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore is Rs.1,25,000/* Mrs. Saramma, 60 years old is suffering from coronary artery disease. Estimated cost of the coronary artery bypass grafting at Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore. is Rs.1,25,000/The cheque may be drawn in favour of Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore and sent to the following address: Secretary, Save Poor Lives No.22, Perumal Koil Street, Aminjikarai, Chennai-600 029 ***** Cancer patient needs support Master Arunkumar is suffering from aplastic anaemia, a type of cancer. Estimated cost of the treatment is Rs. 5 lakhs. The treatment includes anti malignancy drugs, antibiotics, blood and blood products, factor concentrates etc. Arunkumars father is a poor farmer. He earns just Rs.2000/- per month. His family consist of 5 members. Cheque may be drawn in favour of Cancer Aid & Research Foundation, Mumbai and sent to the following address. Contact address: Dr. Raj Tendulkar Trustee, Cancer Aid & Research Foundation Byculla Municipal School Building, Ground floor, Room Nos.15-18 N M Joshi Marg, Near S Bridge, Byculla (West), Mumbai-400 011. Phone: 0091-22-2300 5000 /2306 4442 /6455 6300 (32 lines)
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

Contact address: Mr.K.Kannan Managing Trustee,Vanavil Blind Trust 2/331, Keelathippampatti,Kasavanampatty (PO) Athoor (Tk), Kannivadi (via),Dindigul-624 705 Cell: 9962656471 ***** Needs sewing machine Mrs.S Saroja is a poor lady and she has 3 children. Her husband is unskilled labourer. Mrs.S Saroja has undergone tailoring course. She requests kind hearted persons for donation of sewing machine to self employ herself. Contact address Mrs.S Saroja, No.100/83, Thulasingam Street, Peramboor, Chennai-600 011 ***** 4

INVITATION TO PROVIDE ESCORT SERVICES TO THE POOR STUDENTS

Nandini Voice for The Deprived has been providing services to the students belonging to lower income group for continuing their education at school and college level. In view of the steep rise in the expenses required for education in the private schools and colleges and as adequate number of government owned and aided schools and colleges are not available, several students from poor families are driven from pillar to post to find money to meet the educational expenses. In the process, some of them are forced to discontinue their education, though they may have the necessary aptitude and attributes to go for higher studies and attain high qualifications. With the level of affluence seen in a section of the society , it is only proper and appropriate that those with good salary and income level should come forward to provide escort services to the students from the lower income group and facilitate their growth. The concept of escort services is to support the education of any particular student/students to pursue the education to the level of their capability based on their performance. Escort services can start at any level Nandini Vvoice For the Deprived invites those who are interested in providing escort services to poor students to contact , so that the bio data of deserving students can be forwarded to them for their consideration. Nandini Voice For The Deprived believes that this proactive measure will go along way in ensuring that the deserving poor students would not lose the opportunities for higher education due to want of resources. Those interested can contact Email:- nsvenkatchennai@gmail.com Nandini Voice For The Deprived, Tel:44-24916037

CUT THE TONGUE AND GET GOVERNMENT JOB IN TAMIL NADU

It is shocking to learn that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha complimented the lady who sacrificed her tongue in fulfilment of her vow for AIADMKs victory and gave her a government job. Cutting the tongue is a barbarian practice, whatever may be the cause and such practice should not be encouraged. The Chief Minister ought to have disapproved the act strongly and ensured that others would not follow such practice. Someone else should not cut his / her hand or leg in the name of Ms. Jayalalitha with the idea of getting a government job.

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Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

Readers for the enlightened readers to give expression to their views on forum Readers forum provides space

a variety of socio economic issues that is of relevance to the society. Further enrichment of the journal with your thoughtful inputs would certainly go a long way in promoting the cause that the journal seeks to espouse.

I am skeptical about the outcome Sir, I am skeptical about the anti corruption campaign launched by Anna Hazare. I think the politicians have once again high-jacked it and conned the common man. The initiative taken by Anna Hazare was punctured midway by the politicians agreeing to his demands and issuing an order to tide over the problem and letting him withdraw his agitation. Now, if he does the same act again, i wonder will he get the same repose? Even though the context remains the same, the issue has been much watered down. To me, the campaign against corruption will be long drawn out battle. It will remain caught under procedural wrangling for long. There will be drafting problem and each word of the bill will be measured and debated. Even if all this will be over, when will it be tabled in the Parliament, no one knows. Will it be passed by the current government is also uncertain. The first Lokpal Bill was introduced in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1969 but could not get passed. Subsequently; Lokpal bills were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, all met the same fate. It is apparent that the passage of the bill depends on the political will. Chennai Syed Ali Mujtaba, Senior Journalist ***** Materialistic pursuits of Swamiji Sir, The babas, swamijis and sanyasis should steer themselves away from the political parties and even sectarian religious sentiments. The more embarrassing aspect is the allegation regarding the dubious sources of such enormous properties possessed by the trusts, founded by these babas and swamijis. Should our yogis and Godmen really involve themselves in blatant materialistic pursuits? And so openly, whereas sanyasis are supposed to live in penury having renounced world. 6

The case of Dhirendra Brahmachari in 1977-81 was a case of filthy and degrading experience. The disclosure of such huge assets of Ramdev is an affront to the very basics of the Hindu way of life. Ramakrishna or Vivekananda or Ramana Maharishi never acquired properties. In fact, they were penniless without any worldly possessions worth mentioning. Why are the present Babas bent upon so much hype and have so great acquisitive propensities? Chennai Aurobindo Banerjee ***** Government should read the writing on the wall Sir, There is huge concern amongst the cross section of countrymen about the prevalence of widespread corruption at all levels in every sphere of activity in India. Persons like Anna Hazare and Ramdev Baba have received so much of enthusiastic support from the countrymen, since the people feel grateful to them for taking up this cause of fighting against corruption, which is the urgent need of the day. Obviously, todays government machinery and politicians are embodiment of corruption and in India corruption can not be eradicated without reforming government machinery and punishing the corrupt politicians. There is visible anger amongst countrymen and the Government of India and the politicians in power should not take the people for granted. While the elections give some sort of relief to the people by providing them opportunity to get rid of the corrupt and dishonest politicians,. unfortunately today electoral process itself has been corrupted by the politicians by bribing voters. In such circumstances, agitation and violence against corruption and malpractices would become the order of the day, if the government would not mend its ways . The writing on the wall should be read by the Prime Minister and he can not get away by simply remaining silent and inert. Mumbai R.A.Prasad
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

SHOULD ANNA HAZARE AND BABA RAMDEV RESORT TO REPEATED FASTS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION ?
Nandini Voice For The Deprived sent an appeal to Baba Ramdev about his resorting to fast as part of anti corruption crusade. Copy of the appeal was circulated all over India and several concerned persons expressed their view on the appeal. The content of the appeal and the highlights of the views expressed by concerned citizens are given below.

APPEAL TO BABA RAMDEV

The common men are so angry and frustrated at the prevalence of widespread corruption in the country at every level that they are inclined to support anyone who would involve himself in the anti corruption crusade. This explains the spontaneous support being received by the anti corruption crusaders like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev at national level. Obviously, the Government of India is on the backfoot, as several members of the government are guilty of indulging in massive corruption deals. The government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh has become morally weak. At the same time, leaders like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev should channalise the peoples anger in positive manner without involving themselves in precipitating the issues by going on fast, which may lead to widespread national disturbance and violence by making common men come to the streets to protest and may become counter productive in the long run. A few thousand people protesting on the streets in a few cities can paralyse national life, as has been repeatedly seen in the recent past. With so much of peoples and media support, Baba Ramdev should position himself as a focus point of positive anti corruption energy and not become an architect of national disturbance by going on fast at this stage. He should give Manmohan Singhs government some room to implement anti corruption measures , by weeding out the corrupt elements from everywhere including the government. It has to be kept in mind that Dr. Manmohan Singh has recently said repeatedly about his anti corruption commitments. Why not believe him particularly since he has the mandate of the people to rule for five years ? Gandhian strategy of fasting is the ultimate weapon and Baba Ramdev should not use it in a pre mature manner, particularly since Anna Hazare has already used this weapon once. The ultimate weapon of fasting should not be made to become weak by such repeated use at frequent intervals by different persons for the same cause.
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

VIEWS OF THE CONCERNED CITIZENS ON FASTING

A.Subramani Fasting is not a solution for the current problem, The people posing themselves as the sole representative of the entire mass should use this opportunity and channelise the enthusiastically emerging youth power against corruption. They should educate the citizens about their rights, procedure to get the same without paying bribe, empowering them to question the government machinery . As we have enough acts to prevent corruption, the problem is only in implementing the acts. There is no provision for prevention of corruption in Lokpal bill. It will only investigate and impose punishment.

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Kuljit S Sidhu There is no give and take in it In the prevailing circumstances, it is prudent and expedient to raise saner voices, bereft of verbose and concealed threats. Government should see the need to send clear and loud signal.. It has become a national issue/problem

Jasmer Singh Typical of Indian approach To my mind, the appeal is typical of the Indian approach and explains why we are lagging behind the Arabs in getting rid of our corrupt leaders.

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S R Madhu We badly need disturbance Manmohan Singh is blind, deaf and dumb to all the corruption, all the loot around him. We need another Egypt here. Ramdevs disturbance is the first step. Hope it leads to something bigger.

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S.P.Ambrose. Ultimatums to Govt.can only be counter productive.

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R. Swaminathan Gandhian methods will succeed only with civilised governments. Look at what happened to the fasts unto death in the last 2 years. The Telengana fast was given up on an assurance by UPA 2 and the matter is gathering dust. Anna Hazares fast was given up and UPA 2 is playing duck and drakes with the draft bill.

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Omkar Razdan Agree with the spirit of the appeal Civil Society should not lower guard. They should be able to tell the Govt that we mean buisiness this time.

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Kandaswamy Subramaniam Seem unreal The manner in which the Ministers and those in government bent backwards to placate Baba Ramdev seem unreal. Those who are interested in maintaining the momentum of the Hazare movement should ignore this Baba and advise him to get back to his yogasram. Never in my life have I seen a Swamiji getting down from a plane and being received by so many Cabinet Milnisters. The only other person who got similar treatment was Dhirendra Brahmachari of the emergency years.

M S Chahal Keeping the pressure is desirable The vested interests will ensure that things just drift along. Ultimately the bullet has to be bitten by the Government of the day and no unelected pressure group, however sincere or however powerful can take the actual steps needed.

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Kris Dev Demonetisation of currency is needed Demand demonetization of currency in stages and ultimately ban currency circulation; instead introduce anonymous yet secure biometric smart card based transaction with indelible audit trail and fail proof tracking and make all transactions public on the web.

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Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

SHOULD ANNA HAZARE AND BABA RAMDEV RESORT TO REPEATED FASTS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION ? Y P Anand Extreme righteous stances have no place We must also ensure that the basic democratic structure in India is not disturbed or discredited. In the long run, there is no better form of governance for the people at large. Extreme stances have provided the starting points for the talibinization in some other countries, where democratic structures were not too strong. The leaders of these agitations must realize that they are personally responsible for the organizations and important individuals with them not only being above board but also being seen as such. Any show of extravagance, as was being openly practised in Delhi on a large-scale by Ramdevs outfit, raises many doubts about the very bona fides of so-called satyagrahas.

Vishaka Chakrapani Fast will be of no importance Why is it that Baba Ramdev wants to be so involved in the corruption in our country when he himself is under the scanner for so many things such as the use of certain substances in his products/medicines. This fast isnt even bothering me, because for Baba Ramdev fasting isnt something new, yoga guru that he is.

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Durgashanker Nagda Some corrupt person has made this appeal The country is already in turmoil and is disturbed than the fear of disturbance due to peoples fast with Baba. People have already believed for 63 years and none wants to do any more. power. Do you still accept the corruption?

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A.V.Venkatesh Nedd to precipitate matters I am in favour of Baba going on fast to force the hands of the Govt. If it is going to result in mass unrest, so be it because, otherwise, the same unrest could explode any time later and that could be more dangerous.

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Jasmer Singh Governments approach lacks dignity A man like Kapil Sibal, who thought he was big enough to teach the Comptroller and Auditor General of India a lesson, can not be said to be in a sane frame of mind. The World is watching and the Indian ministers are putting up a very bad show.

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S. Ilanahai Agitations should not look like black mailing We should not collect money from bad elements and conduct dharna in five star culture

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D.C.Verma Governments failure to frame laws The efforts made by Anna Hazare with following of all ranks of the people all over India has moved the Govt.to act. A lot of time was with the Govt.to act for creation of effective LOK Pal. As there is no will, the authorities are finding many ways to scuttle the move. I dont agree with the view of Baba Ramdev to stop circulation of notes of Rs.1000/-, Rs.500/- & Rs.100/It will be very inconvenient for people in general to move with money up to Rs.50/- denomination.

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Rajender Kukreja Nothing will change on its own Most of the members of the present Govt are so deep in corruption. They will need to be forced into agreeing for Lokpal Bill - Compulsion will be needed for the good of the country - Corruption is a cancer and chomeotherapy is needed badly

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SHOULD ANNA HAZARE AND BABA RAMDEV RESORT TO REPEATED FASTS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION ? to stealthily attack people, children, women and men, sleeping peacefully, in the dead of the night has no right to style itself as decent, honest and democratic. The Govt. has openly accepted that they have no courage to face the people, that they lack the confidence of the people and they lack direction. Otherwise, why would senior ministers go to the airport to receive one, who now they say is a fraud, negotiate for days and then jump upon him at midnight with brute force. D M Mohunta Rhetoric of Baba Ramdev is a problem Let Baba Ramdev get in Delhi say a hundred peons, lower division clerks, section officers, deputy secretaries, UP/ Delhi policemen, on the stage and persuade them to take oath that they will not take bribes. Col. (Retd.) Raman One upmanship The Baba Ramdev has brought in five star culture even in a satyagraha. Nagesh Kini Fasting is losing its shine Fortunately, we have now in place alternate weapons like RTI and PIL, which if properly put into operation, can achieve the same results without much ado. Madan Ramdev is opposite of Anna Hazare Baba Ramdevs wealth is estimated at several hundreds of crores of rupees. And I think his wealth may have reached such proportions and maybe not all above board, that he needs a political cover to preserve it. He is the exact opposite of Anna Hazare in that respect, I think. I am not sure what his motivations are with this fast and seeking national attention, since he has already announced his intention to form a political party.

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Col. Krishnaswami I entirely agree with your views and suggestions.

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Susheela Kaushik Bureaucrats are stubborn It is good to keep this fast going. But more than politicians, it is the bureacrats who are the stubborn, concealed, haughty and fearless who are the direct source, guide and implementer of corrupt practices. Will these bureaucrats be frightened by these fasts,? I am happy that the courts and CBI are currently punishing and exposing the bureaucrats. Will this continue for long or the government in its wisdom begin going slow? That is where the popular agitations are needed.

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P.K.N.Panicker We seem to have no choice The unfortunate situation is that accountability both in public life and person to person relationships have taken a big beating over a period of time. As we have witnessed recently in Tamilnadu, people could amply demonstrate their anger against the Govt.in office. But then it was just jumping from one frying pan to another; and a large majority of people who are responsible for the change realize this. We seem to have no choice. It is this sense of helplessness that attracts people to the movements of Hazare or Ramdev. Let us pray and hope that political parties, at least the major ones and political leadership will show the maturity, accept desirable changes and take effective steps to clean the rote through a time bound and speedy action plan. I wish to add that the situation has already started to take ugly and dangerous direction. A Government that has 10

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N.Venkateswaran Main issue is getting eroded Your views are absolutely right and the subsequent events have proved it. Today, Govt. is diverting the issues and the focus will now shift whether what the Govt. has done in evicting Baba Ramdev was right and the commission of inquiry on police use of force will all shift focus from the main issue of corruption. Further, the Govt. led by Congress has started character assassination of Baba Ramdev and has initiated ED probe. The main issue of fighting against corruption is slowly getting eroded.
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

EDUCATION HAS NOW BECOME BEYOND THE REACH OF POOR FAMILIES IN TAMIL NADU
Looking at the entire scenario of school and college education in Tamil Nadu, one gets an impression that the government of Tamil Nadu has largely left the educational field in the hands of private sector. While the private sector playing a big role in the field of education can be considered as a welcome development, the fact is that the education has largely gone into the hands of business men, who run these institutions on commercial lines with clear profit motive. As a result, the fees levied from students have gone up by leaps and bounds. The net result of this scenario is that education in the private schools and colleges have gone beyond the reach of the poor families. The Tamil Nadu government is now holding only a small share in the field of education in Tamil Nadu as evident by the following figures. Period 2010 Type of Schools Government owned Schools 2053 2131 Government aided schools 642 1081 government aided schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu is around 65 lakhs only. Fee Structure in schools & colleges : Whereas the government offers almost free education for the students in government schools and the fees in the government colleges are reasonable, the educational institutions in the private sector often charge fanciful fees, which are arbitrarily fixed under various heads. Private educational institutions now mint money during the admission time and more private business houses want to enter educational field , as they consider it as a lucrative business opportunity providing huge profit year after year. It appears that the government has virtually no control over the fees charged by the private sector educational institutions, though we often hear about the committees being set up by the government to reasonably structure the fees in private sector. The net result of the scenario is that education in private sector schools and colleges (which are not owned by the government or aided by the government ) have become beyond the reach of the poor families. In some of the government owned and government aided schools, it is also known that they charge fees under various heads in violation of the government rules and even proper receipts are not given. The poor families suffer silently and in helpless manner. It is a pathetic scenario in the month of May & June every year to see the members of poor families running from pillar to post to find money to pay to the schools/colleges, 11

High Schools Higher Secondary Schools

Source :- Information obtained from Government of Tamil Nadu under RTI Act. The new schools started by Tamil Nadu Government during the last three years is inadequate and the figures are given below.
Year Number of new schools started

2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010

110 100 115

Number of new government aided schools started in Tamil Nadu during the ;ast three years NIL Source : Information obtained from Government of Tamil Nadu under RTI Act. Considering that around 40% of the population of Tamil Nadu belong to lower income group,it is estimated that there must be around 48 lakhs families in Tamil Nadu below poverty line considering five members for each family. Considering two number of school/college going students in each family on an average, the number of students belonging to lower income group in Tamil Nadu should be in the region of 96 lakhs. Against such population of poor students in the state, the capacity for admission in government owned and
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

EDUCATION HAS NOW BECOME BEYOND THE REACH OF POOR FAMILIES IN TAMIL NADU buy uniforms etc. Many of them are forced to the level of discontinuing the education due to want of funds. Very promising students from the lower income families who can potentially become engineers / doctors / scientists / IAS & IPS officers have stopped the education at plus two or even at lower level, as the families could not find money to fund the education. Several NGOs help them but they are few and far between considering the need. Quality of education: The general perspective amongst the people belonging to lower income group is that the discipline level and quality of education, in the government owned schools and colleges are not upto the desirable standards though government aided schools/colleges appear to fair better in the public perspective. As a result of this situation, many poor families desire to admit their children in private schools and colleges and often borrow money at exhorbitant interest to meet the demand for fees . In the process, the whole family inevitably get into debt burden with no hope of recovery from the debt. Lack of government owned and aided schools in suburbs: The number of government owned / aided schools and colleges in suburbs and rural areas is very less in number and they seem to be largely concentrated in urban areas and towns. As a result, poor families are forced to send their children to private schools in the absence of government owned/aided institutions in the nearby areas. SUGGESTIONS TO GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU In recent times, there has been huge upsurge of interest amongst the poor families, particularly amongst mothers , that the children should be somehow provided quality education at the formative stage of their life, which is the only way to economically and socially improve their 12 life conditions and have a secured future for them. This positive thought process amongst poor families should be capitalized by the government , to encourage them and facilitate their quality education opportunities. It is imperative that the Government of Tamil Nadu should pay much more attention to make the school and college education accessible and affordable to the poor families in the state. The following suggestions are submitted to Government of Tamil Nadu v Set up a target for increasing intake capacity in government owned and government aided schools and colleges atleast by 10% in the coming academic year. v Encourage setting up of more number of private educational institutions and bring them under government aided scheme, with stiff control and monitoring about their fee structure as per the government regulations. v Provide special incentives to new educational institutions started in suburbs and rural areas. v Immediately implement the reasonable fee structure in private schools and colleges. v Set up a special monitoring committee of retired academicians to monitor the performance of private institutions as well as the government owned / aided institutions. Such monitoring mechanism should be created at district level, with no powers for the members of the monitoring committee in the school administration. Another monitoring committee should also be set up at the state level under the direct supervision of the Chief Minister, which should meet every month and the proceedings of the meeting should be put up in public domain. v Give special bonus to the staff and students in government owned/aided institutions, who have 100% pass percentage every year. v With liquor habit rapidly spreading in Tamil Nadu particularly amongst the lower income group, it is reported that even students in the age group of 13 & 14 have become liquor addicts. While the most desirable condition is that 100%prohibition should be enforced in Tamil Nadu, immediately no tasmac shops should be permitted to operate at a distance of one kilometer from any educational institution. The students known to take liquor must be spotted by the head of the institution and should be subjected to a special counselling session.
vvvv Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

WHY BUREAUCRATS CHASE POLITICIANS IN TAMIL NADU ?

Number of IAS and IPS officers, both serving and recently retired, have rushed to Jayalalithas house and were seen waiting along with the party cadre to greet her on her electoral victory in Tamil Nadu. This was even before her being sworn in as Chief Minister. Number of IAS and IPS officers did the same five years back in Karunanidhis house when he was voted to power. The public get an impression that these officers who are supposed to be the Steel frame of Indian administration and are supposed to be objective and impartial in administration, tend to develop political leanings and want to be in the good books of the winning politicians for whatever reasons. These officers should maintain a dignified distance from the politicians. If they want to greet the newly elected political leader on the victory as a matter of courtesy, they can do so after her being sworn in as Chief Minister in the Secretariat with all of them together. It is sad that the administrative culture in Tamil Nadu has deteriorated to such an extent that one tend to view some of the IAS & IPS officers as loyalists to one political party or the other

WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THIS DEPLORABLE PRACTICE ?

B S Raghavan Your view is mild and moderate There are no words to condemn the servility, sycophancy and subservience of the Tamil Nadu bureaucracy. There are very few among its members who do not carry some political label or the other each of them either leans towards, or is in the pocket of, some political party or politician or the other. In no other State ,do IAS/IPS officers so cringingly troop to the houses not only of the Chief Minister-to-be but of other prominent leaders of parties that have won the elections with outsize bouquets and garlands and packets of sweets. ******* N. Gopalaswami I am appalled and disgusted at this fawning I hope there were at least some with spine but I am not too sure; Such is the political culture that this state that once had a different kind of officials has spawned, mostly after the so-called dravidian parties came to power. I am also told that the same set of advisers who were close to her during her regime have now crowded round her, not surprising though. ******* M.G.Devasahayam Repulsive sycophant culture This view is appropriate and is in accordance with the civil service traditions. We have been strictly following this during our time.
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

Hope they will learn from the people who have revolted against them being treated merely as mendicants and recipients of freebies. It is demeaning to see such an apparition by senior civil servants and police officials. ******* T.S.Krishna Murthy Surprised/shocked to see this servile attitude. This unpleasant practice is indeed unfortunately prevalent in some state. These officers dont realise SERVICE in their respective service is indeed to the Aam Aadmi. ******* Aurobindo Bannerjee Awfully demeaning These civil servants and bureaucrats have been doing this ever since they entered the Service(s) and have attained material benefits out of their personal allegiance to those in power and hence cannot get out of this servile psyche, as their entire existence (and prosperity) depends on being on the right side of the chair. That is why Tamil Nadu and the whole country are in this state today. Not only after the results came in, even before and during the interregnum between the close of elections and counting, these and many others have been visiting the same place for the same purpose-wet postings with power. Is there democracy/rule of power in this country? These bureaucrats are simply a drag on the society and expendable. ******* 13

WHY BUREAUCRATS CHASE POLITICIANS IN TAMIL NADU ? Vivek Harinarain It has become practice in Tamil Nadu The first to go were the ones who were actually across the road as they were sure of the continuance of DMK, especially officers who were removed from their posts of prominence but then zipped across to Poes Garden to prove loyalty. In fact what would be proper is to go to the residence of Karunanidhi and take his leave in pure official manner, but not a single officer does that. Earlier Mr Poornalingam had done this and taken leave of the outgoing Chief Minister. Naresh Gupta ******* You are right. Officers should have waited till the CMs assumption of office. Nowadays, a new trend has started of calling on and thanking political personalities for each and everything. It is a waste of time of both. This is not realised and discouraged. P.K.Dorai ******* In fact, we called a spade a spade, at least most of us. The proper conduct would have been for them to greet her after she had assumed office and that too only the secretaries and the police and forest chiefs. ******* Murali.N What to expect more from these people. You would have seen in news papers about a news where all the IAS/IPS officers serving as well as returned were in assembly. The reason of assembly was to apply for posh flats for a downearth price to be allotted by Tamilnadu Housing Board to Govt. Officers. The news was interesting to cite that one IAS officer misplaced the application form with connected papers and made request through public announcement in the hall to handover the papers if any one in possession. In the photo published, I found a retired senior IAS officer was sitting in the front row. I know people who got selected to IAS way back 30 years did not join service. I know a man who joined IAS, left the service just in 4 years. Interestingly one is a cost accountant and another a chartered accountant. They do a simple and modest living with utmost dignity. The bright students opt for tough professional courses or pursue further education abroad to have a prosperous career. ******* R.Sivasailam This is a bad trend noticed in Tamil Nadu. I do not think the Chief Secretary and the DG of Police pull up these IAS / IPS officers for such unbecoming conduct . Why dont these officers wait and show their courtesy when the CM assumes office ? I condemn such chamchagiri noticed in Tamil Nadu. ******* R. Swaminathan Committed civil service What you have written is the correct relationship between politicians and civil servants. The permanent civil service is expected to work with the Government of the day and truly serve the people. They are also expected to state their views fearlessly and not second guess the minister who they work with.
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

Utterly selfish disregard for the image of their service I agree with your views but unfortunately in every State a crop of such officers have come up. This shows, apart from a total lack of self-respect as a public servant and a cronyism of mind, an utterly selfish disregard for the image of their service not only to be independent but appear to be so. ******* R.Poornalingam, No one is going to listen, and this will go on Bureaucrats work under politicians and should certainly call on them but after they are formally in power, as you have mentioned. They all work for government of Tamil Nadu! I was talking to a prominent politician, who himself criticized the shameless behavior of our colleagues. He was surprised that some of them came even at 11 am. He mentioned some of them even broke down! ******* Sivaraman There is a good give and take in Tamil Nadu When I was in the service of Government of Madhya Pradesh, we never bent before ministers and the CM. 14

WHY BUREAUCRATS CHASE POLITICIANS IN TAMIL NADU ? Unfortunately, all that is dead and gone. The deterioration began with Indira Gandhis call for a committed civil service and has gone on an accelarated pace since then. It is not clear whether the civil service can retrace their path or whether counter culture has firmly set in. ******* D.K.Oza It is VERY wrong to call on someone when he/ she is not even sworn in When I was in the civil service, I met the CM and the minister who had my portfolio AFTER they were sworn in. When I met my minister, I used to have a short discussion to brief him about my Dept. That is all. ******* N.Krishnamurthy Undue haste and loss of independence It is usual for senior bureacrats to extend courtesies to ministers when they are elected. But there should not be any undue haste so as to give an impression that they are switching loyalties!! If my memory is correct, Mr. Royappa, the then Chief Secretary and Mr R.M.Mahadevan IG of Police called on Mr. Kamaraj when election results were being announced thinking that he was winning. It was DMK which won and the two officers were considerably embarrassed. One correction, this is not true only of Tamilnadu What is more worrying is the loss of indepenence and unwillingness to tender correct advice. Senior officers should give their views without fear so that the ultimate decisiuon is taken after considering all aspects of a case. The minister is entitled to over rule an officer and pass an order, but the officer is protected if he did express his/her views. Unfortunately, many officers tow the line by saying yes to what the political bosses want.( Often this is oral instruction and not recorded) This is personally good for them in the short run as the political boss is pleased. But, they become a party to a decision if it is proved wrong in the long run. The other sad aspect is asking for personal favours like a specific posting, foreign trips, admission or employment for a member of the family, jobs after retirement etc. Once a favour is asked for and received, the officer becomes considerably weak vis a visa the political boss. ******* Aravind Bhatikar Lowering the image of IAS officers I agree fully with the view expressed .The IAS association should discuss this issue IAS officers should do nothing that may lower their image in the eyes of the public.

SKYROCKETING PRICE FOR ALL AND HUGE INCOME FOR SOME

During the last few years, the income level for section of the country men have gone up by leaps and bounds. At the same time, a very large section of the people remain below poverty line and live in conditions of economic distress. The aspirations of the people in the lower income group to improve their social and economic conditions are becoming extremely difficult, as several essential requirements such as education and health care have become beyond their reach. While it is recognized that around 30% of the national population is below the poverty line, the fact is that around 10% of the national population are hugely cornering the national wealth and income. Even 10% of such national population who are rich are more than 100 million people, which is more than the population of several countries in the world. They give an impression as if the country is prosperous and moving forward. The only time when the voice of the poor are heard are during the election times and during this period,
Nandini Voice for the Deprived July 2011

they get an opportunity to express their views and frustration in an effective manner. But, the rich population of which the countrys leading politicians are a part, try to buy the votes of the poor people during elections by bribing them or with their skillful propaganda campaign about their commitment to the welfare of the downtrodden. The government, both at the state and centre of which the rich politicians and highly paid bureaucrats are part, try to buy peace with the poor by extending freebies including free rice etc. While such freebies are termed as part of welfare schemes, the fact is that they really do not contribute to uplift the economic and social conditions of the poor people. Such freebies ultimately have the negative impact of diverting the national resources in a huge way , from the task of introducing productive and appropriate projects that would help in building up the national economy and ensure that the national income would be distributed in a better and more equitable manner. 15

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