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Journalism of Courage
While the mass adulation for Major R S Rathore8217;s Olympics Silver is natural, there seems to be official attempt to sweep the rest of the Indian contingent8217;s poor show in Athens under the red carpet rolled out for him. The low-profile Major8217;s individual achievement is priceless, but it doesn8217;t compensate for our collective failure. I feel sorry that Rathore will now suffer the iconic status of a sarkari mascot rather than an eye-opening inspiration for future champs.
Our sports administration must desist from its usual practice of claiming ownership on rare champions who flourish despite the system. Instead of showering Rathore with prizes now, they could have encouraged him with monetary and other help when he was just a budding talent. There are hundreds of others, fighting the apathy of our sports bureaucracy at this very moment. Our babus would do Rathore a great service if, instead of planning felicitations for him, they did some talent-spotting. Our sports establishments need to answer a few questions, it is time to investigate the mammoth rot within. The funds earmarked and spent every year in the name of spotting and nurturing talent is no mean sum. Similarly, there are expensive provisions for preparing our best medal prospects through overseas training. But our babus8217; lack of vision and enterprise is no secret. And the huge non-productive workforce swallows a bulk of the allocation through wages and pensions. The result: a blame game.
Grooming them young
The Prime Minister8217;s idea of catching our top bureaucrats young is an excellent one. It8217;s time to review the obsolete system that allows only limited orientation of future officers, who already have set attitudes, values and perspectives. Not only should we ensure a full five-year grooming of our officers but, once inducted into the services, they should also undergo compulsory reorientation every three years. And an individual assessment of performance and growth should be undertaken at least every ten years.
This is especially true for the foreign service cadre, who need a radical change of perspective. The old order diplomacy has little relevance today. Global polarities have changed drastically, economic issues rule international ties like never before. Consequently, the neck-stiff-and-nose-in-the-air approach is totally counter-productive. Take our expats for example. We want to tap their vast resource pool, but our missions abroad are remarkably rigid in their handling of People of Indian Origin PIOs and the NRIs. Such arrogance must make way for friendly interface. Our officers abroad must find purposes to justify their brief, beyond holding cocktail parties, trying to pull strings in South Block and sending their children to piano classes.
Reforms from within
At a time when there is a heightened debate over the meaning and definition of secularism, it comes as welcome news that noted filmwriter Javed Akhtar8217;s efforts to make Muslims more progressive and liberal are getting good response. His organisation, Muslims For Secular Democracy, has overcome a shaky start and is on its way to building deep inroads into the Muslim community.
It is heartening to see that Akhtar is taking up the cudgels against the fundamentalist forces within the community, trying to convince Muslims that without a progressive and liberal mindset, things cannot change. He is directing his efforts towards convincing them on controversial issues like triple talaq, uniform civil code and Haj subsidy. Having faced initial resentment, primarily because of the influence of fundamentalist forces, he is gradually getting good response from the community. This was evident during Akhtar8217;s recent visit to Aligarh University, where he was widely supported by both students and teachers. Akhtar8217;s efforts to help Indian Muslims break their oppressive shell and enter the nation8217;s mainstream are truly laudable. I hope Muslim intellectuals and reformists will join hands with him for this noble cause.
The writer is a Congress Member of Parliament
