Gedatsu

She has a mild air about herself. She is the round which does not have the sharp edges. She would give a 5 second hug on an average by leaning over and covering up the object of the hug. Many things in everyday life amuse her. She would be often caught smiling at something or someone. She receives reality with a serious face devoid of criticism and bitterness. Abstract theories first elicit an amused smile from her and if she is convinced she will look awed… not awe-struck. She would drag the ends of her pink mouth down, raise one well shaped eye-brow and change the size of her eyes. Depending on whether the abstract theory is pleasant or unpleasant, she would either enlarge her eyes or narrow it down in perceived scrutiny. She follows an internal schedule, as the to-do’s don’t work for her. But then she keeps a laundry list of sorts. She does not read books. She is the ‘yo’ generation product. Her magnanimous tablet serves the purpose of providing to her the joy of larger-than-lifefacebook(ing), whatsapp(ing) and sliding through the list of Bollywood romantic numbers which she listens to through speakers. Earphones are not used, as they usually manage to hopelessly tangle with her large hooped silver earrings with intricate mosaic patterns on it, like the jaali on Salim Chisti’sdurgah. She is a person of sensual pleasures. She loves filling up the five senses with aesthetic beauty, fragrance and aroma, food exploding with rich spices and tongue dissolving sweetness, the feel of satin and silk against her well groomed skin and the luscious instrumental music seducing her to sweet promises of love, romance and ecstasy. Everywhere she goes, she walks in looking neither busy, nor important nor as though she has to conquer the destination. She looks disarmed as though she has kept away her pistol after unloading the magazine. She does not set off the fire alarm in the room with her presence. She looks around as though there is no agenda with which she uses her visual power. She never really strategized her life. She always managed to get the second seat in the two-seater bus heading towards a great career and a great life partner. She always looked amused at the struggle many made to catch the running bus heading towards their own happily-ever-afters. Marie Antoinette once said… ‘If there is no bread, give them cake!’ 

This is Gedatsu for you who screws up her nose at the sound of her name after choosing to discard the beautiful meaning it carries. Her god mother named her thus to denote liberation and using wisdom to be unaffected by life’s suffering and living in a way that leads to becoming a better person each day. ‘You slumber, my child’, the god mother would playfully chide Gedatsu, hoping that she would one day wake up to her potential. For now, Aida as she is called out, is LOL(ing) over a joke her 2 day old fiancé has whatsapped her. It is hard to ignore the mystic rhyme Aida’s name has, to Mount Ida in Tennyson’s ‘Oenone’. Aida is an instinctive bride with moves à propos. She does not overdo the smiles, the coy moves and the enamored look. She looks as though she ought to give the right meat to her own memories, to the photographs and to the wedding video. Not to forget, give enough poetic thoughts to her love struck husband so that he can keep talking about it for days on end, in several different situations much after the wedding has happened.

Aida settles down to her job and marriage in an unfazed and unrushed manner. She does not look ruffled because she does not let anything bother her so deeply so as to elicit such a hyper reaction. She at times, comes back home from work on a half-day at a whim because she feels like cooking lasagna with her husband and chatting with him about the latest film, bashing the objet d’art to smithereens. While relishing the lasagna, the husband would inspire Aida to apply for a competitive exam because she is a bright girl. Not inquiring too much into its return of investment, Aida starts studying for the exam because she feels that her husband who is out there to prove his cosmopolitan moves, would highly appreciate if he is the one leading Aida to success so that he can later play humble when she attains victory; wanting the credit for his support during their love making.

Aida is rustling up her salad when her husband comes in and gently reminds her that the exam results would be out in an hour’s time. Aida on cue, gives the husband car keys as though giving the knight his sword to go out there and get the golden cup. The husband indulgently smiles as he looks forward to a sumptuous meal when he returns after collecting Aida’s outstanding result.

The husband takes Aida out for a movie date as a treat. Earlier in the day, he had walked in at the Directorate’s office and loudly proclaimed the name of his wife (adding his surname to it) who merited a distinction in the exam. After getting enough envious and admirable stares, the husband quickly realizes the need to be humble and walks out of the room with a slow and happy pace. He loves picking out Gedatsu’s clothes for the dates they usually go on. While he does that, Aida spritzes on her perfume and instantly the entire room smells of Britannia Marie biscuit smothered in sweet vanilla essence. She delicately puts on her silver hooped earrings and wears the husband picked kurta which does more to adding coyness to her gender than enhancing her personality.

On another occasion when Aida is escorted by her husband for a long drive, along with some of the friends, she smiles sweetly to all of them and makes small talk about the weather, latest films and gadgets. To the friends, the husband starts praising about Aida’s latest achievement in the competitive exam and as though again on cue, Aida talks intelligent stuff and gives spiel on the knowledge she grasped. She stops at the 5^th minute because she does not want to sound so intelligent that she becomes inaccessible.

Aida always talks about reality as though it was always there and it has always been unchanging. She shows as though she does not believe that life is dynamic and subject to change. Her husband points these realities to her and she looks surprised, enamored and in love. Her husband leads her to a life where they can progress.

In order to be labeled as progressive, Aida works at a reputed firm and earns an impressive designation. When she and her husband move into their own 4 BHK sprawling apartment, Aida gets pregnant and resigns from her job. She and her husband take turns in cooking. He feeds her meals and feels her stomach to catch any foetal movement.

When guests come home, Aida behaves the way she did when she was a bride… her moves à propos. She looks like a happy glowing mother cooing to her child while breastfeeding. She takes hold of the camera to take endless candid shots of the husband with the child. Aida never complains of post partum depression because her husband keeps her pampered by buying her gifts, taking her on holidays, for Bollywood films and keeping her more entertained by watching ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma’ on SAB TV.

Her husband calls Aida the muse of his life and the foundation on which they built a life together.

One day Aida is visited by her god mother who asks her, “When are you becoming Gedatsu?”

The same boring but effective spiel on life

“The beauty of life lies in the power of one person doing small but effective things.” I have learnt, seen and lived this line since the time I took up to practicing Japanese Buddhism. Our modern society cripples the perception and belief in the power of an individual. We feel powerless in the face of global crisis. This fatalistic attitude can also be seen in handling personal crisis.

One person alone can change the environment she/he is in. In turn, each individual in the environment can change another environment and set of people in it. As we know that change can be good and bad. Time has proven and people have vouched that it is the positive change which is everlasting. Humans have an innate capacity to resist, be immune to and nullify negative impact. The way our body has immunity to resist illnesses, our heart has the immunity to reject the negative and embrace the positive.

This is reflected in an article I was reading on Henry Ford. Here it goes…

Model T car (Ford 1908)

In 1908 Ford hired an industrial efficiency expert named Walter Flanders to reorganise his factory for producing Model T cars. The factory was made to operate like ‘a river and its tributaries’. Each section of the factory was mechanized and speeded up. Model T parts flowed into straight-line production with little pieces becoming steadily larger. Starting with the magneto-coil assembly department and spreading through the entire factory to the final assembly department, parts and assemblies were moved by automatic conveyor belts and every work task was broken into smaller pieces and speeded up.

The results were astounding. Where it had previously taken a worker 728 hours to assemble a Model T, it now took only 93 minutes. This increased speed of production, greatly reduced the cost of each Model T, increased Ford’s cash balance from 2 million dollars to 673 million dollars and allowed the reduction of the price of the Model T from 780 dollars to 360 dollars. The world had never seen anything remotely like it. The cars simply poured off the line.

At its maturity in the mid 1920s, the Rouge located just outside Detroit , dwarfed all the other complexes. It  was a mile and half long and three-quarters of a mile wide. its 1,100 acres contained 93 buildings, 23 of them major. There were 93 miles of railroad track on it and 27 miles of conveyor belts. Some 75,000 men worked there, 5000 of them doing nothing but keeping it clean, using 86 tons of soap and wearing out 5000 mops each month. The Rouge had its own steel mill and glass plant right on site.

Henry Ford says, “Take just one idea- a little idea in itself-an idea that any one might have had, but which fell to me to develop that of making a small, strong, simple automobile, to make it cheaply, and pay high wages in its making. On October 1, 1908, we made the first of our present type of small cars. On June 4, 1924, we made the ten millionth. Now in 1926, we are in our thirteenth million.

That is interesting but perhaps not important. What is important is that, from a mere handful of men employed in a shop, we have grown into a large industry directly employing more than two hundred thousand men, not one of whom receives less than six dollars a day. Our dealers and service stations employ another two hundred thousand men. But by no means do we manufacture all that we use. Roughly we buy twice as much as we manufacture, and it is safe to say that two hundred thousand men are employed on our work in outside factories. This gives a rough total of six hundred thousand employees, direct and indirect, which means that about three million men, women and children get their livings out of a single idea put into effect only eighteen years ago. And this does not take into account the great number of people who in some way or other assist in the distribution or the maintenance of these cars. And this idea is only in its infancy.”

In the year 2012, we know fully well how the assembly line culture of work has damaged the society in the following ways:

- Decreasing the importance of education

- Decreasing opportunities for intellectual stimulation

- Shifting the focus from man to machines, thus dehumanising humankind and making him feel like a small cog in the bigger wheel. This is ironical considering that Walter Flanders, the one man who made all the difference has led the assembly line work and Kaizen approach to its culture to a dehumanising consequence. Not to forget that it was again a one man show in Albert Kahn, the architect of the gigantic Ford plant.

However, it is important to note that one man has and can make a difference which snowballs into something significant. 

Just a thought...

Problematic films: The Iron Lady and Moneyball

 ‘The Iron Lady’: This film (for those who havent seen) is about Margaret Thatcher’s life in old age. She is no longer the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Her husband is dead (whom she loves more than she’d like to admit), her son has emotionally drifted apart, she lives alone in her apartment, her daughter comes in frequently to take care of her. But she is alone. She keeps hallucinating about her husband and goes into flashbacks of her life when she was serving as a Prime Minister. Everything about her house reminds her of the time when she was one- clothes, sourvenirs, furniture, some show on TV etc.

At the end of her term as Prime Minister, she wonders if all those years of living a life where people are really tough on you, where you have to make all the tough decisions when noone supports you were worth it. She definitely created more good in the country through her position and power. But she still wonders at the worth of it all at a certain point in the film.

She famously says:

 ‘One’s life must mean something.’

It is ok to help those who cant help themselves, but for those who do not need to crutch, they must get up on their own and ‘do something’.

Back then it was about doing something. These days its about being someone.

Margaret tells her doctor, ‘The problem with our age is that we always ask, ‘How are you feeling? Not ‘What are you thinking?. Ask me what am I thinking. I think that one must watch their thoughts as they become actions, watch the actions as they become habits, watch the habits as they become character and watch the character as they become destiny. You become what you think.

Very powerful. And very true. We become what we want to. Where does the want come from? Thoughts? No… feelings… that’s the problem with our age. We think too much.

Yes there are situations where one must make the tough decisions. One is put in a situation to think about the greater good of mankind.

Mankind is heterogeneous. You can never keep everyone happy. There is no scale to measure if the good has outdone the harm/evil if you are to think about making the best decision under the circumstances. What does one do at such a situation? Go back to feelings. Feelings are universal – love, hate, anger, disappointment. What makes one laugh will definitely amuse the other. What makes one howl will definitely make the other’s eye moist. We react and feel the same about stimulus. Stimulus and Response theory anyone? Well, the theory is just the cue not the whole story.

Any attempt at peace and love, no matter how insignificant, how ‘irrelevant’, how impossible, how irrational, how insufficient… does serve the purpose… it never fails. Never. The greater good of mankind must come through each and every single person’s effort at peace and love which results in harmony. It is never external, always internal. You will be surprised how many people you bind together through your singular effort. Speaking from personal experience.

Moneyball: This is a movie about the General Manager of a national Baseball team named Oakland Atheletics. We have always seen the players’ story, the coach’s story. We now see the story of the man who puts the show together. Here is a man who has to get the money to pay the players, get the right players to win tournaments so that they could earn more. All the while this GM cannot loose the real focus of the game- To play. He is not bothered with the people in the team, he is bothered with Oakland Atheletics and whoever plays for it at the moment. If nonchalantly trades his players with other teams for performance boost. He fires some players who are undergoing momentary struggles, he gives that second chance to those players who have been written off as dead. He takes the unconventional road- he wins tournaments not on emotional inspiration but on statistics. He gets a Yale graduate in Economics to analyse the players who can be a part of the Oaklands’ team and then he uses the same technique to boost their performance.

Inspiring. But flawed.

He focussed on the wrong things at wrong time.

After winning 20 games in the American League, he tells the Yale grad:

‘Its not about winning.’

It is okay to break the record in the history of the American League, but what really matters is the last game of the season. None will remember this if we loose the last game. That is important.

Wrong.

Everyone wants quick fixes, convenience over matter. Winning over loosing… we want prechewed fodder. We are lazy to go back to history. When we refresh the web page in the mind, it must show victory on that page. It does not matter what precedes it. It does not matter what one does to win. People don’t matter. Winning does.

The GM was cold and ruthless throughout. When he got emotional, he got screwed. After the phenomenal success of the Oakland Atheletics, he got offered by Red Sox to manage the team on the same statistical philosophy pioneered at OA for 12,500,000 dollars a year. He refused. Reason- attachement to the success of former team and some ghosts from the past. It’s a sorry immature combination. Its sad too.

We always undermine people. The team is made of people, not machines who perform on command. One needs genuine inspiration and enabling environment to perform anything.

You cant fix people. You can work with them, heal them, heal yourself and achieve something that lasts and adds value to human life. Everything else is insignificant. It really is.

Corporate dramarama

Projecting PPT on a vertical glass table and writing on the projection with a marker while talking- there is something so effective and charming about making a point so effectively! Someone really wants us to progress…

Half of your body goes right under the workstation table, bringing you closest to the PC at the perfect angle… someone brilliant has planned workspace interiors.

The snug chairs and carpet in the conference rooms, the amazing paper quality in notepads and gliding gel pens… who thought of pampering us?

The LCD screens of our computers, the jazzy laptops, the coffee options on the vending machine, the auto janitor in fragrant washrooms, the personalised corporate stationery… someone please tell the inventor of these that we are not superhumans… although we should be for the sake of carrying responsibilities.

Fancy visiting cards, identity cards, placards at airports, nameplates on doors, signature line in emails… reminds us who we are…  very few get this, so we better do something while it lasts…

Pressure is crushing…

Please don’t get up one day and wonder, ‘what the fuck am I doing here?’ coz you knew it all along, its just that you got more priviledged and experienced to ask that question…

Just get up and leave… bow down for the final time to the place who made you a person in the face of challenges, conflicting interests, compromising choices, temptations and heartbreaks…  

…And we are still not complaining about the patriarchy in the corporate vein. That’s the party pooper.

Incoherence

As I squirmed in the shit pool of my emotellect, a funny thought struck my mind.

I thought I personify ‘The Second Coming’ by Yeats.

I am that ‘best’ who is lacking conviction and the confident jackass I am staring at, is the ‘worst’.

I know too much, the jackass knows nothing.

We are pitiful species, really we are.

We know too much about life, happiness and sadness.

We think too much of ourselves and we assume too much of others.

When we think we know what to do, we embark on a journey.

And whether we like it or not, we drag others in it too.

We do everything to be loved, wanted, desired.

We do everything that’s needed to keep us alive for this stupid mission.

Unfortunately all three things are processes and we lose our focus in processes.

We forget what we started out doing.

Image courtesy: Brian Wells http://makanops.blogspot.com

Our struggle to take flight is severely hampered because we are tied to the ground.

All the enlightening things about life, all the spirituality can only be understood if there is food in the stomach and money in the bank.

So much for rising above!

So much for knowing what to do with life!

Like the myth of sisyphus, we keep pushing the boulder of our material and spiritual needs up the hill.

It keeps coming down.

The way we open our mouth each and every single time we want to talk; the same way we must perform the mundane rituals if we want to go beyond it.

So much for being the ‘best’ and being the ‘worst’.

We embody both.

We live with both.

Inside us, they both fight… tearing us apart.

Ramlila Maidan- A black and white experience

En route to the Ramlila Maidan, we cross the Embassy Road. After passing by the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, I see a DTC bus heading in the direction opposite to us. In the crowd it holds; a man sitting by the window stands out because of his tiranga colored face. For me, his is the first face resonating The Revolution happening a few kilometers away. The music of revolution is the faintest here. As we head towards the Maidan the music blares louder, both- metaphorically and literally.

I go to the Maidan as a translator to a German journalist. While on the way, I think to myself, ‘Am I for it or against it?’ For everything that we do in life, we have to deal with three kinds of opinions- encouraging, discouraging, naysayers/neutral/always pessimistic. Who am I?

As I mull over the thought, I look out of the window to see Sonia Gandhi’s house-cum- United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headquarters and people conducting dharna outside of it. Some people say that Sonia Gandhi has studied up to fifth class only. She supposedly wrote a letter signed by 340 MPs to former President Kalam, for Prime Ministership. Being born in Italy, she can’t become a PM in India.



Photograph by Saad Akhtar



As we go past her house, I decide that I am going to see everything in black and white today. For me, History is always captured in Black and White film. Also, the environment around the Ramlila Maidan looks like photographs straight out of a museum collection. SNAP! One photo captured in my memory.

We accompany and are accompanied by people shouting slogans on bikes and in cars bearing the Tiranga. Some people start a spontaneous livelihood by selling ‘Mein Hoon Anna’ caps and Tiranga in all sizes, (SNAP! ); foreigners Rs. 75/- and for Indian looking people, Rs. 5/- (Never understood the logic of overcharging foreigners, it’s embarrassing.)

Almost about 50% people in the masses turn up because they want to be a part of the history. They think that history is being created on the stage where Anna is seated. How naïve! I am sure that the other 50% are aware that their presence at Ramlila Maidan makes a vital part of the history.

On reaching the Maidan, we weave through the crowd. I am relieved because no man has touched me inappropriately. I manage to reach the left side of the stage, because I am with the German journalist. He holds the PRESS card.

I see a larger-than-life poster of Mahatma Gandhi in the backdrop and Anna sitting in the foreground. I try not to read too much into the facial similarity of both. I am distracted by a kid who is enlightening me on whom to interview. ‘Arre, Arvind (Kejriwal) se baat kar na!’ Behind us are several crews with cameras pointing at a certain gentleman. ‘India News?’ I go mentally. ‘Never heard of them’. The kid runs into the jhoond of camera people and runs back, ‘Woh Asif Mohammed* hai.’ Thank you kiddo.

People gather in more numbers by every minute. We want to stop corruption. First we will struggle to get a Bill passed. Then in the long run, we will struggle to implement it. For the moment, I see a lot of struggle on the stage done by Team Anna. They are engaging the audience- emotionally and politically. They keep talking and updating people on the latest happenings. “Abhi Abhi khabar aayi hai ki Pradhan Mantriji ke Guwahati sadan ke saamne dharna rakha gaya hai.” Kiran Bedi waves Tiranga periodically. On my left is a special entrance for people who are allowed to go on the stage. An old man is urging the security to let him meet Anna. Not many people are permitted to meet him. I ask a volunteer the reason. ‘Infection ho jayega Anna ko.’ Hmm… I wonder how. A Priest sidelines the old man and whizzes towards the stage to meet Anna. The old man soon follows suit.


In the twilight, I happen to look at the crowd. Waving flags, singing Vande Mataram and Allah Tero Naam, simultaneously, Muslim men are offering the Isha Namaaz in front of the stage facing the crowd. Powerful. (SNAP!) Large amounts of water and juice glasses are distributed in the crowd because the Roza is terminated for the day. I want to drink the juice. It looks delicious. Since the man who is distributing is not offering me, I let it go. I feel too embarrassed to ask for it. I resolve to drink a lot of juice after reaching home.


Jan Lokpal Bill in the physical venue of Ramlila Maidan takes on a more intense meaning. Some people present here do not know what it really means. We, at the Maidan, have finally got a chance to be good people. Genuinely good human beings. We have come together for a good cause. We (the men) behave well with women. We (the men) don’t molest them. In fact, we (the men) can be good friends with women. I am saying this because I am leaning too close to a cameraman to ask him something. Had we been elsewhere, people would have thought we are snogging. But not here, not in the Maidan.


Here, we want to believe in good. We want to believe that good will come out of the struggle. We want to love and we want to show the love. We want to support the man who has not eaten for days and he looks extremely ill…

As per the published document of the Government proposed Lokpal bill and Team Anna proposed Jan Lokpal Bill; following are some of the facts that are highlighted. The Bill has been read by me and an attempt of interpretation is made to the best of my knowledge. The Bill has been sourced by www.indiaagainstcorruption.org


LOKPAL BILL


COLLEGIUM
1. Chief Justice of India or Judge of Supreme Court

2. Any person (other than a judicial member)nominated by a Central Government member, who is a person of impeccable integrity, outstanding ability, having special knowledge and expertise of not less than 25 years in the matters relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, law and management. Similar people may also be a part of the Search Committee. Search Committee may* be established to appoint members of Lokpal Committee.

3. MPs and MLAs who have resigned from their original office
4. All of the following are appointed by the President as members for Lokpal:
4a. Prime Minister
4b. Speaker of Lok Sabha
4c. Leader of Opposition in the Council of States
4d. Union Cabinet Minister recommended by the Prime Minister
4e. Sitting Judge of Supreme Court recommended by Chief Justice of India
4f. An eminent jurist to be nominated by the Central Government


INVESTIGATION WING
1. Investigation Officer shall conduct investigation of any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988*.
2. The investigation officer shall assume the role of the Police in an investigation.


PROSECUTION
Inquiries can be made against:
1. Prime Minister, after he no longer holds the position of Prime Minister
2. Any Minister of Union

3. Any Member of Parliament (Exception: No inquiries shall be made in matters involving verbal allegations of corruption in the Parliament session or otherwise- protection provided under Clause (2) Article 105 of Constitution*)

4. Any Group A officer*
5. Director/Manager/Secretary/Officer of every other Society/Trust, partially or wholly aided by Government or receiving donation from the public
6. Any person serving in connection with the affairs of the State (no action can be taken without the consent of the State Government)


PROCEDURE
1. The Lokpal, on receipt of a complaint, may either make preliminary inquiry or direct the same to the Investigation Wing.

2. Every preliminary inquiry or investigation should ordinarily be completed within 30 days from the date of complaint. A period of 3 months would be given to create a written document of the same.

3. A Prima Facie case is made against the Public Servant in question and he is given the chance to speak in defense. (…provided that no such order* shall be passed without giving such officer or employee of the Lokpal or officer or employee of agency engaged or associated, a reasonable opportunity of being heard.)

4. If the Investigating Authority finds out that no Prima Facie case is made out after preliminary inquiries and after hearing out the Public Servant, the complaint is closed.
5. In situations, where Prima Facie case is made out, it will be open to Public (knowledge). Only in exceptional cases, the proceedings will be captured on camera.
6. In cases where preliminary inquiry is made out, the case should be submitted for scrutinization to the Lokpal, before a charge sheet is filed.
7. In case, the Lokpal proceeds to inquire into the complaint, the inquiry is held as expeditiously as possible and it is completed within a period of six months from the date of receipt of the complaint. In case of further extension of six months, the reasons should be recorded in writing.


POWERS OF LOKPAL
1. If the Lokpal has reason to believe that any document, which in its opinion, shall be useful for, or relevant to, any investigation or inquiry under this Act, are secreted in any place, it may authorize any officer of the Investigation Wing, to search for and to seize such documents.
2. For the purpose of any inquiry, the Lokpal shall have all the powers of a civil court, under Code of Civil Procedure 1908*
3. The President commands power in hiring and firing Lokpal Committee members. For example: The President may order, remove from the Office the Chairperson or any Member as the case may be-
-Adjudged an insolvent

-Engages during the term of his office, in any paid employment outside the duties of his office; or

-In the opinion of President unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind and body.

4. There will be no reappointment of Member/Chairperson once removed from Lokpal Committee.


COMPLAINTS AGAINST CHAIRPERSON, MEMBERS AND OFFICIALS OF LOKPAL
1. The Lokpal shall not inquire into any complaint made against the Chairperson/Member.
2. Any complaint against the Chairperson or Member shall be made by an application by the party aggrieved, to the President.
3. The President shall, in case there exists a Prima Facie case for bias or corruption, make reference to the Chief Justice of India in such a manner as may be prescribed for inquiring into the complaint against the Chairperson or Member.
4. The President shall decide the action against the Chairperson or Member on the basis if the opinion of the Chief justice of India and in case the President is satisfied, on the basis of the said opinion that the Chairperson or the Member is biased or has indulged in corruption, the President shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the subsection (1) of section 8*, remove such Chairperson or the Member and also order for initiation of prosecution in case of allegation of corruption.
5. Every complaint of allegation or wrongdoing made against any officer or employee or investigation agency under or associated with the Lokpal for offence punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of this section.

6. The Lokpal shall complete the inquiry into the complaint or allegation made, within a period of 30 days from the date of its receipt. [The Member/Officer found guilty of charges pressed against him, shall be prosecuted within 15 days of completion of the inquiry.]

7. While making an inquiry into the complaint against any officer or employee of the Lokpal or agency engaged or associated with the Lokpal, if the Lokpal is Prima Facie satisfied on the basis of evidence available that-
- Continuance of such officer or employee of the Lokpal is in his post or agency engaged or associated while conducting the inquiry is likely to affect such inquiry adversely or-
- An officer or employee of the Lokpal or agency engaged or associated is likely to destroy or in any way tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses
8. Then, the Lokpal may, by order, suspend such officer or employee of the Lokpal or divest such agency engaged with the Lokpal of all powers and responsibilities thereto before exercised by it.

*Asif Mohammed- Muslim Leader, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Bihar
* May- It is not necessary that a Search Committee would be set up.
*Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988- Applicable when a public servant is found to be accepting bribes, habitually accepting bribes, fraudulently misappropriating any property entrusted to the public servant, pressurizing another public servant under the influence of the bribe, obtaining valuable things by corrupt, illegal means. Maximum punishment of 7 years and minimum punishment for 6 months is levied. Additional fine is also payable by the public servant who has committed the offence. Existence of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 will not alter any laws made for Military, Naval and Air Force.
*Article 105 of Indian Constitution-Refers to powers/priviledges of Houses of Parliament, its members and committees; i.e. Freedom of speech in Parliament, No member can be held against statements made/vote casted in the Parliament
*Group A Officer- I think they are IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS officers
* No such order- Refer to the same table, in the section, ‘COMPLAINTS AGAINST CHAIRPERSON, MEMBERS AND OFFICIALS OF LOKPAL’
* Code of Civil Procedure 1908- Legal matters pertaining to property are dealt with under this act.

*Subsection (1) of section 8- The Chairperson/Member shall be removed from his office by order of the President on the grounds of misbehavior after the Supreme Court, on reference being made to it:

- By the President

- By the President on a petition being signed by at least 100 MPs

- By the President on receipt of a petition made by a citizen of India and where the President is satisfied that the petition should be referred

JAN LOKPAL
COLLEGIUM
1. Selection committee for Jan Lokpal:
1a. 5 members who are retired Comptroller and Auditor Generals and from Chief Election Commission
1b. They in turn, will select 5 members from the civil society.
2. Jan Lokpal members:
2a. Lokpal members would be selected by consensus.
2b. Suggestions for Lokpal members would be taken from Directors of IIT, IIM, Editors (media) etc.
2c. On the basis of their recommendations, names of shortlisted candidates would be put up on the website and public feedback on the same will be sought. The entire procedure of selection conducted by the Search Committee will be video recorded and will be available to public knowledge.
2d. Jan Lokpal and Lokayukta (state level Lokpal) will select their own staff and Officers.
3. Lokpal and Lokayukta, each will have 10 members and 1 chairperson.
4. Both- Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta to be funded by the respective governments.
5. Inquiries into public grievances against Lokpal members would be executed within a month (from the date of complaint). Once found guilty, criminal case would be registered (under Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act) and the guilty Lokpal/Lokayukta member would be dismissed from the job.

INVESTIGATIONS
1. Time bound investigations – Every investigation to be completed within 1 year. If need be, more staff members would be employed for delivering results.
2. During investigations, transfer of the assets belonging to the public servant (in question) should be banned.

PROSECUTION
1. If found guilty, the public servants would either be dismissed or departmental penalties would be levied.
2. At the time of ongoing trial; the court will assess the loss caused to the Government by the public servant (in question)
3. The assessed loss to be recovered from the assets of the public servant (in question)


PROCEDURE
1. The trial should be completed within 1 year after the investigation/inquiry has been completed.
2. Lokpal may direct additional courts to be employed to complete the trial on time.
3. Confiscation of Assets: Each bureaucrat, politician and judge to submit their statement of moveable and immoveable assets every year. This will be declared publicly, on the official website. If any asset is found to be owned by a public servant later and undeclared, it will be deemed to be obtained through corruption. After each election, assets declared by each candidate to be verified. If undeclared assets are found, a case will be registered.

POWERS OF LOKPAL
1. Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta have the power to punish the public servants held guilty; if its orders are not followed.
2. As per the directives of Jan Lokpal and Lokayukta; every Government department will have to make a ‘Citizens’ Charter’ which will specify roles and responsibilities of every Government official and also the time frame in which the officials are required to complete allotted task. (It seems to overlap with RTI. At this point, either of the two systems need to be demolished- RTI or Jan Lokpal)
3. If the Charter is not followed, then people can complain to the Head of that department who will be designated as the Public Grievance Officer (PGO). Within 30 days, the PGO will redress the complaint.

4. In case of the failure of PGO to perform the duty; the complaint would escalate to the Vigilance Officer of Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta, after which the matter would deem to have a corruption angle to it.

5. The Vigilance Officer would be required to resolve the grievance in 30 days.

 

Meetanama

Struggling I have been to capture the Meeta experience.
I am still fumbling in the soul which has been washed over by Meetaness.

There is so much in the woman! It is insane.

             Everyone who knows her wants a piece of her.
She belongs to the masses. Yet she has something special just for you.
             It will be a private eye contact amidst ten of her friends whom you don’t know.
             It will be when she puts an arm around your shoulder and walks with you.
             It will be when she wakes you up early in the morning to spend time with you.
             It will be when she comes in your room and sleeps next to you, just because she felt like it.

You don’t be with Meeta, you witness her.

When she smiles, her whole body smiles with her-every part, every organ.
When she chants, the spirit of the house gathers around her to absorb the positive energy she gives out.
Just when you see a halo around her head, the little monster in her kicks in.
 She becomes Monica Gellar.

 She becomes the frustrated car driver in Delhi.  

 Rolling down her car window, she yells,  “Bhenchod! Aao kya bahar!”
 She becomes a baby at the sight of flying  pigeons.  
Resisting the urge to stop the car, she just rolls down the window and traces a pigeon or two in the air with her grubby, fat fingers.
She searches her empty wallet for money. She wants to swim. She will go mad if she doesn’t. She waits for dawn so she can have the early morning swim. No, you can’t leash the monster.
Her temper can wet your pants. Her ferocity has shaken many. Unfortunately, the same people never see Meeta sleep at night; for she switches on the table lamp.You see- ‘She can see dead people’ and because she is 100% sure that Emily Rose is hiding behind the bedroom door to haunt her.
                  In her, you have a friend who is crazy enough to unconditionally accept you.
                  In her is a sister, who is a mother to the older siblings.
                  In her is a maasi, who is an effortless disciplinarian.
                  In her is a daughter, who always understands.
                  In her is a Buddhist- a mentor, who will be your spiritual guide.
                  In her, is a passionate photographer who conjures up beauty in an otherwise drab scenario.
You see, it is through her photos that she pays her homage to the unsung heroes, neglected Indian tribes of Niyamgiri Hills and the Yamuna river.

                  In her, is a woman of substance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meetaahlawat/sets/  - Meeta's photos

There is so much I haven’t written here… there shall be another poem for it…

With genuine love and affection

Priyanka Londhe
11th August 2011-Thursday