Views and Reviews

Indian temples should come under a non-governmental autonomous body for better administration

Of late the number of cases involving corruption in Indian temples because of undue unwarranted political interference has been steadily increasing. Some of the significant cases that are our concern are:

1. Abolition of token system for safeguard of footwear in temples of Tamil Nadu for the purpose of strenghtening vote banks a few years ago had resulted in illegal contractors playing a bad game. I recently witnessed that in Samayapuram the vendor forces to buy cocunut and garlands and if you don’t buy, the footwear protection is charged premium fee besides an unwanted bargaining before entering the temple, which challenges the mental tranquillity.
2. The unwarranted law that brings all caste as priests by the current government of Tamil Nadu seems to be injuring the sanctity of various temples. There are distinct and succinct rules and regulations to be observed for each temple and a simple law can be blindly applied to all temples challenging the rich heritage of our society.
3. Distribution of christian missionary material in Tirumala – Tirupathi with alleged support of Y. Rajasekar Reddy government of Andhra Pradesh.
4. Misuse of temple funds by Government — A comprehensive report by Hindu Jagruthi.
5. Unwanted Orations: Besides these, there are people who target pilgrims who exit out of famous temples and pull them into unwanted discussions. Me and my friend who came out of Sholinganullar Pratyankara temple last friday had this incident of meeting one muslim guy who unnecessarily picked up discussion with scores of devotees and suddenly started to raise slogans in support of their religion.

   I called the conductor who pulled the bus to stop to kick him out to avoid unnececessary trouble brewing in the bus.

The best solution to these menace would be to separate administration of temples from government and have an autonomous body to administer them. For example, I really don’t find a valid reason for Hindu temples to be administered by HR&CE department of Tamil Nadu, when others do not come under government control.

Standardization of departments in various states of India is required

Of late, I have just observed that each political party when it comes to power expands or bifurcates its portfolio to create a new department in order that one of their kith/kin can be brought into power. This creates a problem like non-standard departments between the various states of India. The better way to approach would be the central government should create a set of departments like PWD, Health, Finance and each state government should just implement this rule and have ministers appointed for each department.

This way, it would be very easy for central government to compare each states’ functioning, reduce corruption rates and also effectively channelize the tax and income of the government for the welfare of the nation?

Readers: What do you feel?

The need of the day — Merit Minority Institution

Today when you knock at the doors of any engineering or arts/science college for any admission, the only daunting thing that confronts one is the treacherous caste-based reservations and a significant chunk of the colleges posing themselves as ‘Christian Minority’, ‘Muslim Minority’ etc institutions. I was thinking can there be some good samaritan who can bring the concept of ‘Merit Minority Institution’ wherein admissions must be purely on merit basis, without succumbing to any of the caste or religion hiccups without getting entangled in any kind of political spagettis.

I know I am demanding the 100% utopian concept however, at least there should be some move towards the most ideal situation rather than lamenting in the current state/plight of bad reservation systems forever. I am not sure what is the motto or secret behind these reservation systems? I really can not assess the benefits of these reservation systems. God has created everyone equal and all blood in the same red color. He has created brain for all (hope so :)). I am sure that the brain for everyone is made of same tissues and parts like cerebrum and cerebellum. When all these are same and God has demonstrated an extremely meticulous and similar creations, I am not sure why we should cling to all these freaking man-made reservation systems at all? After all, these reservation systems are designed by political bandits to strenghten their vote banks and build up their secret money chest at the cost of our hard-earned money.

Towards this, I love the film ‘Sivaji — The Boss’, which aspires to carry the thought that the NRI (Sivaji) tries to bring up and establish ‘Sivaji Foundation’ serving for the true upliftment of the society.  I really feel that cine field should try bringing up such films more in number to cultivate a renaissance in the minds of public and to help the society conquer the various maladies that are afflicting it.

At least, starting from 2009, let us realise these political tricks and try to work towards a society that is devoid of corruption and love for living beings all over. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu.

Waste of papers by private banks in India
 
While each of the bank and service provider in India is trying to bring out a paperless administration and billing besides even serving advertisements like ‘Get into paperless eBilling’, I just thought whether they are oriented truly towards saving the environment and conservative. There are little shocking truths which we can understand, if we delve a little deeper into their billing styles:
 

1. Bharti Airtel Chennai for example offers INR 200 IndiaTimes shopping coupon for getting into eBill and discontinuing paper bills. However, as the pamplet says ‘find coupon inside’, there is no coupon inside the cover at all.  Also with each month bill, they stuff one flashy advertisement of some crappy service which is mostly unsolicited and unneeded by most of us. Even if they save by not printing that crappy paper they can save tonnage of paper.
2. Once waiting at the HSBC, Adyar lobby, I just observed a sales representative opening the cupboard next to me. It was packed beyond space with handout of Personal Loans etc. They say it is just for the period of one month and they would complete the entire printouts.  Now I realise why these guys depute scores of collection agents in front of our offices brandishing some sick old municipality paper flashing with the words ‘Personal Loans’ and there would be a rubber stamp ‘Call some cell number’. Ethically, they should be giving only the official contact number of the bank but they would be giving some weird cell number of an agent.

 
Because of such reckless use of paper advertisements which about 95 per cent of the cases is unsolicited and which we just throw off after being squeezed onto us forcibly, the entire area also gets littered.
 
I just thought I would suggest the following workarounds to this menace:
 

1. We should avoid throwing these papers. Take a bit of time to collect these advertisements, cut them into three or four and donate them to the nearest temple. In temples of India, they give KumKum (holy powder to put in our foreheads). People have the habit of collecting some for their homes also. During this process, most people would search for papers. At least, these otherwise rubbish would be turned into constructive use.
2. Banks and service providers should consider using recycled paper instead of using actual full-quality papers unless and otherwise it is mandatorily required.

 Whilst discussing this with one of my friend, he was giving another little sarcastic suggestion. But after thinking a bit, I just felt there is an embedded reality utility value in the same. He was telling that each week he used to purchase tissue papers from his neighborhood grocery or supermarket. If the banks put their advertisement in tissue papers, he can first see whether the advertisement is of any interest to him. If not, instead of littering the environment, he can at least use it in his restroom thus saving a few bucks. Doesn’t it sound a good deal?

1. They spin off a seasonal travel organization called ‘Sri Dharmasastha Travels’, possibly for evading Income Tax (?)
2. They promise pushback 2×2 but on the tour day an old bus of ordinary 3×2 is being brought by them. The differential fare per passenger between the bus types and hence the accumulated profit difference becomes a good booty for the travel operator.
3. In the reciept, they mention the following rule in the reciept that is issued by them to pilgrims:

1. He is maliciously using his Lions Club membership to protect himself from any legal effects of the unscrupulous business practices that he is currently busy involved in. I am trying to get in touch with Lions Club chennai to investigate on this front.
2. He also offers passport services besides tourist visa to various countries like Singapore. Given the cheap mentality, we also need to watch them for any possible illegal passport racket.
3. His employees also seem to be sharing the same mean thoughts. When the bus was starting when a couple of us went to the office to fill waters, his assistant refused and was heard quoting ‘Water can is purchased for internal use. Please fill water from outside hotels’.

1. Telephone Number: +914439878265
2. Date: 22nd December 2008
3. Time: 12:45
4. Call Duration: 2 mins 31 seconds

Conversation Progress (Mission Hilarity):

1. Unsolicited Telemarketing Call is an offence in India and is a violation of DoT guidelines (http://ndncregistry.gov.in/ndncregistry/index.jsp)
2. Unsolicited Credit Card is an offence as per circular from Reserve Bank of India [RBI / 2005-06 / 211]

1. Airtel CustomerCare (Telephone Operator to register and serve a warning/legal action to ICICI)
2. ICICI Team
   1. Customer Care
   2. Do Not Call Cell
   3. Head Service Quality
   4. Escalations

Anticipatory Driving Skills — Mandatory in Chennai India

 Running close to our recent discussions on traffic disciplines, our next focus would be need for anticipatory driving skills particularly in Chennai, India. Of particular interest, I would like to share the following points for the reader: 

1. Lane discipline is mysteriously missing in even arterial roads. Cops are still just not visible anywhere when they are required. When there is a traffic snarl, anyone would just hit and climb up the median divider to trespass into the opposite direction in an attempt to blatant overtaking.
2. In US, there is a signal called ‘Yield’. You need to wait before joining the expressway from side roads. We do not have these type of signals and hence even vehicles on main roads need to be doubly careful when there are traffic intersections.
3. There is also a reckless use of indicator lights. People often sound blatant horns but seldom make the correct use of indicator lights or hand signals. What’s worse, you can find a warning behind some vehicles like ‘AC. No Hand Signal’.

 In one tamil film, comedian Vivek used to joke ‘An autodriver in Chennai would put left indicator, show right hand signal but just go straight”. Such is the state of affairs of road discipline in Chennai. Hence, driving skills alone in Chennai are not sufficient. Anticipatory driving skills (to anticipate any one to violate traffic rules and jump in our route) to manage surprises is the need of the hour till at least the traffic cops wake up from their deep slumber.

Beggar Rehabilitation Measures in India

 From my recent pilgrimage to Sabarimala and a few other places, I just observed that beggar menace in India is increasing like anything. You can find beggars virtually in every place. Though the individual entities have taken steps to keep beggars off their limits, the problem still persists. I would significantly quote, ‘Travancore Devaswom Board’ for having put boards en route Pampa to Sannidhanam that begging is prohibited in the route and a request to pilgrims in not encouraging them. The specific note is put up in Tamil, English, Hindi and Malayalam.

 I remember a film comedy by Goundamani and Senthil which shows that beggars are normally picked up by Corporation and Municipal authorities and given rehabilitation by suitably employing them for small cottage industry work. I am just wondering what happened to those mysterious measures. I have written a email query to cop@vsnl.net on the same a week back but it is still pending any valid responsible reply from them. 

1. On a quick Internet research, I found this topic on the subject (Begging for Change). As per the article only NGOs are currently active in providing relief measures for beggars and cops only end up abusing the already challenged souls.
2. While I did a quick search for any IPC provisions on the same, the only article I was able to locate was ‘Bombay Beggary Prevention Act‘.

 Serious Issues of Beggary: 

1. When beggars go near international tourists and seek alms, it presents a negative image for the country.
2. Antisocials often cripple young kids and dumb animals like monkeys and parrots with the malicious intent of demonstrating the handicap to public and to gather funds for their selfish use.

 I just thought of sharing about this act with other readers to see if others also could suggest if there are workarounds against this menace and we can submit petitions to the government and administration to actively look into this issue and address the malady.

Reckless use of Car Horns (including Police Sirens in Chennai, India) — Sharp contrast to what you get to see in US

 Sometime back we have been discussing about ‘Admirable Traffic System in US‘. As a followup discussion to this post, I just thought of sharing here about the use of horns and police siren usage that is followed here and in US. Thanks to my colleague (Arun Sundaresh) for clarifying on the thoughts and doubts that I used to ask him. 

1. In US, the lane discipline is strictly followed. You can not find a reckless overtaking anywhere. I learnt that high speed vehicles cling on to the innermost lane of the road whilst slow moving vehicles take up the lane near the rim or periphery of the road. Also, whilst negotiating turns, you can find for sure, indicators are used without fail.

   In sharp contrast to these, at least in Chennai, India you can find a reckless overtaking. Particularly when there is a traffic jam, you can find even a big truck overtaking and taking the opposite direction lane. I admit that the roads are small and median dividers are missing. But that shouldn’t cause flouting of traffic rules right? You can find these incidents regularly in Velachery Tambaram road near Pallikaranai and near Velachery Bypass Road.

2. In US, horns are honked very rarely. When a horn is sounded it means the other person (going ahead in most cases) on whom the horn was intended is actually offending or causing a traffic hardship to others. Some examples are:
   1. Joining the main highway from exit or side road without properly adhering to ‘Yield’.
   2. Very dangerous overtaking
   3. Incorrect lane discipline followed
   4. Incorrect speed being adopted whilst driving
3. Arun also clarified me once while driving from Valley Ranch Walmart to our hotel regarding how the police sirens are to be intepreted:
   1. You can not find the cops visibly standing anywhere on the roads in most cases but you can be sure that they are watching the road condition at all times.
   2. When the cop puts up the lights on his patrol car, it means our car needs to be pulled up and we need to wait in the car till the officer comes to us for investigation.
   3. If the driver of the car does not obey the lights, the cop starts his patrol to initiate a chase. Only when there is a real need, the siren (sound) is switched on.
   4. Also, when the vehicle is pulled up, the driver is not expected to alight from the vehicle. The investigating officers would come near the vehicle, do some preliminary (safety) investigations and then start the interrogations on the actual offence besides appropriately ticketing the offender.
   5. In sharp contrast to these, the following are observed in India:
      1. The cops can be literally found chatting with the roadside tender cocunut shops, often getting a free drink.
      2. I have often found near Guindy Industrial Estate Transit Center (bus stop) that cops just keep have their lights flashing and sirens honking incessantly to shoo-shoo away the hawkers and autorickshaws which obstruct the traffic. I admit their good intent of clearing the traffic but the continuous use of sirens has a negative effect as below:
         1. The value of the siren is often brought down for hardcore criminals since it is commonly heard and hence people would not bother about it.
         2. Waste of patrol vehicle resources
         3. Unnecessary noise level on the roads.
         4. I have written about these to cop@vsnl.net a while back but there hasn’t been any concrete action on it hitherto.
4. You can find horns in India used like crazy. While in US, our legs would be busy in accelerator and break and here I can say one hand finger is always pressed on the horns thus jeopardizing the calmness on the roads.

 Would state administration who is geared to modernize our police with latest infrastructure to protect the country see that these maladies are also addressed?