MALA FIDE
Listening to the ever-changing speculation about the outcome of the Bihar elections has been quite an experience. The initial predictions were that the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies are headed for a clear majority despite the complicated caste equations that have determined results over the years. Then the talk was that the 'coalition' of divergent and disparate parties and leaders held the edge. Soon, we heard from reporters - they had managed to lift themselves out of their glass and chrome offices to drive across Bihar's hinterland - that the secular forces now have a definite lead over the National Democratic Alliance.
The fact is that none knows the outcome because older voters are not about to spill the beans while first-time voters would exercise their franchise on the basis of new aspirations. This group could be the swing factor in favour of Narendra Modi because there is no other new face in the fray. My own assessment is that the NDA will form the government. If that happens, the prime minister would be able to assert his supremacy within the party and silence his dissenters within the parivar. Will he then come down heavily on those who are disturbing the social fibre that keeps this country united? Will a new ethic and system of governance kick in and will the babu be made to deliver the basic goods?
Horror tour
The movement forward to break the redundant framework of archaic regulations will not take place until the babu is either made accountable or has his wings clipped. India's bureaucrats have undermined the nation's change and growth. They fear their own shadows because they are inept and lack confidence and a strong intellectual base. Their comprehension of the world and contemporary working systems is almost non-existent. This inherent insecurity compels them to be arrogant and exclusive.
Tourism can be looked at as a case study to show how babudom has been instrumental in suffocating this service sector. With its layered cultures and histories, India could very easily turn travel and tourism into a major engine of growth. It could revolutionize the transport infrastructure and provide employment opportunities, thereby becoming the base for growth. But instead of taking the bull by its horns and following the tried-and-tested policies, we have condemned this sector to suffocating strictures that debilitate all those who are in the business.
Clueless babus have infested the forest departments across the country. They have broken established rules and - in a manner of speaking - forced themselves down the throats of tourists and bystanders to make quick money. India should emulate the model of wildlife tourism that exists in Kenya and South Africa with some minor adjustments. That way, India would turn into a haven for visitors from across the world. But our intellectually inept 'keepers' have killed all initiative and reduced us to a garbage heap of rules that make no sense at all.
India's heritage sites are in a mess. Connectivity to these sites is virtually non-existent. Resorts, camps, hotels and homesteads are visited by 'inspectors' looking for bribes. Ironically, 'no objection certificates' are demanded for all that is legitimate. The world knows this bitter truth, the babus know the truth, and our leaders know it too. But none does anything to end the horror. We enjoy wallowing in the filth. Babus harass citizens mercilessly while dealing with requirements that similar businesses across the world would execute with ease and pride. In India, citizens are made to feel like impostors. India will grow when the poison in the system gets pumped out and is replaced by clean laws.
