Looking for Future: Decision Makers

by Dr. Sudhir Ranjan, USA

June 15, 2007

About thirty years ago, I was on my way to Barh (65 Kilometers away from Patna) from Hajipur to attend a marriage ceremony in my elder brother’s in-laws house. It was raining heavily. After crossing the Ganga River by ‘Bachha Singh ka steamer’ I sat on rickshaw to reach Patna railway station, and saw the exactly similar situation, what Patna Daily has written “What a mess”…. I think a greater mess in 2007” and has published a few photographs. The similar title news was published in “INDIAN NATION” in the July of 1977 about the city of Patna and Muzaffarpur’s Motijheel area. From the age of nine to thirty nine, the journey of my life has not seen any changes in our capital city as well as other cities of Bihar, except a few more English Medium Schools, crumbling Hindi Medium High Schools, destruction of Hindi Medium Primary and Middle Schools. Moreover, in these years Patna groomed large numbers of engineers (?), doctors (?), IAS/IPS/Allied offiers (?), clerks, ‘chaprasi’, teachers, professors (?) and several other government and corporate officers (!!!) as well as Shri Lalu Pd Yadav as a National Leader (a Hero) and CEO of Indian Railway, but the streets of Patna are still weeping bitterly. Everything is now accessed to human population from the city of Patna, computers, internet, cell phones and several luxury items. More and more houses have installed generators and water-suction pumps and bought small to big cars to reach their destination safely in all weather. Without increase in business activity, population is rising, but what has not changed is the face of Patna. Because Patna is wet, requiring good quality diapers to soak. Calcutta-Mumbai is no better than Patna. But I am concerned about Patna. For the past 30 years why are we reading and debating “what a mess” about the city.

Are we really very poor decision makers “by birth”.

Unlike China, we are still churning our population machine without interruption under the atmosphere of high entropy. Consider this as an example, I met a lady vegetable vendor in the month of February 2006 in Srikrishna Nagar, Patna whose one of the children was playing on the heaps of ‘Aaloo’, another on ‘Pyaaj’, third on ‘Parwal’, while two were fighting with ‘Kheera’ and ‘Lauki’. She was feeding one baby holding ‘taraazu’ in one hand weighing ‘Ramtaroi’ (Bhindi or Okra), and probably the last one was about to come soon. I hope she may be able give birth to her seventh healthy child. I interfered in her personal life, "Ae Dhania Devi kaise kar bahi sabke padhai likhai”.. She replied.. “ae babu-saheb, ta ka karbayi, mardawa sunbe na karichhai”.. She was ridiculing her husband for not taking decisions on the right time.

A few months ago, one of the mentors of Indian economy, India’s proud ‘Infosys’ and his former Chief Narayanmurthy who took weeks to decide whether to play a musical note of national song or not during President’s visit to Bangalore for whatever the reasons.

The most respectable current President and former scientist has not yet decided whether Afzal Guru will be hanged or will eat “Biriyani” whole life on the tax payer’s money.

Indra’s billion plus story haunted me and “Mardawa sunbe na karichhai” --- the indecision… compelled me to write this event while asking myself….

Are we genetically predisposed to very poor decision making capabilities or does the social make up nurture us this way?

Yet, India is developing at its own pace. We should be thankful to be a part of global world with a market of billion plus, people participating in Government are compelled to take at least a few decisions so that the other countries can readily open their moneybags and make Indian economy more vibrant and sustainable for the sale of their respective products such as Nokia, Motorola, Pepsi, Toyota . .....Unending list…. leading to perhaps a less attack on the west and checking and minimizing talent migration. It is all because we are billion plus, a huge consumer market for the whole world.

The bottom line is what are we doing for our country? What is our product to be sold in world’s market except selling ourselves in the form of software development, scientists or skilled brains? Are we just human resource generators? 40,000 Indians are facing threat of leaving UK. People and politician of Indian Government have not yet decided what to speak. On the other hand, Bihar deputy chief minister has decided to open a Placement Cell for Overseas Jobs. Now, Biharis from Patna University should not be worried. Assam, Delhi, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Vadodara, Surat, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai.... NO.... Singapore and Sydney are waiting for us. I really do not know, when can we can find the right person to speak for us?? We should try to find answer from here ---- University of Tokyo in Japan is 130 years old, while University of Calcutta is 153 years old. Comparison is worthless.

University of Patna is crying everyday, but distributing degrees every year. Still, we are adamant to open “Philosophical” Nalanda International University.

We decided to construct national highways or wide roads within the cities of India when automobile giants like Toyota, Honda, General Motors pushed Government and told people in Government that how big and classic cars they will bring on the roads of this country, but we need wider roads. Then our Vajpayee Government decided to build four lane highways. We should have done the same (four lane highway or wider roads) in early 70s, when we were opposing "Indira Gandhi ka Bees Sutri Karyakram" and were participating in population explosion. Water-logging and other similar activities would not have become the burden on smaller cities these days.

Is it not unfortunate that all MLAs from Karnataka are going to see China's development (we should now forget about USA, UK or Germany) so that some of their achievements could be photocopied. Again-- shorts of (bunch of) right persons. Last year, Bihar sent their MLAs to visit PHUKET in Thailand. Has this decision yielded any fruitful results? I have not heard of anything. Readers can tell me, if they know.

Children of 3/4th population of top Bihar's officials, ‘Zamindaars’ and politicians are studying (in high school as well) outside Bihar. How does one can think of improving school education system in Bihar? Are they so benevolent without keeping their family members in the mainstream of Bihar's education system?? CHALTA HAI TYPE approach will be working all the time, if they can't decide and engage themselves wholly in the entire system. All of us have to take tough decision and have to participate as a sacrificial agent of our fast degrading society. Becoming IIT engineers, AIIMS doctors or IAS, are not going to serve any purpose except some individual gains. In other words, of the aspirants and successful alike, hardly a few have the vision for the title they seek and then take decision in broader perspectives. Engineering fault of Gandhi Setu, regular strike by junior doctors as well as disappearance and reappearance of important letters from even DMs and SPs offices with or without their knowledge, show that we are the poorest decision makers, planners and recklessly careless. Nothing has changed since my childhood. That is why our eyes look for a familiar face, once we enter any offices in Bihar.

I do not blame the particular class of politicians, because they are our representatives. All of us belong to the same herd ....That is why except for increasing population to beat China by 2026, we take years and years to decide other things of our lives.

Lalu Yadav's recent dialog… “SAATHA KA PAATHA”… that he is sixty, he will become wise now can be considered as an extension to our (entire society) wisdom. While laughing at the dinner table we should not exclude ourselves.

Is it not a harsh reality from the birth to the age of sixty we really do not know what to decide and why to decide, What's the vision and what should be prioritized to achieve that vision ? Government that is reflection of us has fixed retirement age limit of 60-62 in all sectors; Isn’t it ironical?? ...that the attainment of wisdom comes with retirement or the vice versa ….

Good luck Patna! keep yourself wet and happy, goodbye.
 

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