Quite a few bureaucrats and many professionals allow themselves to be manipulated by the political system. It's disgusting to see learned men bending over backwards to please their political bosses in the fond hope of promotions, transfers to 'exquisite' postings or even a job, post superannuation! The net result is that such people lose respect among their flock and become the focus of their derisive analysis bordering on cynicism, contempt.
Why do people, who should be known for their efficiency at work, thorough knowledge of the rules governing their department, spotless integrity and the ability to withstand pressures from the powerful, buckle down without offering even a token of a resistance? Probably, it's because of the threat that they envisage not only to their own lives but also to their kith and kin! And to top it all, the law takes its own course where, sadly, time is of no consequence.
I must, at this juncture, refer to the infamous 'ISRO spy case' where it's getting clear as the mystery unravels - oh, so slowly - that it was orchestrated to dislodge K Karunakaran, the then chief minister of Kerala from his perch besides providing a setback to our cryogenic engine programme that was a few notches from success. The question as to whether there was a case to answer in the first place, has lost its relevance any more. But the high price that some of the protagonists - the scientist, Nambi Narayanan, for example - had to pay for, at the expense of their personal lives, is heart rending.
It's an extension of this malaise that is oft now being witnessed when politicians deride professional study reports or a commission's findings or even the professional advice if the end results do not conform to their point of view. The sad part is that they obstinately parrot their viewpoint much after the veracity of the report/findings is established, many times over by independent agencies because, by then, it has become a matter of ego. And the politician can't tolerate any infringement to his carefully manicured image(?), the truth be damned!
This sad state of affairs has been brought about, to a great extent, by my opening statement.
I can't ever forget what my elders taught me at home," Never compromise your conscience, your integrity. Stand for the truth always. It might not bring you dividends, instead it can cause you pain or even harm but your mind will remain clear and truth will win in the end, fetching you the accolades. More importantly, you'll never ever have to lower your eyes before anyone".
Tailpiece.
I can never forget the avalanche of copies of the then fortnightly, Kalakaumudi - which we weren't even subscribing - flooding our letterbox that contained a derisive article on PN Panicker by the late Thayattu Sankaran. The agony that my grandfather had gone through then, had affected me - a lad, brought up in an environment where I was taught that no one was bad. To make matters worse, our telephone was flooded with calls, from people whom we never knew, inquiring as to whether we'd read 'so and so' article on page...?!
............The saving grace was that my grandfather had later said that the author was repentant about his article.
Why do people, who should be known for their efficiency at work, thorough knowledge of the rules governing their department, spotless integrity and the ability to withstand pressures from the powerful, buckle down without offering even a token of a resistance? Probably, it's because of the threat that they envisage not only to their own lives but also to their kith and kin! And to top it all, the law takes its own course where, sadly, time is of no consequence.
I must, at this juncture, refer to the infamous 'ISRO spy case' where it's getting clear as the mystery unravels - oh, so slowly - that it was orchestrated to dislodge K Karunakaran, the then chief minister of Kerala from his perch besides providing a setback to our cryogenic engine programme that was a few notches from success. The question as to whether there was a case to answer in the first place, has lost its relevance any more. But the high price that some of the protagonists - the scientist, Nambi Narayanan, for example - had to pay for, at the expense of their personal lives, is heart rending.
It's an extension of this malaise that is oft now being witnessed when politicians deride professional study reports or a commission's findings or even the professional advice if the end results do not conform to their point of view. The sad part is that they obstinately parrot their viewpoint much after the veracity of the report/findings is established, many times over by independent agencies because, by then, it has become a matter of ego. And the politician can't tolerate any infringement to his carefully manicured image(?), the truth be damned!
This sad state of affairs has been brought about, to a great extent, by my opening statement.
I can't ever forget what my elders taught me at home," Never compromise your conscience, your integrity. Stand for the truth always. It might not bring you dividends, instead it can cause you pain or even harm but your mind will remain clear and truth will win in the end, fetching you the accolades. More importantly, you'll never ever have to lower your eyes before anyone".
Tailpiece.
I can never forget the avalanche of copies of the then fortnightly, Kalakaumudi - which we weren't even subscribing - flooding our letterbox that contained a derisive article on PN Panicker by the late Thayattu Sankaran. The agony that my grandfather had gone through then, had affected me - a lad, brought up in an environment where I was taught that no one was bad. To make matters worse, our telephone was flooded with calls, from people whom we never knew, inquiring as to whether we'd read 'so and so' article on page...?!
............The saving grace was that my grandfather had later said that the author was repentant about his article.
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