THE INDEPENDENCE

“Walking down the streets of “independent” India, I saw people who were happy. Some were happy because they got a vacation, some were happy because they got themselves a nice august 15^th sales offer and some of them were happy just because they have to look happy on such an important day. Then I took a right into inner streets and I saw the people who were imprisoned. Imprisoned in their own hearts. Imprisoned by falling rupee and growing crime rates, imprisoned by infamous politicians and famous sadhus, imprisoned between the line of poverty and rich people. Then I took a bus to red fort where the flag was hoisted and they created an artificial wind to keep it flying. I was a fool to search for independence in the nation where the flag of the nation has no independence to fly on its own. ”~vivek         

_______________________________________________________________ 

Bheekhu saw more people these days in Bade Sahib's office. Ravi, his co-worker (a very modest coinage for another domestic help like him) informed his in a smart tone that it was an election year, so they will have more chores to do in the house alone. He had worked in Bade Sahib's house for almost two months; Ravi had been there ever since he was five, but even he had still not seen as much furor as this. He had overheard the driver talking about "a return to power" or some homonym. While doing the dishes, Ravi once again bragged him about Sahib hoisting a flag some day next week. Bheekhu asked what was the occasion, cursing his negligence and his naive nature. While Ravi howled he, told him it was 15 Agast.

Bheekhu was an illiterate, but he was still not stupid enough to ask Ravi what it meant. But he was curious boy, and eventually rounded the cook in the late hours of a dopey afternoon next day. With a bundle of bidi he bribed him successfully. But his answer was really terse, and left more questions than it answered- it means being free, the Angrej left the country and we were free to do whatever we want.

As the day progressed the skies grew grey. He finished doing the dishes, ate his food and took his place on the kitchen floor. He looked out of the window, the lightening, the downpour being incessant. Free, the word had echoed in his mind throughout the day. He dare not discuss it with Ravi, he made enough fun of him already. But free was not a difficult word. He knew it alright. He knew that it meant doing something out one's own will. He wondered what it could be like to free for a day or two.

Would he be allowed to dress up in a smart uniform and board a shining yellow bus for an Angreji  school? Would he have two square meals each day? Would he get a a proper bed to sleep on? Would he get to see his poor parents again who had sent him to the city for some cash? Will he ever get to dress up in crisp and colorful clothes like these city folks do? Will he ever own one of these cars which run like raging bulls on the roads? Or a shiny handsome bike, which the Chota Sahib owns? Will he ever learn to read, something that he desired with all his heart. Will he ever be free of his limp, the one which he had carried since some polio thing happened to him. Will he ever be free of all these constraints that hold him back and live life as he should- free.

Bheekhu turned and tried to catch some sleep, and secondly the floor was damp while facing the window. He suddenly remembered that he had to wash Sahib's car next morning. He closed his eyes, he was not free; not yet.

NISHANT CHATURVEDI,

ELECTRICAL,

FINAL YEAR.

From A Million Hearts To A Billion Wallets

Mahatma Gandhi- The Father of the Nation. 

The nation that we call India, lets stick to this only because calling it Bharat does not really help our cause. Some random thoughts began brewing in my mind as I took a hundred rupee note out of my pocket and handed it to the worker who knows me well and has been working in this ice-cream shop for some time. No, I don't even know his name, but a "Bhaiya" is more than sufficient to get my order placed quickly.

For some reasons, Gandhiji's photo has decreased in both its affluence and influence and has been limited to currency notes only. In primary classes there are essays that students have to mug and replicate in their exam copies. A nice holiday on 2nd October is always welcomed. A couple on minutes of silence on 30th January, well that gives a nice break from all the commotion around, doesn't it. A framed picture on the walls in government offices, with an inch-thick layer of dust. Yes he is still the father of our nation but the peon does not bother to wipe the dust now. The people do not remember him on days other than these two of course. Yet their was a time when this now forgotten man walked on the face of the earth, right where the British were on the peak of their atrocities and lead an entire country to freedom without even raising a stick. But then, Bharat turned into India, we came civilized and modern, Gandhism turned into Gandhigiri and all the noble deeds of this man ended up in our pockets, with his bespectacled face in our wallets.

However one would contradict with me in some regards, what with Anna Hazare and his revolution. His method, his fasting and the lathicharge on protesters in Delhi. For a moment, even for a bleak one, it felt as though the times had reversed- a nation going head-on against the incumbent government without any act of violence. But it did not last for the Jan Lokpal Bill is still under "consideration". The very root of the problem that it intended to cut off- corruption, has grown in its domain day by day. The movement which began as protest has turned into a political party, deprived of support and muscle. But what was it that really made the difference back then, during the struggle for independence, because the principals are more or less the same- but why are they ineffective in the present context?

I think we can narrow it down to a couple of simple facts. Firstly it was the man himself- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, for his charisma and intensity is yet unmatched. Perhaps it was far more convenient to forget the man, rather than following his principles he stood for. The social values and beliefs he stood for were and always will be easier to admire than to follow. While he was alive, he was impossible to ignore- the British tried to at their demise. And once when he was gone, he was impossible to imitate- which is quite apparent in the present scenario. Apart from this, the other thing which drove his engine forward was his pursuit of Truth. Truth with a capital T. For he believed in the the fact that if you are correct, and the Truth is on your side nothing can hold you back. Truth cannot be attained by unjust or violent means. For he said, "Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth." Such was his deep-lying belief in this philosophy. Its hard to break resistance of able bodied men, but for a man whose spirit is as indomitable as his, it was next to impossible.  

Secondly, and maybe this one holds the edge, it was the people who made Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi into Mahatma Gandhi- and not just in name. He was their leader, their saint walking in front of their eyes.They followed him and he lead them towards truth, towards light, towards freedom. Had they absconded his pursuit in the middle of this epic struggle, things could have shaped up very differently indeed. Those people did not sit back in their homes, waiting for things to happen. They did not flock to the cyberspace to extend their support via innumerable "shares" and "comments" on virtual "walls". They stepped out and wrote "Inqualab Zindabaad" with their blood on the walls of jails inside which they were beaten down to pulp. They did not walk away when the police drew lathis on a a couple of girls in Punjab. They did not walk away with indifference when a group of young men protested on the main square of the city. They stood there, abiding his command not raising their hands even once. They joined shoulders forgetting their petty differences- yes those very differences which have become the basis of communal politics.

They stood their by his side

I wonder how Gandhiji would have reacted when he would have seen what has happened to his beloved country. Maybe he would have asked for a bullet, and said "Hey Ram" (though this time in a very different sense) and put it inside his head. Probably saving another Nathuram Godse from the trouble, for he is our father, and he took this blame too upon himself.

Summer is here, I feel like an ice-cream now. The old man in my wallet needs some air too.

Bye.

Nishant Chaturvedi
Electrical
3rd Year

BONFIRE TREASON

"Remember, remember the fifth of November
         Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
       I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
           should ever be forgot."

 

Emissary and flare, Perfidy and torture, followed by dreadful deaths… the gunpowder slot had it all.

The gunpowder slot was a failed attempt to blow up the House of Lords, so as to kill King James I and his leaders.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Between 1533 and 1540, England witnessed several religious tensions. Roman Catholics struggled in a society dominated by the newly separate and increasingly protestant churches of England. When Queen Elizabeth I took the throne of England she passed strict laws against Roman Catholics. In 1603, after 45 years on the English throne, the transition of power following Elizabeth's death went smoothly to king James IV of Scotland, son of Mary, the queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth’s cousin. The Catholics in England were upset that there was going to be another Protestant monarch. Catholicism became marginalized, King James passed laws that imposed heavy fines on people who did not attend protestant church services.

In 1605, the greater religious tolerance under the king made a devout Catholic, Robert Catesby to plan the gunpowder slot. He was accompanied by his friends Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright, Thomas Percy a and Guy Fawkes. Over the next few months Francis Tresham, Everard Digby, Robert Wintour, Thomas Bates and Christopher Wright also agreed to take part in the overthrow of the king. They hired a house which had cellar under the Parliament building. The plotters filled the cellars with barrels of gunpowder to blow up the parliament along with the king. Fawkes, who had 10 years of military experience fighting in the Spanish Netherlands in suppression of the Dutch Revolt, was given charge of the explosives.

The conspiracy was revealed to the authorities by Francis Tresham, one of the plotters  who in order to save his friend lord Monteagle, sent a letter warning him not to attend Parliament on 5th November. Monteagle immediately exposed the letter to Robert Cecil, the Secretary of State. On the morning of 5^th November while searching the House of Lords, the soldiers arrested Guy Fawkes hidden in cellar guiding the gunpowder, enough to reduce the House of Lords to rubble. He was brutally tortured and he eventually unveiled the names of his fellow conspirators. Most of the plotters fled to London as they learnt of the plot’s discovery. Robert Catesby, Thomas Percy, Christopher Wright and John Wright refused to surrender so they were shot and killed. The other conspirators were convicted and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Francis Tresham died while still a prisoner in the Tower of London. It has often been claimed that his death was arranged to cover up his complicity in the uncovering of the plot. 

In celebration of his survival, King James ordered the people of England should have a great bonfire on the night of 5^th November.

Some historians have argued that the conspiracy was actually devised by Robert Cecil and Lord Monteagle. This version claims that they blackmailed Robert Catesby into organizing the plot. It is argued that Cecil's aim was to make citizens of England to hate Catholics.

In England, on 5^th of November, the event is still commemorated by special sermons and other public events like ringing of bells, fireworks and burning effigies on bonfires.

SONIKA RAJPUT,

CO-COORDINATOR,

IBC.

VOTE.SELECT.ACT

Politics is the art of influencing people on a civic or individual level. And, democracy is the relationship between people and politics.

The history of India takes us back to the individual republics of the 6^th century BC, that is, the sanghas and the ganas which closely resembled a democracy. India has been following democratic rule since the year 1949. But is the system followed by our government really democratic? Is the common man being given rights the constitution claims to bestow on him? If yes, then why is politics a bad word? Why is a politician seen as some corrupt, sadistic individual who knows nothing, but thinks he knows everything?

Take the example of Rahul Gandhi who is being considered for the prime minister’s post by the Congress. After almost three generations, we think that the Gandhis might give it a rest. But, no, they just have to run a monarchy in disguise. Our constitution boasts about the right to equality, however, it was flushed down the drain long ago when it became a ritual for rape victims to wait for a decade to get justice. Educational privileges and the right against exploitation are violated every time a kid is forced to beg on the streets with the notion “pity pays”. And the suicides in Gujarat due to penalising of farmers are a sorry acceptance of the “right” to life and property. Democracy in India allows us to break laws which guard these civil liberties, to name a few.

The answer to all questions lies at the root level. The bug is in each and every individual who votes and in each one of us who does not vote. It is nice to write an article on what a pathetic excuse of a democracy our country is. It is nice to blame the system for all its loopholes which fail to prevent trafficking, suicides and the growing difference between the haves and the have-nots. It is great to read such articles and reflect upon them. But, it is not nice to accept the victims of this system as our own. It is not nice to put ourselves in their shoes and stand up against the prevalent corruption as long as our needs are satisfied. And, due to some mental barriers, it is just not nice to vote with a rational mind. An empty stomach is not a good political adviser. Think about it.

SANJANA MAHABALE,

LITERARY MEMBER,

IBC

BUREAUCRAT PUPPETS

STRINGS UNATTACHED?

The dictionary meaning of a bureaucrat is: ‘An official who is rigidly devoted to the details of administrative procedure’. But do our so-called “bureaucrats” stand up to the definition of their posts? Or are they merely puppets in the hands of the political masters?

Here I have compared what German sociologist Max Weber defined a bureaucratic official as and what the definition has changed to:

·         He is personally free and appointed to his position on the basis of conduct.
versus
He is not personally free and appointed to his position on the basis of contacts.

·         He exercises the authority delegated to him in accordance with impersonal rules, and his loyalty is enlisted on behalf of the faithful execution of his official duties.
versus
He exercises the authority delegated to him in accordance with personal rules, and his loyalty is enlisted on behalf of the faithful execution of his official duties to the ruling party.

·         His appointment and job placement are dependent upon his technical qualifications.
versus
His appointment and job placement are dependent upon his social qualifications.

·         His administrative work is a full-time occupation.
versus
His administrative work is a full-time occupation when a powerful public servant needs him.

·         His work is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of advancement in a lifetime career.
versus
His work favouring a particular party is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of advancement in a lifetime career.

·         He must exercise his judgment and his skills, but his duty is to place these at the service of a higher authority. Ultimately he is responsible only for the impartial execution of assigned tasks and must sacrifice his personal judgment if it runs counter to his official duties.
versus
He must not exercise his judgment and his skills. Ultimately he is responsible only for the partial execution of assigned tasks and must sacrifice his official judgment if it runs counter to his personal duties.

·         Bureaucratic control is the use of rules, regulations, and formal authority to guide performance.
versus
Bureaucratic control is the use of rules, regulations, and formal authority to guide performance under specific conditions and superiors.

While narrowing down the term ‘bureaucrats’ in terms of the Indian constitution, we can count District collectors, IAS and IPS officers. As many of us are aware, to reach such designations, it requires years of dedication towards education and values. But what happens after they get into the system? 

They lose their ethics under the pressure of their puppeteers.
Every politician in the country is aware of the power and fame of any bureaucrat, and so are they themselves. But it seems that the former make a better use of this. The question is: why do they blindly follow the orders? The bureaucrats, not being unaware of their position, tend to succumb to the ill-fated wishes of Ministers, scared by the consequences of one action by a powerful politician. It can cost them their health, wealth, security, fame or family. And, their inactivity against corruption is not justified. Or, some may not be terrorized by the results on their career, and are driven by their greed.

And what does this lead to?
We may have come across this example (in reality or in fiction) where the DSP or SP states that he/she is not in a position to take an action against an MP or the CM. Do you think this is a flaw of the constitution?  Or just the cowardliness of a bureaucrat that he is unable to force constitutionally correct decisions over the corrupt ones? Any democrat has the potential to reject the dominion of corruption. But do they?
The outcome is an overall increment in the corruption levels of the system. Henceforth, any specified task cannot be efficiently completed at higher or lower levels of the government.

Another question which would arise in this scenario would be:
who is more at fault? The bureaucrats? Or their controlling politicians?

One would say, that since the flow of power is from the politicians to the bureaucrats, corrupt acts should be killed at the roots, i.e., it is the responsibility of the politicians to maintain the dynamo of the government. On the other hand, if bureaucrats do not accept such work place values, they can control it in the threshold.  But the truth remains that if one part of a system is malfunctioning, the whole system malfunctions.

What possible improvements can be made to the existing system?
Improvements can be made only when each unit (from the first person to the population) starts working for benefit of the whole, and not just personal interests.

SANJANA WADHWA,

CREATIVE HEAD,

IBC

GIVE THEM SOME SUNSHINE!

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.”

                                        ~Diane Mariechild

“If you are killing a child, just because it’s a girl; you aren’t doing anything wrong. Even some Cannibal tribes do the same thing.”

                   ~ Anonymous

“It has been 6 months since I have first formed into a zygote. I’m so excited! Just three more months, and I’ll be feeling the first breath of the mortal world. My father would be taking me into the loving hands of his and that would be the moment when I’ll stop crying! Just can’t wait for his kiss, which would be the most precious one of my life. Then my Mom would slowly open her eyes, forgetting all the pain she beared for the past 9 months, and she would be crying- this time, out of happiness. My sister would be jumping out of happiness knowing that she got a buddy for life. All the love, all the care, all the craziness of this world is waiting me. No matter how mad you people are and no matter how many troubles I have to face in my life, I am ready to be one of you!

  These were my dreams, until yesterday. But now, I’m helpless. I overheard the conversation of my parents last night. They went to a hospital and from the tests, came to know that I’m a girl. I was overflowing with joy, knowing this. So, I am going to add to the beauty and serenity of the world. I am a girl and so I am the best. But my heart sank as they continued their discussion. My dad was against me(being born). All of a sudden I became an enemy to him. He said to mom “We can’t raise two girls. There’s no option for us but for you to undergo abortion! And do it as early as possible.”

“Am I a mission that gone wrong, to be aborted? I am a child, I am a soul and above all I AM YOUR DAUGHTER, memento of your love on mom. Dear dad, no need of an abortion. I am already dead in my heart!”

Next day, I felt scissors piercing my body and cutting me off. As I was being operated out, I felt the sun rays touching my feet and that was the last feeling I’ve felt. I didn’t even get to see how it looks like to be out in the sunshine! I am very glad that I’m not going to be a part of this creepy minded world. But I hope my fellow girls survive their race into the world, unlike me!”

Salutes to every person who realise that killing a girl child is no less crime than killing your mother and shame on those who don’t get this!

STATS:

v It estimated that more than ten million female foetuses have been illegally aborted in India.

v Researchers for the Lancet journal based in Canada and India stated that 500,000 girls were being lost annually through sex selective abortions.

v In 2011, 15,000 Indian women were bought and sold as brides in areas where foeticide has led to a lack of women.

v Arvind Kumar, an official in the Hyderabad district enforced the PCPNDT Act after taking over in 2004. He investigated all 389 diagnostic clinics in the city and took action. 361 ultrasound scan centres were issued notices for non-compliance with the PCPNDT Act and the licenses of 91 centres were cancelled.

WELCOME TO INDIA

                       

BIZZARE. OVERLOADED. TECHNICOLOUR. CHAOTIC. GOLMAAL.                         JUGAAD. CHALTA HAI.

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“After the conversations about Indian philosophy, some of the ideas of Quantum Physics that had seemed so crazy suddenly made much more sense.”

                                          ~ W. Heisenberg (German Physicist)

“If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!”

                                        ~ Romaine Rolland (French writer)

“In religion, India is the only millionaire……the One land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.”

                                       ~ Mark Twain (American writer)

 You’d run out of words long before you’d run out of an India that all those words describe. And in not just one language but many, including the very special “Unicode”..

India is not a contradiction in terms .It sets the terms for contradictions. It’s the world’s biggest and the most energetic democracy, where people chuck out governments as frequently as they chuck out garbage. It’s a byword for immense wealth and terrible poverty, a realm of billionaires and beggars, the traditional  mahakumbh mela and the big modern malls,  weird tantriks and  the popular twitter, the numerous mighty goddesses and the shameless “female foeticide”, a country of unemployment and “U.S employers”, a boast of “Hamare Sanskar” and the ever increasing crime rate in the country.

Be it the unity in diversity or religious acceptance, scientific achievements or vedic preachments, dream land or nightmare for poor… India has always been the stage for almost anything moral, immoral, mortal and immortal values. Many renowned personalities all around the world had been mentioning about India in one or the other occasion, for righteous reasons. At the same time our nation was in the news

for many more wrong reasons. Of course, every nation is like a coin- having heads and tails in its history. We may call it “Shades of the Nation”. It’s a fact that India, among all the nations has maximum colours in its shades and here are some of

them:

CHALTA HAI INDIA: Aren’t we all aware about the infamous “I don’t care” and “ignoring” attitude. Dumping garbage on roads, cops sleeping on duty, the most recent and upsetting example of molestation in Guwahati where no one cared to stop and help whereas just preferred to watch the shameless act  ….and the list of this ‘Chalta hai’ attitude is endless. And yet we call ourselves the heirs of great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, who fought for the independence of a country which didn’t give a life to him (South Africa).

JUGAAD INDIA:  Innovative fixes, enterprising street mechanics and business ideas, bending/bypassing of rules, getting admission into educational institutions through donations rather than merit… everything comes under jugaad! Not always bad, but they it is put into use had crossed the limits and is narrowing the success chances of a common man. I think we MANITians need not be told what is Jugaad about, after all we consider ourselves to be best at it..

BIZZARE INDIA:  Strange customs and uncouth taboos, creepy rituals and superstitions, crazily mis-spelt signboards, and weird advertising taglines come under this. Only in India you can find a situation in which man builds a temple even over a milestone if its rumored that god resides in it! One doesn’t continue their journey for a while if a cat crosses their path (P.S. Even if it is an ambulance and patient’s is in the edge of death)!

PEACEFUL INDIA : Despite of the so many distressing terror attacks ,India has always stood up with courage and fought back but has never resorted to any sort of violence .Instead has always believed in peace and has treated the whole world as one family, thus following its one of the most intrinsic principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. 

CHAOTIC INDIA: Complete absence of order and system in our daily life, overcrowded trains, buses, roads, traffic rules never being followed, urinating anywhere and everywhere, and many more such examples are creating chaos in the systematic mode of our country. Everyone waits for the government to do every single work. If the road in front of their house becomes filthy and stinky, they still wait for municipality shifts, but never do they clean themselves. No one’s asking you to clean up the country. Just clean up your own houses. If everyone does it, country automatically gets clean (Here cleaning refers to discipline).

INCREDIBLE INDIA: The spectacular beauty, heritage and medley of color that is India. Multicultural and multilingual India is world famous for its beautiful monuments, enthralling fairs, colorful dresses, wild life and how can we forget the inexplicable magical Bollywood.

So what about the changes that will make this INDIFFERENT INDIA ,the truly INCREDIBLE INDIA, not just in our opinions but also that of the foreign visitors we welcome each day .Even though we are proud to belong to this culturally rich and divine country we must together pledge to make it socially beautiful too. As it has been rightly said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can  do  for your country”.

There’s no need to be ashamed of being and Indian as there are many proud things about us and there are many issues which need to be sorted out to make our country a biased coin with only good things to say about! As a last word, a call to the youth and teenagers of our country to help in the intellectual progress of our country. The youth is all powerful and if we join hands and dedicate ourselves to the mission of India’s upliftment, no super power can hold us back. Let us change this “CHALTA HAI “attitude of India and redefine it to “KEEP MOVING”!!. On the last note

                                BE PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN

                                                       ~Prachi Purswani,

                                                 Electrical,

                                                 2^nd year.