DISCIPLINE OR CRUELTY?

The suicide committed by 14-year old -Rouvanjit in Kolkata after been beaten in his school is a chilling reminder of the methods followed by schools in our country.

It is true that we have one of the best education systems at the primary level which has been instrumental in churning out sharp minds from India. But unfortunately our schools have been good only at the academic part of education. Schools biggest contribution to a human's life is that it builds the primary character of a child on which his/her whole life revolves. A child's basic characteristics are directly proportional to the kind of environment he/she is brought up in. And schools play a big role here especially in today's time. Once the child is out of his/her home it is school that gives protection from all the worldly troubles.

In India even good English convent schools with years of history and legacy behind them follow the harsh and ruthless way of educating children. Disciplining the child is important but the approach adopted by the school is very critical. Beating and caning students for irrespective of any reason is the cruelest way of them all. Instead of making children realize as to where they are going wrong, schools instill fear in them by hitting them with a cane, duster or ruler.

There are so many children who cringe within themselves everyday because of the humiliation they go through by the hands of their teachers and school authorities. But many are not able to garner the courage to talk about it to their parents. And some like Rouvanjit choose the extreme way of ending their life.

Kapil Sibal, the HRD minister who has been lauded for bringing in the much needed 'Right to Education bill' should look at this issue with all seriousness. Students committing suicide because of the humiliation they go through at schools is a serious issue which needs to be addressed.

One step that can be taken is to make it mandatory for schools to hire professional counselors to handle these kinds of situations. The education authorities should keep a close eye by continuously taking feedback from students about the treatment been meted out to them by teachers and school authorities.

India's biggest asset is its young demography, especially the school children. It's no secret that Indian children are the sharpest and have proven themselves across varied disciplines. But if we ourselves cut the roots before the tree grows then it would be the most shameful blunder by us as a country and society…

WEST BENGAL: DESPERATE FOR CHANGE

Mamata Banerjee triumph in the Bengal civic election, particularly in Kolkata has not come as a major surprise but definitely as a huge jolt for the 'Left'. The writing is on wall for Buddhadeb as many have already pronounced that Mamata is all set to become the first woman chief minister of Bengal next year.

Whenever I discuss the ongoing change in Bengal's polity with my Bengali friends they have just one point to say- 'The urbanites don't like Mamata, but they are fed up with the Left'. This reason underlines the factor that has influenced the 'winds of change' in Bengal.

After ruling West Bengal for 'thirty six' long years with an iron fist, the Left had left a political vacuum in the state. There was no real challenger in the state to stand up against the might of the west. The man who led the Marxist revolution in Bengal was Jyoti Basu, who remained chief minister for a record 23 years and won five terms. When Basu relinquished the chief minister's post in November 2000 and made way for a younger, efficient & moderate Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, many thought this would mark the beginning of Left's decline in the state. After all when Basu did step down it was not the best of times for the Left. Urban jobless rate was rising, Basu's family name had got involved in corruption cases and even in rural Bengal Left was seen losing ground. But thanks to Buddhadeb's clean image and efficient style of functioning, he was able to restore confidence in the people. The Left retained power after winning the 2001 assembly elections.

The real change began between 2001 & 2006. Buddhadeb embarked on a path which no 'comrade' had dared to even speak off openly. He initiated the economic liberalization policy in Bengal by inviting industrial houses to Bengal. The biggest catch of them all was Ratan Tata, who agreed to set up 'Nano's production plant in Singur. Many within the Left criticized Bhuddhadeb for initiating economic reforms in the state by inviting foreign investment at the cost of agriculture land. Buddhadeb's argument was that these lands were not futile anymore and industrialization will help improve lives of these farmers who owned these lands.

In the 2006 assembly elections Buddhadeb stunned his critics by sweeping the elections. His popularity was at an all time high. The masses from both urban & rural centres were all gaga over him. With this win Buddhadeb was able to create his own niche within the Left which was all this while overshadowed by Basu's legacy. This victory was termed as the turning point for the Bengal state and Buddhadeb saw this victory as a vindication of his policies. He was now the poster boy of the 'Left' and was proclaimed by many in the media as the best chief minister in India!

Politics as they say is all about that one moment that can change the momentum. Singur & Nandigram was the moment that spelled doom for Buddhadeb and gave a new ease of life to Mamata Banerjee who was in oblivion. The forceful approach by the government and more importantly by the Left cadres on the ground appalled the people. Suddenly all the good work done in the last one decade by Buddhadeb was forgotten. The arrogance displayed by the Left cadres was frightening.

The people of Bengal had also become bored & tired of the Left. They were probably waiting for an opportunity to get convinced to vote the Left out. After all it was a miracle of sorts in Indian polity that for three and half decades anti-incumbency hadn't spoilt Left's game. The masses couldn't find an alternative outfit to replace the Left. The Congress could never raise the right issues and strike a chord with the citizens of Bengal. But after Singur & Nandigram the people knew the time had come for a change. Unfortunately they don't have any other alternative but to vote for Mamata. Change has become imperative and even if it was not Mamata but some other formidable party they would have voted for it. So what if they don't like her but at least they are not completely unfamiliar with her. It's a risk which the Bengalis are willing to take.

Will this mood last till 2011? That is the big question. But one thing is certain that Mamata has captured the momentum and she will do everything possible to drive home this time around. She doesn't need to do anything extraordinary at the moment because by default the finger on the voting machine will punch for her. As for Buddhadeb, his only hope is to reconnect with the masses and try to convince them to give him a graceful exit which he deserves for his commendable work and not make him pay the price for his party's sins.

AIR INDIA: NO WINGS TO FLY

Just when it seemed that things were starting to look up for national carrier Air India, the Mangalore tragedy occurred. Just when the rescue operations got over and the families were still mourning, the engineering & ground staff of Air India went on a flash strike.

Air India was the sole fight operator in India for nearly five decades. It was started by JRD Tata way back in 1932 before the government bought a stake in the 1940s. All the five decades Air India flew both on international & domestic routes. It one of the few airline operators in Asia, that too at a at time when not many countries had their own national carriers. But like any other public sector organization Air India was dominated by the government style of working attitude since they had an absolute monopoly. In 1992 India’s first private sector airline Jet

airways made its entry. In the late 90s and early part of this decade many other private companies entered this sector. It is from this point that things started going haywire for Air India. From being the market leader with over 50% market share (because of its monopoly) till the beginning of this decade it has been relegated to the third position with an abysmal 18% stake. The NDA government had plans of privatizing the airline in 2001 but due to the global aviation turmoil the bidders withdrew from the bid. The merger of Air India (few on international routes) with Indian airlines (flew on domestic routes) spelled more disaster for the national carrier.

Today Air India has a total debt of nearly $10 billion. It has incurred a loss of $1.5 billion for the last few years. To add to its woes are sixteen employee unions which are waiting to go against the management at any given excuse. The total work force of Air India is 30,000, which is three times more than the required number.

Cynics will tell you that Air India is doomed. Primarily for its own mistakes and partly because of unnatural incidents, for instance the Mangalore crash. There is no chance that the Airline can be turned around. Though the airline has taken some steps in the last few months after the new CMD Arvind Jadhav took over the reins. It has appointed four independent directors which include the likes of Anand Mahindra, Amit Mitra & Fali Major to give it a corporate face. It has also cut down on its expenses in the last few months by saving nearly Rs 1000 crore rupees by March end. The company has also appointed a foreign professional chief operating officer, Captain Gustav who takes charge this month. Despite all these efforts, experts will argue that the airline will not survive unless some drastic & valiant efforts are made. Many critics are of the view that the company should be privatized.

The airline can be turned around even under these circumstances. But for that the government will have to get away with bureaucratic way of functioning. Till date Air India is used as a private property by VVIPs. These are so many reports that suggest ministers misusing the airline for their personal use. The government should award autonomy to the management. The company should be treated as a special case; therefore the normal rules & regulations that apply to other public sector units shouldn’t be applied here.

No doubt some tough decisions will have to be taken. This should begin from the top of the pyramid. The company should reduce the top management. They are far too many directors; therefore the government should shift them to other PSUs. There so many sectors were their managerial expertise can come handy. Secondly, route rationalization is the need of the hour. There are so many routes where the airline flies even though it incurs losses. The argument is that it is a national carrier hence it has to fly these routes. But that issue will be sorted once it joins the global star alliance. It will forge numerous code sharing deals with other carriers that would solve that issue. Another major issue is the excess flab thanks to its humongous strength. 5000 employees are expected to retire over the next 5 years. The company should come out with premature retirement schemes which can help them bring down that number to 20,000 in the next 5 years. Another step could be cutting down on the huge flying perks which all the retired employees enjoy. Even the current employees get ‘n’ number of free tickets to fly. All this will have to be brought down.

Perform or perish should be the mantra. The company should set up an independent panel to review the performance of every individual. The ‘laid back’ attitude will have to go. So if the efficiency level is not up to the mark, then the employees should be asked to go on premature retirement in case the person is over 45 or they should be asked to leave.

Unless these tough measures are taken (which can be taken) the airline won’t survive. No doubt that the airline has been the pride of India, but what is the use if that pride if it comes at such a high price.