Ronen Sen’s Tryst with our MPs and the media,And my Tryst with politics for a change!

Ronen Sen’s Tryst with our MPs and the media​

( And my Tryst with politics for a change!)​

Ronen Sen, the Indian Ambassador to US has unwittingly got himself into trouble, adding fuel to the already burning fire in both houses of parliament, the nuclear deal. As though that one issue was not enough for our elected MPs to rock the two houses for the whole session of parliament and also do their best to keep them adjourned till the next session, this poor man has been caught in the eye of a storm for having shown a rare chivalry of speaking aloud against his paymasters (though it is a well-known fact that it is the tax-payers money that they take home as their salary). Our honourable opposition leader was up on his toes in the assembly demanding the immediate recall of the diplomat for having called them ‘Headless chicken’! And their enemies (the communists) in a rare gesture of camaraderie, for once joined hands in disrupting the proceedings of parliament even as our poor Mr.Sen was defending himself by proxy through our external affairs minister that he had been ‘misquoted’, ‘misunderstood’ etc. etc. His ‘unqualified apologies’ did not seem to bring cheer to the insulted lot! No, not even his claiming that those offending words were used in reference to the fourth estate, and were meant to be off the record blah... blah... blah... blah..! (Hope the media too do not go gunning at him for having called them ‘chicken-headed’! But then, they wouldn’t! All they need is something to fill their pages and then watch the fun as hell breaks loose like Nero playing the fiddle while Rome was burning!

While Ronen Sen would be having sleepless nights after having ruffled the feathers of our thick-skinned politicos, let us (more fortunate souls), mull over the freedom of speech guaranteed to all citizens of India by our constitution including the IAS, IFS and IPS officers (Or have they been asked to take an oath before being designated to the coveted posts to surrender every right that has been guaranteed at the feet of their bosses till they hold office or even after they demit office?). (May be that is why they are called diplomats since they would have to handle words with care?) With all the powers that their enviable position has provided them, they seem to be powerless before our Law-makers! (Even the likes of Laluji and Mayawatiji can twist their arms at the least provocation!) If their bosses are headless chicken, they seem to be chicken-hearted!

In this respect I admire Kapil Dev’s fighting spirit. Having had the guts to take over as the chairman of the ICL even while being the chairman of the National Cricket Academy much to the ire of his BCCI bosses who wasted no time in showing him the door, he has set a precedent not only for our courage less criketers (who continued to toil even when their salaries were overdue by over a year, without having the nerve to call the bluff of the BCCI Board) but our IAS and IPS officials can take a lesson or two from him!

May be I am asking for too much? Or have I entered a dangerous zone of commiting the same crime as Ronen Sen? But thank God! I am not an IAS or IFS (which Varalotti Sridhar had wished I could be!). So this write-up would go unnoticed and I would be spared of the ordeals faced by Sen!

 

Re: Ronen Sen’s Tryst with our MPs and the media,And my Tryst with politics for a cha

Dear Sathya,
Thanks for the first fb. I was under the impression, not many of our ILites would be interested in politics. I have been proved wrong by you and Nivedi who is the 2nd respondent! Though I love discussing politics I find very few people interested in the topic. My personal opinion is that by keeping track of the happenings in our country and around the world our awareness level improves and to some extent, wherever possible we can do our role as citizens of this country to which we owe a lot.
My write up on this subject may be very crude since this the first time I attempted one. I am confident that as the days go by more polished forms can be expected I have used Indusladies as the experimental lab to test my writing skills!
Now I would like to reply to particularly to a few lines of yours.

you are carrying
an image of your country
and ............
dont you say it
in plain good words
or flowery language
better still think
do homework right
If our diplomat in the US has been less diplomatic in choosing his words and put our country's image at stake how different are our MPs and MLAs who do everything in the glare of the cameras. There has been times when our speaker (Somnathji) has warned the parliamentarians to maintain decorum since the sessions are telecast. The unruly scenes in the floor of the most sacrosanct place of our country goes to prove that what Ronen Sen has spoken are more pardonable than the acts of these elected representatives.
When I gave the example of Kapildev, I meant that these people at the helm (the bureaucrats), once they have opened their mouth, should have the courage to stick to them and not backtrack for the sake of their job security. If all bureaucrats act according to their concsience as Nivedi has qouted Seshan's words, I am sure the politicians would fall in line. The unity that is seen amongst the lower level staff of government organisations to get what they want whether it is legitimate or not is not to be seen amongst the highest order. Ofcourse there may be genuine reasons for that. But when the voice of the conscience is muffled, then they have to pay the price for it at a future date. We know of a lot of such bureaucrats who during the retirement age get caught in legal entanglements and die fighting them out while the suthradaris behind them are having a hay day. My poser to them is-'Is it worth all the efforts?'
Thank you for the encouraging post.
Regards,
Malathi

 

Re: Ronen Sen’s Tryst with our MPs and the media,And my Tryst with politics for a cha

Dear Nivedi,
Thank you for having shared your views. I agree with all that you have said about the civil servants except one sentence- Sometimes I pity these Civil Service folks. Some how I have not been able to pity them. Like doctors and teachers services, even theirs is a noble profession (Of course even more nobler is that of our politicos where the whole country's future is in their hands).They are certainly answerable to the people since they are an educated class unlike most of ouer politicians. Of course there may be some people waiting there to pounce on me saying that education has nothing to do with morality and duty. May be. But unless some sense of duty towards our countrymen prevails upon these people, God help this country! Your quoting Seshan to convey your point is very very apt.
Thank you and regards,
Malathi

 

Re: Ronen Sen’s Tryst with our MPs and the media,And my Tryst with politics for a cha

Yes, if our Nation's pride is at stake, then everything should done to keep it intact. But in this case., the phrase 'headless chicken' was aimed at the media people and it is very clear when we read the whole conversation. OK, may be even using that phrase to describe the media was also in bad taste. The whole thing was a telephonic conversation and may be our diplomat thought that it won't get published (and publicized to this extent!). On the whole he is in a soup and he has cooked it himself! While the politicians were having a hay day adjourning a day, I took up this task of sharing my views with the Ilites! Hmmm...., may be I need to mature (Unlike Ronen Sen who being a diplomat was undiplomatic)?