Nilekani in an interview (“A chance in 5000 years”, Business line, Life section, 12th of December, 2008, pg 1) says that people are simply angry with nobody else but with politicians. He continues that present day politicians are mere shadows of the colossal figures of Indian polity viz. Nehru, Patel, etc. He points out specific example for this from incidents related to the present terrorist attacks on Mumbai. When Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi offered solatium to the widow of Hemant Karkare, erstwhile chief of ATS Maharashtra, she then and there denied it. Nilekani immediately discovered it as a clear indication of general angry feeling among people against politicians of the nation!
Then came the second example related to the funeral of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Sandeep’s father denied Kerala chief minister VS Achudananthan even an entry into his home and also made virulent remarks against VS. Nilekani banked on this incident as earlier and got a sudden enlightenment that it is also a clear indication of general angry feeling among people against politicians!
See the excerpts of the interview
Now dissect these incidents. Mrs Karkare indeed has no antipathy against politicians of the nation. This is the fact. She well received politicians of Maharashtra who came to her home with condolence. She even accepted the invitation of Kerala government and accepted the solatium offered. Then why did she strongly react against Narendra Modi? The answer is very much in the air, if you want to take facts straight. But if you want to distort facts to cater your narrow ends you need a fishing expedition as did by Nilekani. Narendra Modi vehemently attacked Hemant Karkare after he unearthed the conspiracy of Hindu terrorists in the Malegoan bomb blast incident.
It is well known that Modi is a sympathiser of Hindu communalism and fundamentalism. Karkare’s investigations unfolded the ugly face of Hindu terrorism with the Malegoan incident. Naturally these investigations infuriated Modi. It is precisely because of this reason ie.—the virulent criticisms and attacks by Modi on her husband for his impartial yet daring investigations—Mrs. Kavitha Karkare summarily rejected the solatium offered by Modi. So the argument of Nandan Nilekani fails to wash.
Likewise, Mr. Unnikrishanan, father of Major Sandeep also has nothing against politicians. Actually he expected top functionaries of the Kerala govt. for the funeral function. So what Nilekani says is plain untruth, nothing else. Then why did he vent his fury against VS Achudananthan, the Chief Minister of Kerala? Listen what Mr. Unnikrishanan later said.
He had the impression that Mr. VS was visiting his home under some sort of public pressure which surfaced when some Malayalam news papers especially Malayala Manorama sensationalised the absence any one representing Kerala govt. at the funeral function. (Curiously, the same paper kept a sententeious silence rearding the absence of Union defence minister Mr. AK Antony who is also a Keralaite and who was the minister of Major Unnikrishnan, the slain brave warrior! We can ignore that given the political leaning of Malayala Manorama!)
Mr. Unnikrishnan later clarified that Sandeep did not like to do any thing under pressure and so what ever he did and said against Kerala CM were only meant to please the soul of his son Unnikrishan.
The political secretary of VS, the Kerala CM, Mr. KN Balagopal, who is also a politician, visited the home of Unnikrishanan and they received him with all honour. But Nilekani argues that the comments and the virulent attack of Unnikrishnan's father on Kerala CM only shows the disrespect towards politicians.
Regarding the climax, when Mr. VS came to Unnikrishanan’s home, his mind of Unnikrishnan's father went out of control and shouted that I do not want any dog to visit my home. The reason for such a remark has been pointed out earlier. (Mr. Unnikrishnan later clarified that Sandeep did not like to do any thing under pressure and so what ever he did and said against Kerala CM were only meant to please the soul of his son Unnikrishan. He had the impression that Mr. VS was visiting his home under some sort of public pressure which surfaced when some Malayalam news papers especially Malayala Manorama sensationalised the issue)
His shouting was very loud and all persons including crew from all media heard it. Later, the representative of the news channel “Times Now” specifically solicited the reaction of Mr. VS to Mr. Unnikrishanan’s uttering and references to “I do not want any dog to visit my home”, VS simply yet naively replied that unless it was the home of Mr. Sandeep no dog would ever visit the home. It was a direct and naïve reply. But what happened later is an interesting story, indeed, kudos to the sensationalisation efforts of national media both print and electronic! Nobody want to care about what exactly happened and transpired or not at all interested in facts. They all want to take incidents selectively to fit to the story they already have in their mind. They want to cut the leg to the shape of chappal rather than to cut the chappal to the shape of the leg!
So these are the facts and it is well clear now that Kerala CM did nothing to disrepute Major Unnikrishnan's family and also Major Unnikrishnan's family has nothing against Kerala politicians. It all happened in a spontaneous manner and they are only knee-jerk reactions that happened in an emotionally surchared situation.
But Nandan Nilekani want to paint a picture according to his skewed outlook and perspective towards the political process and history of the nation.
Nilekani boasts that he got excellent education (IIT Mumbai) and so he got a break an wanted to see all would get such education. But if this so-called excellent education miserably failed to help Nilekani to see the truth and sift the fact out of the maze, then what is the use of that so-called excellent education?
Renowned philosopher Socrates punctuated that true education is one that cultivated morally excellent people and he held moral excellence to be superior to technical or vocational training! Some education may help to gain jobs with heavy and deep pockets and campus recruitments, but the depth of the pay packet etc. are not at all a yardstick for excellent education, a sacrosanct yardstick to the private business rating agencies of educational institutions notwithstanding!
To sum up, excellent education is one which helps an individual to better comprehend, interpret and analyse the empirical reality through meticulous dissection of facts with scientific temper. Anyway Nilekani cherry picked facts to fit a preconceived story to denigrate politicians and followed suit the catwalk ramp of politician bashing, the fad of some newly emerged CEOs!
So the Suggested Reading Material is:
"A Country is not a Company"-- by Paul Krugman, (Nobel laureate in Economics)
Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 1996, (Page 40-51)
Read the full text at: http://www.pkarchive.org/trade/company.html
Visit at www.santhoshtv.in
