Reforming the Police
Saumitra Mohan


The debate over police reforms continues to rage. Sleeves have been folded and swords have been pulled for a one-to-one duel on either side of the fence and there are some straight on the fence, still undecided as to which side should they join. In the meanwhile, the Supreme Court has also made it clear that it is not going to compromise on its directions the basics whereof must be implemented within the stipulated time-frame.

While it is no one’s case that there should not be any reforms of the police organization at all, crucial as it is to the internal security of the country as well as to the administration of the criminal justice system, as also acknowledged by the various police commissions (both national and state ones), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and Justice Malimath Committee on Criminal Justice Reform. So, it is more in the fitness of things that the ongoing debate on police reforms, as presently pitched, should not only be well informed but should also be sensitive to the various concerns and issues as have been raised by the various parties involved.

While we have all felt all along the need for a strong, independent and sensitized police force for better enforcement of the law of the land and for protection of the hoi polloi's common civil rights, all this remained pious thoughts only, just nostrums from the rostrums. But many police reforms commissions and committees later, the issue of police reforms has finally caught the attention of our celebrated judiciary and with that of our government. And rightly so.

Notwithstanding the fact that we became independent almost sixty years back, we have left our police and policing to be governed by the colonial Indian Police Act of 1861. Even though a lot of incremental changes have been introduced in this Act from time to time, but they have been more in the nature of a patch-work and our police organization definitely deserves a better deal, more so in view of the multiple threats posed to our internal security. Today, with the structure of our society and state becoming more complex, we need to have a police organization which is accordingly geared to stand up to all the challenges to our security and sovereignty. The dimension of the non state actors becoming a distinct security threat with serious implications for our security preparations and needs has also to be adequately factored into our overall security planning.
Ironically, the court’s order came exactly a fortnight after the Police Act Drafting Committee headed by Soli Sorabjee put out for debate the rough draft for a new law to replace the antiquated Indian Police Act of 1861. The draft Police Act, inter alia, has provisions to check pressure on subordinate officers from their superiors and other quarters
So now, if the Supreme Court of India has its way and if the proposed legislation on police reforms sees the light of the day, the police are in for a meaningful makeover in not so distant future. While hearing a public interest litigation, the three-judge bench headed by no less than the Chief Justice of India has issued instructions to the requisite authorities to take necessary action in this regard as per detailed directives given by the court. The court directive recommends sweeping reforms, from restructuring of the entire force to its modernization and various qualitative changes.
As per recommendations, all states are to constitute a State Security Commission (SSC), a Police Establishment Board and a Police Complaints Authority. States are expected to ensure that all officers, from the rank of an SP to DGP, hold office, wherever they are posted, for, at least, two years. The UPSC is supposed to recommend three DGPs for each state out of which one will be selected by the SSC. Similarly, there will be a National Security Commission to pick the heads of the BSF, CISF, CRPF and the ITBP.
It is felt that if the whimsical and motivated transfers of senior police officers, something which has taken become quite menacing in recent times, can be checked, then it would do a world of good for the morale of the officers and with that, for the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire administration. But here questions have also been raised about advisability of such a move. The power to transfer officers, if used effectively, can become a potent tool to penalize or reward officials. It is feared that if such a power is taken from an elected people’s representative, then it would only result in strengthening of one institution at the expense of the other. But one feels that such a fear is unfounded as there can be made provisions to allay such fears in the proposed reformed structure but it shall not be fair not to do something about the reckless transfer industry as flourishing now.

The Bench has also ordered the setting up of a Commission to decide on selections and appointments to cushion the police force including officers from undue interference from various quarters in matters as important as the selection, posting and transfer of the officers. The two other striking aspects are the creation of a state security commission to supervise the entire police force and a complaints authority to probe complaints of misconduct against the police officials. All in all, the directive ought to streamline the functioning of the police in an effective and non-partisan manner.

As of now, the supervision over the police and redressal of complaints against it is ad hoc and informed with dilettantism. Creation of a State Security Commission is supposed to infuse an adequate amount of seriousness into our policing and such a systematic and coordinated supervision shall also make our policing a lot more professional in keeping with the changing times. Even though rise of an activist media and a conscientized civil society have succeeded to a good extent in highlighting various acts of omission and commission by the police, but having a separate and independent Complaints Authority specifically for this purpose shall make the public grievances redressal a lot more systematic and easier. It shall also have a salutary effect on our police organization as already visible in more responsible conduct of the police since activism by the judiciary and various human rights body went up.
The Home Ministry is believed to be keen on the creation of a federal agency that can investigate cases that have inter-state and international ramifications. Cases with cross-border implications like narcotics, trafficking of women and smuggling of arms are to be handled by what is to be called the Central Intelligence and Investigating Agency. As we are well aware that proliferation of small arms coupled with drug trafficking has lately emerged as the biggest challenge to the Comity of Nations and a constant drain on their energy and resources. With the terrorists relying mostly on the sale of smuggling of small arms and narcotic drugs for their finances to run their death machines, it becomes all the more important to have a professional agency dedicated and committed solely for such a purpose. The Central Government can directly ask it to investigate certain cases without the consent of the states, something which has far-reaching consequences for the federal structure of the Indian State and in keeping with the centralizing tendencies seen around the world in all the federal states.
At the same time, another special committee, constituted in December 2004, has identified 49 recommendations from the numerous reports of different police commissions to bring about drastic changes in the police and policing. It has confined itself to drawing up recommendations that are crucial for improvement in police functioning and the implementation of which would make an immediate impact on the reform process.
Among the short listed recommendations are those on which the Supreme Court has issued directives. The other recommendations include the creation of a Federal Police for internal security, modernization of police forces, improvement in forensic science and infrastructure, tackling organized crime, tackling economic offences, amending the Identification of Prisoners Act and measures to improve accountability and efficiency at all levels of the police hierarchy.

Of all, the modernization of the police force is something which requires immediate attention. At a time, when the criminals and terrorists are much better trained and equipped, we definitely need to do something about sprucing up the infrastructure available with our police force. Not only is there a need for a much better training curricula custom made to the requirements, but there is also an urgent need to provide a modern infrastructure equipped with state of the art policing equipment and resources. Though some such changes have been made at many places, but they are again piecemeal and on ad hoc basis. We need to do the same throughout, in a uniform manner without any exception.

While we all acknowledge that there, indeed, should be police reforms because of the way it has been functioning so far, the fact remains that the popular perception of the police is very negative. The police, as it functions now, is perceived as unresponsive, obtrusive, callous, corrupt, inefficient and ineffective notwithstanding the multifarious constraints and odds against which our police is pitted namely a rickety infrastructure, shortage of manpower, lack of necessary financial and other resources, lack of adequate training, unremunerative compensation and, most importantly, excessive political interference. So, there definitely is more than a case for not only reforming the police organization to cushion it against various ominous and insidious influences of the political power play, but also to make its functioning more transparent, responsive, sensitized, effective and independent, simultaneously equipping it with all the requisite infrastructure, resources and manpower.


But even though accepting the need for the police reforms, there have been clear voices of dissent from those corners which are liable to lose power and control over the police as a result of the proposed reforms. These voices have been those of the political and permanent executive. They feel that the reforms, as proposed, need more threadbare discussion and debate than plunging headlong into its implementation without minding the implications thereof but the judiciary has dug its heels in terming such suggestions and arguments as dilatory tactics.

Even while believing that many of these fears are baseless, one does feel that the supervisory control of the magistracy over the police should not be weakened any further. Keeping in mind the Actonion (of Lord Acton) dictum of ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’, we should be careful that while guaranteeing absolute independence to police, it should not be allowed to become an empire in itself, unamenable to any supervisory control. While there are provisions of a Complaints Board, such a structure has always been found to be too formal in its operation. Ergo, there is definitely a need to revive the supervisory powers of the Executive Magistrate over the police, as also envisaged in the Police Rules but fallen in disuse. The Executive Magistrate in the field is the grass-root officer who is more easily accessible to the people and has a much more people-friendly face than the police. So, such age old practices as thana inspection and some say in performance evaluation by the Magistrate should be revived and further strengthened. Such a move would only strengthen and reinforce the reciprocal relationship between the two.

While one appreciates the fears expressed by all the sides, one also feels that one should, indeed, not rush through something as vital as police reforms and all related aspects ought to be thoroughly discussed before being implemented. Alternatively, the police reforms, as proposed, can be implemented, on a pilot basis, in one or two states (which have already consented to such reforms) while simultaneously continuing with an informed discussion and debate over police reforms. The learnings from the ‘pilot states’ can later be factored to further fine-tune these reforms. But police reforms are definitely something that require more than dilettantism and amateurish attention.
Even though this judicial activism has raised some hackles and ruffled some feathers, the ball for the police reforms has been set rolling. While the implementation of the proposed legislation may take time owing to fierce opposition from certain quarters, at least, a beginning has been made in transforming our police force into a more people-friendly and modern force. And with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister eager about implementing the far-reaching reforms, one is tempted to believe that this time police reforms shall receive their due share of attention and something positive shall come about. So, one should be more positive and optimistic because of the fact that this time judicial activism is matched by the government's enthusiasm to reform the police organization. One is sure that when these reforms see the light of the day and eventually implemented, we would not only a more sensitive and effective police force, we shall also have a better society to live in.

*Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal.
(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and do not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.
Mobile: 91-9831388803/9434242283.

The Truth of Nandigram

Battleground Nandigram
Saumitra Mohan

In the history of West Bengal, 14th March, 2007 shall be remembered as a momentous day but for negative reasons when about 14 people fell prey to police firing while many more were injured. These people were those agitating against the so-called acquisitions of land for a proposed Special Economic Zone for Salim Group, an Indonesian multi-national company, in the remote Nandigram village of East Medinipur district. Police, administration and government, naturally, were all roundly criticized for the sanguinary fall-out. But we need to put certain things in perspective before better being able to appreciate the compulsions of use of force over there.

Memory fails one when one tries to recollect such ‘brutal’ police action in West Bengal in recent past except during the hey days of Naxal violence in the sixties. Administration and police as an inalienable part thereof has been reasonably very disciplined and liberal, while dealing with such agitations. In fact, often it has been accused to be too soft or liberal as being a left bastion, it can not be seen to be against the same proletariats whom the government claims to represent. So, what were the compelling circumstances which led to the so-called indiscriminate firing by an otherwise calm police force?

Let’s go back in history. As mentioned above, when Nandigram villagers got to know that the government is proposing to acquire land for industrial purposes a la Singur, the people there became very restive. The same was expected because it happens to be an area with considerable opposition support base. The opposition naturally grabbed the issue for its mobilisational politics and accordingly agitations began against government’s supposed attempts at forcible land acquisitions, even though the same was still on the drawing board and no formal declaration of such intent was communicated by the government.

So, people were made to see the smoke where there was no fire. Pursuant to such belief, there were great agitations leading to skirmishes between the police and the public in January in Nandigram, where a Sub-Inspector of Police was brutally lynched to death, while many policemen were injured during the mob attack on the police. Not much was heard of police action against the people. Police remained its restrained self.

Since then, the villagers (read vested interests) led by the vested interests not only dug up and cut off all the approach roads to the village, but also (almost) barred anyone from the administration or police to visit the village. Not only this, hundreds of people with contrary political colours were made to flee the village and camp outside. For almost two months, Nandigram became a place where the government’s writ had ceased to run and it became an enclave immune to any state power.

All the attempts to bring these people to come out and discuss the problems across the table failed notwithstanding government’s assurance that no land shall be acquired there without popular concurrence. Every time, someone from the administration or the police tried to visit the village, he/she was seen to be coming to take their land or so they were made to believe. Police also needed to enter the village to establish peace not only to rehabilitate the people who had fled their home and hearth out of fear, but also to ferret out the culprits who had indulged in criminal activities including killing of an SI of Police in January. So, when the police again tried to enter the village to take control and to establish the rule of law there on 14th March, the tension had been brewing in an already volatile Nandigram.

Police remained very restrained to begin with against a mob of thousands of people armed with crude weapons, bombs and firearms and tried everything possible in the circumstances including use of tear gas, rubber bullets et al but the same was to no avail. When pushed to the wall following mob violence leading to injury of many policemen, the police was left with no option but to open fire in ‘self-defense’ as also argued by the Chief Minister himself.

One would do well to remember that it was the same police which was criticized when a senior police officer of the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police was killed by an agitating mob during the Greater Cochbehar agitations last year in North Bengal. State power suffering regular reverses at the hands of an armed mob intent on taking law into its hands is not left with much choice. If the same does not happen, the fear of law would go with the state’s surrender of its monopoly over the legitimate use of force.

While everyone including the West Bengal Governor has condemned the incident and believes that the same was avoidable, one would say that such things become imperative when vested interests are out to fish in troubled waters and shut all doors on dialogues. One hopes that the CBI inquiries as ordered by the Calcutta High Court would bring out the truths and take to task those, if any, responsible for the unfortunate turn of events.

Last but not the least, one would say that West Bengal is actually experiencing a social churning these days, trying to jump from one phase of history to the other, from being an agrarian society to being an industrial society. And mind you, change is not without its costs. As they say, there is no gain without some pain. One just hopes, that such bouts of pain would become less and less with every passing day.

*Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal.
(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and do not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.
Mobile: 91-9831388803/9434242283

Dealing with Terrorism
*Saumitra Mohan

With the changes in time, the concept of security has also undergone changes. In these times of globalization, when complex interdependence and enhanced multilateral cooperation should have led to greater coordination and enhanced security all round, all of a sudden, the nation-state seem to be experiencing sharp decline in its ability to defend its citizens against all kinds of threats. With the sovereign status of the nation-state having been severely dented due to multifarious factors including the forces of globalization, the monopoly over legitimate use of violence also seem to have been drastically breached. The non-state actors (read terrorists, extremists and militants) all over have operated with impunity, with the Comity of Nations finding itself helpless against their determination to wreak havoc in pursuance of their different agenda.

India has often been christened a ‘soft state’ for its high level of tolerance, necessitated by its need to consolidate its nascent nation-state through different consociational (read inclusional) measures to accommodate all the constituent components of the federation at different levels of development. But now that India has been trying every possible means to shed this image by acting tough, the terrorists, separatist and fissiparous forces are still finding ways to strike at will.

But in all this, those who have desired all along to bleed India through a thousand cuts are themselves bleeding as the Frankenstein’s monster, they created, has not spared them as well. Today, terrorist attacks have become one of the biggest problems of our internal security concerns, with serious implications for the overarching security architecture.

Many serial bomb blasts in Bombay, train bombings, street bombings, terrorist attacks on the sacrosanct Parliament and many other such attacks later, we have been forced to do some serious thinking about the ways to deal with the same. While efforts have been made to deal with the root cause of the problem, particularly those stemming from an inegalitarian economic development and high levels of poverty, but experience says that under-development is not the only reason or only way to explain such a problem. After all, the western countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain have also suffered at the hands of terrorism despite high levels of development. So, we have to look at the problem differently and deal with the same differently as well.

We should never lower our guard, while dealing with the threats of terrorism. While we should keep trying to address the basic reasons or sources of such problems by ratcheting up our efforts to find a lasting solution through socio-economic-political-diplomatic means, we also need to think of innovative ways of tackling such non-conventional threats to the integrity and security of our country. The proxy war being waged has gone too far now to be allowed to interfere with the peaceful existence and continued well-being of this country.

Against this background, today we need a multi-pronged strategy to deal with such threats on the ground. While efforts may be made to initiate dialogue with such estranged groups as and where possible to bring them aboard as well as to redress their developmental grievances through special initiatives and coordinated action, but more than that we now need to include the civil society in our overall strategy to tackle such threats. Since the threats are unconventional, the response also has to be unconventional. Today, every civilian in this country needs to be on his/her guard all the time and has to act as the ears and eyes of the state for all our security efforts to make any sense.

Our national security apparatus needs to give it a serious thought. Today, we not only need to further train and equip our police and para-military forces with better incentives thrown in to attract better quality people into such forces, we also need to harness the services of such agencies as National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme and Civil Defense Wings in the interests of our internal security. We further need to find out, create and include more such groups to be a part of our extended security infrastructure. As many as possible, the members of the civil society need to be made part of this overall strategy and as such, special awareness and training programmes may be organized to make them an inalienable part of the security machine. After all, everyone needs to understand that with the country being insecure, they can never be secure.

Besides, we also have to improve the ground infrastructure to be better able to detect and prevent such threats to the lives and property of our citizens. So such simple things as installation of x-ray scan machines and close-circuit cameras coupled with regular checking with metal-detectors should be made compulsory at all the railway stations, bus terminals, important private and government offices as well as important and crowded thoroughfares and locations. The services of sniffer dogs can also be employed as and where required depending on threat perceptions, but definitely at all the crowded places. While costs involved in all this may seem prohibitive to begin with, but compared to the potential threats to the lives and property of our nation, they appear trifling. With such threats and their unpredictability only growing with every passing day, that seems the only way whereby such threats need to be tackled in future. So, before the push comes to shove, we should actually get going and try all the measures as suggested above.

Today, every citizen needs to be a soldier and every next location needs to be guarded and secured like a cherished fortress. Today, the way to deal with such non-conventional threats to our internal security is by taking all such preemptive measures and by becoming smarter and thinking faster than the terrorists to beat them at their own games.
*Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal.
(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and does not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.

Is bureaucracy the real culprit for all our woes?
Saumitra Mohan

Many in this country consider the Indian bureaucracy to be the prime suspect along with our political class for India not taking off the way it should have. They feel that because of many ills including the one emanating from our bureaucracy, India seems to have got stuck in a developmental time warp.

Now the point is is that really so? Have we verily lost so much because of this behemoth, the formidable steel-frame bequeathed to us by the Raj when it departed from this country? No doubt, bureaucracy is to blame to some extent along with other usual suspects for many of our problems. But no good student of Indian developmental history would and should deny the credit that Indian bureaucracy deserves.

True, many of our time twins have surpassed us in the developmental rat race but isn’t it also true that many of them have also fallen by the wayside. We always look at the successful to despise our own achievements without also looking at and comprehending the various inherent constraints India is burdened with.

Comparing the incomparable is never advisable. Look at Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and many other countries in Africa and Latin America and then we can better appreciate our own achievements. We were fortunate in not only having some selfless, dedicated and committed leaders at the helm at the time of our independence who led us successfully through the many initial teething troubles but we were also fortunate in having this strong institution of Indian bureaucracy which proved to be a great asset, something lacked by many.

And that is why the bureaucracy which is said to be so far hiding in a cocoon is itself been frantically trying to come out of it responding again to the logic and genius of time and place which have changed a lot by now. So, you have a slew of initiatives being taken right since the early nineties of the last century to reform the bureaucracy to make its functioning simpler, transparent, accessible and effective. Hence, the concept of a Facilitator Bureaucracy than that of a Provider Bureaucracy intoxicated with the opium of power and consequent feudal obeisance.

A society gets what it deserves. Bureaucracy can not but be a reflection of the society it comes out of. We all agree that our values are at an all time low. So as the value system of our society changes, so is changing the way people perceive the power and the bureaucracy. Some members of the bureaucracy, hidden behind the veil of Official Secrets Acts and such information which was not so far available to the people, so far could get away with many of their acts of omissions and commissions but no longer so. Not only is there a Right to Information in the offing, but there is also a much conscientised civil society ably assisted by a vibrant media and multiple interest groups which have put paid to the continuation of the lordly way in which the bureaucracy has functioned so far. Hence, the need for reform in bureaucracy and reform in the outlook of the people towards the bureaucracy.


While talking about the bureaucracy, we often forget that administration is not simply the All India Services or other Class-I services. It is, in fact, the entire machinery of the government at political level, the senior decision-making level and the implementation level. It is not only the District Magistrate at the district level but also the Patwari, the Tehsildar, the Revenue Officer, the Head Clerk, the policeman, the teacher of the government-run school, the doctor in the primary health centre and various elected officials of the panchayati raj institutions and all those at the lower rungs of the bureaucracy whose role is more crucial as it is the latter who come to contact with the hoi polloi on day to day basis.

It has often come to be seen that even though the senior officials are quite honest, it is the lower rung staff which has worsened the situation. Here, we would have to think of the whys and wherefores of their negative acts including the various ways to provide them a good career and incentive structure, something which is very much lacking in our system.

So, tinkering with bureaucracy would be of no avail unless and until we do the same for the whole society and the system at various levels. If we really wish to translate to goals of the welfare state that India is, we need reforms at ever level, from top to bottom with better incentive and monitoring structure backed by a sound education and value system.

Today, we need a conscientised civil society ably assisted by a vibrant Fourth Estate to make informed choice about every important issue at hand. We also need a well-oiled education system backed by a positive value system and a sound top-to-bottom bureaucratic and political structure with proper incentives and an effective system of checks and balances before we can actually expect to get our deserved place in the sun.


* Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal.
(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and do not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.
Mobile: 91-9831388803/9434242283.

The Great Expectations
Saumitra Mohan

Notwithstanding many indicators and indices boding very well, these are, indeed, the testing times for our country. Even though our economy is booming and our stock markets are zooming, we are actually stationed at a crucial crossroads. And where do we go from here shall decide the course of our future.

While we never tire of boasting about us having the world’s largest democracy, second largest population, third largest army, fourth largest economy (in purchasing power parity terms), fourth largest air force, fifth largest navy, sixth nuclear country and seventh largest industrialized country, the truth is also that beneath a seeming prosperity and success, we are faced with many systemic maladies which are expressing themselves in various ways. These include terrorist, secessionist and naxalite activism and violence, systemic corruption and institutional degeneration at various levels.

We are, today, one of world’s most corrupt countries as told to us time and again by the ilks of Transparency International. Even though vigilance of an overactive civil society and judiciary led by conscientized citizens, non-governmental organizations and media does give us some hope, the fact remains that we actually don’t know as to what might happen the next moment, whose bomb attack or violence some or many of us may fall prey to. Surprisingly enough, today we have guided missiles but misguided men out there to scupper their own boat for a few pieces of silver.

We all aspire to be a great power and as such hanker for such symbolisms as permanent membership of an almost defunct and toothless United Nations’ Security Council and the recognition of an alien United States for legitimizing our national nuclear programme, but we shall do almost nothing by way of our own character and behaviour that are becoming of citizens of a great country. We have all seen and heard as to how a Hansie Cronje, a Shane Warne or a Gunter Grass, pricked by a guilt consciousness, has come forward to confess about their mistake or folly, but how many times have we heard of an Indian coming forward to do so even though inquiries have proved them to be on the wrong side of the law. Believe it or not, our values and ethics are at an all time low despite those stupendous growth figures.

Infused with a ‘chalta hai’ attitude, we do anything and everything that suit us and our interests but shall shy away by miles to do things that actually evince a strong character behoving citizens of a great country. We resent a bandh or a strike, but shall not flinch from calling and participating in one such bandh, strike or procession when it suits us without any concern for others and, howsoever, detrimental the same may be to the interests of the system.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations but continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse being that, ‘it is the whole system which has to change. How will it matter if I alone forego my son’s right to a dowry? So who is going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us, it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and you. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system, we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along with a magic wand and work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or else we leave the country and run away.

Goaded by our Self, we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system but again when New York becomes insecure (as in the aftermath of twin tower bombings), we run to England. Again, when England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and prostitute the country. Nobody thinks of feeding or nurturing the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to our selfish interests and we don’t wish to look beyond them.

At times, we talk of the rich demographic dividends forthcoming from having about more than half our population in the productive age group of 25-50 by 2040 AD, but we are hardly bothered as to how to reap this dividend successfully. After all, unless and until we build and develop our human resources, what use they would be of. John Stuart Mill was right when he said that ‘you can not think of becoming a great country with small men’ with small capacities, small thinking and dubious character.

While almost all of us keep whining about our government being inefficient, about our laws being too old or too bad, about our municipalities do not cleaning the streets, about our transport system being the worst in the world, about our mails never reaching their destination in time, and about our country having been gone to the dogs, turning into absolute pig sty. We keep on complaining and saying such things. But have we ever paused and thought as to what we do about them. John F Kennedy rightly said, ‘ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country’.

Just also notice the behavioural change of an Indian while in India and while abroad. When out of country, we are at our best. When at Singapore, we don’t throw cigarette butts on the roads and we dutifully come back to the parking lot to punch our parking ticket if we have over-stayed there rather than sulking and trying to sneak away without payment as we often do in our own country.

Similarly, we don’t dare to eat in public during Ramadan while in Dubai or we don’t dare to go out without our head covered in Jeddah because the local laws demand that. We don’t chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand nor do we spit paan on the streets of Tokyo. We also don’t dare to speed beyond the stipulated limit in Washington DC and then try to get away with it by throwing our weight with the traffic cop

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his or her pet has done the job. Same in Japan and many other countries. But we never do the same when in our own country. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop throwing garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and put it in the dust bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want our Airlines to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the first available opportunity.

We go to the polls to choose a government and after that we forsake everything, forgetting all our responsibilities and duties. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do anything and everything whilst our own contribution is totally nil or, at times, even negative. We destroy our own national property during a bandh or a strike and then complain about government not doing enough.

We should realize that a country is made of people and unless and until its people, the basic constituents forming it, value themselves, their country, their rights and, more importantly, their duties, we shall continue to grovel in the dust. If our system is bad it is because we are bad. Mind you, we get the government we deserve. So we should first deserve and only then desire.
*Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal.
(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and does not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.
Mobile: 91-9831388803/9434242283.

Reforming the Police and Policing
Saumitra Mohan

While we have all felt all along the need for a strong, independent and sensitized police force for better enforcement of the law of the land and for protection of the hoi polloi's common civil rights, all this remained pious thoughts only, just nostrums from the rostrums. But many police reforms commissions and committees later, the issue of police reforms has finally caught the attention of our celebrated judiciary and with that of our government. And rightly so.

Notwithstanding the fact that we became independent almost sixty years back, we have left our police and policing to be governed by the colonial Indian Police Act of 1861. Even though a lot of incremental changes have been introduced in this Act from time to time but they have been more in the nature of a patch-work and our police organization definitely deserves a better deal, more so in view of the multiple threats posed to our internal security.
Ironically, the court’s order came exactly a fortnight after the Police Act Drafting Committee headed by Soli Sorabjee put out for debate the rough draft for a new law to replace the antiquated Indian Police Act of 1861. The draft Police Act, inter alia, has provisions to check pressure on subordinate officers from their superiors and other quarters.
So now, if the Supreme Court of India has its way and if the proposed legislation on police reforms see the light of the day, the police are in for a meaningful makeover in not so distant future. While hearing a public interest litigation, the three-judge bench headed by no less than the Chief Justice of India has issued instructions to the requisite authorities to take necessary action in this regard as per detailed directives given by the court. The court directive recommends sweeping reforms, from restructuring of the entire force to its modernization and various qualitative changes.
As per recommendations, all states are to constitute a State Security Commission (SSC), a Police Establishment Board and a Police Complaints Authority. States are expected to ensure that all officers, from the rank of an SP to DGP, hold office, wherever they are posted, for, at least, two years. The UPSC is supposed to recommend three DGPs for each state out of which one will be selected by the SSC. Similarly, there will be a National Security Commission to pick the heads of the BSF, CISF, CRPF and the ITBP.
The Bench has also ordered the setting up of a Commission to decide on selections and appointments to cushion the police force including officers from undue interference from various quarters in matters as important as the selection, posting and transfer of the officers. The two other striking aspects are the creation of a state security commission to supervise the entire police force and a complaints authority to probe complaints of misconduct against the police officials. All in all, the directive ought to streamline the functioning of the police in an effective and non-partisan manner.
The Home Ministry is believed to be keen on the creation of a federal agency that can investigate cases that have inter-state and international ramifications. Cases with cross-border implications like narcotics, trafficking of women and smuggling of arms are to be handled by what is to be called the Central Intelligence and Investigating Agency. The Central Government can directly ask it to investigate certain cases without the consent of the states, something which has far-reaching consequences for the federal structure of the Indian State and in keeping with the centralizing tendencies seen around the world in all the federal states.
At the same time, another special committee, constituted in December 2004, has identified 49 recommendations from the numerous reports of different police commissions to bring about drastic changes in the police and policing. It has confined itself to drawing up recommendations that are crucial for improvement in police functioning and the implementation of which would make an immediate impact on the reform process.
Among the short listed recommendations are those on which the Supreme Court has issued directives. The other recommendations include the creation of a Federal Police for internal security, modernization of police forces, improvement in forensic science and infrastructure, tackling organized crime, tackling economic offences, amending the Identification of Prisoners Act and measures to improve accountability and efficiency at all levels of the police hierarchy.

While we all acknowledge that there, indeed, should be police reforms because of the way it has been functioning so far, the fact remains that the popular perception of the police is very negative. The police, as it functions now, is perceived as unresponsive, obtrusive, callous, corrupt, inefficient and ineffective notwithstanding the multifarious constraints and odds against which our police is pitted namely a rickety infrastructure, shortage of manpower, lack of necessary financial and other resources, lack of adequate training, unremunerative compensation and, most importantly, excessive political interference. So, there definitely is more than a case for not only reforming the police organization to cushion it against various ominous and insidious influences of the political power play, but also to make its functioning more transparent, responsive, sensitized, effective and independent, simultaneously equipping it with all the requisite infrastructure, resources and manpower.

But even though accepting the need for the police reforms, there have been clear voices of dissent from those corners which are liable to lose power and control over the police as a result of the proposed reforms. These voices have been those of the political and permanent executive. They feel that the reforms, as proposed, need more threadbare discussion and debate than plunging headlong into its implementation without minding the implications thereof but the judiciary has dug its heels in terming such suggestions and arguments as dilatory tactics.

Even while believing that many of these fears are baseless, one does feel that the supervisory control of the magistracy over the police should not be weakened any further. Keeping in mind the Actonion (of Lord Acton) dictum of ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’, we should be careful that while guaranteeing absolute independence to police, it should not be allowed to become an empire in itself, unamenable to any supervisory control. While there are provisions of a Complaints Board, such a structure has always been found to be too formal in its operation. Ergo, there is definitely a need to revive the supervisory powers of the Executive Magistrate over the police, as also envisaged in the Police Rules but fallen in disuse. The Executive Magistrate in the field is the grass-root officer who is more easily accessible to the people and has a much more people-friendly face than the police. So, such age old practices as thana inspection and some say in performance evaluation by the Magistrate should be revived and further strengthened.

While one appreciates the fears expressed by all the sides, one also feels that one should, indeed, not rush through something as vital as police reforms and all related aspects ought to be thoroughly discussed before being implemented. Alternatively, the police reforms, as proposed, can be implemented, on a pilot basis, in one or two states (which have already consented to such reforms) while simultaneously continuing with an informed discussion and debate over police reforms. The learnings from the ‘pilot states’ can later be factored to further fine-tune these reforms. But police reforms are definitely something that require more than dilettantism and amateurish attention.
Even though this judicial activism has raised some hackles and ruffled some feathers, the ball for the police reforms has been set rolling. While the implementation of the proposed legislation may take time owing to fierce opposition from certain quarters, at least, a beginning has been made in transforming our police force into a more people-friendly and modern force. And with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister eager about implementing the far-reaching reforms, one is tempted to believe that this time police reforms shall receive their due share of attention and something positive shall come about. So, one should be more positive and optimistic because of the fact that this time judicial activism is matched by the government's enthusiasm to reform the police organization.

*Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal.
(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and do not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.
Mobile: 91-9831388803/9434242283.

Lessons from Singur

*Saumitra Mohan


The Singur controversy in West Bengal is showing no signs of subsiding and settling down. And with the opposition further ratcheting up its the politics of protests and agitations, one really needs to do some thinking as to whether it is advisable to allow the same to continue till the cows come home. With the Opposition not responding to the saner appeals of dialogue and discussion, the agitprop revolving around land acquisitions in Singur and Nandigram is increasingly getting out of hand and is more than a law and order problem now.

While nobody denies that the Opposition’s has the right in a functioning democracy to register its voice of protests, but the same should not be reckless and at the cost of the interests of the state.

One just has to take a peek at some of the statistics to know as to how West Bengal has been faring in the developmental rat race. Constituting ten per cent of the Indian market, the state today has an annual consumption expenditure of about US$ 26.37 billion. Country’s most rapidly growing industrial region, West Bengal, today, is the third largest economy in the country with a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of US$ 23 billion at current price. It is second only to Karnataka in per capita growth (5.4 per cent), well above the national average (4.2 per cent) and is next to Maharashtra in terms of companies established (72,437), with a paid up capital of US$ 8,834 million.

Even more interesting is the fact that the per capita incomes of West Bengal and Maharashtra, after excluding the two metros of Mumbai and Kolkata, have come fairly close. West Bengal's per capita income, after excluding Kolkata, is Rs 12,671 while that of Maharashtra's without Mumbai is Rs 13, 897. It has the second highest Compounded Average Growth Rate in the country i.e. 5.49 per cent against a national average of 4.4 per cent. The Compounded Average Growth Rate of West Bengal’s real NSDP stood at 8 per cent between 1994 and 2004, thereby outperforming the national GDP growth. Today, the state has an industrial growth rate which is 1.1 per cent higher than the national average. The growth trajectory is, indeed, brilliant by any standard.

Against this background, one would submit that while the Opposition definitely has a right to oppose governments’ policies, but the same should be principled and responsible rather than opposition and politics just for the heck of it, and without any care or concern for the interests of the common people.

One would do well to remember that it was the sanguinary Naxalite movement of the sixties which had not only negatively impacted the image of West Bengal but had also led to the flight of capital and industries from the state. Now that when the government is trying to make up for the lost time in its bid to catch up with the rest of the country, sustained law and order problems coupled with politics of bandh and strikes would nix all such attempts. At a time when the economic turn-around of the state seems just round the corner, a no-holds-barred politics of irresponsible opposition is queering the pitch.

Believe it or not, this is how land has been acquired all these past years throughout the country. So, if at all the opposition had any point to make, they have already done so. Today, we do have a wider debate raging in the country about the advisability of continuing with a colonial Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and about the sundry issues revolving around land acquisition for a ‘public purpose’. The issues which the Singur controversy has thrown up also include the advisability of the government acquiring land for private industries, the definition of ‘public purpose’, the issue of preventing industries from acquiring more land than is actually required for a particular project, the advisability of acquiring fertile agricultural land, the need to have a suitable land policy including updated land records, and the advisability of establishing industries by displacing already settled people.

The Opposition and many observers feel that a popularly elected government has much better things to do than getting into the act of acquiring land for private industries. They also feel that government had better focus more on development of basic infrastructure and favourable policy back up rather than ‘acting as agents of private industries’. But mind you that a popularly elected government can not just sit idle at a time when other states of the Indian Federation are going out of their way to woo private industries. The government has to take proactive measures to successfully compete against others as is being done in West Bengal.

Now with the hindsight, one can definitely say that from now on, if at all, the governments intervene into some such land acquisitions, proper homework ought to be done beforehand including building a broad consensus among those concerned including the Opposition and putting in place a proper rehabilitation policy for those affected and displaced by the proposed acquisition. On the other hand, the opposition also needs to be more responsible than it has been so far and should respond to the appeals for ‘reasonable’ dialogue and discussion as and when requested to.

One would do better to know that the change never comes without its costs. If a baby is born, the mother would necessarily have to undergo the labour pain. So, Singur signifies momentous changes in the history of West Bengal and as such vested interests of different kinds would do their best to resist the same but one is sure that labour pain is what it is, the labour pain. It would go once the baby of change materializes and settles down. Today, Singur is more symbolic than anything else. It signifies the intractable desires of Bharat to make peace with India and coexist as dignified equals with other members in the Comity of Nations.
*Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal.
(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and do not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.
Mobile: 91-9831388803/9434242283.

Indo-US Nuke Deal: Securing Our Interests

Indo-US Nuke Deal: Securing Our Interests
*Saumitra Mohan

The recent Indo-US nuclear deal has been construed to be pregnant with lot many epoch-making implications for the bilateral relations between the two countries. Most significantly, the deal is being seen to have marked a major policy shift in United States’ foreign policy vis-à-vis India against the formers’ penchant for treating India on par with Pakistan.

But critics to the deal have strongly objected to certain aspects of the deal including reference to the threat of scrapping it in case of India conducting further nuclear tests. Many have found such a reference to be highly obnoxious and to be an interference with our sovereign rights. While a healthy debate on such a treaty is always advisable in keeping with our democratic ethos, the same should not be allowed to go to such an extent to throw the baby with the bath water. Let’s discuss some issues revolving around this particular objection to the deal.

One feels that the objection to the deal being called off and sanctions being imposed by the US in case of further nuclear tests by India is unwarranted. In all such cases involving our national security, we should be guided more by our ‘immediate interests’ than anything else. And the call of our immediate national interests far outweighs these trifling objections from the Doubting Thomses. The deal signifies and promises many more things than it does on the surface. Even though we have not cared all along for all those objections and sanctions from the US and its allies vis-à-vis our national nuclear programme, we have definitely struggled with certain aspects of our nuclear programme because of lack of support from the ‘Big Five’ and the consequent international legitimacy. The new nuke deal almost legitimizes India’s nuclear weapons programme and, thereby, also recognizes our desire and capacity to play important roles on the world scene. The deal also separates India from such nations as Iran and North Korea, the so-called ‘rogue states’ and recognizes India as an important and responsible member of the Comity of Nations. The deal, thus, elevates India to a higher plane rather than continue bracketing it with the so-called ‘rogue states’.

There is no disputing the fact that the Indo-US nuclear deal signifies more than a landmark in Indo-US bilateral relations. While recognizing India as an important ally, the deal brings the two countries further closer and opens avenues for further deepening and strengthening of bilateral ties. The realpolitik demands that being closer, that also by way of a strategic partnership, to the sole super power is always in our better interests as the same also allows us better leverage vis-à-vis Pakistan. In all this, the US seems more guided not only by the advantage of keeping the worlds’ largest democracy and third largest economy (in purchasing power parity terms) on its side, but it also seems goaded by the major commercial interests of its military-industrial complex.

While we should go ahead with the nuclear tests if our national interests demands so without feeling encumbered with the veiled threat of scrapping the deal in case of such tests, but there is definitely no need for such tests in the present as the cost-benefit analysis would suggest that the same would not serve any purpose. So, without being hobbled by speculative issues, we should live by the present. The deal assures India of uninterrupted nuclear fuel supply. Believe it or not, with India growing at an average rate of eight per cent and with our hydrocarbons resources being finite, we do need to diversify our energy sources, if at all to sustain our economic growth in keeping with our ambition of joining the ‘Big League’.

The US had imposed economic and technological sanctions against India in 1974 and 1998, but the same did not affect us much and we still soldiered on. In fact, we actually grew stronger out of the sanctions. So, we should be guided by our own policy requirements as far as our nuclear weapons programme is concerned and do as is needed in keeping with such a policy. In case of nuclear tests, US would have anyhow done the same, deal or no deal, so why fear the sanctions? The treaty, in its present form, at least, promises us certain benefits which we should reap and carry on, while simultaneously also exploring other avenues for outsourcing the required nuclear fuel and sophisticated enrichment-reprocessing technologies as well as attempting self-reliance in such matters so as to preempt any need for dependence on others in matters of vital national interests.

One feels that the various provisions of the deal should be seen in its entirety and the benefits it brings to the country. The deal, for sure, signifies India’s gradual emergence on the world stage as a strong player as well as its role as a countervailing power vis-à-vis China. It also underlines India’s indispensability in the global coalition against religious fundamentalism and terrorism.
*Saumitra Mohan is an IAS officer presently working as an Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly in West Bengal. He is also a former Senior Research Fellow (UGC) at the School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi.

(The views expressed here are author’s personal views and do not reflect those of the Government.)
Address for correspondence:
Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Office of the District Magistrate, Hooghly-712101.
E-mail: saumitra_mohan@hotmail.com.
Phone: 033-26806456/26802043(O)/26802041(R).
Fax: 033-26802043.
Mobile: 91-9831388803/9434242283.

Sweet-talk your way to success

Sweet-talk your way to success
Saumitra Mohan

Today’s fast-paced life, while becoming cosier by the day, is also becoming increasingly complex. And this complexity gets compounded with the kind of people we meet everyday, each with a different hue of character. The confusing medley of people we meet, makes our life more confusing and perplexing. Still we keep meeting numerous people every day as being a social animal, we just cannot help our social interactions.

How do we react, how do we behave and how do we converse with them—all these determine many things including what we are and what we want to become. Our interaction with each of them should be measured and customized accordingly. One wrong move and many things in one’s life may go awry. That is why, every time we meet someone, we are always thinking, modifying our reactions and behaviour as per the specifications and requirements of the dyadic relationship we are entering into. Our behaviour is shaped by such factors as our own character, socio-cultural background, education, our prejudices, our priorities and similar factors shape the behaviour of our interlocutors. The people we interact with include our friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances and complete strangers.

Any individual, who loves success and desires to be a go-getter in every walk of life, should never alienate others or make enemies. Be always on our guard while dealing with people. As far as possible, be a glib, or if that sounds bad, a sweet-talking man. As the golden saying goes, ‘if we cannot give sweet to someone, at least, we can talk sweetly. After all, it costs nothing.’ Ours is a short sojourn on this blue planet called earth. So, even as the most privileged of God’s creature, we should not hurt anyone. We never know, the man we are offending today may come be of a lot of use in times to come.

During my brief existential expericism, I have often noticed that people simply do not like to hear ‘No’ from anybody. So, if someone asks we for a favour, as far as possible, avoid this ‘nay saying’. Try to be affirmative while responding to a request. I have often noticed that a good number of times our response do not go beyond this or need not go beyond this and this ‘Yes’ word does a world of good to we and to our relationships. Talking about myself, I often get request calls for favour from different people, some known to me, but most of them unknown to me, the latter often being on the fringe of my relationships. I have rarely said ‘No’ to anyone. I take pain to say ‘Yes’ and, in fact, sound very optimistic with my words which appear very encouraging to my interlocutors. The truth is that many of these people, while trying for favour from me, also approach many others many of whom do oblige with positive actions. Also, while trying to approach people for favour, most of such people also try to do their own home work properly as far as possible to get the job done on merit. So, in a good number of cases where we assure of help and say ‘Yes’ to them, the work gets done on its own merit or due to someone who does oblige his/her interlocutor. If possible, try following up on the fate of the work being requested, if we discover that the work is done, send a message across that the work is done and claim the credit. If the work is partially done, then inform accordingly, expressing regret while simultaneously adding that we did our best. In case of work not being done at all, we politely express regret about the same if informed or take trouble to save face by ferreting out the best ansour. If such person calls we some day after a long time, do not forget to ask him about the work, while informing him or her as to how we tried our best. In any case, we lose nothing.

I remember having received a request from a poourful Minister for favouring four candidates at a particular job interview, something I would never do as, myself coming from a humble background, I would never scupper the chances of a meritorious candidate for someone who has a Minister or some other influential to look after. So, in keeping with my principle, I did nothing and allowed to interview to culminate in full fairness. But, I definitely followed the fate those three candidates. Fortuitously, two of those candidates succeeded on their own merit. But I took pain to inform the said Minister that I could ensure the success of two of his candidates, but could not help the other two for the simple reason that they did not have good scores in the written test. The Minister was more than pleased. I also called the two successful candidates to tell them that they must thank the Minister for the favour, in my bid to ensure the gratefulness of such candidates towards me also. I do it deliberately less to seek gratefulness, but more to penalize these students, the penalty being the burden of the fact that they got their job because of someone’s favour, not because of their merit. They must be made to suffer for not believing in themselves and for seeking precedence over others through influence-peddling.

Even though we may not notice, but someone we have offended with our words or actions may take umbrage to it so strongly that he would wait for an opportune moment to strike back. So, like a wily politician, we should be generous with our tongue.

It is quite possible that we may not like a person. Fine. But we need not wear our hatred on our sleeves. Also, we should not try to get even with such people as someone has rightly said, ‘as long as we are trying to get even with someone, we cannot get ahead of him or her.’ Revengefulness is not a human but a satanic attribute, so discard it. As far as possible, try to have some sort of working relationship with everyone.


Try appearing sincere and interested in every person we meet. As far as possible, try remembering people’s name and call them by their name. Everyone loves that. Everyone has some or the other good quality. Find that out. Everyone loves to hear good words about oneself. So, be fulsome in our compliments. And we would win instant approval of that person, simultaneously generating a good fund of goodwill for ourself. But remember one thing, if we can not find anything nice about someone, then better be quiet than saying the truth. Find other way of conveying the same. So, in stead of saying that the ‘red colour does not suit someone, one can definitely say that while red is looking fine but blue would look much better’. There goes the story of a king who had a very bad dream one night, wherein he saw that he had grown very old and all his teeth have fallen’. The next morning, the king summoned two of the very renowned astrologers to interpret his dream. The first astrologer said that ‘the king would die earlier than most of his kins’. The second astrologer was more diplomatic with his words. He said, ‘the relatives of the king would live longer than the king’. While both said the same thing, the second astrologer was more polite with his words and phrased his interpretation positively. So, the first astrologer was sent to the gallows, while the second was handsomely rewarded. We really need to learn to find ways with our words.

And again, try to expand the number of our contacts because in today’s world, these things matter. Know one thing very clearly-everyone is important as a contact. All contacts need to be nurtured. We have to cultivate each of them on sui generic basis i.e. individually.

Our contacts in high places i.e. our acquaintances in high places, know the reason for our interest. Such people should be visited or called at regular intervals. Never ever go to such people with some work in the very first or second meeting. This is not advisable and would show us in poor light. Also, if by quirk of fate or our own merit, we happen to reach a high profile position, we should never forget the people we have known. We never know when our acquaintance with them would come in handy and pay us rich dividends.

Also, we should never forget to market our own self. As far as possible, as and when possible, at every available opportunity, we should present our self as a very useful, resourceful person without appearing or sounding boastful. We should try to be recognized as a person who has a lot of confidence in one’s self and who values one’s self-esteem more than anything else. After all, if we don’t respect our self, why should others respect us?

We should take care that our ego does not overwhelm us beyond a point. One should definitely be a positive egotist. A positive egotist is one who has his spine intact and does not compromise on one’s principles and values in a bid to get ahead. We should definitely have a purpose to make our life meaningful. A life without a purpose is like a rudderless ship which is bound to sink or get shipwrecked. So, we should definitely set ourselves certain life goals and then pursue the same heart and soul. As someone said, ‘Always see the world fit for positive changes because if the world is okay the way it is, then we have no place in it.’

If we notice carefully, then we would find that the world is actually moving with us or moving around us or is actually fixated us. Has any of us ever thought as to why does this happen? Despite the universe being so huge and there being so many characters therein, why is it that the world seem to be fixated on us? Why it is not focused elsewhere? This really needs to be followed very closely. This very fact should make us realize that the God has really assigned each of us a separate role on this world stage and all of us are there to play a particular role. Now, what role do we choose for our self is something that totally depends on us? We wish to play negative or positive role is something that we have to decide. But one thing is clear. We definitely deserve and need to lead a life which is superior to the animal life where life does not go beyond the pleasures of the flesh, including eating, drinking, defecating and procreating. God has endowed the human being with the capacity to think and create and that is why humans have won the existential race and dominate the forces of nature, proving their superiority thereby. But we definitely can do much better than we have done so far.

Looking at the world around us, one does feel that all these sub-human and inhuman expressions and excrudescences of crudities garbed in terrorism, secessionism and religious fundamentalism, are actually a throwback to our the Hobbesian state of nature where the ‘life was nasty, brutish and short’. Otherwise, why is it that the more we are modernizing, the more such reactionary forces are rearing their heads. It is because of the contradictions between the state and the society. Talking of a country like India, where the society is deeply religious, the state has chosen to be secular meaning thereby that secularism is something which has been imposed from above and does not spring from the innards of our society. While attempt should have been to work out a genuine secularism through the dialogues among the different religious communities, we have straightaway imposed secularism, the consequences whereof are there before us to see.

Yes, there is a rider to my exhortation that one should be non-compromising about one’s principles and values. But if we think that some larger good or interest could be served by such a compromise, we should not shrink from doing the same. After all, principles and values are there to make human life better and not otherwise. But this should not be done expediently and one should exercise one’s discretion with a lot of caution.

We should always try to be percipient enough to tell chaff from the grain. As we try to cultivate friends keeping in view their position or resourcefulness, others may also do the same to us keeping our position or resourcefulness in view. So, watch out for the genuine friends and guard against the fake ones. Never forget those who have stood by us in our difficult times and chipped in with all possible help. Such people are true friends and have to be cultivated and cherished like one’s precious possessions. Guard against people who try to play neutral or those who try to be diplomatic in their relationship with us. Just have a sort of working relationship with them and don’t try to mix with them beyond a point, as more often than not such people may prove more dangerous than our outright enemies.

Now to tackle our outright enemies, we have to put ourselves in their shoes and take action accordingly. And then go on to take all those pre-emptive steps we think are necessary to counter the possible enemy steps. If possible, we should send them feelers of our good intentions towards them. Praise them in front of persons we think are close to them and say it in such a manner as if we really mean it. And rest assured that what we thought was communicated in good faith and strict confidence has already reached our enemy ears. Such steps may neutralize the possible harms that our enemy may be contemplating against us. Also, as far as possible, we should try doing good to people we think are worthy of our friendship but whom we have fallen out with because of some misunderstanding. This would send a positive message and win the person over in due course of time. One more thing. We should not vent our anger and frustration against people we dislike. Try being kind and more helpful to them. This would raise our standing in the eyes of our detractors and establish us as a good human being.

Always remember the Biblical saying that we should not do to others what we should not like to be done unto ourselves. Its flip side is equally true i.e. doing things to others as we would have loved to be done unto us. And yes, as and when we oblige people or do someone a favour, do let him know about it. Otherwise, all our efforts would go down the drain. After all, we must get something in return of our favour even if it happens to be a mere goodwill of the people concerned. Also, never appear to be a person with a dual character. If people see us as someone who does not practice what we preach, then no one would take us seriously. We would be seen as a fraudulent person who should be avoided at all cost.

Remember one more thing. Never let our problems, our misunderstandings or our poor relations with someone dictate the relations of our near and dear ones with the person otherwise we would be permanently closing the door on rapprochement. Many people believe that ‘my enemy is your enemy and if you wish to be friends with me, you better sever all your ties with my enemy’, a very wrong approach. It is very much like saying that if ‘if you are not us, you are against us even if you are not exactly or actually siding with the said enemy’. One’s relationship with someone should not be made conditional on his/her relationship with others. If we were to do that, the entire edifice of social superstructure would crumble.

Always be willing to believe something as long as it does not pertain to our interests and if the same happens to be negative things about someone, keep it to ourself. Also, guard against such people who keep bitching about others as they may do the same to us some day. I have seen people who get overly exercised about people who keep bitching about others or keep telling lies about something, even though it does not concern them by any stretch of imagination. Just give them a patient hearing. Hear with one ear to allow to pass the same from the other without allowing it to pass through your mouth unless it happens to be something positive. A man is not only known by one’s companions but is also known by what he says or talks about. So, try understanding or comprehending a person by what he/she talks about and take your own decisions or make your own opinions accordingly.

We should never presume things and never take anything for granted, more so if it pertains to our vital interests. If some work or outcome involves the other person, we should always be extra careful. Always keep following up otherwise the work may never get done. Once you have left the work to some person, howsoever trustworthy, be sure something would go wrong. As the Murphy’s law goes, ‘if you expect a thing to go wrong, be sure that it surely would’.

We should also never ever venture out to do things we have not attempted before or are not conversant about unless we have known all the facts and nuances related to that. It is like going to a big hotel and placing our orders randomly based on the highfalutin items from the menu cards and then being served with such preparations as we would never eat. So, before taking a decision about something we just don’t know, it is always advisable to seek suggestions from those in the better know of things and who we think would advise us rightly. And if we have already committed some mistake, we should always be willing to correct our mistake.

Anger is something which has destroyed many as it takes away our power to think thereby goading us to take such decisions as are suicidal to us. Remember as to how Othelo killed his newly-wed wife Desdemona based on unverified untruths from Ilago, eventually precipitating his own ruin. So, we should try to overpower our temper tantrums otherwise it would overpower us much to our own detriment. Gandhi was right when he said, ‘We should not get angry when we know that we are wrong and the other person is right. And we should have no reason to get angry when we know that we are right while the other person is outright wrong’. So, keeping our cool in adverse situation is the test of our character. Remember, a sailor sails against the tide, not with the tide as the kite flies against the wind, and not with the wind.

While acting in the present, we should always keep an eye fixated towards the future like the mythical Roman God Janus. All the decisions we arrive at should be take with a view to our future goals, our values and principles. Also never let our goal blind us so much as to ignore the larger interests of society. Always give the latter precedence over the former.

Never forget the eternal truth that this human existence is ephemeral and transient.

All the worldly possessions, we keep fighting about and thereby debasing our humanity, are finally to be left behind in this mortal world only. The only thing that survives us and lives forever is our good deed, our good name and fame. What matters most in life is not what we do for ourselves but what we do for others. All the great men we remember is because of what they have done for the others and for the society and not what they did to themselves and their family.


Stepping Stones to Success:
All of us keep dreaming of making it big one day though only some of us are fortunate enough to achieve what we aspire for. And remember fortune always favours the brave. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘The future belongs to them who believe in the beauty of their dreams’. And the best way to make one's dream come true is to wake up and act to realize the same. Even though there are many dream careers to look forward to, but there are only few who are able to complete the journey to the final destination. Many either drop out or fall by the way side in their bid to snatch a place in the sun.

We should always keep in mind one thing. It is not because things are difficult that we don’t dare. It is because we don’t dare that things become difficult. There are many opportunities offering challenging and monetarily rewarding career awaiting us all around us but we should have an eye to identify the same. As someone rightly said, ‘many people don’t recognize the best of opportunities as they are always disguised as hard work and a grueling spell of struggle’. One should, therefore, have all those qualities in oneself that goes into making of a person worthy of an exalted position. When asked by Y as to how X intends to make it big in legal profession keeping in view the fact that legal professions is crowded with people and is replete with cut-throat competition, X calmly replied, ‘Base may be thick and crowded, but there is always room at the top, the place I intend to occupy’. The person went on to become a famous lawyer.

It is always better that one starts early and makes one's career choice right in the morning of one’s life but as they say, it is never too late. What one needs are planning, strong determination, devotion, dedication and hard work. One should plan one's work and then work one's plan.

One thing that is very important when we set about the achievement of any goal is an honest self-appraisal. We should through a thorough introspection, cross-examine ourself and ask ourself as to whether we have all the requisite qualities necessary for the achievement of the life goal that we have set for ourself. Any mistake at this level could prove suicidal and would lead us nowhere. So, we should try to avoid under or overestimation of our self. Underestimation of our potential would not only waste the human resource in us but it would always make us feel dissatisfied and unfulfilled. On the other hand, overestimation would not only keep the success away from us, at the end of the day it would also make us feel completely frustrated and incapable of any attainment. So, we should always be on our guard when we set about the exercise of self-assessment and should never let others take decisions for us. We should take our decisions and fight our own battles. And we should also never forget to do a cost-benefit analysis before we finally take a decision. We should always weigh all the options available before us and then opt for the one we deem most suitable for us.

Yes, if we are ambitious and have the grit and determination to move the mountains, then we can indulge in the luxury of setting a high profile life goal that may not match our inherent qualities. Remember Demosthenes, the great orator of all time, could hardly speak because of his stammering but with his grit and motivation, he would, while putting pebbles in his mouth, practice speaking on the sea coast and later on went on to become what he intended to. So, all we need to do in such a situation is to uplift ourself to meet the demands of our goal. Never forget that the number of those desirous of a coveted place in the sun, exceed by many times but there is only one pot at the end of the rainbow. So, we have to master all those qualities and attributes in such a way as to make us more than worthy to deserve what we have desired. Let me enter one caveat here. We should take care not to put all our eggs in one basket. May be that we have taken utmost care to select our goal and may be that we put in all our effort to realize the same, but it is also possible that things may not turn out the way we thought they would. Therefore, as far as possible keep other options open. And also be ready to take failures in your stride. Fall we would, but we should definitely not stay there. We should get up and move ahead to move up to realize our coveted place in the sun. We should also know that the sun is very hot, so before claiming and settling our place in the sun, we should prepare us and anneal us like the gold in the fire.

There are some common qualities, which are desideratum for success anywhere, and if we have mastered them, sky is the limit for us. They inter alia include a very good command over knowledge of our field, a good penmanship or writing skills, a reasonably good oratorical skill, self confidence, capacity to work hard, honesty in everything we do and a concern for the larger society. The more we can add to our positive qualities, the better. The most important of these positive qualities include a good oratorical skill with equally good knowledge of our field, not to speak of a polite and positive outlook. If we have them all in good or reasonably good measure, believe me sooner or later Lady Luck would be smiling on us and showering the bounties we have desired all along.

So, make good habits and then wait and watch what our habits make of us. We should also learn to change our routine and habits according to the set goal. We should always keep in mind our goal and let our goal goad all our activities. All our actions should, in one or the other way, contribute to the attainment of our goals. If we feel that the atmosphere around us is not conducive to the realization of our goal, then create the necessary atmosphere ourself by befriending those we either share our career goal with or are somehow can make a positive contribution to our endeavors. We should find out the rough edges in our personality and strive hard to smoothen the same. All our activities should revolve around and should be aimed at the achievement of our career goal.

Always remember one thing. In our bid to get to our coveted goal, we should never ever tie ourself up so much as to make our life dull and drab. Life is beautiful and human life is more so. So, even while we go about our preparations for the realization of our dream, we should not stop enjoying life. We should have some time also for fun and frolicking. We should not forget to chill out after a grueling round of hard work. We should try to fit in our fun time and fun things in a way as to assist us in the advancement of our goal. All that is being suggested here is that try to mix and match our goal and fun activities in such a way that it takes us nearer to our goal.

There would always be hurdles and they would be legion but always remember that when the going gets though, the tough gets going. After all, success never goes through short cut. Also, when we are desirous of success, be ready for failures on our way. Don't forget the hoary dictum that failures are the pillars of success. And failures are never getting knocked down, but it is not getting up. After all, no defeat is final until one stops trying.

In difficult moments, behave like a duck. Keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but keep paddling away like crazy underneath.

Smell stays in the hand that gives rose.

NATIONAL SECURITY MANAGEMENT : SOME REFLECTIONS

NATIONAL SECURITY MANAGEMENT :
SOME REFLECTIONS

SAUMITRA MOHAN*

National security is a term, which us used very loosely today in common parlance. It is often associated with safeguards either against an enemy country's hostile incursions or maneuvering or against armed non-state actors out to challenge the authority of the state and cause irreparable damages to the unity and integrity of the state. However, national security subsumes these aspects and goes much beyond them and is much more inclusive and broader than commonly understood.
The theme of this paper as mentioned at the outset includes three terms namely 'national ', 'security' and management'. Before we go on to discuss the theme in detail, it would be better if we seek to understand what these terms stand for. The first of these, i.e., 'national' means something that us related to 'nation' which is regarded as being co-terminus with the 'state'. In case of India, it has often been said that it is more of a 'state-nation' than a 'nation state. This is an allusion to the plurality of Indian society and to the fact that Indian society and to the fact that Indian state has hot evolved as a nation like the European one. Being a multi-cultu7ral and multinational State, some sections of Indian society are yet to come to terms with the ' imagined' Indian nation.
The common thread that arguably joins different ethno-cultural –linguistic groups within the Indian state (the idea of an essentially Hindu cultural unity-interpreted in cultural, geographical and religious sense) tends to have a sectional flavour and leaves out a sizable chunk and often alienates them. The historical reality of partition of British India on the principle of 'Two Nation theory' has its own corrupting influence on the making of the 'state nation '. The disaffection or dissatisfaction of ethno-cultural groups- who define themselves in national terms- often poses security threats when it matures into separatist or secessionist movement and it has to be properly factored into national security management.
The second and most important of the three terms is 'security'. Security is much more than the mere defense of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country. Security of the nation means her security in every aspect of the national life including political, economic, cultural, environmental, and social.
The last of these three terms, i.e., 'management' means the process of managing and relates to the administration and regulation of available resource to achieve the organizational goals. So, taken together, 'national security management' means the proper administration and regulation of country's entire available resources to provide effective security to the nation and its nationals in every sense of the term.

Treats
Today, India is facing threats to her security from various quarters. The threats are both from within and from without. The treats are in the forms of outright enemy incursions as reflected in such instances as Kargil, Low intensity proxy war as in Kashmir, threats like nuclear strikes from unidentified sources or non-state actors, refuge influxes from across the border threatening the country politically, culturally and economically, religious fundamentalism, narco-terrorism, proliferation of small arms, many environmental hazards flowing is an a result of indiscriminate use of earth's resources by developed and developing countries, cultural invasion through media and economic insecurity of the country induced both by instability in the world market and inability at the domestic level to cope with changes induced by the forces of globalization.
The hydra-headed problem of poverty, weak economic base, unemployment, narrow regionalism, naxalism, communalism, infranationalism, secessionism, corruption, terrorism and weak institutional structure – all pose grave threats to the national security of this country. If we really mean to ménage our national security well, then we would have to work at all these levels and take a comprehensive and holistic approach to the issue of national security in the absence of which the continued survival of India Nation may be endangered.
Before looking at threats form without, one should try to put one's own house in order. India's image as a 'soft state', as termed by Gunnar Myrdal in his celebrated work Asian drama, has to be tackled first. This negative image perhaps derives form the fact that key institutional structures of the state are either in shambles or non-functional leading to her incapacitation at many levels and this has paralyzed the economy and polity in irrevocable ways on the one hand and encouraged fissiparous tendencies along the margins on the other. A rundown bureaucracy, rickety legislature, and indecisive executive and on overall image of a non-performing government does impact negatively on national security.
The first task confronting the Indian state is to raise an effective institutional structure to manage the affairs of the state and this will have its beneficial effect on the issue of national security in the long run.
Countering Threats
It is argued that a good infrastructure and a responsible government would be of no use unless and until we have a very alert, awakened, responsible and participative civil society. And to have such a civil society, there is a need to invest a lot in human resource of the state. This would also mean that everyone is well fed, well clad and well cared for. Otherwise, a starving and unemployed populace often transforms into a disaffected subject and poses new threats to national security, as was also attested by by Kautilya in his famous book, 'Arthashatra' Moreover, Indian state has to demonstrate is impartiality in the authoritative allocation of values and resources.
It is fact that Indian nation is facing lot many challenges from many disgruntled sections of India citizenry, because of a perceived bias in terms of value allocation by the Indian State power have to be careful in securing – what Rawls once said-'distributive justice' for its citizens and they have to ensure that the developmental pie does not get so unevenly distributed as to engender such circumstances which threaten the very survival of the state or nation. It is absolutely necessary to engineer developmental processes in such a manner that all the sections of Indian society are co-opted respectfully into the national mainstream. The government of the state should also see to it that there is no social injustice or inequity in the society as that often engenders social unrest leading to the break-up of the country – as was the case in East Pakistan in 1971. To misquote Machiavelli, the government should not only be doing justice but should also appear to be just.
Also, the galloping rate of population growth needs to be brought down to match the resources of the country. In the Indian case, it has definitely outpaced the resources at its command. The mismatch often creates instability and unrest in the society, which definitely is not good for the country. To ward against this, we need to have a very healthy economy with an efficient industrial and agricultural base. Again, a healthy economy requires good infrastructural base and a good mix of economic policies to support it.
Then, the political culture of a country should also be such as to provide a cushion to its national security. In a country like India, very often, competitive/populist democratic measures create problems like narrow regionalism, communalism, secessionism and infra-nationalism, which also prove suicidal to the national security. So, an effective national security management could be predicated on a reasonably responsible political culture with a very wide democratic base meaning thereby that we need to have an effective all-inclusive participatory democracy.
After we have all the above, we could think of other aspects of our national security. It is often said that India does not have a national security doctrine and it is often said to be toying with a concept of 'strategic ambivalence'. A very reputed security expert, George Tanham also feels that India lacks a 'culture of strategic thinking'. And even after the National Security Advisory Board led by the doyen of Indian strategic think tanks, Mr. K. Subrahmanyam came out with such a doctrine, we have not bothered to accept the same.
Need of a clear perspective
India's national security management continues to be ad hocish and reactive. The Kargil Committee Report pointed out many chinks in our security armour and then, there was a Group of Ministers' Report, which visualized many changes in our national security management but we are yet to see some positive changes on the security front. The National Security Council, formed to effectively manage country's security has proved to be still-born with the government hardly using it as a tool towards security management.
All one means to say here is that the government needs to be more serious and systematic about the national security management. It should not only have a crystal clear perspective and policy on national security but it should also put in place the required intuitional structures. National Security is a full time job and requires a full time national security Advisor rather that the one who also works as the Principal security to the Prime Minister. The long-felt need to have a Chief of Defense Staff for proper coordination among the different wings of our armed forces also needs to be seriously considered.
At a time when Alvin Toffler's third Wave' (i.e. communication and information revolution) is sweeping the world, we have to see to it that we are not unsettled by this phenomenon more so when we claim to be good at it and propose to make India a 'Knowledge society' And to the credit of the government, we already have the Report of the Information Task Force ( led first by Jaswant Singh and later by K.C. Pant), which has extensively talked about this aspect of national security. The point one is trying to make here is that we should be ready against an y attempt to invade our vast vital database through an informationì¥Á7
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SAUMITRA MOHAN*
National security is a term, which us used very loosely today in common parlance. It is often associated with safeguards either against an enemy country's hostile incursions or maneuvering or against armed non-state actors out to challenge the authority of the state and cause irreparable damages to the unity and integrity of the state. However, national security subsumes these aspects and goes much beyond them and is much more inclusive and broader than commonly understood.
The theme of this paper as mentioned at the outset includes three terms namely 'national ', 'security' and management'. Before we go on to discuss the theme in detail, it would be better if we seek to understand what these terms stand for. The first of these, i.e., 'national' means something that us related to 'nation' which is regarded as being co-terminus with the 'state'. In case of India, it has often been said that it is more of a 'state-nation' than a 'nation state. Thiity management. And this is an ea of 'complex interdependence' as described by security experts Joseph Nye and Robert Keohane . Today, it is difficult to define security in terms of in terms of 'mine and thine' Today, security manes mutuality of approachesì¥Á7
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SOME RELECTIONS
SAUMITRA MOHAN*
National security is a term, which us used very loosely today in common parlance. It is often associated with safeguards either against an enemy country's hostile incursions or maneuvering or against armed non-state actors out to challenge the authority of the state and cause irreparable damages to the unity and integrity of the state. However, national security subsumes these aspects and goes much beyond them and is much more inclusive and broader than commonly understood.
The theme of this paper as mentioned at the outset includes three terms namely 'national ', 'security' and management'. Before we go on to discuss the theme in detail, it would be better if we seek to understand what these terms stand for. The first of these, i.e., 'national' means something that us related to 'nation' which is regarded as being co-terminus with the 'state'. In case of India, it has often been said that it is more of a 'state-nation' than a 'nation state. Thishould try to build defenses against war by investing more and more in peace, As the preamble to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural Organization says, " It is in mind that war starts and it is there that the defenses of peace should be built". So, while a country needs to guard against the unwarranted invasion of its national culture, it should also see to it that an international culture or peace and prosperity develop through mutual cooperation and collaboration.
A country not only needs to manage her bilateral and multilateral relations well through effective confidence building measures but should also try to promote international treaties in disarmament and arms regulation aiming at the larger goal of international peace and security. For this, we also need to have strong international organizations in place and need to provide more teeth to organizations like the United Nations. Besides, potential of such established forums as Non-aligned Movement, G-77,G-24.G-15,G-8. ASEAN, SAARC and APEC need to be properly harnessed towards national and international security management as both the issues are intertwined.
Also, as far as possible a nation should try to use its diplomatic resources to the best. It should not only try to presume and neutralize possible enemy moves and maneuverings through confidence building measures and through proper preparations but should also try to expand here area of cooperation by either co-opting neutral and friendly countries to its side or by trying to get a toe-hold in their area of influence. As about India, one can say that India should strive to be a part of influential regional and international groupings like APEC, Asia-Europe Meetings and United Nations Security Council.
Diplomatic resources should be properly harnessed and deployed fro wooing the powerful members of international community to a country's own point of view, for promoting its values, for cooperation in such fields as technological exchange and economic cooperation.
Also, India should utilize Indian Diaspora and its resources abroad in such diplomatic exercises. India also has to realize that she cannot make much headway in national security management as long as South Asia remains hostage to the continuous confrontations between India and Pakistan. So, national security for any member country of South Asia should also mean rapprochement between India and Pakistan and only then can the vast resources of the region be properly channeled towards development. Hence, India, as the most powerful country in the region has to see to it that Cold War, which has ended elsewhere, ends in South Asia as well.
Apart from all the above, it is always advisable to have an inner circle of close allies and in India's case, such allies could be Russia, Israel, china and France and at the same time India can improve its strategic relationship with the USA. There is already a talk of a 'strategic triangle' among India, Russia and China. India should seriously explore the feasibility of such a concept.
To conclude, on can say that an effective national security management requires strong institutions, a responsible government, an effective national security policy, a participative and vibrant civil society, a just social structure, a well-oiled economic and political system with a sense of 'distributive justice', a healthy culture of peace, a better war-preparedness, a good diplomatic machinery and cascading international cooperation in different spheres through continuous confidence building measures.