Ethical challenges in governance

Ethical Challenges in Governance

     Ethics refers to those moral principles which are provided by external sources and govern a person’s conduct. Governance refers to processes of interaction and decision making as well as structures and systems which constitute a state or an organisation. Many of these ethical challenges necessitate non-economic goals. However no code of ethics or ethical policy can bring compliance with law and high ethical standards. Commitment to ethics is inspired by top leadership.

(1) India’s rank in corruption perception

     Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (C.P.I.) measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide. In 2016, India ranked 76^th out of 168 countries. In 2015, India ranked 76^th out of 175 countries, compared to China (100th), Pakistan (126th), Bangladesh (145th), Sri Lanka (85th), Nepal (126th) and Bhutan (30th). This is the second least corruption rank for India in the whole of South Asia. In 2013, India was ranked 94^th out of 175 countries. In 2012, India was 94^th ranked out of 174. In 2011, India ranked 95^th out of 182 countries.

The above indicates that India has a substantial challenge to governance in terms of high corruption (absence of ethics). In India, corruption has been aggravated by three factors:

1.  There is an enormous asymmetry of power in our society. Nearly 90% of our people are in the unorganised sector and are very poor and not highly literate.

2.  We have inherited a colonial legacy of unchallenged authority. People in power exercise their power arbitrarily.

3.  In the early decades after independence India chose a set of policies which put the citizens at the mercy of the government. There was regulation in all sectors of economy, leading to widespread corruption.

(2) Public Administrators as moral agents

There is a difference between efficient governance and ethically driven governance.  In many countries of European Union, the primary focus is on processes and procedures for improving governance rather than on asserting ethically driven standards of governance. But a government can have political legitimacy only when its legislators and civil servants act professionally and ethically. Public administration has to be a moral/ ethical enterprise. A public administrator has to be a moral agent, with a special moral status. He or she has to take a clear moral position in resolving issues as inequality, poverty, injustice and corruption, in addition to having skills, efficiency and strategies.

Legislators too are moral agents. But they are also expected to act as advocates for specific constituents in seeking government benefits. A public administrator serves best as a model of moral agency in governance (than a legislator).

Therefore the profiles and proficiencies of public officials have to meet the criteria of clear moral position as also of having communication and collaborative and other skills and strategies. In other words, public administrators are the class who have to meet the ethical challenges in governance more than the other classes like political or business people, though the latter also have to give their support.

Chapter 3, verse 21 of Geeta says:

“Whatever deed is done by good people (in public offices), the community follows. Thus public officials have a much heavy moral load on their shoulders to carry.”

Often maintaining professional ethics comes in conflict with desire to maintain career. Sometimes there is a conflict between choosing to serve the best interests of the community and being responsible to the government of the day. This has the danger of development of an unhealthy politician – administrator nexus.

(3) Ethical Principals in Public Life

Nolan Committee of UK, in 1994 gave the following seven principles of public life:

1.   Selflessness

2.   Integrity

3.   Objectivity

4.   Accountability

5.   Openness

6.   Honesty

7.   Leadership

In 2012, Belgian Directors’ Association (GUBERNA) produced a Director’s Tool kit about ethical principles to be followed by individual directors. The details of Toolkit are as below:

1.  Act ethically and with integrity

2.  Have high standards of honesty and loyalty

3.  Have respect for rules

4.  Comply with procedures and avoid and resolve conflict of interest.

5.  Have irreproachable behaviour with regard to law and rules.

6.  Be incorruptible and free of all pressures while taking decisions.

7.  Be faithful to commitments.

8.  Be trustworthy and act in a manner so as to preserve trust and confidence required by office.

9.  Be responsible and act with diligence, caution and reserve, refrain from holding indiscrete and indelicate conversations. Assume consequences for your behaviour. Discharges duties to the best of your abilities and with discernment.

Broadly there are four sets of ethical principles (ethical framework). These sets are as follows:

1.  Principles of justice and fairness.

2.  Principles of truth

3.  Principles of service to the common good (service in public interest).

4.  Principles of trusteeship (trustworthiness)

We elaborate each of these sets of ethical principles as follows:

(3.1) Principles of justice and fairness:

a.        Rule of Law

b.       Accountability for the proper exercise of authority and use of public resources.

c.        Equity in administrating rewards and punishments.

d.       Equity of rights and opportunities

e.        Participation in the consultative process for collective decision-making

f.         Merit system in contacting personnel.

(3.2) Ethical principles of truth:

a.     Truthfulness in reporting the facts.

b.     Honesty in managing resources

c.      Evidence-based decision making

d.     Transparency of decision-making and resource management for public scrutiny.

e.     Safeguard for whistleblowers.

(3.3) Ethical principles of service to the common good:
   (Service in public interest)

a.   Consensus-building in relation to the common good.

b.  Application of human development indicators

c.   Inclusiveness

d.  Spirit of service

e.   Respect for human dignity

(3.4)Ethical principles of Trusteeship (trustworthiness):

a. Legal contract between government and public servant.

b.     Responsible stewardship

c. Efficient and effective service of the public interest.

d.     Transparency regarding possible conflict of interest.

e. Recognition of merit and adequate remuneration.

(4) India’s Political System and Corruption

In India, political system suffers from many ills and inadequacies which pose major ethical challenges to governance. Some of the challenges are as below:

(i)      Nexus between politics and crime.

(ii)    Immunity of members of parliament and members of State legislatives from proceedings in a court.

(iii)  Funding, Donations and gifts to political persons and parties by industry.

(iv) Weak anti-defection law.

(v)   No code of conduct for ministers.

(vi) Crony capitalism.

(vii)                        Appointment in high posts on considerations other than merit (like Lokayukt).

(4.1) Findings of Vohra Committee Report on nexus between crime and politics in India.

(i)      On the basis of the extensive experience gained by our various concerned intelligence, investigative and enforcement agencies, it is apparent that crime Syndicates and Mafia organizations have established themselves in various parts of the country.

(ii)    The various crimes Syndicates/Mafia organizations have developed significant muscle and money power and established linkages with the governmental functionaries, political leaders and others to be able to operate with impunity (as recently exemplified by the activities of the Memon Brothers and Dawood Ibrahim)

(iii)                                        While the CBI and IB and the various agencies under the department of revenue in their normal course of functioning, came across information relating to the linkages of the Crime Syndicate/Mafia Organizations there is presently no system under which they are expected to pass on such information to an identified nodal agency. Sharing of such information is presently of an occasional nature and no evidence is available of the same having been put to any operational use.

(4.2) Immunity enjoyed by Legislators in Parliament and State Legislatures Article  105 (2)

No Member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in Parliament or any Committee thereof and no person shall be so liable in respect of the publication by or under the authority of either House of Parliament of any reports, paper, votes or proceedings.

Similar provisions exist in Article 194(2) for members of State legislatures.

Immunity covers corrupt acts committed by MPs in connection with duties in the House or otherwise.

(4.3)Other Ethical challenges:

(i)      Bribery

(ii)    Coercion

(iii)  Insider trading by leakage of confidential data.

(iv)  Discrimination

(v)    Nepotism

(vi)  False returns of income, false statements of accounts.

(vii)                        Accumulation of profits by illegal means.

(4.4)Diversity, equality (especially of genders), eradication of poverty, environment are increasingly occupying attention in ethical governance. Corruption in judiciary is another complex area for governance.

(4.5)The security provided to government employees under article 311 of the Constitution results in long delays in punishing the officials for corruption and other charges. Often the delay is compounded when a criminal case for corruption is also investigated by police against a government official, because there is a delay in sanction for prosecution.

There is also an inordinate delay in taking up the cases of irregularities pointed at by audit reports, as public Accounts Committee is overloaded with work.

Employees unions and teachers Unions also oppose when serious disciplinary is taken against their members:

(5)Ethical Corporate Governance

In addition to government, governance also includes corporate governance. On 29^th October, 2007, Central Vigilance Committee, Government of India circulated a note on “Corporate Government and Ethics challenges and Imperatives”. Kumar Mangalam Birla Committee constituted by Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) expressed concerns about standards of financial reporting and accountability by some of companies. As a result, some companies raised capital from the market and investors suffered because managements performed much worse than past reported figures. Bad corporate governance was also highlighted when promoters share were allotted at prices much below the market value. Many companies did not pay heed to investors’ grievances.

(6)Architecture to meet ethical challenges

Along with their ethical framework of four sets of principles, we need the following to complete the architecture of our ethics, relevant for governance.

1)       A code of conduct.

2)       A set of established anti-corruption laws.

3)       Established administrative procedures, including procedures for sanction on reprehensible acts.

4)       Mechanism for whistle-blowing (Ombudsman)

5)       Mechanisms for collaboration and coordination between existing and anti corruption agencies also for evaluation.

(7)Socialisation of ethical framework

To meet ethical challenges effectively, we also need socialization of ethical framework and code of conduct through:

1)  Consciousness raising activities.

2)  Transforming dysfunctional mental models.

3)  Development of intensive motivation to apply an ethical framework

4)  Advocacy through moral leadership.

(8) Some steps recently taken in India to meet ethical challenges to governance

In India some recent anti-corruption steps have been taken in the right direction. The Right to Information Act has been enacted. The introduction of e-governance in many areas of public administration has resulted in reduced corruption. Thirdly the Supreme Court has ordered electoral reforms on seven occasions since 2003.

1.  March 2003: A voter has a fundamental right to know candidates’ qualifications, assets, liabilities and criminal antecedents, if any.

2.  July 5, 2013: Freebies in poll manifestos vitiate electoral process; EC to frame guidelines after consulting with political parties.

3.  July 10, 2013: Automatic disqualification of MPs/ MLAs convicted by crimes attracting punishment of two years or above.

     Section 8(4) of Representation of the People Act that allowed a convicted MP/MLA to continue in office, declared unconstitutional.

4.  September 13, 2013: Knowing about a voter’s natural right and candidatures will be rejected if they refuse to disclose any information on their election affidavit.

5.  September 27, 2013: Voters have right to not back any candidate. The none of the above (NOTA) option to be enabled in voting machines.

6.  March 10, 2014: One year deadline set for lower courts to complete trial in cases involving MPs, MLAs.

7.  February 5, 2015: A candidates’ election can be declared null and void due to non-disclosure of criminal antecedents.

(9)Other important steps to help in meeting ethical challenges

Free press (Media) and Vigilant Civil Society can also contribute to put pressure on the government to meet ethical challenges. This requires a closer interaction between public services, civil society and other sections of intelligentsia.

Social and religious organisations can also play a part. Strict enforcement of penal provisions can act as deterrent.

Moral education must be separated from the start of life, and to this end, a restructuring of the educational syllabus is imperative. Value based learning and teaching is essential and should be brought in by reorienting our formal education system.

Date: 28.03.2016 

An Indian for All Seasons (The many lives of R.C.Dutt) by Meenakshi Mukherjee

                      RC DUTT was  second Indian to get into Indian Civil Service(ICS).Meenakshi Mukherjee  calls him an Indian  for  all seasons": a novelist,administrator,scholar of Sanskrit,translator, Anglophone moderniser,,economist,political agitator,public figure, and also,basically ,as an individual , who enjoyed the company of his family and friends but was forced to spend a  great deal of his time alone"He took early retirement from  government service  in 1897 and  in the same year ,was offered a chair in Indian history by the University College , London.

                                In May , 1899,he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.He translated Rig Veda Samhita  from Sanskrit  into Bengali , knowing fully well that in the late nineteenth century, he was not supposed to translate such holy Sanskrit texts  because he was not a Brahman(But a Kayastha) by caste  Meenakshi writes extensively about Dutt's book "The Economic History of India" ,published in 1902,in which he claims that in 1750,India supplied nearly a quarter of the world's manufacturing output, and by 1900,it had declined to less than 2 per cent."After his retirement , Dutt wrote abridged English verse translations of Mahabharata and Ramayana.He wrote six novels in Bengali,two in English.In his  several essays published in Bangadarshan and Prachar,he argued that we need to know our history to understand who we are."No subject,not even poetry, had such a hold upon me as history"  said  Dutt in an essay he wrote in 1905.He had a frequent exchange of letters with his children.

              He became the President of Indian National Congress in  December ,1899 and presided over its session in Lucknow..He wrote  a literary history of Bengal.

About his postings ,he wrote to his brother:"They have treated me on the whole fairly, but not with any special favour.The doors of the Secretariat have been kept closed to me".

                                             He served Baroda state service  twice , first as Amatya(Finance Minister) and later , in June 1909, as Dewan(Prime Minister)."It is curious that he(Dutt) hardly ever complained of loneliness when he was in England, even though after 1898 , his family hardly ever joined him there", though he complained of loneliness  when he was in Baroda.He was nominated as a member of The Royal Commission on Decentralization(RDC) in November , 1907.His last assignment was as Dewan (Prime minister) of Baroda , which he joined in June , 1909.He died , while on this job, on 30th November,1909.

Dutt's life is marked by many contradictions ,in his attitudes to language(Bengali,English),to colonialism,to religion(Casteism) and to tradition.Meenakshi Mukherjee does not gloss over them.

"He agitated all his life against the injustices  of the British rule in India but proclaimed his loyalty to the Queen at the same time. . . . .Till the end of his life, he remained undecided whether his true vocation  was literature or politics." He turned to Bengali  for his novels, though he was himself  born into one of the most anglicized families of Calcutta.His historical novels  idealized the caste-based  values of Hindu society and glorified Sati and 3Jauhar, his daughters were married outside caste and linguistic boundaries.In the beginning of his career ,when he wrote The Peasantry of Bengal, he was a fierce critic of Lord Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement, on the ground that it  it allowed the landlords to oppress the farmers.27 years later,in his letters to Lord Curzon , he took exactly the opposite view"It is difficult to ignore this visible shift in R.C.Dutt's sympathy towards the landowning sector of Bengal society" writes Meenakshi.

"Biography is an impure genre, flanked on one side by the factual demands of history and on the other by the narrativity of fiction which gains in depth if there are glimpses of the private individual.Between these poles of expectation ., random traces of politics, sociology, philosophy, literary criticism, psychoanalysis,journalism and gossip , make their appearance".Meenakshi has been able to successfully meld these elements  in a manner  that made the man and the milieu come alive in an interactive way.

Meenakshi Mukherjee was a sound scholar of English literature and a Sahitya Akademi Award winner,passed away in Hyderabad on  Wednesday,September16,2009,at the age of 72.She was then travelling alone and was going to board an Indigo Airlines flight to Delhi.She fainted and collapsed at Gate 22 of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and was rushed to Apollo Medical Centre at the airport itself where she was declared dead.She was on her way to Delhi to release her new book, An Indian for All Seasons, a biography of famous historian  R.C. Dutt , published by Penguin India.The book was slated to be released on Thursday,September 17,2009.

              Meenakshi Mukherjee has brought out  a truth, through this biography which touched me to my depths.A civil servant  may be an Indian for all seasons  but  lives and dies in contradictions.That is the fate he or she chooses for himself or herself.This was true in the times of R.C.Dutt.This is true  even today(2016).A truly great book .I recommend that this book should be read by every  one  who is interested in the history  and contradictions  of civil service in India.

Climate change and sustainable development

Climate is changing in the whole world. One of the causes is the way the world is  developing .The world is developing because  we have to produce for more numbers, also because our per capita consumption  needs to rise.This development  results in emission of greenhouse gases, global warming and climate change.Climate change can pose several problems  like sub-mergence of islands under water, untimely and excessive rains and floods,  deficit rainfall and drought in other parts.It can make agriculture  vulnerable to  vagaries of nature and is bound to affect life  and  health.This kind of development is not sustainable.Keeping  the above in view,the UNO  decided to keep  one sustainable goal(SDG) devoted to climate change.This is goal number 13 :Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

                  What urgent action can we take to combat climate change and its impacts.There are two types of action, one is  the action to  eliminate the causes of climate change,the other  is the action to reduce or mitigate the effects or impacts  of climate change.We shall take them up one by one .

                       The causes of climate change lie in increasing consumption levels and  increasing  human  population.Thirdly  the way we are developing  , or producing goods and services for our consumption so as to lead a better quality of life.The important  factors responsible for climate change are:1.Greenhouse gases.

2.Deforestation.

3.Land Use Change.

4.Energy Usage.

5.Vehicular Usage.

The way we are developing can be  green , eco-friendly or it can be  such as to destroy  ecology and  environment around us.For example, electricity  can be produced  in a green way as Solar energy , and it can be produced in a polluting way  as Thermal energy.If we opt for Solar energy , or Wind energy or Nuclear energy,  we can have less global warming and less climate change.But why don’t we do this way?The first is  that Sloar energy per unit is much more costly than  Thermal energy. Why should any buyer buy Solar energy when cheaper energy is available?If there are no buyers, why should any producer prodce Solar energy when there are no buyers?This brings in the role of Public Policy , which can be formulated in such a way as to encourage  both producers and consumers.One way is to grant subsidy to  producers  or consumers or both so that  they produce and consume Solar energy  as compared to thermal energy , despite Sloar enegy production costs per unit being higher.The second  part of policy should be to  make public in general aware of the  beneficial effects of Solar energy on  climate change.

 India’s share of CO2 in the total emissions in the world is very insignificant in per capita terms.The per capita emission of an Indian citizen is 1.2 tons of Carbon dioxide where his counterpart in USA is  contributing 20.6 tons as per UNDP Human Development Report 2007-2008.The per capita emissions of UK and Japan are 8 and of USA 17 times higher than that of India.India’s contribution to the world total  is only is only 4.6% when compared to  USA’s contribution of 20.9%  followed by 17.3% of China.(Statistics related to Climate change in India , Ministry of  Statistics and Programme Implementation , Government of India , Nov,2013.)

        You may ask , if it were so simple , why it has not been done so far? Why is it that most of our energy still comes from  thermal sources(which use fossil fuels) and very little fron Solar  sources.The reason is the failure of public policy and governance , technology  and vested interests embedded in thermal energy sources.It is here that the role of  UNO as a  voice of the world comes in picture.It  has to impress on its member states to  adopt the SDGs and also achieve these goals.Before SDGs were approved for 2030 , we had MDGs(Millenium Development Goals) for 2015.But the performance in MDGs was not satisfactory, again due to political   and other reasons.SDGs were approved by the UN General Aassembly in 2015.

                           The stand of India on SDGs has been  to accept and support them .But if we are really serious to achieve SDGs , we need to not only bring our policies in line with these goals , but also  improve  the working of governments , both at centre and at states level so that  a conducive  environment is built in the  whole country  for achievement of these goals.

                          The key word is Urgent.Do we see any urgency  to combat climate change? Is there any evidence in place that the Union  government and various State governments are showing any urgency  in combating climate change?It is too early to say.But there are some  really critical areas which need reforms if this combat has to to be taken forward.One critical area  is   to create a mechanism  for educating  all the concerned departments  on the need to  take steps to combat climate change.This itself is a very big challenge.Where are the people who have the knowledge about climate change ,and how to put them in place  for education the departments? Secondly , there is a need to develop capacities and skills of the civil servants  to formulate evidence based policies.This in turn requires political leaders who themselves see the need for policies based on evidence , and not on political expediency or  ideology.This begs a big question  as to how to get such political leaders.At present , we produce political leaders who believe in vote banks , casteism , nepotism , and encourage only those policies which can bring them votes.Such short sighted political leaders will never be able to bring out policies aimed at combating  climate change and its impacts . 

    Finally ,it is the effort made by every citizen  for combating climate change that matters the most.In our daily lives,we need to consume less, buy eco-friendly products, plant and encourage planting of trees,contribute  in every possible way  to make the deal on climate change a success.This will ensure a cleaner and healthier world with a promise of sustainable development with better control on climate change and its impact.

(This article was published  in the February issue of the magazine Tree Take ,Lucknow,U.P.,India)

                      
   

Role of Youth in giving a positive leadership to society

                                                                                                            

In India , people  are  facing  a number of challenges.The whole society , especially the youth needs leadership on an urgent basis.Some of the challenges are as below:

1.There is a crisis of Values.There is a passive acceptance of corruption, dishonesty and non-transparency.People lack courage to speak out.They lack skills to do critical thinking.The roots of this are in our education system , especially  in our basic education.

We need to  revamp our education system .

2.We are moving  fast into the process of imbibing wrong social and moral values of unbridled materialism , keeping money above service and ideals..There is poor parenting in most of homes .This results in moral confusion and ambiguity on moral issues.We need to improve  selection of our values.Impact of electronic media  through  entertainment channels is also negative.In short,we need to have self mastery.

3.We do not have values like dignity  in work.This has led to very inefficient  work culture.

4.There is a feeling of isolation and loneliness  among people.They prefer to watch TV , or engage in social media ,  to engaging  with people.As a result , they lack social skills and emotional intelligence.

5. We are a low trust society.There is a gap between what we say , and what we do.There should be no gap between stated and operating values..This gap  further contributes to  cynicism and hopelessness.The   endless search for identity continues 

6.There is a very poor governance in all walk of public life.There is scant respect for Rule of law.There is  a pervasive  corruption in all levels of government and even in private life .The politicians  are untrustworthy and do not have  strong values to serve.As a result , the crime control is poor.There is  serious and largescale  criminalisation of politics.We need to have ethical politics.Is it possible?

7.Unemployment , lack of jobs , cut –throat  competition, lack of skills leads to  wrong career decisions.This  also  leads youth to terrorism and naxalism. 

8.Poverty continues to  on a large scale . 

9.Public servants should also be public spirited in their personal life.This requires  counselling and spiritual guidance..But in addition to moral exhortation , we must also improve institutional arrangements for social transformation . 

10.Indian society suffers from discrimination and inequality on the basis of gender  and caste and income .Society is not trying for social inclusion .Despite high growth rates , a very large population lives below poverty line. 

11.Communalism is a big threat to  peace in our society.There are a million mutinies happening.We need to have better law and order.

12.Malnutrition and diseases among children are widely prevalent .There are sexual and emotional abuses of children.Health care systems need to be improved  on a large scale.Child labour needs to be eliminated.

13.There is a need to control population in India.

14.Pollution needs to be controlled and environment quality must be improved if development and growth are to be sustainable.There should be a balance between economics and ecology.                       

 15.Our decision making should be based on evidence and not on whims and prejudices.We should  use  data-base , information and technology more extensively. 

16.Our judicial system is slow and expensive .We need to make it fast track, cheap  and modern.

17.Our agricultural productivity needs to be increased.                                                       

18.Our  infrastructure  like transport and electricity needs improvement.

19.We need to provide safe drinking water to our people.

20.Poor live in slums.We need to provide low cost housing to them.

21.Media  also has become materialistic , at times playing in to the hands of vested interests for money or other favours. 

22.Our emphasis on training and capacity building is low.This has also contributed to poor performance in major areas.

23.There is a challenge of inspiring and motivating others.

24.We need to harmonise between politics , science /technology, business  and religion .

25.We need to learn to work together,we need to cooperate, coordinate and collaborate.For this ,we need to have shared values , shared vision and shared goals.

26.The most important quality in any leader is  a spirit of service and humility.We need to practise servant leadership.

27.We need to develop a critical mass of  young  leaders, of impeccable  quality and competence.They need to develop common vision to uplift India, and the world.They should have  consultation and arrive at a set of common values.Only then , they can impart those values to society. 

28.We need to be caring.

29.We need to have meaning in our lives.

30.We need to choose carefully between exit, voice and loyalty.We should lead by personal example.

Get a Life by Nadine Gordimer

"Get a Life" is the story of  a white South African family going through several crises.The protagonist is a   35 years old man  named Paul,  is  an ecologist in South  Africa , battling against installation of a planned nuclear  plant.He is    detected with  life-threatening  thyroid cancer and undergoes treatment for it. He is prescribed a treatment that makes his body  radioactive for a few days .He moves in with his parents to protect his wife and young son from radiation. His wife Benni is an executive  in an advertisement agency , promoting development.Paul suddenly , in his fragile state, realises the contradiction  in values between his work as a conservationist and  the work of his wife in the advertising agency for the firms that would degrade and pollute the very environment that he   fights to protect. After this life threatening experience, neither Paul , nor his relationship with Benni is the same as before.There is some gap in the intimacy.
        Paul's experience not only changes his own life , but also the lives of people around him.
   The novel  describes  the  realisation of a  changing  relationship between the parents of Paul , Adrian    and Lyndsay, perhaps due to the  traumatic experience of Paul , vicariously experienced .The mother( Lyndsay ) is a competent lawyer  and the father Adrian  who earlier chucked his own  career as an archaeologist to promote  Lindsay's as a lawyer, now drift apart .Ultimately , Lindsay becomes a judge but  their life and relationship undergoes a sea change.
                                   Paul survives  the cancer and thus gets a  new but different  life .The title" get a life" has a dual meaning.The first is encouraging to do some thing in your life.The second is to understand your life .The first is easier to accomplish, the second is  almost impossible.
          The novel  is quite dark and  can dampen the spirits  beneath the bluest skies.The author explores the darker regions of human nature , which most people experience in their worst moments.This book  , though  thought provoking  and  by a Nobel Prize winner  writer, should not be read by those who want to read something light and cheerful.

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

                      This  novel  by Toni Morrison  , published in 2015, is about the damage adults wreak on the children.It is the story of coming of age of a very dark coloured girl called Bride.Her mother Sweetness disdains her very existence.To claim her mother's love and to have some dignity of her own , Bride  gives false evidence against an innocent woman , who is convicted and goes to prison .She grows  up  to be a successful career woman but her past is with her.To make amends for her past action of giving false evidence,she tries to help the women whom she has wronged.But in the process, her boy friend Booker walks out on her on the ground that she wanted to help the woman (an alleged  child molester)  in question. In the end,Bride's mother Sweetness says:"What you do to the children matters.And they might never forget".The book describes in graphical details instances of  physical and sexual abuse, neglect and rejection of children by parents.The need for respect at times exceeds every thing else:"You don't have to love me but you damn well have to respect me".With 178 pages in hard cover edition ,the book can be read in a short time.Though not as good as Beloved or The bluest Eye, yet I recomment you to read this book for the powerful and inimitable style of Toni Morrison

                                      

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart  Tolle  was born in Germany in 1948.He graduated from University of London in Philosophy,Psychology and literature in his early twenties, and then  decided to do post graduation research  in Cambridge University. in 1977.But he dropped out soon after  , because he  experienced"inner transformation" on one night.Then he started working as a spiritual teacher and Counsellor.The Power of Now was first published in 1997.Oprah Winfrey recommended this book in her magazine.It was on New York Times Best seller list for over two years.It was translated into 33 languages.It has sold over 3 million copies by now.He lives in Vancouver since 1995.

                           The book says that our past and our future are created by our thoughts and our mind.

The book has ten chapters:

1.You are not your mind.

2.Consciousness:The way out of pain.

3.Moving deeply into the Now.

4Mind strategies for avoiding the Now.

5.The state of presence.

6.The inner body.

7.Portals into the Unmanifested.

8.Enlightened Relationships.

9.Beyond happiness and unhappiness,there is Peace.

10.The meaning of Surrender.

The book has 190 pages and  I read it very slowly  so that I could understand it.It says that we should free ourselves from  enslavement to the mind.Our being is blocked   by our thoughts .Thoughts also block beauty , love , creativity, joy , inner peace  and our relationships.Be alert and aware but  do not  focus on thoughts.Pay attention to what you do .When you walk,pay attention to every step, and  your breathing .Pain is inevitable as long as you identify yourself with your mind.

               Mind controls us through time , through past and future.Live in the Now .Pay very brief visits to  past and future when required.It is habitual tendency of mind to  want to escape  from the Now.Setting a goal for future is fine but do not do it excessively , because it will take you away from Now.Present moment is all you have .Live in the present.

               Mind can not forgive.Only you can..Most human relationships consist mainly of minds interacting  with each other ,not being in communication.We can  enter the Unmanifested by being in the Now, by cessation of thought and by Surrender.Surrender means acceptance , non-resistance and being  without ego.Most of relationships  become hollow because they are through mind and not through conscious self.Be present in your relationships.

            Be yourself.Do not have a relationship with your self.All   non-physical  suffering is created due to resistance , non acceptance,non surrender.Surrender gives you peace.Surrender does not mean  not taking action . It means taking action  but  refusing to  resist in the Now.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

This  novel by James Joyce  is the story of his adolescence and youth.      When Stephen  suddenly understands "the essential nature of a thing"- whether it is the understanding of a person, an idea, a word ,or a situation- he calls these moments epiphanies. Some of his earliest epiphanies come from  his acute sensory awareness Repeatedly , we find the remembrances of tastes ,touches and smells.
                     As he grows up,Stephen Dedalus (the protagonist) grapples with his nationality, religion, family and morality , and finally  decides to reject  all socially imposed bonds and instead  live freely as  an  artist.
           Stephen has an obsession with language.His dedication to forging an aesthetic of his own describe many  tensions in his life during his formative years. 
               When he faces the decision to join the priesthood,Stephen decides that he is not cut out for monastic life.At this moment ,he turns away from religion in general and hopes to go to a university.The end of chapter four is one of the most famous  moments in the book when Stephen goes to the river and sees a beautiful  young  girl.She reminds him of a wild  seabird.He is astounded by the beauty of the moment and chooses to devote his life to creating art.He comes to realise that before he can become a true artist, he must rid himself of the stultifying effects of the religion,politics and bigotry of his background in Ireland.I shall express myself as I am.
        Joyce quotes  the poem "The Moon" by Shelley, twice in the book:
" Art thou pale for weariness,
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the  earth,
Wandering companion less,
Among the stars that have a different birth,
And ever changing like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy."
In the last chapter , we find him working hard and doing considerable sacrifice.He struggles daily to puzzle out his aesthetic philosophy.
         The novel describes vividly Joyce's own  discovery  of his true calling as an artist , at a very young age  , after passing through many stages of struggle.Many of us  reach this stage very late in life.This book can help the  reader to understand the process by which he/she can reach his/her true calling.I recommend you to read this book. 









    


     

             

Refire! Don't Retire by Ken Blanchard & Morton Shaevitz

Published in India in  2015 by HarperCollins Publishers India Ltd., this slim volume  by Ken blanchard and Morton Shaevitz  caught my attention at a book shop in T3 terminal of Delhi airport.It was  written with such a lightheartedness ,  that I decided to buy it .I finished nearly half the book in one hour journey from Delhi to Lucknow, and the remaining half in one hour at home in Lucknow.So , it is an investment of 350 rupees and two hours.

            Ken Blanchard is 75 and Morton Shaevitz is 79.They discussed on a journey   attitude to getting older, and finally wrote this book Refire!Don't Retire:Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life.The book tells the story of an older couple who refire themselves emotionally ,intellectually , physically and spiritually.The focus is on healthy living, rewarding relationships, continuous learning,involvement in service and other meaningful activities.

     As we grow older , we tend to fall into ruts and become  more risk- averse.We become less spontaneous.In the process , we become withdrawn ,isolated, often unhealthy and wait for the inevitable.This book  makes a wake up call  not only to older people but also to middle aged persons to develop an attitude of recharging towards growing older.Though nothing strikingly original , this book is worth a read to give us ideas.I recommend you to read this book.