Consume with Care ... .. World Environment Day 2015 in Lucknow(June5,2015,Friday)

In a short, spontaneous and spirited event , we celebrated  World Environment Day today(June5,2015,Friday) in City Montessori School , Head  Office, in Lucknow.I spoke as below:

         The theme of 2015 World Environment Day , decided by UNEP is;"Seven Billion Dreams,One planet.Consume with care."There are two ways of conserving the environment.One is to produce and have economic growth in  an environment -friendly way.The other is to consume less and not waste.This year , UNEP has decided that all those who care for environment should focus on consuming with care.

              At present , the population of the world is 7 billion .The theme exhorts every member of  the entire world population to  have at least one dream , the fulfilment of which will  enable to consume less and conserve natural resources.One can consume with care water , food, energy,electricity,paper, forest resources or animal products.Every good action begins with an individual.Then it can result in a collective action .Like Martin Luther King , Jr. each one of us  must "have a dream" so that we have today 7 billion dreams about consuming with care.It is ,I hope, bound to result in preserving environment.

             The population of the world is growing .It is likely to cross 9 billion in 2050 from the present 7 billion .This will require economic growth and higher production of consumable things, which will have some adverse impact on environment .But if each one of us consumes less and does not waste , some of the adverse impact will not take place .So, we need to do more with less, we need to do better with less.We need not live in adversity , but we need to avoid luxury and wastage.Let us pick up one item and decide how we shall consume it less in the next one year.

Team Building

Every team has to have a common purpose, and based on that common purpose needs to develop a shared vision.But in addition , every team should have shared values, shared concepts, shared attitudes and a shared way of working.For ensuring quality in decisions as well as in products , team work is essential.

           Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr.  delivered his famous "I have a dream" from Lincoln Memorial  , Washington DC on August 28,1963.It is worthwhile to know how he shared his dream effectively with his followers , who had come to hear his talk.It is important to  have a shared vision  so that teams can be effective in achieving it.

        The five disciplines listed by Peter Senge to develop a learning organisation are:

1.Shared Vision.

2.Mental Models.

3.Personal Mastery.

4.Team Learning .

5.Systems Thinking.

 Teams need to learn together, plan together and have a shared vision for the team as well as for the organisation .Members of a team need to know each other.They need to have informal conversations, ask each other questions and listen to the answers given by other team members.

          Each team should periodically have a collaboration audit , to assess how members are performing while coordinating with each other as well as with members of other teams.

         The most important quality  which each member of a team should develop is trustworthiness.This is most important for the team leader.India is a low trust society.That is why , team work is a greater challenge in India.In this context , trustworthiness becomes the critical factor for the success of ant team in India.

(A short talk delivered to the employees  of City Montessori School, Lucknow  on May 30,2015, Saturday.)

Careers in Civil Services in India

City Montessori School ,Lucknow organised Careers Day on May 3,2015(Sunday).The audience was   about 2000 students of classes 11 and 12 , and their parents. What I spoke there as a Guest Speaker is as below.

1.Do you want to be a job provider or a job seeker?

2. If you are a job seeker(as opposed to a job provider), do you want to seek job in government sector , private sector or the non-government sector(NGO).?

3.If you want to seek job in government , do you want to seek a job in armed forces or civil services.?

4.If you want to seek a job in civil services, do you want to join All India Services, Central Services,or you want to join Provincial civil services?

5.If you want to seek job in All India Services, do you want to join IAS , or IPS or Indian Forest Service?

6.If you want to join central services , do you want to join Indian Foreign Service , Indian Revenue Service , Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, Indian Railway Traffic Service or Indian Postal Service or Indian Audit and Accounts Service?

7.If you want to join Provincial civil service , do you want to join PCS, or Agriculture or Transport or Trade Tax or Cooperatives Services.?

                  At present , most of applicants opt for IAS as their first preference because this service occupies most of the important posts at the centre as well as in the states.Many applicants also opt for Indian Foreign Service as the first option .A few also opt for IPS as the first option .

                 The main  positive factors in the favour of IAS and civil services are the security of tenure under article 311 of the constitution of India.All India services (IAS,IPS , I Fo.S) have a constitutional status under article 312 of the Constitution of India.Most of the posts at the level of Secretary , both at the centre and at the states are manned by IAS.They  get rich experience and opportunity to formulate the policies and laws in all areas of governance , giving them wide and variety of  jobs.No other Service has such  opportunities.The IAS officers become District Collector and Magistrates at a young age, giving them opportunities to develop leadership and serve people.They sustain democracy by conducting fair and free elections under the Election Commission of India.

  The downsides of IAS are  nexus with political corruption,frequent transfers for not obliging the authorities, getting insignificant  posts if they  do not  bend  rules to fulfil the wishes of Ministers, increasing politicisation  which is a threat to fair governance and to democracy.There are hardly any rewards or punishment based on performance resulting in mediocrity.Sometimes IAS officers doing very good work are punished because they adversely impact some powerful vested interests.As TS R Subrmanian has said in his piece "Belling the Mice"in the Indian Express;"As our democracy has evolved, the root of the issue is that the politics is now an unregulated business,largely aimed at the generation of  illegal wealth-- do the states have the will to fight corruption? .Take any state and one will find that  the polity is heavily dependent  on the sand , land , liquor, excise , forest and/or builder groups, which call the shots I our far flung districts and state headquarters, politics is not for public service-it is a passport to unheard-of riches." It is in this scenario that the IAS officers have to operate.Any upright and honest IAS officer has to do a really tight-rope walking to survive and to do his main job of governance , development and public service.

                 The odds are high that  bright young persons may get deterred from joining the IAS.But that would be unfortunate , because our country(India) desperately  needs  youth with character , integrity, competence , compassion to join the IAS, because without them, democracy and governance cannot survive in India. they can help the democracy to survive in India

A case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif

I  had gone  to Cross Word , Lucknow  to buy a good book by an Indian author but ended up in buying this book by Mohammad Hanif about the  plane crash which killed   President Zia ul-Haq  of Pakistan.I wondered how it could be a book of fiction when it dealt with a historic fact .I came across this excerpt from  one of  Hanif's interviews where , when asked  why he chose to fictionalise Zia Ul-Haq 's death, he replied as follows:"Like all young  reporters,I was like ,this is going to be my big story,and I started working on it.After a few months,I realised that there was no way I was going to get to the bottom of of it.There were layers  and layers and layers of deception and cover-ups to cover the other cover-ups.Then it occurred to me that I would just make up my own facts.If no one was willing to tell me who did it,then as a fictional character,I'll raise my hand and say,"Well,I did it". and I'll write a book about it.And so, basically,it was  a failed journalist's revenge".

                                The book derives its name 'A case for exploding mangoes' from the episodes described in chapters 29 to 37, which involve a  mango party thrown  on Pak One,the plane which carries President Zia ul-Haq , American Ambassador Arnold Raphel ,General Akhtar and many other Generals.,and which finally crashes ,resulting in the death of President Zia and all others on board. .Mangoes are a gift from All Pakistan  Mango Farmers Cooperative."And for today's lunch , our host is the most respected Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Akhtar"

Adventures of a Bystander by Peter F. Drucker

It has been a slow read.I could read these 336 pages in 33 days, with an average of about 10 pages a day .Drucker has managed to introduce some interesting and fascinating  characters in this book.It is interesting to read the memoirs of a man who knew first hand Freud , Henry Luce of Time -Life -Fortune, Buckminster Fuller,Marshal  McLuhan,Alfred Sloan and FD Roosevelt. 
                  The Bystander sees things  neither actor nor audience notices.He sees things differently from the way actors or audience see.He reflects , and reflects not as a mirror reflects,but  as a prism does via refraction .The chances are more that a bystander writes more objectively and adds  those aspects  in his narrative which the actor himself may not have noticed.
                    In the chapter The Monster and the Lamb,Drucker  raises the question as to how we should deal with an evil like Nazis.Evil operates through the evil doer, but it also operates through the rest of us.There are among us great many trivial men of great evil , and very few Lady Macbeths.Men must not treat with evil on any terms-for the terms are always the terms of evil and never those of men.Man becomes the instrument of evil when he thinks to harness evil to his ambition(as was done by Hensches , the Monster);and he becomes the instrument of evil when he joins with evil to prevent worse.(as was done by Schaeffers,the Lamb)..But what about the sin of indifference when one refuses to bear witness when"They crucify my Lord."?Drucker asks us to pray to God to deliver us from evil , and leaves it at that.(Perhaps, like a true Bystander.)
                          In Ernest Freedberg's World,Drucker writes:"It was my job as the subordinate to make the boss effective, and not my job to reform him. . ."And more,"Still, though it lingered on ,the civilization that Freedberg,Parboom and Uncle Henry represented is gone or going.Our society has shifted to seeing symbols as real;the symbols have substance while the objects they represent  are mere shadows. . . Reality is created by manipulating symbols;history is made by staging" media events. . .writing grant applications has become the most honoured of the liberal arts Is  the ultra-nominalism that treats  symbols and images  as ultimate reality, and people and things  as shadows, still so" innocent" and innocuous when it has become the perception of the great majority?"
                       In the chapter       Henry Luce and Time-Life-Fortune , Drucker says what Luce might have said:"I do not care who shapes country's policies;let me shape its vision."Luce  did shape  country's vision through these three magazines.
                           Marshall McLuhan's most important message is that technology is an extension of man rather than  just a tool.It is not man's master.But it changes man and his personality, what  he is and what he perceives himself to be.It changes what man can do.Also , Buckminster Fuller and Marshall McLuhan exemplify the importance of being single-minded.The single-minded ones,the monomaniacs, are the only true achievers.
                                 In the chapter The Professional:Alfred Sloan  , he quotes Sloan:"You tell us what you think is right.Don't worry about who is right.Sloan also attached the highest importance to the decisions about people , about placement of people.Sloan  regarded it his duty not to have friends at the work place.You have to be impartial and must not even give  the appearance of having favourites.
                      What made people like Martin Luther King  was not just their intellect ,their scholarship and their uncompromising dignity.It was their integrity.It was the integrity out of which    Martin Luther King arose, the integrity that gave the Negro leaders their inner sovereignty and moral authority, not only among their own people but also in white America.Drucker brought out very powerfully the the role of integrity as the ultimate source of power and leadership.What a valuable lesson from a Bystander.
               I recommend you to read this book for the  valuable insights that only a sharp observer like Drucker  could  give.
               

What is wrong with U.P. Rules framed under The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act ,2009?

Why have the provisions of The  Right of Children  to  Free and Compulsory Education act ,2009  remained broadly unimplemented in U.P. so far, despite the fact that  it came into force  on April 1,2010  duly  notified by Central Government? What is wrong with us in this state?Why  have other states  gone far ahead than U.P.?
I have identified the five major areas as below:
1.The rules authorise the district Basic Shiksha Adhikari to  prepare a list of eligible disadvantaged /weaker students and allocate these  students to different schools which have the duty to admit these students .This centralisation is not only time consuming and inefficient .It  has the potential to  result in large scale corruption and malpractices.Why cant we  provide for parents applying directly to the schools , with  copies of  requisite certificates.?Only when private schools do not act  or respond, the official machinery should intervene.

2.The second important area is regarding the inadequate compensation to be paid to the private schools when they accept to educate the children from the disadvantaged /weaker sections.At present , it has been kept at Rs. 450 per student per month.This is much lower than the actual expenditure per student per month  in government schools, as any simple calculation would indicate.Why the government has chosen to disregard the provisions of law and deliberately kept it low, is not  clear.Perhaps , it is a case of indifference , perhaps a case of bonafide mistake .In either case , it needs to be corrected post haste.

3.Thirdly , we need to encourage private schools to provide better infrastructure, better  paid teachers , better equipments  than are available at government schools .This implies that government   should give a free hand to the private schools to fix the fees that they  can charge from the students.Only this kind of revenue model will encourage the private schools to implement the Right to Education Act , in letter and spirit.
4. Fourthly , the government must not artificially bring in  the concept of municipal wards while defining  the radius of one km (for primary schools)from the residence of a disadvantaged /weaker section student.The Right to Education Act does not recognise any ward for  its implementation .
5.Last but not the least .If there are more than one private schools in the neighbourhood which can give admission to the students of the disadvantaged sections ,to which  school should such children be sent?It should not be left to the fancy/discretion  of a government official ,or even to the parents of children .It should be decided strictly by the shortest  distance , because that alone is the most objective  parameter.
                If  these five categories of  issues are  addressed in fair, just and objective manner , we shall be doing a great service to the children of Uttar Pradesh .The question is :who will do it and after how much time?
             

Branding

What is branding  and why it is important? When Google appeared on the internet scene, it was just  a search engine.When people used it as a search engine  product , they found it a better , faster and more useful product.They began to trust the Google brand which delivers faster and better information online.When Google launched a new product like Google plus, people were quick to try Google+ , because they trusted  Google brand .This is how a brand gets built and becomes different from a product .It is a name people trust.
                         There is no doubt that the quality of your product is important.But only quality does not make your enterprise successful.The world will not come to your door just because your product is of a super high quality.You need to do marketing , and branding .
                     Some brands are mythical .For example,James Bond, Barbie , Wizard of Oz are mythical brands.They have the scope for a sequel , prequel , a story and a spiritual or religious connection with community.Such mythical brands are not just about products ora  bundle of facts.They create a story with a growth , mystery , promise of a heroic outcome and  endorsements from celebrities or authorities.A brand can turn out to be mythological accidentally but can also be created  mythological intentionally.Not all mythological brands guarantee success.

Exhibition of paintings and pictures

It was a very pleasant  and enriching experience for me  to inaugurate the  exhibition  organised by  Ms. Rubeena Beg , Secretary ,State Lalit Kala Akademi.U.P. on April7,2015(Tuesday) at Lal Baradari Bhawan,Lalit Kala Akademi,Lucknow.

                     The two artists whose creations were on display were  Sri Deepti Prakash Mohanty of Varanasi , and Sri Subir Roy of Lucknow.The paintings of Mohanty  mainly related to the ghats and streets of Varanasi.The photo pictures of Subir Roy related to  Lucknow,Tribal areas near Vishakhapatnam and sand dunes of Jaisalmer. , Goa ,and Hooghly.Mohanty's paintings  showed an artistic use of colour and imagination .Roy showed  life and death in different artistic forms.It was all uplifting and beautiful.

                   I realised how artists bring out the most beautiful,the most lofty and the most real in a manner which remains with us long after we have watched the paintings and the pictures.

                      I thanked the artists and the organisers for giving me and others this beautiful experience.

The Day of my Superannuation(March31,2015,Tuesday)

After spending about 35 years in the IAS(Indian Administrative Service),today I retired from the Service.This journey has been a journey of immense learning , evolution and joy.On the way,I met a very large number of people ,some of whom were really enlightened.

                   I pay my tributes to  three  seniors/colleagues  who were very well meaning and always helpful: Late Sri B.B.Sinha , who was Commissioner Kanpur when I was District Magistrate , Farrukhabad.Late Sri R.S.Kaushik , who was Commissioner , Moradabad , when I was District Magistrate , Moradabad, Late Vinod Bihari Singh Vishven , who was my batchmate (IAS,UP,1980).

                    Some of the posts  I enjoyed were:

1.Principal secretary (Forests and Environment),UP.I remember the notable achievement when we  accomplished a World record by planting  one crore saplings on a single day(July31,2007).This finds mention in Guinnes Book of world Records.

2.Principal secretary (Disabled Welfare) when we  detected large scale irregularities in the  grants  sanctioned for the distribution of  implements and equipments for the disabled.

3.Chief Executive Officer/MD,UP Housing Board when we  streamlined the working of the Board through the processes under ISO 9001.

4.District Magistrate , Moradabad  when we maintained peace and harmony in the communally sensitive district during the demolition of Babri Mosque in 1992.We clamped the curfew  in the various cities of the district for 27 days.

I enjoyed ,admired and appreciated the team work and hard work of all the concerned officials and citizens  in each of these postings.I take this opportunity to express my gratitude and thanks to all of them.

 Richard Armon says:"Retired is being twice tired.First , tired of working.Then tired of not working"

C.C.Rodrigues says:"When a man retires,his wife gets twice the husband but only half the income."

TS Eliot says:"every end is also a beginning."

                   People ask me where I am going to stay and what I am planning to do after retirement.I will be ordinarily staying in Lucknow and plan to remain active in community sevice. I will do what I love to do.

                      In the last 35 years ,things have changed dramatically.I had my dreams in my youth to change the world for the better.Have I made any contribution?Are the dreams of my youth still there with me?Am I still true to them .My answer is :Yes , I am still true to the dreams of my youth and intend  to continue to  fulfill them in my second innings.I have tried to live by my principles and values some of which are:

1.Being worthy of the trust of my people.

2.Not to procrastinate in doing good work.

3.Competing with my own self.

4.Having hope but no expectations .Avoiding cynicism.

5.Prefering effectiveness over success.

6.Remaining happy.

7. Cultivating humility and non-arrogance.

Once again ,my thanks and goodbye to all , till we meet again.