Re: Suhrid Ganguly

[Kush Khatri <free_voice@yahoo.com>]

If the message that goes out is that young people do not have to be
sacrificial lambs to change the system--then by all means it should go
out.  I do not have all the details.  But if you and others think that
this will not encourage suicide--rather the opposite--then we must go
on.  I am in full agreement that people like Suhrid should never be
forgotton.

What you have written about the tyranny of corruption is so true. 
Remember when you asked in one of your posts which embassy in NewDelhi
are people flocking to? I was then going to write, that average people
come to united states not necessarily because they will become
super-rich, but because as long as they have a job--any job--they can
expect a reasonably good quality of life. To me it was a surprise that
there was an uninterrupted power supply, continuous clean water
connection, a sewage system that worked and surprise of all surprises
people had continuous cooking gas in their homes!  Like you, I also
remember being surprised when I got the first phone connection in two
days (actually before time) and I could obtain my driving license in a
matter of couple hours without paying a single cent of bribe.  
To add to all this, America has the most open immigration laws, and
might I say the fairest of all immigration laws in the world. 
Americans have not forgotton that they are an immigrant nation and the
fairness of these people is reflected in the fact that no generation
has the right to shut the door to those coming behind them.  The
fairness is also reflected in the fact that once you are in, all
people (citizens, immigrants, refugees) are treated EQUAL under the
law. Immigrants have full right to acquire property and eventually
become citizens.  Compare this to the middle east and other countries
where a foreigner always remains an expatriate, is never treated as
equal and granting of citizenship is more of an exception.
It is this what attracts people to this country and not necessarily
the business opportunities that exists here.
Just one last point.  It is true that utilites here are privately
operated.  But once again credit is due to the citizens and local
governments(Public Utilities Commissions and Boards) and excellent
record keeping and audit systems.  Utility companies are well
regulated, but not controlled by government(local and state
governments)  Once again private utilites, in my view, are a tribute
to good government as much as they are to business enterprise.  It
strenghens the earlier discussion we had that without good government
businesses cannot function optimally.
  
I am getting nervous posting these notes. I know everyone is busy, but
not all have to post long notes. A line, a comment will go a long way
in guiding this discussion.  Therefore, please write.  Thanks.
Kush Khatri.

---Sanjeev Sabhlok <sabhlok@almaak.usc.edu> wrote:
>
> Dear Kush,
> 
> I hope that one is trying to send the message that there are other
ways
> than this (suicide) to change the system. There is no question
whatsoever
> of glorifying suicide.
> 
> However, and I would like to get your views on this: this particular
> suicide, I think, was not a usual suicide in any sense of the word.
> Instead, it was a strong political statement about our system from a
very
> educated and honest engineer. It was a statement, a punctuation,
marking
> the nadir of our "inglorious" attempts at state control of the
economy. 
> 
> If you note, this protest was against precisely the monopoly of
socialism
> that I have been talking about. It was about a telephone company in
> Calcutta. We have complete government monopolies here. No competition
> whatsoever. There is neither any choice before the people, nor any
> rational way to meet the demand without bribing the petty
functionaries of
> our socialistic system. 
> 
> I personally never had the occasion to bribe anyone, because I was
> "sheltered" from all such stuff by the power weilded by my father, and
> later, by me. I have always had the power in the system to get my
phones
> working, for example, by simply calling up the biggest official in
> the system.
> 
> In fact, the telephones department has used my "services" to
officially
> inaugurate the modern telephone exchange at Barpeta, a district
> headquarter, in 1989. 
> 
> But this power of big officials on the 'system' is rapidly
declining. For
> I remember that I have had the occasion of going personally to the
dirty
> and filthy local telephone office - as an Addl.  Secy. in Guwahati -
> sitting with the junior engineers of the telephone department,
requesting
> them to attend to my phone, after repeated attempts to get the phone
> repaired by other methods such as using my junior officers, and
calls to
> the big shots of the Guwahati telephone department, failed. 
> 
> If that is my fate today, what is the fate of the Gangulys of India?
No
> bribe, no phone; no bribe, no repair. Etc.
> 
> I vouch for the fact that in Australia, when I - a complete
foreigner to
> that nation - occupied my house on the first day, I called the
telephone
> company from a public booth outside my house for connecting my phone
and
> within three hours, my phone was working and it never went out of
order
> even once in that one year.  Similarly, in the US, things like
phone, gas,
> water, electricity, etc., are so well-managed - through private
> competition, primarily - that I have ALWAYS felt better off as a poor
> student in these nations than as a big-shot official in India. 
> 
> Of what use is my personal prestige and power in India if everyone
not in
> similar positions - including perhaps my children in the future - is
going
> to suffer from the consequences of our mismanaged economy and polity? 
> 
> If you like, I can remove references to Ganguly or his (I hope not
quite) 
> meaningless attempt to solve the problem of India. Instead, I can
dedicate
> it to all those who have suffered in big ways or small, the
consequences
> of our state-run monopolistic systems. 
> 
> I would like us to propose complete privatization of the telephone
sector,
> with the proviso that we have massive competition in the sector.
That, in
> my considered view, is the only way to competely eliminate the
corruption
> in this nasty department (by the way, which department is not
"nasty"  in
> India?). 
> 
> Sanjeev
> 
> On Wed, 22 Apr 1998, Kush Khatri wrote:
> 
> > 
> > Sanjeev:  Your message regarding this brave young man was indeed
moving.
> > This is the first time I have heard anybody in the Indian community
> > taking collective responsibility.  We do not hear any such
sentiments
> > from the so-called leadership of India or the Indian community in
> > North America.  A society, a democratic society in particular, has a
> > moral collective responsibility.  This collective responsibility, in
> > particular, is toward that community that nurtured us and helped us
> > grow.  This collective responsibility does not vanish because one
> > begins to live away from his/her "original" community.  It does
not go
> > away because we get green cards or different passposrts.   I am so
> > pleased that you brought up this concept which makes us human and
> > politically righteous.
> > 
> > This dovetails with what I have been saying ad neauseum:  corruption
> > is the number one problem in India.  Why?   Because it is corruption
> > which perpetuates this tyrannical system.   No one  can afford to
have
> > a casual attitude toward the root cause of all problems. Especially,
> > when people are dying because of it.  The stance that you can solve
> > other problems without even tackling this issue is beyond me.  
> > 
> > I have full sympathy for this young man and appreciate the sacrifice
> > he made.  My suggestion, however,  is that instead of dedicating
this
> > list to ONE person why not dedicate it to all victims of tyranny in
> > post-independent India?  Remember the high incidence of suicide
among
> > cotton growing farmers just a few months back, I believe in Andhra
> > Pradesh?
> > (that is just an example that came to my mind) 
> > 
> > But in all this I have another concern:  How do you do such a
> > dedication without glorifying or encouraging suicide?    We have
to be
> > careful here.  There are a lot of emotional young people out there
> > ready to immolate themselves if their passions are stirred. 
> > While we rightly take on collective responsibility,  I will be
opposed
> > to any such message going out from us to the young people of India
> > that suicide is O.K. 
> > Regards,
> > Kush Khatri
> > 
> > ---Sanjeev Sabhlok  wrote:
> > >
> > > I wanted to take the permission of members of this list to
dedicate
> > this
> > > list to the memory of Suhrid Ganguly, of whom I heard only today
> > through a
> > > news clipping. He was one among millions. One of us. There were
many
> > like
> > > him before, there will be many more.
> > > 
> > > I am summarizing the news clipping on this person. (full details
are
> > on
> > > Clarinet News 1997, April 21, 1998.)
> > > 
> > > April 17, 1998. A 22-year old Indian, Suhrid Ganguly, an engineer,
> > > committed suicide in the eastern city of Calcutta... Ganguly's
suicide
> > > note said he was taking "an extreme step" as "there is no way to
> > change
> > > the system and get an honest right to live." B.B. Das, an official
> > from
> > > the telephone department said: "This incident is unprecedented,"
but
> > > added, "I admit that taking bribes are commonplace." 
> > > 
> > > Though he was only one of millions (as are all of us,
individually), I
> > > genuinely believe that we need to keep these symbolic sacrifices
(of
> > life
> > > and blood) in mind as we continue our debates. 
> > > 
> > > I had this poem on my page entitled: "We are a Nation of One"
> > > 
> > > It is available at:
http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~sabhlok/Poems/life.html
> > > 
> > > I think that this poem (written in 1989) needs to be dedicated
to the
> > > Gangulys of India, too. I believe that Ganguly did not commit
> > suicide.  He
> > > was killed by us, collectively, and altogether, by our
indifference.
> > We
> > > shall not be indifferent anymore.
> > > 
> > > I have modified the web archive page accordingly. Please take a
look
> > at:
> > > 
> > > http://www.cinenet.net/lists/search.html
> > > 
> > > Thanks,
> > > 
> > > Sanjeev
> > > 
> > > If anyone knows of Mr. Ganguly's family in anyway, anywhere,
through
> > > anyone, please let them know that his sacrifice shall not have
been in
> > > vain. 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
> > _________________________________________________________
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> > 
> 
> 

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