An Open Letter to Mallika Sarabhai

 Saw your ‘all hearts’ interview with Sujit Nair (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPWQhi1XaRM).

Our generation, including Narendra Bhai which is in its 70’s has had a tumultuous roller coaster ride, rising from the ashes so to speak along with India. And most of us who left IIMA, half a century ago have lived an exciting and satisfying life. Your tears of helplessness that flowed unabashedly are unexpected from the Mallika of 74-76; an impossibly attractive and entitled woman who was from another ‘galaxy’. These tears reflect a few expected disappointments in an otherwise fulfilling life.    

Your disappointments are magnified by the callous attitude and aggressive behaviour of “People’ Representatives’ post 2002. It is unfortunate that our PRs, once elected promptly mortgage their rights and responsibilities to the Political Parties for a few bucks (in Crores): Party bosses while professing to be Sewak of “We the People” never hesitate to orchestrate events like 1975 (emergency), 1984 (Sikh riots), 1990 (Mandal) 1992-93 (Babri Masjid), 2002 (Godhra), 2012 (Anti-Corruption), 2015 (Akhlaq), 2016 (DeMo), 2019 (Pulwama), 2023 (Nuh). These are part of the continuous ‘wars’ that our ‘democratic monarchs’ are engaged in. They may not use guns and bombs against each other; the cannon fodder remains the same, i.e. We the People.   

All governance rules, codes and constitutions, in all cultures and under various ‘isms’ have been developed and operated by wo/men in Power, driven by the underlying concern to ‘control’ the ‘pagans. And ‘we the people’ have allowed these worthies to even staddle our social, religious and cultural lives, way beyond the legitimate role in providing security- internal and external, and making policy choices for the economy.   

Having ensured economic security after a lifetime of managing Commercial enterprises, one had time to look up: And mind space to deeply study the issues in our social and public spaces. Could the basic management tools of “Structures Systems and Processes” and ‘incentives’ be used to devise Good Governance Practices- the political GMP?

It must be noted that the economy is a hard place and its political and commercial management require ‘nerves of steel’: Ethics and morality may operate at the margin. 

Being mindful of the constitutional principles of ‘checks and balance’ and separation of powers, “Factory Resets’ have been crafted to, i) create equal opportunities for Capacity Building – of living and being, ii) equality of opportunity to be ‘elected’ and ‘selected’, and iii) be able to work with adequate degrees of freedom’ in institutions that are in turn committed to work on their intended/ constitutional purpose using “GGP’, iv) be handsomely paid and above all v) be recognised and applauded for ‘good’ outcomes, as envisioned in the Preamble.   

Probably it is a first attempt by a member of “We the People '', the sovereign in a democracy, at writing the “Governance Rules’. The tapasya of eight long years by this Vaanprasthi ‘baniya’ was published in November 2023 – “Factory Reset of Governance Rules' ' – Democracy FOR the People.

This Business Plan for democratic governance also saves substantial sums for the 'Bhartiya Lok Nidhi’, while ensuring ‘good bang for the buck’ for “we the people".   

I propose to devote my resources and the next eight years, most of the rest of life, to push the “Resets”, the “implementation prescriptions’, to the center stage.

May I request (shamelessly) that you and Sujit pick up a copy online, review it for a way larger audience that you command. Gee, the thought of honoring your tears has turned out to be a lengthy diatribe that took three days to ‘sculpt’!   

Level Playing Fields

 Level Playing Fields 

In a democracy, elections are a pivotal point in the life of an aspiring politician. Her social, political and even economic standing depends on the outcome of the election. Therefore, the 'animal spirits' of the political humans are in full roar. 

 

*"Model code of conduct" (a 312-page document for GE 2019, and 215 pages for GE 2024) and massive policing ‘bandobast’ and spends end up catching some 'freebies' and/or a slap on the wrist of erring politicos (friendly?). The punishment for a similar misbehaviour is wildly different depending on the stature and level of the offender. 

And many wide-eyed accounts of soaring election expenses by Candidates (in tens of Crores), by Political Parties (in thousands of Crores) and by Government and non-state actors (in hundreds of Crores) appear in the public domain: The Election commission in its wisdom tries to ensure a ‘level playing field’ by allowing an election expense of ₹95 Lakh per candidate for Lok Sabha and ₹40 Lakh for Vidhan Sabha. A small change!  

*And the cries for “level playing field’ become strident and shrill.

Recently, another element has been added this ‘cauldron’ viz. “loss of governance time’: A ‘High Level Committee’ of “High-Level Personages’ has been constituted to work on this oxymoron.  

 

*Shakespeare opined that “all the world’s a stage, and all the wo/men are but actors”. The Contestants in every ‘competitive’ human activity- sports, business, politics and all else, require a ‘level playing field’ for effective and beneficial ‘play’ of their capabilities.    

Most ‘stages’ in human affairs are naturally uneven; but the ‘wo/men in power’ are wont to design ‘rules’ that tilt the fields in their favour and dig holes to handicap the ‘others’.

 

*The Election Processes need an urgent reset ensuring that ‘We the People’ are enabled to elect a candidate worthy of our trust.  

Factory Reset 1.0: The Election Commission should first call for nominations to be completed by a given date. 

Reset 1.1: The EC after scrutiny and approval of nomination must announce the list of candidates for each of the constituencies, by day 30.

Reset 1.2 “We the People” will be duly informed the list of Candidates who are vying to win our trust, and their declared credentials, thru the local media. 

Reset 1.3: The district administration will organise 'Election Townhall' to educate the electorate. 

Reset 1.4: Panchayats will ensure that ~1,200 households under its jurisdiction (average for India) are well documented, enabling them to vote. 

  

Factory Reset 2.0:  On the 31st Day all nominated persons will be declared and addressed as "Candidate"; and all must resign their positions of power and profit.    

Reset 2.1: The President's Rule will be imposed and the Government will function with a council of Secretaries under leadership of the Cabinet Secretary. 

Reset 2.2: On the 31^st days the Election Schedule will be announced. 

 

Factory Reset 3.0:  The Candidates must return to their constituencies and must campaign only in her constituency and nowhere else, for next 30 days. 

Reset 3.1: Candidates may canvass and speak to their electorate from a common and same platform, as practiced in Mizoram. (Mizoram tops the “happiness index’ charts in India)

Reset 3:1 The ECI will schedule the voting and result days appropriately.

  

*The Book "Factory Reset of Governance Rules" -Democracy FOR the People, which is a 'business plan' for Good Governance, lays out resets to ensure that a candidate may hope to win the election by spending less than ₹ One Crore. 

And, the cost to the "Bhartiya Lok Nidhi" - the Consolidated Fund of India will be almost NIL. 

 

*The Economy may gainfully utilise additional ₹60K Crores to ₹70K Crores for uses that economically strengthen the Republic: Enabling it to move many citizens to economic security.

*More importantly, our ‘unshackled’ People’s Representatives will operate with adequate ‘degrees of freedom’ to discharge their compact with her constituents and her constitutional responsibilities: Enabling Bharat to take firm strides towards a “Khushhaal Bharat”.