EDITOR'S COLUMN

Friends 

With this issue we are ushering into the 13th year of its persevering and diligent existence. It was in Nov 2000 that we hit the trail Towards a Purposeful Regimen. As usual, in recent times, we are upbeat about our journey in the world of letters. We are looking forward with renewed vigour to make our journey meaningful in the larger context of pan Indian evolution.

India is a happening place of all kinds, from bizarre to ridiculous. Take the case of a Samajwadi Party MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh. The other day he was protesting against the alleged ‘persecution of innocent people’ by the police, outside the police headquarters in the Baharaich district. On asking, ‘if he is into Gandhigiri of peaceful protest’, his answer spoke volumes of the rot within the political establishment of India and particularly in UP. “Hum Gandhi nahee, hum tho mafia hain, hamare khilaaf chaalis mukaddamein hain. Badmash Aadmi Gandhi Kahan ho saktaa hai”. At least, Sharan Singh was honest in admitting his darker side. But can he be honest to serve the nation and therefore aam aadmi, the mango people?

Of course, as usual we have taken up many of the happenings of the month that went by, for its news content and relevance in the larger context of Issues & Concerns. Month-in-Perspective is a tiny trip into the happening India. We have tried, to fit whatever we could, within the space constraint. Hope our readers find them interesting. 

Scandals, scams & the elephantine progress is a regular feature and an essential part of our development story. Veerbhadra Singhs, Nitin Gadkaris, Robert Vadras or even Vijay Mallya’s King Fisher stories are all part of our evolution towards, hopefully, a ‘developed’ society. The skeletons of corruption, looting of national resources, mismanagement of economic activities, keep on cropping up, as if from unexpected quarters. 

Loot of public money for private gain has been an ongoing process for a better part of India, a Super Power in waiting. But the way things are, it appears that this status of ‘Super Power-in-waiting’ can be interminable. Poor Dr APJ Abdul Kalam must be wondering, ‘Where did I go wrong!’ when he said that by 2020, India can be a Super Power. Nothing can be more farfetched, in a country where 1/3 of its population goes to bed hungry with and a host of myriad negatives in the Human Development Index. Indians continues to be poor in a country that has allowed riches in a few hands. We have tried to tell in Focus how this national loot has affected our quality of life in general. Hope our readers shall find it interesting. Do revert with your thoughts.