कैनवास पर प्रेम!

एक कुशल नट अपने खेल में हर बार रस्सी के अलग अलग हिस्से में अपनी लय और संतुलन खोने का दिखावा करता है जिससे की देखने वाला हर बार एक नए रोमांच से रूबरू हो. प्रेम कहानी के लेखक को भी एक सधे हुए नट की मानिंद रोज़ उसी रस्सी पर चलते हुए अलग अलग हिस्सों में अपना संतुलन खोने का नाटक करना होता है जिससे की पाठक को हर बार एक नया खेल रचे जाने का आभास होता रहे. एक सफल प्रेम कथा का कहने वाला वो है अपनी रचना में इस रोमांच को बनाये बसाये रखे.


प्रेम की अधिकतर कहानियों में यही होता है की अपने से आर्थिक और सामाजिक रूप से कमजोर तबके का एक साधारण सा लड़का और बहुत ऊँचे कुल खानदान और सामाजिक हैसियत वाली लड़की. खाप की भूमिका में परिवार और दोस्ती के लिए जान लुटाने को तैयार बैठे दोस्त, फिर बिछोह और दुनिया समाज से संघर्ष! अब अगर कहानीकार समर्थ है और रचना को क्लासिक बनाना चाहता है तो लड़का और लड़की बिछड़ जाते हैं, कुर्बान हो जाते हैं. और लोकप्रिय और सुखांत बनाना है तो लड़का लड़की समाज के बाहर अपनी एक नयी दुनिया बनाते है. अब इसी बेसिक प्लाट में जो चाहे वेरिएशन कर लीजिये और एक प्रेम कहानी तैयार! बीते दिनों खासी चर्चित रहा विमलेश त्रिपाठी का भारतीय ज्ञानपीठ से प्रकाशित उपन्यास “कैनवास पर प्रेम” भी इसी धारा की एक रचना है.

“कैनवास पर प्रेम”, एक चित्रकार सत्यदेव शर्मा के जीवन के कैनवास पर चढ़ते, उतरते प्रेम, जुदाई और समर्पण के विविध रंगों की कहानी है. सत्यदेव शर्मा को जीवन में दो बार अपने से आर्थिक और तथाकथित जातिय और सामाजिक रूप से बेहतर परिवार वाली लड़कियों से प्रेम हो जाता है. पर ये मोहब्बतें दोनों बार परवान नहीं चढ़तीं. एक उजाड़ बियाबान जिंदगी जीते सत्यदेव पर नज़र पड़ती है विमल बाबू की जो बकलम खुद एक चिरकुट लेखक हैं और उनके अन्दर का कथाकार, उनकी पत्नी के तमाम प्रतिरोधों पर हावी हो कर उनको सत्यदेव की कहानियाँ टुकड़ों में सुनने पर विवश सा कर देता है. कहानी सुनने के क्रम में सत्यदेव के जीवन के दो असफल प्रेम प्रसंगों से कुछ हद तक उद्दविग्न विमल बाबू, कोलकाता की एक प्रसिद्द आर्ट गैलरी में चल रही प्रदर्शनी से सत्यदेव शर्मा की दूसरी प्रेमिका, रिंकी सेन को खोज निकालते हैं और इसका हासिल यह होता है की सालों पहले के खोये प्रेम को अचानक अपने सामने देख कर आये हार्ट स्ट्रोक के कारण अस्पताल में पहुंचे सत्यदेव का हाल बयान कर कहानी एक ऐसे मोड़ पर ख़त्म होती है जहाँ से आगे हर सुखांत हर दुखांत की कल्पना करने को पाठक स्वतंत्र छोड़ दिया जाता है.

कहानी तो बहुत सामान्य सी है, दुनिया का सबसे हिट स्टोरी फार्मूला - प्रेम. पर इस प्रेम-कहानी को सुनने-सुनाने का अंदाज़ जुदा है. लेखक और कथाकार के साथ आप भी सत्यदेव शर्मा से टुकड़ों टुकड़ों में कथा सुनते हैं, बहुत सी चीज़ें समझते हैं और फिर जब कहानी का वो हिस्सा आता है जहाँ किस्सागोई अपने उरूज़ पर होती है वहीँ पर कथा रोक दी जाती है, और कुछ नया चलने लगता है. आप पन्ना दर पन्ना, लाइन दर लाइन, शब्द दर शब्द सत्यदेव शर्मा के बारे में जानने को उत्सुक हुए जा रहे हैं, “मयना” (सत्यदेव की पहली प्रेमिका) और “सैफू” (सत्यदेव का बचपन का मित्र) का क्या हुआ? ये सवाल आपको अगला पन्ना पलटने को विवश कर रहे हैं, की लेखक पत्नी के जाग जाने के डर का बहाना कर घर भाग आता है और सोने की असफल कोशिश करते हुए कहानी को एक विराम सा देने लगता है. आपको खीझ होती है कि ये क्या नौटंकी है भाई? पर आप आगे बढ़ते हैं कि चलो कोई नहीं संस्कारी पति है, माफ़ किया! पर तभी अचानक सत्यदेव का विचलन शुरू हो जाता है. जिस बन्दे को आप पिछली मुलाकात में “मयना” के साथ गुजरात भागने को तैयार छोड़ आये थे, वो अगली मुलाकात में कोलकाता के एक शराबी वाल पेंटर की कथा लेकर बैठ गया है. अचानक कहानी में रिंकी सेन आ जाती है जो पहले तो सत्यदेव के बहुत निकट आ जाती है फिर बिना बताये अचानक उससे बहुत दूर चली जाती है कोलकाता से सीधा अमेरिका. इस किस्सागोई में कहीं कोई तरतीब नहीं, कोई लय नहीं.

मैंने अपनी बीएड की पढाई भगवान् बुद्ध की महापरिनिर्वान स्थली कुशीनगर के बुद्ध पीजी कालेज से की है. वहां पास के कसबे कसया में फसलों के मौसम में सिनेमा हाल वाले एक प्रयोग करते थे. छोटी लो-बजट फिल्में 2/3 दिन के लिए लगा दिया करते और फिर हर तीसरे दिन फिल्म बदल जाती. इनमे ज्यादातर दक्षिण भारतीय कन्नड़, तेलुगु मलयालम फिल्में होती जो हिंदी में डब कर के दिखाई जाती थीं. एक बार एक फिल्म देखी थी मैंने भी साथियों के साथ वहाँ, ऐसे ही एक सिनेमा हाल में. उस फिल्म के पहले सीन में नायक नायिका का विवाह हुआ, दूसरे सीन में नायिका के बाप के अड्डे पर गुंडों से हीरो का संघर्ष, तीसरे हिस्से में नायक नायिका की कॉलेज में पहली मुलाकात और नोक झोंक, मध्यांतर के बाद पहले हीरो की बहन का रेप हुआ और फिर नायिका का बदमाश बाप मारा गया और फिल्म समाप्त होने से पहले नायिका ने नायक के प्रणय निवेदन को स्वीकार किया. फिल्म ख़त्म होने के बाद पूछ ताछ करने पर हम लोगों को पता चला की उस दिन वहां जो सज्जन सिनेमा की रील बदला करते थे, उनकी साली की शादी थी और उनका अनाड़ी असिस्टेंट हमें उल्टा-पुल्टा सिनेमा दिखा रहा था. पर सिनेमा के ख़त्म होते होते कहानी तो समझ आ ही गयी थी और यकीन जानिए मनोरंजन तो खूब हुआ. क्योंकि टुकड़ों टुकड़ों में बिखरी बेतरतीबी में अपनी एक तरतीब होती है, एक लुत्फ़ होता है. ये बेतरतीबी कई बार तरतीब से कहीं अधिक खुशनुमा हो सकती है. ये कुछ वैसा ही होता है जैसे बगिया और जंगल का भेद. “कैनवास पर प्रेम” पढ़ते समय वो फिल्म और कसया की वो शाम याद आ गयी, हाँ तमाम कोशिशों के बाद फिल्म का नाम याद नहीं पड़ सका.

एक नदी की राह में आने वाला हर अवरोध, हर चट्टान उसे एक नया मोड़ और गति देने में सक्षम होते हैं. विमलेश की इस रचना में कथा सरिता के प्रवाह पर ऐसे अवरोध बनाये गए जैसे किसी नदी पर कई सारे छोटे छोटे सुनियोजित से बांध, जो नदी की लय और उसके बहाव को नियंत्रित कर लेने का काम करते हैं. जब और जहाँ जरूरी हुआ वहां बाँध के फाटक उठा दिए गए, कथा सरिता का वेग बढ़ चला. लेखक ने जानबूझ कर बहुत सफाई से उपन्यास की भाषा के प्रवाह को उन जगहों पर एक अलग धारा में मोड़ा है जहाँ से एक सीधी सपाट प्रेम कथा को एक नयी लय मिल सके.

“कैनवास पर प्रेम” में शिल्प के प्रयोग हैं, कहानी कहने का कौशल है, उतार चढ़ाव है पर कहानी तो वही है जिसे हम आप कई उपन्यासों में पढ़ चुके हैं, कई कहानियों में सुन चुके हैं. अगर किसी पेंटिंग से तुलना करें तो कह सकते हैं की “कैनवास पर प्रेम” एक सुन्दर कोलाज सरीखी रचना है. पर इस कोलाज को बनाते समय चित्रकार ने कैनवास पर चढ़े कागज को ढंग से नहीं परखा. एक मटमैले बैकग्राउंड पर बना एक सुन्दर रंगीला कोलाज.

कहानी में नयेपन के सख्त अभाव के बीच किस्सागोई की रोचक शैली, कहानी कहने का अपना एक अलहदा अंदाज़, कथा सरिता के उतार चढ़ाव “कैनवास पर प्रेम” को एक पठनीय रचना बनाते हैं और कहानी कहने के शऊर से रूबरू होने के लिए इस रचना को पढ़ा जाना चाहिए.

अन्ना जी राह बहुत कठिन है

लोकपाल विधेयक का एक ऐसा मसौदा तैयार करने की शुरुआत हो गयी है जो जनभावनाओ और जनाकांक्षाओं को समेटते हुए एक नवीन व्यवस्था का सृजन करेगा. अब सवाल कुछ ऐसे हैं जो अनुत्तरित रह जाते हैं. इन सवालों का जवाब हर किसी को देना होगा जो इस आन्दोलन से जुड़ा हुआ है. यह सवाल सरल हैं, यह सवाल सीधे हैं पर बेहद जरूरी हैं और पूरे देश को न सही पर कुछ उन लोगों को इनका जवाब जरूर चाहिए जिनके मन में यह सवाल उठ रहे हैं........

१. अरविन्द केजरीवाल साहब कल (१०.४.२०११) किसी न्यूज़ चैनल को साक्षत्कार में कह रहे थे की समिति में कौन है इस बहस में मत पड़िये, बहस ये हो की विधेयक का प्रारूप कैसा होगा! सही बात अरविन्द जी, परन्तु हम लोगों को दुर्भाग्य से अभी भी गाँधी जी की साधन की पवित्रता वाली बात नहीं भूली है . और हम सब समझ नहीं पा रहे हैं की महाराष्ट्र के गाँधी हमारे अन्ना जो अब पूरे देश में गांधीवाद के नए हस्ताक्षर के रूप में उभरे हैं वो साधन की पवित्रता वाली बात कैसे भूल गए या भूल सकते हैं.

२. ज्यादातर गैर सरकारी संगठन कॉर्पोरेट घरानों की आर्थिक सहायता पर काम करते हैं, ऐसे संगठन इतना नैतिक बल कहाँ से लायेंगे की वो उन लोगों के खिलाफ कड़ा कानून फ्रेम कर सकें जिनकी सहायता से वो चल रहे हैं. और हम सभी भली भांति ये जानते हैं की नौकरशाह और राजनेता भ्रष्टाचार करते हैं तो लाभ का सबसे बड़ा हिस्सा कुछ उद्योगों का होता है किसी राजनीतिक दल का नहीं.

३. एक सवाल यह है की कोई भी आन्दोलन बिना आर्थिक मदद के नहीं चलता है. जंतर मंतर पर जुटी भीड़ निश्चित तौर पर प्रायोजित नहीं थी पर सवाल यह है इतनी बड़ी संख्या में लोगों तक पहुँचने के लिए देश भर में जो दौरे किये गए उन दौरों में लगने वाला खर्चा किस स्रोत से आया या फिर किसने वहन किया .

४. जो मौजूदा समिति आज बनी है उसमे विपक्षी दलों से कौन लोग शामिल हैं यह पता नहीं चला पर जब बिल संसद में होगा तो इसका समर्थन या विरोध हम और आप नहीं यही राजनितिक दल करेंगे. तो क्यूँ नहीं उनको आज ही इस मुहीम में शामिल करके आने वाले कल की दुश्वारियों को आज ही ख़तम कर लिया जाता.

यह सवाल कुछ ऐसे हैं जो हम सब को बार बार लगातार परेशान करते हैं. इन सवालों का जवाब दिया जाना जरूरी है.

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अन्ना के नाम एक पत्र

आदरणीय अन्ना

आप हम १२५ करोड़ भारतीयों के लिए आज आशा के एक नए पुंज के रूप में उदित हुए हैं. जो कुछ भी आप आज कर रहे हैं उसने हम सब के मन में एक नया जोश उत्साह और विश्वास भर दिया है. हम सब आज पूर्ण रूप से आश्वस्त हैं की आपके नेतृत्व में हम लोग भारतभूमि को भ्रष्टाचार रुपी दलदल से मुक्त करवा लेने की दिशा में एक ठोस कदम उठा लेंगे. पर आज इस अपार आशा के माहौल में मुझे इतिहास के कुछ उदाहरण याद आ रहे हैं. एक बापू का दूसरा लोकनायक का तीसरा माओ का चौथा कर्नल नसीर का और पांचवा नेहरु जी का. अपने अपने राष्ट्रों के लिए राष्ट्र निर्माता की हैसियत इन सभी की है पर इनके सपनो का कितना अंश इनके देश में आज दीखता है यह गंभीर सवाल है. गाँधी जी और लोक नायक के सपनो का भारत बनते बनते रह गया क्यूंकि शाशन की बागडोर उनके हाथ में नहीं उनके शिष्यों के हाथ में रही. आज आप भारत को एक नयी दिशा देने की देहलीज़ पर खड़े हैं और आपसे अनुरोध है की अपने शिष्यों पर एक प्रभावी नियंत्रण रखियेगा और आम जन से खुद समय समय पर मुखातिब होते रहिएगा, वरना शायद इस देश का जनमानस कल को आपके सपनो से दूर खड़ा दिखेगा बिना यह जाने हुए की वह दूर हो गया. हम नहीं चाहते की हमारी पीढ़ी को भी इतिहास याद रखे की हमने एक सूर्य की रौशनी को बर्बाद होने दिया नहा कर बाल सुखाने में, जब कि सारे कपडे गीले रह गए.

भारत कि आशा आप ही हैं .

आप का एक अनुयायी

AYODHYA DISPUTE

Finally the verdict arrives, but pseudo secularists are very sad because it didn’t arrive on the chariot of bloodshed and violence. The evening of September 30 marked the dawn of a new era. Yes there are feelings of discontent, there are feelings of disappointment about the decision of the H’ble High Court, but all the feelings were expressed in such a matured way that entire world should learn from Indian people.

Now a few words from my keyboard … as I cant refrain from writing a few lines…

1. Yes, decision is not 100% based on logic and can not be treated legally sound but the question to be answered here by critics is – Is FAITH 100% logical and legal? If faith is something much above the limitations of logics and legal soundness how could be the decision?

2. Shri Ram’s era is a matter of dispute for most of historians, but nobody can doubt stature of Shri Ram as GOD in Hindu system of belief. But all people have a correct knowledge of the era in which Babar and Meer Baki lived on this earth. But still no documentary evidence of orders for constitution of a mosque was shown to common people by any of the party.

3. Court decided the partition of land on the basis of law of possession, so this is something which is not sentimental but legal.

4. Those, who refuse the report of ASI and historical evidences, should make it very clear that what else they will accept and refuse according to there own law of convenience.

5. Politics should be kept far from the premise of Ayodhya now onwards and BJP, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Congress all should keep silence over the issue, because Ayodhya and Muslims are no more concern of the political parties. They are part of the nation and they need their own sphere of privacy to realize their true needs and priorities.

People all around the globe are looking towards Indian Democracy and this decision has no risk on future of Indian Democracy, because neither Shahbano case nor the Gujrat riots have loosened the firm bases of Indian Democracy. Our democracy is efficient enough because of the check and balance mechanism which few highly evolved democracies of the world have.

Naxalism: An Inclusive Growth Syndrome

State exists as machinery which brings about positive changes in the life of its citizens. Most of the time this duty of state is not fulfilled properly because either there is lack of resources or the policy formulation is faulty. As the demands of all groups of citizens are not addressed adequately it leads to a situation of discontent among the citizens. This discontent of citizens is either with the agencies of state like government, bureaucracy or judiciary or is with the state itself. Whenever there is discontent with the agencies of the state, people opt for the option of agitations which are comparatively peaceful and are focused on forcing the state to change its policies or reorganize the structure of agencies of the state. The bandhs, dharnas or the strikes are the techniques used to show discontent towards government policies and governmental agencies.

Sometimes the discontent is not with the policies or agencies of the state, but on the contrary, a group of people consider the state itself as a failure and try to establish a new state either through popular consensus or through use of sheer force. Such groups or individuals are in favour of extensive use of violence to dismantle state agencies and re-establish a new state with some different basis. One such stream of citizens in this world community is the Marxist. They criticize the very basic notion of state as an institution because it is based on the principle of violence and suppression. To make individual capable of attaining most appropriate level of development they advocate for a stateless society attained through the means of Revolution (which could be violent if necessary). Mao, who used the principles of Marxism to develop his own thesis of revolution, is most prominent figure for most of communists of 20th century. Using the technique of Guerrilla warfare Mao took over the power in China from Chyang Kai-shek and created a new people’s republic in China on communist lines. After 1950s most of the leftist groups who supported violence as the only means of establishing communist state felt proud to be called as Maoist.

The Communist Party of India in 1948 utilized the prevailing poverty to organize a movement against the state authority. By July 1948, 2,500 villages in the south were organized into 'communes' as part of a peasant movement which came to be known as Telangana Struggle. Simultaneously the famous Andhra Thesis for the first time demanded that 'Indian revolution' follow the Chinese path of protracted people's war. In June 1948, a leftist ideological document 'Andhra Letter' laid down a revolutionary strategy based on Mao Tse-tung’s New Democracy. By the year 1964 CPM (Communist Party of India, Marxist) split from CPI and decided to participate in elections, postponing armed struggle over revolutionary policies to a day when revolutionary situation prevailed in the country. The decade of 1960s was very eventful. Charu Majumdar was actively advocating the need of a revolution through his various articles, which were later on known as 'Historic Eight Documents' and formed the basis of Naxalite movement in India. In the year 1967 CPM formed a coalition government in West Bengal with the support of Bangla Congress. This was seen as betrayal from ideology by the young cadres. The rebel cadres led by Charu Majumdar launch a peasants' uprising at Naxalbari in Darjeeling district of West Bengal after a tribal youth, who had a judicial order to plough his land, was attacked by "goons" of local landlords on March 2nd, 1967. Tribals retaliated and started forcefully capturing back their lands. The CPI (M)-led United Front government cracked down on the uprising and in 72 days of the "rebellion" a police sub-inspector and nine tribals were killed. The Congress government at the Centre supported the crackdown. The incident echoed throughout India and Naxalism was born.

From just one state in 1967, Naxal violence is now hitting 11 states in India. The rebels in these states are trying there level best to destroy the state machinery in the region with the use of brutal force. The Naxalites are problem for India’s internal security because to destabilize the state machinery and law and order of the region they target offices and families of the government employees. And most drastic truth is that not less than about 60% of the victims of such violence are common innocent citizens.

Until a few years from now, it was maintained by all groups of thinkers (be it rightist, leftist or centrist) that Naxalism (the indigenous name for Maoism) is result of well planned efforts of the extreme leftist who want to bring about Communist rule through violence. And should be simply seen as an effort to destabilize the authority of the state thus Naxalism is nothing else but a challenge to the internal security of Indian State. But most of the studies made about violent movements show that these kinds of movements spread because of existence of factors like acute poverty, severe disparities in living standards, lack of economic and livelihood opportunities and being treated as offenders and even criminals when they exercise their traditional rights. Concerned about the growth of Naxalism as a violent movement most of the social scientists started studying Naxalism in a different manner. If we see the major Naxalism hit areas it is the part of country with huge tribal population who are less concerned with Commune state. Major concern for them is that they should be given chances to enter in the main stream of growth and progress of our country. They should get proper education, medication and corruption free governance which is still a dream to be realized in several areas of that region. And Naxalism was seen as a problem spreading due to the lacunae in the implementation as well as policy formation of governmental machinery.

Today most popular thesis behind the spread of Naxal violence establishes that Naxalism aroused and sustained only because the state failed to reach the neediest ones. If those people are given their due justice and proper care then they may leave the path of violence and peace could be attained. This theory gained momentum after July 2006, when Planning Commission set up a 16 member expert group headed by D. Bandhopadhyay, Chairman of Council for Social Development, to study the causes of Naxalism.

The government opted for the policies of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization after 1991. All economic reforms since 1991 are centred on single concern and that is reduction of role of state and shift from welfare state to minimal state. It has been maintained that after 1991, government expenditure on public welfare has reduced and open market policies, SEZ etc have led to a situation in which the people of backward areas are remaining backward where as people in developed areas are growing with a faster speed than ever. The main concern of governmental policies after 1991 are, not the poor or the middle class but the propertied rich people, the capitalists and industrialists only. This theory holds fast because of the reason that it is not a coincidence that Naxal infested states have large tribal populations with poor infrastructure. Corruption, displacement due to large scale projects, inability to avail of benefits from mining of mineral resources, and exploitation by local officials add to increased resentment and increased reception to Naxal propaganda.

Question here is simple and that is what can be done in order to make sure that this big problem fails to flourish and grow in Indian state. Unlike jihad, Naxalism is a totally indigenous phenomenon motivated by domestic grievances and a domestic political agenda. Keeping in view that Naxalism is not merely a law & order problem, the policy of the Govt. is to address this menace simultaneously on political security, development and public perception management fronts in a holistic manner.


A few remedies could be proposed for such a big crisis

   1. Socio-economic issues:

The State Governments will need to accord a higher priority in their annual plans to ensure faster socio- economic development of the naxal affected areas. The focus areas should be to distribute land to the landless poor as part of the speedy implementation of the land reforms, ensure development of physical infrastructure like roads, communication, power etc. and provide employment opportunities to the youth in these areas.
  
2. Employment Opportunities

In order to wean away the potential youth from the path to militancy or Naxalism, employment opportunities has to be created in the naxal areas.

   3. Modernization of State Police

Adequate funds must be spent by the States and Centre to modernize their police forces in terms of modern weaponry, latest communication equipment, mobility and other infrastructure to cater the threat posed by left extremists.

  4. Strengthen intelligence set-up

Maoist terrorism cannot be effectively countered without modernising and strengthening our rural policing and the rural presence of the intelligence agencies.  Govt. has to pursue effective and sustained intelligence driven police action against Naxalites.

  5. Rehabilitation

To bring Naxalites back to the main stream of the society, effective surrender and rehabilitation policy has to be encouraged, which ensures a safe and honoured entry of Naxalites in the socio-economic structure of our country. The rehabilitation should be competent enough to make them feel proud for opting the path of peace and their faith in democracy should be rewritten with their participation.

6. Effective monitoring mechanism

The Central Government has to accords a very high priority to review and monitor the naxal situation and the measures being taken by the states on both security and development fronts to control it. Naxalism being an inter–state problem, the states will adopt a collective approach and pursue a coordinated response to counter it.


Conclusion:

Naxalism grows only when government fails to develop a framework for inclusive growth. So curbing Naxalism is possible only if state as an actor ensures its effective presence among the life of people who are lagging behind in the journey of growth and progress. Presence of state in true sense means corruption free governance with a scheme for development of the poorest and the neediest; so that grievances are addressed before they breed unrest and disloyalty towards state system and democracy. And with a system competent enough to yield growth, progress, development and well-being for those who were excluded from the mainstream; Naxalism or any such kind of violent agitation against State could be curbed comfortably.

Change the rider and not the horse

These days education specialists like Aamir Khan and Kapil Sibbal ji are stressing on one simple issue “The Restructuring of Indian Educational System” to make it more stress free and more oriented towards students. The emphasis of education according to these reform supporters should be on one single issue and that is what ever is given to the students is not a burden but a matter of bliss for them. Before we affirm or reject their views completely its better to look into below stated few instance.

Remember the day when you get less marks in mathematics and returned home with a sad face and dropped shoulders. What encouraged you more? A red face of your father or a soothing hug of your mom who simply kissed your forehead and said my son will do his best I know and will be a winner next time.

A reputed US research agency designed a test for checking the mental toughness of fighter pilots and most of European armies were consulted for conducting the test. But the US agency’s request was turned down. An engineering college in India was consulted and a few hundred rupees were offered to students appearing in the test. 95% passed it successfully with excellent grades.

And why is second case told here, just to point you one thing My friends Indian educational system is unique highly unique because it puts students into most severe brain storming conditions and the family support system in the country makes the students so much tough at mental level that they face all UPs and DOWNs with convenience and regard it as a part of life. JEEVAN EK SANGHARSH hai.

So my view is YES education should not be a burden and tell you, during my school life between 1983 and 1997 (Nursery to 12th) I never felt education as a burden even at the later stages of educational life. Learning was never a burden and despite a highly formal educational system we all enjoyed our university days and most of us still remember those days of fun filled learning. Yes a few dissatisfied were there. But for them educational system was lesser burden and higher burden was the day by day growing expectations of their family and parents who were never ready to accept their child as a looser in the race of life. Yes they were people for whom success was more important than anything else.

So my point here is, we may incorporate a varying degree of innovativeness in our educational system but if we really want our kids to be at their best than there should be a simple agenda. Make them competent enough to handle the stress of life. It will be possible only when we expose them to controlled level of stress through our educational system and provide them moral support at family and school administration level so that they learn to handle the stress without affecting their efficiency. And this could be done by just one minor level train the parents, the teachers and school and college administrators. And let the kids face all tough challenges with full courage in their own skills and abilities, because in this cruel world of market economy, only those will win who are tough at mental level.

DEMOCRACY AND GLOBALIZATION ARE THEY REALLY COMPATIBLE?

By the mid of 1970’s it was very clear that closed barriers cannot boost the war trodden economy of Europe. So globalization was presented as a ray of hope for the survival of the capitalist economies of the west. AS Globalization means integration of economies and societies through trans-national flow of information, ideas, technology, goods, services, capital, finance and the people i.e., “a world in a nest”. In order to make it acceptable to countries with lesser degree of technological advancement and lower level of capital, the forerunners of globalization declared that GLOBALIZATTION is the only economical alternative for creating healthy Democracy. Is this true? Is globalization really based on truly DEMOCRATIC ETHICS? Can democracies flourish in the war fields of FREE MARKET ECONOMY? The paper presented here deals in these questions. In order to analyze impact of globalization, institutions of democracy will be examined simultaneously taking into account challenges or cooperation posed to them because of Globalization.

GLOBALIZATION AND NATION STATE SYSTEM

Democracy is about constantly choosing, finding, and developing practical options within the sphere of common good. Options, which may express common good in some comfortable way not in some grand way. For more than 250 years democracy was nurtured and reared up by the Nation State theoreticians. They provided a basis for bringing people closer so that they may create certain level of understanding in order to participate united in the process of decision-making. This is a crude fact that the only power structure where people do participate is the government.

Fore runners of Globalization propagated that it is in the well being of entire civilization that we may surrender the concept of Government. Revival of free market economy with the END OF GOVERNMENT is the slogan and motive of all pro globalization forces. This is the first blow to democracy by globalization. The people are being taken away from the entire process of decision-making and, a few non-elected people run the world economic order. Those who don’t have confidence of a few thousand are deciding fate of entire human civilization.

Globalization is being sold to us as something that is and will be inevitable. Answer to “WHAT IS GOOD?” is given as “GOOD IS BEING FREE.” What is FREE? Free is not having a government, it’s not having regulations. If you want to be protected it means you are cowardly and afraid of freedom.

But if you are removing the power from Nation and putting it in to a global arena without compensating for that power taken away from the nation, will the equivalent power for the citizen also be transferred to the international level. If you transfer the power without the power of the citizen, then you are not weakening the nation; in fact you are weakening Democracy.

In past few decades several treaties have been signed at trans-national levels but those, which are binding ones, are the economic ones. And while trying to make Democracy more and more stronger we are destroying it by reducing its real scope for scope of people’s participation.

Peace is needed for the flourishment and growth of democracy and democratic institutions. We have been continuously told by the lobbyists of Globalization that we are in need of globalization for peace, as trade will flourish in a scenario of complete peace. This is one of the greatest lies ever told to mankind. Because we know very clearly from our knowledge of past that most of the wars, if not all are fought for trade and business. Be it the Franco-German war, the British-American war, the British-Argentinean war or the latest GULF War. This fact is strengthened if we examine the modus operendi of evolution of the colonial empires. Everywhere the Europeans entered as traders and focused on trade till conditions were favorable for them to sustain. Once they felt that conditions were going to be hard for them, they changed the conditions by using the power of guns.

DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH

We must never forget a fact that societies have shapes. A true democracy is Diamond shape. A few rich at top, a few very poor at bottom and most of people in the middle level with almost satisfactory living conditions and accumulation of wealth. Where as a real global economy is like a pyramid with a handful of people at top enjoying all the riches and wealth and most of the population at bottom (or base) forced to live in conditions of distress and misery. In such societies middle class acts as carrier. It carries orders to bottom and wealth to top.

Today it is a harsh reality that globalization is getting biggest challenges not from any other contemporary ideology but from its own contradictions. Globalization promises prosperity for all. But the path to prosperity goes through the bridges of monopoly and oligopoly. 51% of largest economies in the world are corporations and not countries. Canada ranks 8^th in that list and Australia is 15^th and WALL MART ranks 12^th in the list. Today top 200 companies share 28.3 % GDP of the world and these companies engage just 0.75% of work force of the world. The picture gets more horrible if we consider that 5 major companies of their respective fields control around 70% of business in there respective fields

Now this is a real horrible picture. Even if you are a hard core capitalist, than also you will feel horrified because if 99.25%are having share of 70% of worlds GDP than this means a decline in consumption level which will be fatal for the consumption based economic model. This means this economic rationalist model is a failure by its own definitions.

If we analyze the present methodology of lobbyists of globalization, they focus on two prime methods.

1. Cut the RED TAPE as soon as possible, & CUT TAXES as much as you can.

This is surprisingly same what individualist and capitalists demanded in the years of GREAT DEPRESSION.

EDUCATION AND GLOBALIZATION

Global societies put major emphasis on education, as we cannot achieve progress until we have a large number of educated people. But the educational system what globalization promotes is focused in making technocrats so that they get huge work force with technical abilities. Democracy also needs well-educated people for its growth. But Democratic societies flourish in a value based educational system and not a technology based system. The technology based educational system is result-oriented system and it has nothing to do with the values which human beings nurtured for generations so that they can live as human beings.

GLOBALIZATION AND ITS PHENOMENON

Our study shows that the forerunners of globalization, for its massive spread in democracies, adopted mainly two methods.

In democracies of third world, which are new and have lesser degree of accountable governments; methods of bribery and loot system were adopted by MNCs, in order to get established. By dealing in such ways MNCs get some illegal relaxations and manage to cut cost by getting cheapest labor and denying rules of pollution control etc.

In democracies, which are more established and transparent, MNCs change their techniques. By promising high taxes and employment to countrymen, they demand for special industrial estates or special economic zones. This is the biggest irony of Globalization. They demand tax relaxations in order to get established and they promise government to pay huge aid for fighting poverty, pollution and social evils like AIDS.

Fred Riggs in his paper “DEMOCRACIES CONFRONT GLOBALIZATION” calls these SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES or SPECIAL INDUSTRIAL ESTATES as the islands in the democracies that are going to control the real power of the upcoming world.

What I want to say at last is we need democracy because we want a world free of all kinds of exploitation. A world with prosperity and no epidemic. Globalization may help in this dream to fulfill, by creating a platform for certain level of cooperation at trans-national level. But if Globalization is treated as something mandatory for survival of democracies of world, than sooner or later we will be forced to forget the entire concept of public participation in the process of decision-making.