On Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 4:45 PM, Deepa Mohan <[email protected]> wrote: > On Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 1:10 PM, Venkat Mangudi <[email protected]> > wrote: >> . wrote: > >> 5 bucks per day? No wonder they don't care. I am fairly certain they can >> cover the fine and more with the kickbacks they earn. RTI fine is a joke.
Probably because even this (AK may have said 50 bucks a day. I dont remember his exact words) paltry fine does not get implemented by the Commission (staffed by Ex-bureaucrats, but ofcourse) which definitely has the authority. @Madhu : I'm told "Rs. 1.75 Lakhs in bribes" (a 2% cut??) would be the going rate, mandatory in any Indian entrepreneur circle. > Ah. Here, in a few sentences, we have an explanation of why social > initiatives and voluntary activities don't work on a sustained basis > in India. (And very few of us put it so honestly as Venkat has done.) > > Each of us is fighting our own battles on various fronts, to get ahead > in our lives and careers. Every morning, I do not know if I will have > electricity, water...whether the creaky infrastructure that keeps my > life going will work, or at what points it will break down...and what > sudden measures will have to be adopted to patch up and keep going. Your words remind me of a recent movie on Bharathiar aired on TV (no ad breaks, which speaks volumes but i digress) which introduced facets of his life I had not known. It was sad to see his wife reduced to tears while struggling with abject poverty and not knowing how she would feed her two daughters the next meal whilst her husband was being feted for his iconic stand on womens rights. While he was busy breaking tradition by hugging a donkey, it was his wife bearing the brunt of societal ire. It was so ironic. That is not to say that women activists and reformers dont exist but maybe women are differently wired. And there is truth in the saying "charity begins at home". [snipped the good stuff you've been up to..] > Well, there will, thankfully, be many people who have both the time, > enthusiasm, and inclination to try and make changes...but don't judge > the people who are not able to, or willing to, get into this. > > I wonder why I suddenly burst out like this...! Oh well, let it stand. I grok what you mean. Your experience reminds me that change is hard but bringing about positive change is harder, a lot harder than one can imagine. Especially when you are the only one feeling victorious (besides the harassment and umpteen trips to-n-fro) instead of taking the (gr)easy way out. The pressure is akin to climbing Everest sans protective winter gear, i imagine. -- .
