As I wait for an associate who is running an hour behind schedule, my mind wanders to the ribbon cuttings and feel good pep talks that are a part of the parcel of senior most government official’s job.
With private India shining, we find such dignitaries needing to go all over the place – for varying rhyme and reason and carry out their variety of song and dance [no offence meant really, just a puerile description of khadi or kanjeevaram clad ribbon cutting and bhashan]. What follows them everywhere they go, without fail is the bandobast and the protocol. Sanitization as someone would call.
Painted bamboos, cavalcade drills, badges for the hosts [gatepasses!!], state level functionaries for protocol, history of the co-guests in the dias....and a good more such real thrills and symbolic frills. But tell you what something equally critical, gets washed under the carpet.
Considering the wishy washy nature of a large number of real estate deals, entered into by many influential members of our society [the same ilk of those who manage to invite senior government functionaries – The Presidents and The Prime Ministers and their men and women] it makes sense to also to a reality check of the realty involved/hosting the song and dance.
Both in letter and spirit the ownership of the land and building, the approval from the local authorities for the constructed building need to be confirmed through statutory bodies, as much as police drills. This is as much a potential PR embarrassment as sharing the dais with someone in the wrong side of the law. In addition to being a potential embarrassment for the Prez & PM – what is does is give a moral sanction to the deliberate flouting of the rules / statutes of the ‘influential hosts’ of their general indiscrete misdemeanors.
In our own backyard, I hear colourful and well tom-tomed events dotting the landscape. I just hope they all had ‘footing’ in place and not did not stand on quicksand alone. Well meaning National heroes and heroines of politics, sports and movies very regularly visit such places. The same would be the story for hundreds of such events that are held in different parts of the country.
To sign-off, considering the responsibility they carry, it is important that their reputation is fortified by a reality realty check – that is a part of the mandatory bandobast. Else, their image will get black spot when the bubble bursts. It’s a Pandora’s box which has a tight lid yet. But this is a grave issue, glued to the fabric of the society – land, and needs more than a thought [probably action] in passing.
Kolkota
March 25, 2010
With private India shining, we find such dignitaries needing to go all over the place – for varying rhyme and reason and carry out their variety of song and dance [no offence meant really, just a puerile description of khadi or kanjeevaram clad ribbon cutting and bhashan]. What follows them everywhere they go, without fail is the bandobast and the protocol. Sanitization as someone would call.
Painted bamboos, cavalcade drills, badges for the hosts [gatepasses!!], state level functionaries for protocol, history of the co-guests in the dias....and a good more such real thrills and symbolic frills. But tell you what something equally critical, gets washed under the carpet.
Considering the wishy washy nature of a large number of real estate deals, entered into by many influential members of our society [the same ilk of those who manage to invite senior government functionaries – The Presidents and The Prime Ministers and their men and women] it makes sense to also to a reality check of the realty involved/hosting the song and dance.
Both in letter and spirit the ownership of the land and building, the approval from the local authorities for the constructed building need to be confirmed through statutory bodies, as much as police drills. This is as much a potential PR embarrassment as sharing the dais with someone in the wrong side of the law. In addition to being a potential embarrassment for the Prez & PM – what is does is give a moral sanction to the deliberate flouting of the rules / statutes of the ‘influential hosts’ of their general indiscrete misdemeanors.
In our own backyard, I hear colourful and well tom-tomed events dotting the landscape. I just hope they all had ‘footing’ in place and not did not stand on quicksand alone. Well meaning National heroes and heroines of politics, sports and movies very regularly visit such places. The same would be the story for hundreds of such events that are held in different parts of the country.
To sign-off, considering the responsibility they carry, it is important that their reputation is fortified by a reality realty check – that is a part of the mandatory bandobast. Else, their image will get black spot when the bubble bursts. It’s a Pandora’s box which has a tight lid yet. But this is a grave issue, glued to the fabric of the society – land, and needs more than a thought [probably action] in passing.
Kolkota
March 25, 2010
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