A common man and his nation....

I am not anybody frankly.

Just a common man who lived in the country and the reasons for my writing I place for your perusal.

It is a very complex issue, the state and governance. In anger, the way public servants both organised services and political masters no more are conscious of being servants with a ,purpose, but merely working to benefit themselves and their kith and kin, I wrote an alternative model.

I never owned a car in my service. After retirement good will of some one provided one once in a way, on occasions . Most of the time we walk or use the auto. It costs me Rs 100 a day for transport and since we came back from USA we are forced to go out daily and talking to the auto drivers is a great learning experience. It all starts from hiring to travel. Only 20% drivers you meet who take you on meter.

The life of common man on road is not too pleasant. Fortunately I can afford the auto easily . In fact I can buy a car too. But the traffic conditions scare me off to drive.

But my heart cries out when I see older persons, women and children scrambling for a bus, after waiting for long. It is better than my days in Hyderabad, when as PA to CE, I was once dragged with half foot on board and another on the road for 20 ft before some one pulled me up. Family boarded from from front entrance and as male, had to get in from the regular door at rear.

So I know how it is to wait for a bus long and cannot get in. The new buses seem to be OK when it is not rush hour. But during evenings it is pathetic. I too have to shell out double charges of Rs 60 instead of Rs 30 for my auto. Yes there is a board on every auto saying that we should immediately report to police etc.Even in 1970-72 the same story...being young I picked up a number of fights with auto drivers thinking I was an important government guy.

What happened to my country after all these years?

Same story... continues. With a difference-- In 70's I used to find a few Fiats and Ambassadors going in stately splendour and as DEN in 1976 I had reconditioned jeep rickety one, stopping almost at any time. Today I see flashing Honda/Mercs, Skodas, BMWs Fords fighting for the same road space . Even our railway officers have done well, reasonably good Toyota/Maruti Suzuki cars or SUV are common. Nowhere we find the old rickety jeep puffing and fuming.

But a person like me still have to find a way through the mess on the road just as in 1970.

But financially I am fine, so long as I stick to auto. In 1970 I had to go by bus only.That is the improvement I achieved.

Self-pity? No way . I am proud of the opportunities I had in my country to serve.

From a IIT PhD student with a young wife, riding a cycle doubles on the roads of IITKharagpur, some times losing balance and falling in the middle of road, to sitting next to Chief Justice of High Court, Governor, and a Prince from East European country, for formal dinner, and a formal lunch at the same table with Prime Minister of my country along with four Chief Ministers and Defence Minister , and sharing private tea more than once with President of India in Rashtrapathi Bhavan, this body of mine traveled a long distance in life.

In service too dealt practically with Railway Board visiting Members' and Chairman's chambers almost regularly from 1980 to 2005. Seen and interacted with so many that the close observation of our working left me with burning desire that my nation deserves much better than what she is getting from her intellectuals.

So today also was one of the days when I spent long time waiting to get one auto, with wife in tow, and along with a mother and two children returning from school, also were waiting. How much I wish the Chief Secretary to get one such experience.

Had Hyderabad accepted the free gift of Skybus, funded by the graceful Prime Minister of Malaysia, with a minute of waiting all of us would have been travelling in airconditioned comfort in 2007. Dr Manmohan Singh refused to take the personal offer from PM Malaysia, and so here we are waiting to get an auto--forget getting a bus. The mother was saying it it was impossible.

During my service I did try to correct many a thing to the best of my ability. Wish I succeeded.

Glad that I am retired and do not have to take children to school now.

That is how I wrote that piece. Because had it been outsourced governance, Skybus would have been implemented, because the operator wants to make profit with financially viable project.

But the governments want expensive projects to make percentage profits from capital investment before capital is employed,. SO the incentive is to go the most expensive capital projects. Viability does not matter.