[Assam] Driving in New Delhi -a report from the LA Times

[Chan Mahanta]

Ram:

>  I am guilty of thinking that Assamese traits the same as any other 
>Indian. So, >it does it no good to say that these 'Assamese Indians' 
>of today will suddenly >veer around and become something else.

You avoided the crux of the problem, that of effecting reforms, 
entirely and attempted to portray it as a CULTURAL problem: That 
Indians are culturally ( and perhaps genetically) unable to rise to 
the task of shedding pervasive corruption as you imply below:

I am surprised that you too subscribe to this mindless notion. I just 
hope it was an accidental argument, put together in a hurry to dig 
out of a jam and  not something you believe in :-).

But for those who are new to this scene and may not have been exposed 
to the absurdity of the cultural challenged argument, let me ask the 
question that I have asked so many times: If the proposition had any 
merit, how then so many desis become model citizens right after they 
leave 'Mother India'? What transforms them so fast? It is not the 
ritual of crossing them seas, is it :-)?
Or is it the air they breathe or water they drink that purifies them so fast?


>Look at Pakistan, the Pakis hate India, but culturally they are tied 
>to the hip >to India.

*** And is anything WRONG with that? Anything undesirable? I mean the 
cultural connections?

Assam does not HATE India. They just need to be free to guide their 
own destiny. Heaven knows, it has tried for decades. But an India 
unable to reform itself, is dragging Assam down the same doomed path 
of India's. A free Assam will continue to have those cultural, 
religious and economic links with India and all their neighbors too. 
Like Italy or Spain or Hungary have with their once 
conquerors--Germany. Or Ukraine, Georgia and Rumania with their once 
rulers, Russia.

What is so bad about that?

Oh I know, it puts a damper on India's super-power pretensions. But 
that is a problem with a tiny sector of Indians who had it made and 
is looking for respect in the world. It has nothing to do with the 
needs of the vast majority of the people. Their needs are tad bit 
more fundamental, if you did not know :-)..


>  >Further, there is another geo-political truth that you and many 
>others forget.
>That is, when there is a huge country with a lot of power and might, 
>the >sattelite 'countries' surrounding it are usually far less 
>developed, far more >corrupt, and their inhabitants will break any 
>barrier to move to the big guy in >the block.


*** I am no political scientist and thus must have missed out on this 
bit of astute scientific truth that you hold up :-). But somehow, I 
can't help thinking that your theorem is a desperate attempt at 
making an universal truth out of the US example. And even for the US 
example, how dies Canada fit into the Theorem?

Or China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan?

Or Russia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia?

Or Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Denmark et al.?

Catch my drift Ram?


>India for all its faults and 'Kafkaesque bureaucracy' is STILL 
>looked up to and >envied by Pakistan, B'desh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and 
>Burma. There is a constant >flow of illegals from these countries 
>into India (not the other way around).

*** That is indeed a heartwarming revelation Ram. Allow me to add to 
the fan club a few more luminaries:

How about: Haiti, Dominican Republic, Somalia, Ethiopia, Upper Volta, Niger,
Afghanistan, Albania, Turkmenistan  ---- ? Geez, all of a sudden 
India looks like the envy of the world or what :-)?


>Given this, what in the world do some of our Kharkhowa intellectuals 
>think of >an independent Assam's plight?

*** I cannot help here. Mainly because I do not see only the 
PROBLEMS. I see the benefits too. And in my estimation, the benefits 
far outweigh the disadvantages.
One of the advantages of remaining a colony, first of the British, 
then of India; that a class of the population getting paid handsomely 
to do nothing ( bribery in my view), has robbed generations of the 
Assamese people the knowledge and the desire to look after their own 
interests. Just like the feudal overlord parents ruling over 
desi-families, zamindar-like, rob their children of the ability to 
look after themselves as grown men and women, forever looking at 
mai-baap to guide them and give them hand-outs.


But maybe you can educate us with the dire consequences you, Himendra 
Thakur etc hint they see, but would not want to speak out publicly 
about, keeping us guessing.

Go ahead Ram, bare it all out. But I'll tell you what? Even though I 
speak with self-assurance, I too am an olop-dhotua , a scaredy-cat , 
many ways. But in spite of that I am NOT intimidated by the 
'lungi-menace' . You can dangle it all you want, and wail till 
kingdom come; but all you will hear from me is "Bosiya kando, bosiya 
kando" :-).

c-da











At 10:48 AM -0500 8/4/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>C'da
>
>  >But the mistake you make is in assuming that those who have 
>mis->governed Assam all these decades, are ALL that Assam has.
>
>No, thats not what I am guilty of. I am guilty of thinking 
>that Assamese traits the same as any other Indian. So, it does it no 
>good to say that these 'Assamese Indians' of today will suddenly 
>veer around and become something else. Even with a possible 
>separation from India, Assam will be physically and culturally tied 
>very close to India. Look at Pakistan, the Pakis hate India, but 
>culturally they are tied to the hip to India.
>
>Further, there is another geo-political truth that you and many others forget.
>That is, when there is a huge country with a lot of power and might, 
>the sattelite 'countries' surrounding it are usually far less 
>developed, far more corrupt, and their inhabitants will break any 
>barrier to move to the big guy in the block.
>India for all its faults and 'Kafkaesque bureaucracy' is STILL 
>looked up to and envied by Pakistan, B'desh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and 
>Burma. There is a constant flow of illegals from these countries 
>into India (not the other way around). And lastly, none of these 
>countries are by any measure better than India -economically, 
>socially  or otherwise.
>
>Given this, what in the world do some of our Kharkhowa intellectuals 
>think of an independent Assam's plight? Do they think, this new 
>Assam will be the beacon or some kind of model for all of SE Asia to 
>look up to? Will this new country be another a la B'desh? Will its 
>population be for ever dependent on a archiac and 'Kafkaesque 
>bureaucracy' like India (or others like B'desh?) for everything and 
>will contstant streams of 'independent Assamese' be illegally 
>entering India (or worse into B'desh) for better opportunities?
>Will it even be able to hold on to its territorial integrity?
>
>:-):-)
>--Ram
>
>
>
>On 8/4/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>Ram:
>
>
>  > This dysfunctionality you talk about is actually more profound in 
>the case of >Assam in most situations.
>
>
>
>
>*** Let us agree for a moment, for arguments' sake, that it is indeed so.
>
>
>Question therefore would be how to effect change for the better in 
>Assam? Will it be by aping the profoundly dysfunctional model? With 
>more of the same?
>
>
>I am sure, even you would agree, that will be a rather untenable proposition.
>
>
>So the answer would be to devise a better system. And out of the 
>ashes of the dysfunctional desi system Assam must build a road to a 
>better future.
>
>
>But there lies the problem.
>
>
>Assam does not have the freedom under the desi system to pursue such 
>a path. Dilli controls the purse strings, and all significant powers 
>of state. Even if tomorrow, by a miracle, a great reformer is 
>dropped at Dispur by heavenly powers to lead Assam out of the 
>darkness, NOTHING will come about, as long as the Indians  with 
>their 'Kafkaesque bureaucracy and the dishonesty it has spawned' are 
>in control over Assam( BTW, I never read Kafka -- and am not sure 
>what exactly this Kafkaesque thang, that every highbrow and low-brow 
>writer, including certain kharkhowa-intellectual-wannabes like to 
>allude to is. But it sure sounds nasty :-)). Does not matter whether 
>Assam is ruled by genuine, dyed-in-the 'tamwlor-pik' kharkhowas, or 
>wrapped-in-the tricolor or saffron Indians, as long as the system 
>they are beholden to is as broken as the article in the LA Times so 
>convincingly portrays.And the steel-trap minded analysts and 
>newspaper-columnists will wash their hands in disgust proclaiming 
>'jeyei lonkaloi jai, xeyei rabon hoy' or other such meaningless 
>platitudes.
>
>
>Now if there had been a perceptible trend for MEANINGFUL and REAL 
>reforms, anywhere in India, under the operative dysfunctional 
>system, one might argue that there is room for hope. That someday it 
>will arrive in Assam too, in spite of your obvious doubts about 
>Assamese abilities, as you argue so often. Not that I don't agree. 
>But the mistake you make is in assuming that those who have 
>mis-governed Assam all these decades, are ALL that Assam has. That 
>is a deeply flawed proposition. It is just that Assam's ablest and 
>its best cannot and will not participate in governing Assam under 
>the 'Kafkaesque' desi-system, just like India's ablest and the best 
>cannot or would not participate in Indian governance.
>
>
>If you can point to any such credible trend for change, anywhere in 
>India, your vehement disagreements could be considered to have a 
>modicum of merit. Otherwise , it is at best, a lot of bravado and a 
>willingness to live in denial :-).
>
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>c-da
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>At 8:50 AM -0500 8/4/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
>>C'da,
>>
>
>
>  >Bottom line: India is INCAPABLE of change. That is why Assam >must 
>NOT peg its future to that of the profoundly dysfunctional >India.
>
>
>
>Not so fast. This dysfunctionality you talk about is actually more 
>profound in the case of Assam in most situations. That is why your 
>argument carries no water.
>
>
>
>This argument of putting Assam on the right track after separation 
>from India is hollow - what is wrong with setting things aright now?
>
>And what makes you think that the Assamese will suddenly become 
>paragons of virtue or fare any better after this separation from 
>India you talk about?
>
>
>
>It will be interesting to see how the different states in India fare 
>as far as corruption/dysfunctional goes. We can all agree that they 
>are all corrupt/dysfunctional, but which of these are more corrupt 
>than others.
>
>
>
>--Ram
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>On 8/4/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>  >Clandestine payoffs or special favors smooth the way for buying 
>property and >acquiring government ration cards, among other things. 
>They secure places in >good schools for your children, ensure you 
>prompt attention at the hospital, >provide you access to bank loans, 
>exempt you from local building codes.
>
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>*** Shame is not the issue Ram. How to change things is.
>
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>Bottom line: India is INCAPABLE of change. That is why Assam must 
>NOT peg its future to that of the profoundly dysfunctional India. 
>Assam can and ought to fashion its own system of modern,accountable 
>system of governance, in a truly democratic fashion ( unlike 
>des-demokrasy that is).
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>And we ought to support those in Assam who have been attempting to do just.
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>At 12:15 AM -0500 8/4/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
>>This is a real shame. Of course we have all known this for many 
>>years. Unfortunately, it is not just in Delhi. In Guwahati, at one 
>>time it was next to impossible to get a driver's license through 
>>legitimate avenues - greasing palms was a pre-requisite. I am sure 
>>the situation may be much different today, but then, am not holding 
>>my breath.
>>
>
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>--Ram
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>Corruption revs up perilous driving on New Delhi streets
>
>
>
>Up to 75 percent use payoffs to skip test and get their licenses anyway
>
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>By HENRY CHU
>Los Angeles Times
>
>NEW DELHI - It doesn't take a Harvard degree to figure out that 
>driving here is hazardous to your health. Near-misses, reckless 
>weaving and cars blithely going the wrong way are highlights of the 
>daredevil derby known as New Delhi traffic.
>
>ADVERTISEMENT
>
>But a recent study by economists from Harvard and other American 
>universities suggests that, indeed, a majority of this city's 
>drivers get their licenses without actually knowing how to operate a 
>car. They ply the roads because of a simple fact: government 
>corruption.
>
>As many as 75 percent of motorists in New Delhi obtain their permits 
>by hiring agents whose palm-greasing intervention saves them time, 
>energy and the hassle of learning the difference between the brake 
>and the accelerator, the report says.
>
>Those with agents bypass long waits in dingy government offices and 
>almost never have to submit to the road test that's required of all 
>would-be drivers. In fact, when newly licensed motorists who 
>participated in the study were given a surprise driving exam, more 
>than 60 percent flunked.
>
>"We had five questions about how to start a car, how to change gears 
>and how they worked, which are very basic questions," said Marianne 
>Bertrand, a professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School 
>of Business and a co-author of the report. "They couldn't answer 
>them."
>
>Evidence of such cluelessness is thick on the ground in India's 
>capital, where getting from point A to point B is a white-knuckle 
>exercise and traffic safety seems an oxymoron.
>
>Law of the asphalt jungle
>
>Each day, more than 4 million vehicles jockey for position along 
>narrow lanes that wind through ancient bazaars or boulevards 
>originally designed for the horse-drawn carriages and stately cars 
>of India's British colonial elite.
>
>Rules of the road exist but mainly on paper. On the streets, it's 
>the law of the jungle.
>
>Bus drivers cut off motorcyclists, truckers dodge cows, entire 
>families squeeze onto a single scooter, three-wheel "auto rickshaws" 
>zip in between everyone else, and those on foot utter prayers and 
>curses in equal measure.
>
>It's a raucous free-for-all where the most important piece of advice 
>is found painted on the backs of taxis and trucks: "Horn please."
>
>"They drive like they're pedestrians. If it's faster to go the wrong 
>way up the street, they'll do it. They have no sense of danger," 
>said one exasperated British executive who ventures out behind the 
>wheel only on weekends. "You have to be vigilant all the time."
>
>Extra danger in the dark
>
>In 2004, Delhi Traffic Police logged 9,083 accidents, in which 1,832 
>people died. That's an average of five auto-related fatalities a day 
>in a city that boasts 14 million people - but only 2.6 million 
>licensed drivers, a Transportation Ministry official said.
>
>
>Many accidents here occur at night, when some motorists drive with 
>their lights off, in the belief that their car batteries will last 
>longer.
>
>The chaos on New Delhi's streets is at least partly explained by the 
>findings of the study published last month by economists from 
>Harvard University, the University of Chicago, New York University 
>and the International Finance Corp., an arm of the World Bank.
>
>
>The scholars were commissioned to look into the effects of 
>government corruption. Their report, "Does Corruption Produce Unsafe 
>Drivers?" (answer: yes), has cast an unflattering light not just on 
>the menace lurking on New Delhi's streets but also on India's 
>Kafkaesque bureaucracy and the dishonesty it has spawned.
>
>Clandestine payoffs or special favors smooth the way for buying 
>property and acquiring government ration cards, among other things. 
>They secure places in good schools for your children, ensure you 
>prompt attention at the hospital, provide you access to bank loans, 
>exempt you from local building codes.
>
>"The whole country is deep in corruption," said N.S. Venkataraman, 
>an activist in the southern city of Chennai, formerly known as 
>Madras. "Corruption is there from one end to the other."
>
>
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