[Assam] Editing standards

Wed Oct 25 07:23:48 PDT 2006

Hello H:

Thanks for the response.

I am sure as a biz. mgm't. 'xikhyok'( I am withdrawing the 'guru' 
characterization on account of your protest)  you understand the need 
to assume calculated risks in order to generate gains. The ancient 
adage " No-risk, no gain" did not come about for nothing. I am glad 
you are setting a good example not only for your students but also 
for the risk-averse kharkhowa masses about whom you despair, just 
like so many others among us do.

To tell you the truth however, I am ON YOUR SIDE here. The 
adversarial tenor of my questions were designed to help ferret out 
the issues underlying the somewhat lame and often simple-minded 
expressions deriding "typical assamese mindset" or Assamese sloth or 
Assamese corruption or a variety of other pejoratives that the 
intellectually lazy people toss around to explain the symptoms.

But I am glad you are no longer one of them, and have come out to 
examine the reasons for which we witness those symptoms.

I am in full agreement with you that the self-loathing slur that the 
Assamese don't like to work hard as a genetic trait is patently 
false. Question is WHY do  so many otherwise able people wallow in 
it? Any thoughts on that?

Furthermore, on the same subject, your observation "--I THINK IT IS 
THE PREVAILING ENVIRONMENT IN ASSAM WHERE NON PERFORMANCE IS A TRAIT 
AND ACCEPTED WITHOUT ANY DISDAIN." needs some more investigation. 
Allow me to pose some more questions, again adversarial in tone, but 
no hostility intended:

	*** This prevailing environment that we speak of, is it NEW? If so
         when did it first appear? And could it be attributed to some event
	for its emergence?

	*** If not new, could it have always been there in modern times? I am
	purposely qualifying it as modern times to avoid going back to time
  	immemorial, lest we regress back to the genetic-predisposition fallacy.

	If it has always been there, what would you attribute it to?

I know you explained the subsistence farming heritage that we all 
come from and which did not require great efforts to survive, making 
us a laid-back lot. But since the growth of urban settlements and 
life-styles, people had to break from the farming/physical activities 
to intellectual pursuits, which require certain amount of 
productivity to be remunerated to make a living with.  It is in this 
context that I raise the above questions.

I don't expect you to play a social-scientist here, but as a part of 
that group of intellectual laborers which we all are, and you being 
one who does an honest day's work,attempting to fulfill the 
expectations associated with your responsibilities in law-abiding 
ways, do so IN SPITE of the PREVAILING conditions that you cited.

How is that?

What makes you so special among the masses who don't?

There has to be an easily understandable set of reasons. And I like 
to think you are eminently aware of them. My attempt here is to coax 
you to say it aloud, clearly and unambiguously, letting the chips 
fall where they may, something many of my fellow Assam-netters go to 
great lengths to avoid doing.  You already touched on some of them, 
obliquely. But let us have a frontal assault and take that bull by 
the horns :-).

Finally, I have one more question here for you and an important one :

	*** In analyzing the productivity / rewards scenario, we cannot
	do a complete job, unless we examined the mushrooming wealth all
	over urban Assam, as could be seen in the building boom, automobiles,
	private education and general consumption growth. What do the people
	who are participating in this feast PRODUCE for which
	it reaps the REWARDS it does, enabling them to partake of these
	bounties ? How is it possible if the hypothesis "--NON PERFORMANCE
	IS A TRAIT AND ACCEPTED WITHOUT ANY DISDAIN." is a valid one ?

Best,

m

At 8:59 AM +0530 10/25/06, Shantikam Hazarika wrote:
>Mahanta:
>I know it is risky to get into any debate with you, but let me just try.
>
>On 10/24/06, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>>
>>H
>
>>  > Hardwork is something I find most Assamese people shun and most 
>>assamesepeople, even at high and responsible places give priority 
>>to >>sleep, food,idleness over their work responsibilities.
>>*** Do you, as a management guru, have any thoughts on WHY it is 
>>so, and how it might be remedied ?
>
>FOR HEAVENS i AM NO MANAGEMENT GURU, JUST A HUMBLE ORDINARY LAW
>ABIDING CITIZEN OF INDIA WHO HAS A JOB TO DO AND TRIES TO DO IT TO THE
>BEST OF HIS ABILITY.
>>Is it genetic, and thus unchangeable? DEFINITELY NO. I WORKED WITH 
>>ASSAMESE WORKERS IN OIL INDIA WHO WERE UNBELIEVABLY HARD WORKING, 
>>RESPONSIBLE, RELIABLE AND CONSCIENTIOUS. ALSO MOST OF THE ASSAMESE 
>>PEOPLE WORKING OUTSIDE THE STATE GET GOOD REPORTS ABOUT THEIR 
>>PERSONAL QUALITIES.
>
>>Or could it be a associated with efforts vs. rewards, incentives 
>>to >perform, and expectations or the absence thereof ? I THINK IT 
>>IS THE PREVAILING ENVIORNMENT IN ASSAM WHERE NON PERFORMANCE IS A 
>>TRAIT AND ACCEPTED WITHOUT ANY DISDAIN. TAKE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE 
>>ADMIRED IN OUR SOCIETY - THEY ARE MOSTLY THE BUREAUCRATS AND INDIAN 
>>BUREAUCRACY IS A SITUATION WHERE YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PERFORM 
>>AND STILL YOUR CAREER IS ASSURED. IN FACT ARUN SHOURIE ONCE SAID 
>>THAT INDIANBUREAUCRACY IS THE ONLY SERVICE WHERE A DONKEY 
>>EVENTUALLY ENDS UP AS A HORSE. THERE ARE VERY FEW PEOPLE IN ASSAM 
>>WHO HAVE ACHIEVED SOMETHING REALLY THROUGH HARD WORK.
>
>WHEN THERE IS INCENTIVE IN NON-PERFORMANCE, WHY DO YOU WANT TO PERFORM?
>
>TAKE THE TWO ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS OF ASSAM, SENTINEL AND ASSAM TRIBUNE.
>THEIR CURRENT STANDARDS ARE APPALLING, BUT I DO NOT THINK THERE IS ANY
>CHANGE IN THEIR STATUS OR SITUATION. IF I HAVE TO RELEASE AN
>ADVERTISEMENT, IS HALL DO IT IN THE ASSAM TRIBUNE BECAUSE THE PEOPLE
>EXPECT IT TO BE THERE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE TELEGRAPH AND THE TIMES
>OF INDIA ARE PRINTED LOCALLY NOW AND ARE BOTH TRYING TO MAKE DEEP
>INROADS IN THE NEWS GATHERING ASPECTS. BUT THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
>DISLODGE THE SENTINEL AS LONG AS PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO READ ABOUT SOME
>SCHOOLTEACHER RETIRING IN DHEMAJI, OR A CROWDS GOING BARESERK IN A
>THEATRE IN SILANIJAAN.
>
>
>>  >give priority to sleep, food, idleness over their work responsibilities.
>>
>>*** Personally, I have always liked to sleep. It is the high point of my
>>day. If I can hit the sack when my body wants to, that is bliss. It is
>>freedom. I wouldn't think much of anyone who would grudge me my sleep.
>>
>>Food, is not just a necessity of life. For many it is a luxury, reward for
>>hard-work. Is it a sin?
>
>I THINK SLEEP AND FOOD CANNOT BE YOUR PRIME CONCERN. I ALSO SLEEP WHEN
>I HAVE NOTHING TO DO, BUT IF REQUIRED I CAN MANAGE WITHOUT SLEEP ALSO.
>GOOD FOOD I ENJOY, BUT IF IT IS NOT AVAILABLE, I CAN MAKE DO WITH
>WHATEVER IS AVAILABLE. ENJOY A GOOD MEAL OR SLEEP AFTER YOU HAVE DONE
>YOUR WORK, NOT WHILE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DELIVERING.
>
>>Idleness is a result of NOT having to work for a living. Only those who are
>>paid to do nothing, or only those who are blessed with a hefty inheritance
>>could afford NOT to work. How many Assamse are in that situation?
>SINCE WE DO NOT HAVE ABJECT POVERTY IN ASSAM, MANY ARE CONTENT WITH
>THE STATUS QUO.
>
>>Could it therefore be that, hard work carries no incentive? That it does not
>>matter if you work harder, because there will be no extra reward for it?
>>That one would get paid , regardless of performance? And that the concept of
>>expectations on the employees' performance is non-existent?
>>*** These are the curiosities of an idle, management-challenged, kharkhowa
>>mind. Would be much obliged if you would share your professional thoughts on
>>causes and remedies.
>>
>>Best.
>>
>>Yours Mahanataly
>>
>>cm :-)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20061025/b264c4c8/attachment.htm>