ഒരു പത്തുവയസുകാരന്‍റെ വിശുദ്ധവാര ഓർമ്മകൾ

  (Read the English version: A ten year old’s Holy Week memoirs)

ഒരു പെസഹ വ്യാഴാഴ്ച

അമ്മവീട്ടിലെ അടുക്കളയിൽ തേങ്ങ ചുരണ്ടിക്കൊണ്ടിരുന്ന അമ്മായിയുടെ അടുത്ത് തേങ്ങ തിന്നാൻ ഞാനും എന്‍റെ പെങ്ങളും ഞങ്ങളെക്കാൾ രണ്ടു വയസു മൂത്ത അമ്മയുടെ അനിയത്തി അനിലചേച്ചിയും ഇരിക്കുമ്പോഴാണ് ഏതോ വാർത്തയുമായി അമ്മാവൻ എത്തിയത്. പതിവുള്ള കുശലങ്ങളൊന്നും ഞങ്ങളോടു ചോദിക്കാതെ അമ്മായിയെ അകത്തേക്ക് വിളിച്ച് എന്തോ സ്വകാര്യമായി പറയുന്നതുകണ്ടപ്പോൾ എന്തോ പന്തികേട് തോന്നി. കാരണം അമ്മാവൻ പറഞ്ഞു തീരും മുമ്പേ അമ്മായി കൈ തലയിലിടിച്ച് കരയുന്നതാണ് കണ്ടത് . എന്താണു കാര്യമെന്നറിയാതെ പകച്ചു നിന്ന ഞങ്ങൾ മൂന്നു പേരിൽ എന്നെയും പെങ്ങളെയും അടുത്ത് വിളിച്ച് രണ്ടു കൈകളും ഞങ്ങളുടെ തോളിൽ ഇട്ട് അമ്മാവൻ പറഞ്ഞു :

‘മക്കളേ , അളിയൻ പോയി!’

അമ്മാവൻ പറഞ്ഞതെന്താണെന്ന് ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് മനസില്ലായില്ല. അളിയൻ എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞത് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ചാച്ചനെ കുറിച്ചാണെന്ന് മാത്രം അറിയാം . എന്താണ് ചാച്ചൻ പോയെന്നു പറഞ്ഞത്? ചാച്ചൻ മെഡിക്കൽ കോളേജിൽ തലവേദനയായി കിടക്കുകയാണല്ലോ. ഇന്നലെ ഞാനും പെങ്ങളും ചാച്ചനെ കാണാൻ കോട്ടയത്തെ ഹോസ്പിറ്റലിൽ പോയതും ചാച്ചന്‍റെ കൂടെ മോഡേണ്‍ ബ്രെഡ് നല്ല ചൂടുള്ള പാലിൽ മുക്കി കഴിച്ചതുമല്ലേ.

ചാച്ചനെ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ പള്ളിയിൽ ഓശാന ഞായറാഴ്ച കണ്ട യേശുവിന്‍റെ ചിത്രമാണ് ഓർമയിൽ വന്നത്. ചാച്ചന്‍റെ മുഖത്തും താടിയിലും അതുപോലെ രോമങ്ങൾ നിറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. കട്ടിലിന്‍റെ തലയ്ക്കൽ തലയിണ പൊക്കി വച്ചിരുന്നപ്പോൾ ദൃശ്യമായത് യേശുരാജാവിന്‍റെ സൌമ്യതയും ചെറു പുഞ്ചിരിയും. പക്ഷെ എന്തോ വേദന കടിച്ചമർത്തുന്നതുപോലെ തോന്നി. ചാച്ചന്‍റെ നെറ്റിയിലെ വിയർപ്പുതുള്ളികൾക്ക് ചുവപ്പു നിറമായിരുന്നു. മുറിയിൽ നിന്നിറങ്ങിയ സമയത്ത് ചാച്ചൻ എന്‍റെ തലയിൽ തലോടി. ഉയിർപ്പുതിരുനാളു കഴിഞ്ഞ് അവരെ വീണ്ടും കൊണ്ടുവരാമെന്നു അമ്മച്ചി ചാച്ചനോടു പറയുന്നത് ഞങ്ങൾ കേട്ടതുമാണല്ലോ. പിന്നെന്തിന്, എവിടെ ചാച്ചൻ പോയി? എന്തിനാണ് അമ്മാവന്‍റെ കണ്ണുകൾ നിറഞ്ഞതും അമ്മായി തേങ്ങ ചുരണ്ടൽ എല്ലാം നിർത്തി കട്ടിലിലേക്ക് ചാഞ്ഞതും? എനിക്കൊന്നും മനസില്ലായില്ല. എനിക്കും പെങ്ങൾക്കും എന്ത് സംശയമുണ്ടെങ്കിലും അത് പരിഹരിച്ചു തരുന്ന അനിലചേച്ചിയുടെ അടുത്തേക്ക് ഞങ്ങൾ നീങ്ങി. എനിക്ക് അന്ന് അഞ്ചു വയസ്സ്. എന്‍റെ പെങ്ങൾക്ക് ആറും, അനിലചേച്ചിക്ക് ഏഴും വയസ്സ്. പക്ഷെ അനിലചേച്ചിക്ക് അറിയാത്ത ഒരു കാര്യവും ലോകത്തിലില്ല എന്ന് ഞങ്ങൾ വിശ്വസിച്ചിരുന്നു. ചാച്ചൻ മരിച്ചു പോയി എന്ന് അനിലചേച്ചി എന്നോടും പെങ്ങളോടും പറഞ്ഞു. എന്നിട്ട്, അമ്മാവനും അമ്മായിയും ചെയ്തതുപോലെ കരയുവാൻ തുടങ്ങി. ഞങ്ങളും കരയുവാൻ തുടങ്ങി. മരണത്തിന്‍റെയും വേർപാടിന്‍റെയും പൊരുളും നഷ്ടവും ലേശവും മനസിലാകാതെ.

ദു:ഖവെള്ളി

എറണാകുളത്തുള്ള വലിയ അമ്മായിയുടെ കറുത്ത അംബാസഡർ കാറിന്‍റെ പിൻസീറ്റിൽ അമ്മച്ചി അർദ്ധബോധാവസ്ഥയിൽ കിടക്കുമ്പോൾ ,ചാച്ചന്റെ മൃതദേഹം സെമിത്തേരിയിലേക്ക് കൊണ്ടുപോവുകയായിരുന്നു. വെളുത്ത ഷൂസും, മനോഹരമായി തയ്യാറാക്കിയ വെളുത്ത 'മുൾമുടിയും' വെള്ള ഷർട്ടും എല്ലാമിട്ടു കൈയിൽ കുരിശും കൊന്തയും പിടിച്ചുള്ള ചാച്ചന്‍റെ കിടപ്പ് എന്ത് സുന്ദരമായിരുന്നു. (പിന്നീട് എത്രയോ തവണ ഞാൻ അങ്ങനെയൊരു കിടപ്പ് മനസ്സിൽ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്! എല്ലാവരും എന്നെ പെട്ടിയിലാക്കി എടുത്തുകൊണ്ടു പോകുന്നതും ഞാനും ചാച്ചനെ പോലെ നല്ല സുന്ദരനായി അതിൽ കിടക്കുന്നതും!) മുപ്പത്തിമൂന്നു വർഷത്തെ രഹസ്യ ജീവിതവും പരസ്യ ജീവിതവും പീഡാസഹനവും പൂർത്തിയാക്കിയ ശേഷം ചാച്ചൻ എങ്ങോട്ടു പോയി?

അമ്മാവന്മാർ എന്നെ മാറി മാറി തോളിൽ എടുത്തുനിന്നു. അവിടെ കൂടിയ എല്ലാവരും എന്നെ നോക്കി എന്തിന്നാണ് കരയുന്നത്? അവർ ചാച്ചനെ നോക്കിയല്ലേ കരയേണ്ടത്? എല്ലായിടത്തും സാംബ്രാണി തിരികളുടെ മണം. അഗർബത്തികളുടെ മണം അന്നുമുതൽ ഞാനും പെങ്ങളും അമ്മയും പൂർണമായും വെറുത്തു. അതിന്‍റെ മണത്തിൽനിന്ന് ഓടിയകലുവാൻ ഞങ്ങൾ വെമ്പി. ദു:ഖവേള്ളിയാഴ്ചകളിലെ കുർബാനകളിൽനിന്നും!

ഉയിർപ്പുഞായറാഴ്ച

ദു:ഖവേള്ളിയാഴ്ചകളെ വെറുത്ത ഞാനും പെങ്ങളും അമ്മയും ഉയിർപ്പുഞായറാഴ്ചകളെ ഒരിക്കലും വെറുത്തില്ല. കുരിശിൽ മരിച്ച യേശുവിന്‍റെ രൂപത്തിന് മുമ്പിൽ ഞങ്ങളും പ്രത്യാശയോടെ നിന്നു.

‘പുനരുദ്ധാനവും ജീവനും ഞാനാകുന്നു. എന്നിൽ വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നവൻ മരിച്ചാലും ജീവിക്കും’ അച്ചൻ വചനം ഉറക്കെ വായിച്ചു. അപ്പോൾ മുതൽ ഞാൻ ആ പ്രതീക്ഷയിലാണ്. എന്നാണ് ചാച്ചന്‍റെ ഉയിത്തെഴുന്നേൽപ്പ്?

ചാച്ചൻ പോയിട്ട് ദിവസങ്ങളായി. പെങ്ങളുടെ വേദപാഠ പുസ്തകത്തിലെ യേശു ഉയിർപ്പിച്ച ലാസറിന്‍റെ ചിത്രത്തിലേക്ക് ഞാൻ കൌതുകത്തോടെ നോക്കി. ലാസറിനെ ഉയിർപ്പിച്ച യേശുവിനു തീർച്ചയായും ചാച്ചനെയും തിരികെ കൊണ്ടുവരാൻ പറ്റും.

ഉയിർപ്പുകാലം

ചാച്ചനെ കല്ലറയിലേക്ക് വെച്ച അതേ അച്ചൻ വീണ്ടും വായിക്കുന്നു. ‘എമ്മാവൂസിലേക്കു പോയ ശിഷ്യന്മാരുടെ മദ്ധ്യേ അവിടുന്ന് പ്രത്യക്ഷനായി ’. എന്നെങ്കിലുമൊരു ദിവസം തീർച്ചയായും ചാച്ചനും വരും. ഞങ്ങളെ കാണാതിരിക്കാൻ ചാച്ചനു സാധിക്കുമോ?

എല്ലാ ഞായറാഴ്ചകളിലും എന്‍റെ ദൃഷ്ടികൾ പള്ളിയുടെ അൾത്താരയുടെ മുകളിൽ ആയിരിന്നു. അവിടെ ഇങ്ങനെ എഴുതിയിരുന്നു . 'ഇത് ദൈവത്തിന്‍റെ ഭവനവും സ്വർഗത്തിലേക്കുള്ള വാതിലുമാകുന്നു’. ഇതെഴുതിയിരിക്കുന്ന സ്ഥലത്തിന്‍റെ ഇരുവശങ്ങളിലും രണ്ടു വാതിൽ ഉണ്ട്. എന്‍റെ നോട്ടം അങ്ങോട്ടായിരുന്നു . അത് സ്വർഗത്തിലേക്കുള്ള വാതിലാണെങ്കിൽ തീർച്ചയായും ചാച്ചൻ അതിന്‍റെ അകത്തുണ്ടായിരിക്കും. എപ്പോഴെങ്കിലും ഒരിക്കൽ വാതിൽക്കൽ വന്നു താഴേക്ക് നോക്കാതിരിക്കില്ല. പക്ഷെ ഒരിക്കൽപോലും ചാച്ചൻ വാതിൽക്കൽ വന്നു താഴോട്ട് എത്തിനോക്കിയില്ല. മാലാഖമാരോടും ഈശോയോടുമോത്തു നല്ല സന്തോഷത്തിൽ കഴിയുന്ന ചാച്ചൻ ഞങ്ങളെയൊക്കെ മറന്നോ? വെള്ളക്കടലാസിൽ വൃത്തിയായി എഴുതി മണ്ണിൽ കുഴിച്ചിട്ട ഒരു കത്തുപോലും ചാച്ചനു കിട്ടിയില്ലേ?

ഞാൻ കാത്തിരിന്നു, ആ കാഹള നാദത്തിനായി! ഉറങ്ങുന്ന ചാച്ചൻ ഉണരാൻ വേണ്ടി.

Sibichen K Mathew

(Read English version: A ten year old’s Holy Week memoirs)
(Malayalam version was originally published in  Manorama Online)


To read all articles : Click   HOME

A ten year old’s Holy Week memoirs

(This is the English translation of Malayalam article:

'ഒരു പത്തുവയസുകാരന്‍റെ വിശുദ്ധവാര ഓർമ്മകൾ')

                                                                                          

A Maundy Thursday 

We three; my sister, my mother's younger sister (who was just two years elder to us) and myself were in our grandma's kitchen, with our aunt who was scraping coconut, waiting to get our share to taste. It is then that my uncle arrived with some news. We felt something weird as he called my aunt and whispered something to her, without the usual exchange of pleasantries to us. Before uncle could finish, we saw aunt hitting her head and crying. Out of the three children who were standing in bewilderment, without understanding the head or tail of what has happened, uncle called my sister and me and  put his hands around us and said, "Children, brother (in law) is gone"

We didn't understand his words. We understood that 'brother' who he mentioned is our Dad. But why did he say that Dad is gone? Dad is admitted in the Medical College hospital. Yesterday my sister and I went to the hospital to meet him and we ate modern bread dipped in hot milk with him! 

When I met Dad I was reminded of the picture of Jesus which I saw in the church on Palm Sunday. His beard and moustache had grown long. With his head raised on the pillow on the frame of the bed, his face radiated the gentle and sweet smile of Jesus.

But it seemed as if he was swallowing some pain. The sweat on Dad's forehead had a reddish tint. As we were leaving the room, Dad caressed my head. I even heard Mom telling him that she will bring us again after Easter. Then why and where did Dad leave? Why did uncle have tears in his eyes and aunt stop scrapping coconut and lean on to the bed? I didn't comprehend a thing. We went to Anilachechi who would always clear any doubt that my sister or I have. I was five years old then, my sister six, and Anilachechi, seven. But we believed that Anilachechi knew everything on Earth. She told us 'Dad is dead', and cried just as uncle and aunt did. We too started crying; without knowing even the meaning or loss of death and separation.

Good Friday

As Mom lay down at the back seat of the Ambassador car which belonged to my aunt at Ernakulam, Dad's mortal remains were on the way to the cemetery. Dad, in his white shoes, beautifully made white crown, white shirt, holding cross and rosary looked so handsome. (Later, how many times I wished to lie down like that! Everyone carrying me in a coffin and me, lying there, handsome like Dad!) After 33 years of personal life and public life and Passion, where did Dad go?

                                                                                                   (noeling)

Uncles carried me one after the other. Why everyone who have gathered here looking at me and weeping? They should've looked at Dad and cried! Everywhere there was smell of incense and agarbathis. From that day my Mom, my sister and I hated that smell completely. We wished to run away from its stench. Also from the Good Friday mass!

Easter Sunday

Though my Mom, sister and I hated Good Fridays, we never hated Easter Sundays. We stood in front of the crucified Christ, in hope.

"I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.” The priest read the Gospel loudly. From that time onwards, I am in that hope. When is Dad's resurrection? It has been days since Dad has left. I looked curiously at the picture of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus who raised Lazarus can surely raise Dad too.

Season of Easter

The same priest, who buried Dad, reads. “ He appeared to the disciples who were going to Emmaus”. Surely Dad too will appear one day. Could he stay without seeing us?

Every Sunday my eyes went to the top of the altar of the church. It was written there; 'This is the House of God and the Doorway to Heaven.' There were two doors on either side of these words. My eyes were fixed there. If this door opens to Heaven, certainly Dad would be inside. He will definitely look down at least once. But he didn’t come, not even once to look down. Did Dad forget us as he is enjoying in the midst of Jesus and angels? Didn't he get any of the letters that was neatly written on white sheets of papers and buried under the earth?

I waited, for the blow of that trumpet! For my sleeping Dad to wake up!

Link to Malayalam version 

ഒരു പത്തുവയസുകാരന്‍റെ വിശുദ്ധവാര ഓർമ്മകൾ 

(Originally published in Manorama online)

Sibichen K Mathew

My midday break with the pearls from the slum

Change brings fresh exposure and experience to life.  The most positive aspect of my present office is that it is surrounded by a lot of greenery and is located beside a large beautiful park. One good habit I started since last one year is to take a 20 minutes’ walk inside the park on every working day after lunch. People relax on the lush green ground, couples engage in sweet conversations, rare birds chirp and fly around gigantic trees, a few loners read books or plug to their favourite music, a handful of vendors sit quietly with large baskets of peanuts and churmuri, and some people plunge into deep thoughts and stay in an introspective mood, stimulated by the positive vibes of the natural serenity.

What really makes me happy and creative is none of the above. Last several months of midday break in this park, contributed to my personal enrichment, gave emotional satisfaction, and triggered a sense of fulfilment  thanks to a group of innocent children. This group of children are brought all five days of the week from their ‘homes’ located in a large slum 20 kilometres away in the Nayanahalli village. They come around 11 am and stay till 4 pm in a specific place inside the park.That is their school; a real open school.  Their parents are illiterate people and earn their livelihood as construction labourers, sweepers and vegetable vendors in various locations in and around the city.  They want these kids, who are between the age group 4 to 10 (none of them have any document to prove their birth or age), to do hard labour along with them in the site. They say, ’our  5 year old can fetch us about fifty rupees per day, when he is sent to the nearby marriage halls or restaurants for cleaning the utensils or when he comes with us to the site and helpss us in picking up bricks’. An NGO ‘Balutsav’ (an initiative of Child Empowerment Foundation India) started by the couple Ramesh Balasundaram and Binu Verma, has mustered the courage to talk to the parents and convince them about the need to educate these children

.

Encouraged by the success of the museum school in Bhopal,these children are taught about the country, its history, and about the nature, through regular visits to the Visvesvaraya museum located near the park. Padmini who was a trainer with Spastic Society of India for the past 15 years, supervises the children by spending her entire day on all the five days of the week. She is a successful mother who transformed her spastic child to a software graduate.  A typical day starts with a secular prayer, ('asto ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, mrtyorma amrtam gamaya (click link for meaning)). This is followed by a few minutes of physical exercises and meditation. They are made to sit in groups of 10, each under a teacher. The teachers are girls in their early twenties who are also from the same slum. They are the few who know to read and write in the entire colony of about 1000 odd residents. These girls were given training by the NGO and they were happy to be called ‘teachers’. These ‘teachers’ along with the children pack two large containers containing rice and sambar and they are picked up from the slum in a van. Money is given every week to the ‘teachers’ to buy rice and vegetables to prepare the meal. These ‘teachers’ are also given a monthly honorarium.

Padmini with her students

Children in the slum hated schools earlier, because of a bitter experience. The teachers from the nearby government schools caught them one day from the slum and locked them up in class rooms for the entire day. That was the date of inspection in the School by the officials from the Department of Education for a physical head count of students. Once the exercise got over, these children were let go by the teachers. But the ‘imprisonment’ and mental torture made them hate the School, blackboards and teachers. The classes, the play, the food and the singing of national anthem in the open park have excited them and they have started liking slates, pens and alphabets.

My midday re-charging

I myself get my energies charged through my interactions with them. I found in their eagerness to learn reading and writing, a strong desire to come up in life. Children who were used to filthy words and messy life have suddenly become well mannered. They go back home spreading the positive messages to the parents and the neighbours. This has brought in attitudinal and behavioural changes in people living in that slum.

There are millions of children like the above group, who are unaware of the world beyond the hard labour in construction sites, vegetable markets, and back yards of hotels and marriage halls. Parents, feudal lords, labour contractors, and local goons exploit and abuse them verbally, physically and emotionally. They grow up with similar culture, behavioural patterns and character and propagate the same to next generation too. Fascinated by the prosperous lifestyle all around and yet deprived of the basic necessities, the younger generation who grow up in the slums would explore avenues to have quick money and enjoyment through any means. The present day system of schooling is unable to attract these children. Rather they prefer to run away from it. (Forget about them! Are our children in schools really enjoying the type of teaching there?) There is a need for more committed individuals, organizations and officials in the mission to rescue innocent lives from cruelties, abuses, exploitation and misery. 

Click below to read articles in Cyber Diary on related topic

Stop this harassment: A cry for dechooling India

To view all recent articles, click HOME

Comments are welcome. If you like this article, please forward to others through email, Facebook, or Twitter. Use the icons below. 

                                                                                          (c) Sibichen K Mathew

Towering bosses

Mr Menon is one of the senior Directors of an organization. Though he is in charge of Human Resources Management, his subordinates say that he seems to be one of the most inhuman senior officers. Menon has given strict instructions to everyone that none could meet him without a prior appointment through his secretary. And the secretary has been told to deny any appointment in the first instance by stating that the boss is busy with an important work. Only if they persist and beg for a meeting, they may be given a slot to meet him, which should not be immediate. He says, people should know that he is very busy and he does not wish to encourage walk-in visitors.

  

Unapproachable bosses tend to keep a distance from their subordinates. Everyone fears them. They fail to understand the people around them. No one gives them an honest feedback. They wear the garb of a ‘serious’ task master. There will be overall dissatisfaction in people who are destined to get associated with such people. These unapproachable types wish to put a fence around their aura of inflated ego.

A boss with a difference

Let me introduce you to a senior most officer of a very large public organization consisting of about 10000 officers and 50000 staff. She holds the most important position with highly sensitive and demanding tasks and is responsible for reporting to the highest functionaries in the government including the cabinet minister. Every minute of hers is valuable. She hardly gets any time even at home because of the pressure of the official tasks.

Dr Poonam Kishore Saxena IRS

The first thing she did as soon as she was elevated to the top was to send a letter across the organization welcoming anyone within the organization with an unsettled grievance to meet her. She strongly believed that every official in the organization is an asset and the output and the overall success of the organization largely depend on the happiness of the officials. None should feel that he is not been given just treatment within the organization. Even if at the cost the valuable time, this boss thought that it is her duty to give an audience to anyone who would like to share anything with her that concerns the larger interest of the organization.

Through her letter where she refers the organization as a family, she informed everyone that the doors of her room are open for officials to come without any prior appointment between 1 pm and 1 45 pm on any working day. She also informed that officials can directly call in her official phone number between 10 am and 11 am on working days. She also encouraged the officials to send their messages or grievances at an exclusive email id monitored by her personally. She assured that any requests made over phone or email will also get her equal and immediate attention and therefore the officials need not take the pains to travel for hours to meet her at the head quarter.

Unapproachable boss is a loser. He would earn the disrespect of people around him. He would not get the real feedback about the organization as he fails to be receptive to people. Thus the ultimate loser is the organization itself. It is imperative to appoint only those with excellent communication and management skills at the leadership levels in any organization. Training in soft skills is equally important at the top levels as at the lower management levels. Though there may be criticism that it is a sheer waste to put manure at the roots of a giant old tree, it is necessary as the top leadership positions of many large organizations are filled up solely on the basis of seniority.

Click the following links to see related articles in Cyber Diary

7 habits of highly ineffective leaders

Why bosses don't smile?

You are what your boss is!

        Comments are welcome. Views are personal.  (c) Sibichen K Mathew

Beware of fake searches: Lesson from Special 26

People love to invade others’ privacy. It doesn't matter whether it is through covert or overt attempts. But there are a few people who have every legal right to ransack you and your belongings. They are armed with proper warrants to enter your premises to unearth and seize evidences and valuables. They are the police, the taxmen and the other law enforcement agencies. Armed with a warrant of authorization, they enter the residences and search every nook of the house, in anticipation of evidences related to crimes and valuables such as cash, jewellery etc. For some team members it is good fun searching and ransacking the personal items of family members. Some enjoy running around and threatening the family members including women and children. Very few officers sincerely do their job and they would also apologize to the family members for being forced to take this extreme step of barging into their privacy.   Nevertheless, this is an essential power to detect crimes, though courts have ruled that it should be used only in rarest of rare cases where it is absolutely essential to unearth evidences.

Repeated incidents of fake searches

What I have mentioned above are in respect of legitimate searches. But one should know about repeated incidents of fake searches happening in many places.  There are many such cases reported and much more go unreported. Most of these fake searches happen in the name of IncomeTax Department. This is the key enforcement department that is in charge of seizing the black money of people. In a world where black money occupies substantial part of the economy, where tax evasion is considered as a crime of the rich, and where white collar criminals are not considered as persons with serious criminality, concealment of assets and true income is rampant. Though Income Tax authorities in many countries do not have the power to search the residences of people, countries like India were tax evasion is the order of the day, have effectively used this invasive strategy. But with a handful of tax investigators and increased ingenuity of tax evaders, information on many large black money holders never reaches the enforcement agency.

Blackmailers and fake raiders

However, two sets of people use this route to enrich themselves. One group is the blackmailers and the other is the fake raiders. The blackmailers include those close associates of the black money holders who are privy to certain vital information, such as the key employees, erstwhile partners or directors or accountants or auditors. The other set of blackmailers are those who are within the enforcement agency who are in possession of clear and reliable information about the existence of black money with particular persons in particular forms in identifiable places, but prefer to use it for their unjust enrichment than taking action on the holders. They are very dangerous criminals, being traitors of the nation. The second set of people, the subject of this article, is the fake raiders. They are very professional men, who gather independent data about the black money holders and attack them in a professional manner in the guise of taxmen.

Special 26 and raid drama

Recently, Neeraj Pandey (man behind the movie ‘A Wednesday’) directed ‘Special 26’, a movie based on true incidents of fake searches. Akshay Kumar and Anupam Kher enacted the role of fake officials who search the premises of corrupt men and extract their valuables. Though the movie could not give a realistic picture, the message was well conveyed.

A typical fake raid would be like this. The key brains of the team would have prior experience of associating with the Income Tax Department in some manner or other as contingent/temporary employees, retired junior officials, or close relatives of investigation officers.  They would also get influenced by the enactments of searches in movies. They get hold of the printed Forms used in a  typical search action like summons, warrants of authorization, panchanama Forms, Inventories of stock, documents and valuables etc. from the office secretly or get it printed as the specimens can be copied from the old Income Tax Rule books available with the street books vendors. (Or they buy fresh copy from the books stall. The cost is much less as compared to the jackpot). Making seals are very easy as there are many craftsmen specialized in this art and who are known for their low profile existence, ready to serve from their dingy rooms in the interior market by-lanes. The fake team collects the information as a decoy customer or by tipping a key employee or through ‘innocent’ conversation with a person who is close to the black money holder. They enact the drama, exactly like a genuine income tax team; but with one difference. They won’t waste their time recording the statements on oath, meticulously filling up the Forms, or analysing the documents in and outside the computers. They would focus only on unearthing the valuables and then enter into a quick bargaining.Many get hoodwinked by such criminals. If the target themselves are criminals, they keep quiet even after they realize that they have been cheated , for the simple reason that they would not want anyone, including the real enforcement agency, to know that they indeed possessed huge unaccounted stuff. 

As depicted in the movie, there are people specialized in this art of raiding. But the less specialized, less sophisticated, and less resourced ones would attack the small businessmen like money lenders, small jewellers, liquor shops, retail vendors etc. in distant towns and upcoming business centres, where real taxmen do not focus. They conduct ‘inspections’, ‘surveys’ and ‘verifications’ in these establishments to extract huge money.

The next set of people is lone and courageous smarties, some of them are either low ranking officials in the government or the retired officials or their close relatives. They threaten businessmen about an impending tax investigation or audit and offer their help to settle the case with the officials of the concerned agency. Gullible businessmen and professionals pay up huge money as demanded by them to escape from the possible harassment and penalization by the officials.

How to identify and tackle fake officials?

• Ask for the warrant of authorization of any person who comes to your premises for any search
• Look at the warrant to check whether the seal, signature and designation of the person issued the warrant are available
• Check whether the names and designations of the persons to whom authorizations are given are on the warrant
• Ask for the official identity cards of the persons who have entered the premises
• Ask for the phone number of their senior officer
• Exercise your right to call that number and sense from the conversation whether the search is genuine
• Even at the business premises, if one or more persons come for a verification, survey or inspection, demand their authorization letter and identity cards. Call up in the number of the nearest office of that enforcement agency and check the genuineness.
• If you are suspicious about the team and you do not have any contact details of the enforcement agency, inform the nearest police station
• Whether the search team is genuine or otherwise, ensure that two known witnesses are called from your own locality to witness the proceedings.
• Get all copies of the lists of documents and valuables seized with the signature and seal of the search party. Be intelligent enough to capture their faces with a digital device.
• Don’t get upset and get into criminal hands by surrendering to them and become a victim of their greed.

One last word

Even if the search team is genuine, you should know that you have every right to defend yourself legally later on and the punishment can be given to you only after a fair trial, after hearing what you have to say and you are free to solicit the help of a legal practitioner to prepare your explanation during the post search proceedings. 

                                                                                           (Views are personal)

                                                                                           Sibichen K Mathew

Click below to read related articles in Cyber Diary

Leave me alone: Right to privacy in a snooping world

No privacy anymore: Google's new privacy policy

All that glitters is gold

(Comments are welcome)
To read all articles in Cyber Diary click Home

The tongue has no bones: The need for 'speech therapy'!

Tongue has no bones. But it is the sharpest weapon and it can injure many. But the worst consequence is when it destroys the user himself badly. That is what is happening these days with the omnipresent digital capturing devices all around.

For many people, microphone is a weakness. The moment a microphone is given, their main mission is to say something that can amuse the audience. Very few have the self-control to abide by the time allotted to them. They know that routine facts are never of interest to any audience. You won’t get any claps for giving a gentleman talk. For getting the attention of audience, attempt is to do one or all of the following: a) criticize someone’s actions b) dig someone’s past c) leak some secrets d) make some promises e) pull someone’s legs, and if nothing of these are handy, then f) share one’s own mischiefs and blunders. People call the last one, ‘lying on your back and spiting on yourself’.

The passionate speaker, who got mesmerized by the excellent acoustics and enthusiastic and encouraging audience, loses control over what he speaks, when he speaks, to whom he speaks, how he speaks and about whom he speaks. The words flow faster than his thoughts, and every word and every gesture of him are captured by the cameras and then transmitted within no time far and wide to alert the subjects of his oration.

Before he comes out of the stage, sharp reactions emerge from even far-flung areas, defamation suits are filed, and arrest warrants are ready. Then he has to go on a denial spree accusing everyone including the reporters, cameramen, and even the microphone for misrepresenting his words. They regret their words privately and justify their stand publicly that they have been misquoted.

Here are a few examples. (Since some of them are still sub-judice, I prefer to say that the speakers have been ‘misquoted’. All are innocent unless they are declared guilty at the end of all judicial processes).

A leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the Kerala state (known for the first democratically elected communist government in the world) located in Southern India, told in a public meeting that his party had murdered and thus eliminated as many as 13 congress workers a few years back. He reportedly added that his party used to prepare the lists of opponents they want to eliminate and had used contract killers. (See a clipping).   He was arrested by the police on charge of murder.

There are several politicians who have landed into trouble for their criticisms against judgments of the court. A few have gone to the extent of imputing ulterior motives on the judicial officers.  In a speech on the eve of India’s Independence Day in 2012, the head of a state in India criticized the judiciary stating that ‘court verdicts are purchased’. It was also stated that ‘at times favourable verdicts are given in return for money’. The Calcutta high court took serious view of these remarks and advised the public figure to ‘lace her speech with moderation’.

No doubt, political leaders always get trapped by their own words, because they are destined to devote major part of their life talking to public and media, for their own survival and image building. But, media houses are also in search of spice, and they send the reporters who are trained to put sticks and words in the mouths of politicians. Very few political leaders have the capacity and skill to escape from the media. They lose control easily when bombarded with leading questions in the presence of their supporters.

One public figure was quizzed by a reporter for his comments on an accusation regarding sexual abuse by a politician. The minister tried to evade the question, but the lady reporter did not leave him. Finally, the annoyed minister regained his sense of humour and reportedly asked her: ‘Why are you after that person? I think, something happened between you!’

Speakers of Indian Parliament and Assemblies have tough time removing from records those unparliamentary words inadvertently uttered by members in ‘charged atmosphere’ within the legislative houses. Microphone mania is killing!!

How to control our tongue? It is written in the Bible as follows:

 ‘If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!’ (James 3: 2-5)

May be, some institutes will come with a ‘speech therapy’ of a different kind for 'outspoken' people. Else management institutes can think of starting a course on ‘Microphone Management’! 

(Views are personal. Thanks to Sajjive for translating my thoughts to wonderful cartoons)

                                                                                                                                               Sibichen K Mathew

Click below to read related articles in Cyber Diary on the above topic:

Speeches by the dignitaries and the art of outsourcing

Speeches that changed the world 

Evolution of modern India: An interesting voyage

For all articles in Cyber Diary: Click HOME

Comments are welcome. Share this article to others if you like it. (Click icons below)

Stop this harassment! A cry for deschooling India

My daughter has never been in the list of toppers in her class. As any middle class parent, my wife and I  tried all strategies on her: Inspirational stories of great people, our own educational adventures with exaggeration, ghastly stories of students who failed to get good marks in public examinations, paper cuttings of achievers pasted all around inside the house, and many more. Our anxiety even led us to tell her about the plight of our maid since she didn't study well in her school. To this, my daughter just laughed. None of these tactics worked so far. She continued to be where she could as per her capacity, interest and inclination.

She is put in a Public School next to the apartment complex where we stay. That has made our life easy since we could go and see the Vice Principal whenever she calls us, mostly after every unit test. As we both wait in the reception of the school like ‘guilty parents’ waiting for the judgment, there is a little solace; the sight of many such couples sitting there, without uttering a word between them or between the couples. Not even a smile was exchanged! All prefer to be busy tracking their office work through SMS. When we are called, we go and sit before the vice principal or the class teacher just like students who are caught for not doing their homework. As we sit on the chair leaning forward attentively, we could hear the heart beats of each other. I have never seen my wife sitting so obediently anywhere. 

After perusing the big file filled with my daughter’s answer sheets, assignments, etc., when the vice principal says, ‘I see a lot of improvement in your daughter’s performance’, we both take a normal breath instantly. But the vice principal continues: ‘But this is not at all enough!’  He will give very sincere suggestions for improvement and we hear and accept every word. We are amazed at the personal supervision on each student and the commitment of the teachers and the vice principal. We assure him that all efforts will be taken by us to ensure more marks for the next test and leave the place thanking him. Once out, we both discuss the issues at length and take important resolutions. The resolutions are the same always: a) Don’t send her for basket ball b) Allow outdoor play only on weekends c) Make her adhere to the home time table d) Exclude her whenever we go for any family functions, dine-outs and so on. 

(Favole13.deviantart.com)

Killing the creativity

My daughter is passionate about her basket ball coaching. We stopped it and she cried. She is a good athlete. We restricted her outdoor play. She likes to watch TV programs. We curtailed her TV watching timings. She wants to play and chat with her cousins and friends. We curbed that. She loves to go for tours to the houses of our relatives and spent time with them. We reduced our outstation trips. All these restrictions were enforced not because we were convinced of these. We never wanted her to be insulted and ignored by her teachers in the school because of not meeting their expectations in her academic performance. As educated parents, we knew that all these restrictions are futile and would only kill her creativity further. But the schools think that all students in a class are of same competence and all are expected to get high grades. (If you don't like, remove your child to another school!)

Except for our unhappiness because of our fear of reprimands, threats, and dissatisfaction of school authorities, we are extremely delighted with her overall performance and behaviour. She had very emotional and social quotient, very empathetic to others, loving, and has a lot of leadership qualities and social skills. She never utters anything negative about anyone. But we are really destroying her beautiful childhood. The academic pressure from the school, the competitive environment, our own apprehensions about securing a career that would give her financial independence: all these force us to put up the mask of ferocious tigers at home. It is like a battlefield at home in the evenings. I tell my wife, when will we sit and watch a comedy movie all together in front of the TV and laugh until our belly hurts? 

Stuffing everything under the sun

I have started hating the Indian Schooling system that is hell bent on stuffing everything under the sun which they call ‘knowledge’ on the hapless students. Forget about my school Chemistry, I don’t remember anything even of my college Chemistry syllabus. When the Class VIII student seeks help from her father who is a Chemistry graduate to decipher the composition of aromatic compounds, he tries hard to remember what he learnt for several years. Other than a vague memory of Benzene and double bond, nothing else has been retained. How much of what we have studied during the school and college days do we remember now? How much of what we have studied have been useful or found essential, directly or indirectly to lead our life?

Ivan Illich in his book ‘Deschooling  Society’ elaborated upon the absurdity of schooling. According to Illich, the compulsory school education system is aimed at making a society that is consumerist, packaged, institutionalized, and impoverished.

Teachers are policemen in the current Indian schooling system and parents are military officials. Both work hand in hand with the same common objective of making children study. All students are made to slog promising a goal that is impossible for the majority to attain. Even the poor are coerced to learn by giving a false hope that there are secured seats to pursue courses that make them doctors and engineers. Today’s compulsory public school system for all children, indeed gives false promises to the children and ultimately don’t give them further opportunities in higher education. The school uniform, the tie, and the ‘English’ manners and demeanours taught to them become meaningless while they end up as labourers, house maids, etc.

Nurturing de-socialization and personality deformation

Earlier, Socialization and all round development of personality were considered as the main aims of schooling. Now, what is happening is de-socialization and personality deformation. Today, school education is like fast food. It doesn’t facilitate creativity. In the name of creativity, teachers give projects that can be completed only by replicating what is in the web, or by taking substantial help from the parents.  Childhood is the time for children to play and learn from nature and society. This is the age and stage of life when they should ideally spend more of their time with parents, grandparents and relatives, not to hear their yelling, but to hear from them about their life.

  

The need to de-institutionalize higher education

Learning is actually a lifelong process. It can never be forced on oneself through an institutional process. Isn't it a waste of time if a person studied for 5 years for engineering and another 2 to 3 years for Post-Graduation and then get into a job where he would use just a very small specialized portion of the course? Instead, he could have joined as an apprentice in the area he was interested and he could sharpen his skills later as the job required. He could become an expert in that field much early and save several years which he would have otherwise devoted to class room learning. These courses are deliberately made lengthy just to maintain and expand the business of education and to provide teaching jobs to people with no net productive gain for the economy. It is high time employers test the candidate’s skill for a job rather than selecting him on the basis of the degrees he has earned. We can find even in premier institutes like IIMs and IITs, professors with PhDs and hundreds of research publications, yet with very poor teaching skills!

Let me conclude.  I need to quickly get back to yell at my daughter to push her to the study table. 

Click below to read other related articles  

An ordeal called school admission

My midday break with the pearls from the slum

My son! Don't watch the news

To read all recent articles in Cyber Diary click HOME

Tell me what is your view on the Indian Schooling System?  Click COMMENTS below. Share this article to others if you like it. Click the icons below.

Why I dare March

This is a sequel to my last two articles on the subject: ‘Why I hate March?’ written in March 2011 and ‘Why I start loving March?’ in March 2012.

March 2013 has already landed and is giving me that mischievous smile of an uninvited guest! It says: ‘Love me or hate me. But you can’t avoid me!’ 

After hating March in 2011 and then loving it in 2012, now, I dare March 2013. I consider March as a symbol of life’s challenges. How do we face those challenges in our life? We tend to get irritated over the inevitable without knowing the futility of such a reaction. When wise and patient response is warranted for tackling a critical situation, we just do the contrary. Our emotions overtake our intellect and we become victims of anger, antagonism and ill-will resulting unpleasant reactions from others. At the end, we would still be unhappy.

I think I have improved from the stage of emotional immaturity and my cognitive component has overtaken my affective component. So I have reached the stage where I feel like taking challenges head on. 

Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them... they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look at them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight.  

                                                           Orison Swett Marden                                                                                                      

 

The challenges can be better managed through prioritization. Once we start focusing on something that deserves our best attention and start solving the puzzles associated with that, we would tend to observe that others start disappearing or becoming less challenging. A simple strategy of not trying to tackle all of them simultaneously could help us to channel all our efforts only to the important tasks. Indeed, experience counts a lot in such situations.

Best illustration for this can be seen in target management, as this is an area that worries many people in the month of March. Various parameters are set for achievement in the early part of the year. However we tend to relax much more than required in the first half of the year. We wake up all of a sudden when we realize or made to realize that the year is going to be over. Even at that crucial stage, the usual tendency is to work to meet each of these parameters at the same time with equal intensity. One requires a little bit of strategizing to get rid of the year end troubles. An analysis of the past performances, the comparative contribution of each of those parameters to overall growth, the nature of perceptions of the growth by the evaluators, and the resultant reactions and responses can give you enough tips on what to and what not to focus. Many times, we grope in the dark with so much confusion without knowing what we should focus. This adds to our tension, as we try to deal with all the challenges simultaneously by diffusing all our energy and resources to variety of areas, without knowing which parameter needs more attention. When some of the areas are to be left unnoticed and ignored, some others may require only a superficial tinkering.

The above is true in the case of challenges faced in the personal front also. We simply can’t meet all those demands that being thrown to you in the month of March. Accumulation is mainly due to our own tendency to procrastinate, partly because of  our laziness. We can’t blame March. It does not spring up any surprises on you. Why should one wait till the deadline to clear our dues? When we know that the taxes, fee or insurance has to be paid within the financial year, why should we wait till the fag end of the year to pay these?

Moral of the story: March never brings problems to you. Rather, you bring problems to March.

Click below to read:

Why I hate March?

Why I start loving March?

Now, as I dare March, may be, I will put a full stop to my March scribbling now!

                                                                             (C) Sibichen K Mathew