Free Books to MLAs of Kerala

“Kerala Assembly which witnesses boycotts and arguments while passing a bill, took only two minutes to pass a bill yesterday.

The payment of Salaries and Allowances, Third Amendment Bill 2012, was passed without any discussion. The bill was presented by Chief Minister Oomen Chandy in the assembly.

The amendment was brought in to add one more component to the remuneration package of MLAs - reimbursement of bill of books purchased. With this an MLA can reimburse Rs15000/ for purchasing books per year.”

                            

                                  Times of India 19th Feb 2013.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.”

                                                                                     Matthew 7:6

Awards for sale.

                   The announcement of the list of persons selected for the Padma Honours raises resentments and ruckus every year. This year was no exception. S. Janaki, the nightingale of the south, (the fact remains, she sang in all the Indian languages) was the first to ruffle the hornet’s nest with a strong refusal of  Padma Bhushan offered to her. ”They have been giving undue importance to people from North India, Artists from South Indian music and film industries face discrimination every time, I refuse the award. I have been singing for the last fifty years. Government should have given me the award earlier”. .Janaki’s reaction never reached the National Media or the powers that be in New Delhi as what is happening in the cow belt alone attracts their attention.

          The irony is that she was in Kerala, the state which received a raw deal this year when  she got the news of her selection.  From the list of 42 submitted by the state govt. only one was selected, that even with a snub. Madhu recommended for Padma Bhushan got Padmashree . Mr Sukumaran Nair, the general secretory of the Nair Service Society who is trying hard to place representative of his community in key positions (thakkol sthanangal) need not worry about the religious imbalance in this year’s selection as the official name of the lone  recipient is Madhavan Nair.

          Mr. K.C. Joseph, the Minister in charge of the Dept that recommends the names from the State has earlier commented about the mean and obnoxious methods, some people resort to for getting the Padma Honours. But he and his party cant be absolved of being  partners in this filthy game. Poor Pranchiyettan who bundled up one crore rupees and dispatched to a broker in an ambulance failed to get Padmashree.  However the fact of the matter is that money, political patronage and parochial considerations play more pivotal role in the selection of Padma awards than veritable merits. The Central and the State Govts use it as a tool to win people over to their fold or to gratify their cronies and stooges.

        When there was lot of hue and cry for conferring  Bharat Rtana to a cricketer the most sane and audacious  remarks came from honorable Justice Markandey Katju “By conferring Bharat Ratna on Sachin Tendulkar  you are belittling that honour”

         Despite the shortcomings in the selection process and consideration that weigh in  favor of the recipients, the mandate and authority of the elected Governments, academies and universities in giving awards are beyond challenge.

         Of late filthily rich individuals, cash rich corporates, small time cultural leaders, clubs with questionable integrity started giving awards to  artistes, professionals, politicians or achievers who command marketable fame and glamour. It is a quid pro quo deal., where the giver of the award stands to gain more. Their eyes are on publicity. They waddle in the murky puddle of narcissistic pleasure when they see them beside the glitzy recipient in the print and moving media the next morning.

          A club of officers in Kochi, floated, managed and manipulated by two pensioners gives Business Man of The Year Award every year. First they identify a neo-rich., strike a deal with him, the award is  fixed.. The awardee ropes in a minister or an old politician idling on the gubernatorial chair to present the award. The function will be arranged in a five star hotel with dinner, tipple, music , fun and frolic. The services of the club members will be used to entice maximum crowd promising “unlimited food and drinks”. The recipient of the award will gleefully shell out money seeing the lotus eaters that throng the meeting eyeing the food and bottles and expecting his picture in the media the following day, The amount that changes hands is everybody’s guess. All are happy, the giver, the receiver, the presenter, the eater and the tippler. “What an idea Sirji….”