Between You and Me

CHENNAI

IT WAS a sad week for the country. A former Prime Minister and a former Chief Minister were convicted and sentenced to jail terms for different kinds of corruption. The former Chief Minister, in her usual flamboyant style, expressed total conviction that a higher court would uphold her innocence. The former Prime Minister retired in a dignified silence to his isolation. Isolation? Yes. Most of his fair- weather friends in the Congress Party would have nothing to do with him. Not in so many words but as a matter of stark reality, the party, which he had served faithfully for so many decades, now turned its face against him.

The man who turned the country around economically, and set it in a new course as far as foreign relations are concerned now finds himself without a friend. While whether a higher court will uphold the verdict of the Special Court still remains to be seen, even the media is acting as if he has been convicted once and for all. In a truly unctuous fashion, the Andhra Pradesh Government has removed from a State-prescribed history text book for lower class students a chapter devoted to him. (The early Communists would have loved this business of making a person into a non- person.)

I, for one, am profoundly disturbed by the spectacle of Mr. P. V. Narasimha Rao in the dock. He is a great scholar and linguist. He has a sharper mind than most of those in power now, and most politicians. He led the country with remarkable ability during a particularly difficult period. The Congress Party owes much to him. Anything he did legally or illegally (which still needs to be proved in a higher court) he did for the party.

To see now various questionable characters from all over the country state piously that the law has taken its course, that the law does not distinguish between people, that this is a lesson for all politicians (forgetting conveniently that they are also politicians) makes my stomach churn. Experts say that the judgment against him has various weaknesses. I do not, of course, know, not being a lawyer, but as a common citizen I do feel that the sentence imposed on him is beyond common humanity, considering his age, ailments and his services to the country.

Nearer home, the astounding business of sending along with the editor of Nakkeeran Mr. Gopal, several well-known LTTE sympathisers and Tamil-firsters, to negotiate with the forest brigand, Veerappan, can lead to nothing but disastrous results. That this was done as a response to a demand by the brigand would seem to set at nought the Supreme Court's caustic strictures to both State Governments against appeasing the smuggler. The situation is, in one sense, simple. If the actor, Mr. Rajkumar, is released as a consequence of this team's plea, obviously all the credit will go to the pro-LTTE types who are in the team. (This is a distinct possibility since I can understand no other reason for insisting that the Tamil chauvinists be part of the team, if the brigand agrees to let his captives go.)

If that happens, one can imagine the turmoil that will occur in Tamil Nadu politics when persons who have been kept at arm's length become heroes. Incidentally, readers who have been following the news would get the feeling, as I do, that the beautiful friendship and commonality of outlook between the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments is beginning to wear thin.

TWO HAPPY events happened during the week which should also be noted. One was the successful operation performed on the Prime Minister. The people are just as glad though at no point could the operation have been considered dangerous. Which did not stop the Prime Ministerial ikon-makers from offering special worship in temples, performing yagnas and writing paens of praise in risible rhymes by poetasters ranging from a Tamil Cabinet Minister all the way down the line.

The other happy event was, of course, the Indian cricket team's win over South Africa. By the times readers see this the ICC final would also have been played, and I certainly hope the Indian team will come out on top. Indian cricket is rising like a Phoenix from the ashes of corruption and poor performances, and all credit must go to the gallant band of youngsters now comprising the team who play with spirit and verve as if there never was a dark and gloomy yesterday. The Tamil proverb is most apposite: the young calf does not know fear.

CHANDAMAMA, THE popular children's magazine that has been appearing in 12 languages since 1947, has been refused the privilege of mailing its copies at concessional postage rates as the magazine does not carry political or other news. Now Chandamama is intended for children between the ages of six and 12. What sort of political messages can it carry for that audience? It does carry a considerable number of articles on science and other aspects of general knowledge. Also, there are a number of other magazines, some directed towards children, others basically religious in nature, and which carry no political news, that enjoy the postal concession. Why, the publishers of Chandamma ask, and so do I too, this invidious distinction against it by the postal authorities?

THE PROBUS Club of Madras, devoted to the welfare of the elderly, recently held its celebration of the International Day of the Elderly. On that occasion, the Club released copies of its publication, `Senior Citizens in the Millennium', which contains a variety of articles, inspirational and useful to senior citizens. Copies can be had for a donation of Rs. 20 from T. T. Srinivasamurti, president, Probus Club, 3, Third Street, Kasturi Estate, Madras-86 (Tel: 4990967).

THIS IS a bit of a variation of a story we had in this column recently, Parthasarathy. There was this small country which was facing a serious economic crisis. It was a single-product economy - let us say sugar-cane - and because of drought the crop had failed altogether. People were actually beginning to starve, with no help or support from anywhere. The elders of the country met in serious conclave to discuss the situation. After a while of batting the problem back and forth, one of them said: ``Let us wage war against the United States. When they defeat us, they will help to rehabilitate us as they usually do with countries they defeat.'' All the elders roared their approval of the scheme, except one. He shook his head dubiously and asked: ``What if we win?''

S. KRISHNAN

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