Between you & me

THE TEHELKA affair has taken a curious turn with the revelation that the news portal used call girls in its sting operation against the corruption of politicians and army officials. We will have to wait until all details are known to come to a final conclusion, but the immediate reactions to the revelation are all too predictable. The Samata Party, which has the most to lose, is crying for criminal action against the portal executives. Tehelka, which has not defined using call girls, flatly states a Samata Party man offered to provide the women. The suggestion also seems to be that some of the army brass asked for the women. No one seems to be sure what the legal position is. Whether Tehelka used unethical means would be one question, and there does not seem to be any clear answer, unless Tehelka is charged under the provisions of the Immoral Traffic Act. Which seems infeasible. In any event the shouting will have to die down before any reasonable action is taken. The politicians are having a field day - such plums do not come their way every day. Mr. Pramod Mahajan has taken advantage of the murky situation to declare his belief in the innocence of Mr. George Fernandes, a declaration totally unwarranted by anything that has happened. For his part, Mr. Fernandes has made holier- than-thou statements to the electronic and print media. The Congress has taken the moral high ground, calling Tehelka's methods objectionable, but emphasising that the basic issue of corruption must not be swept under the carpet. Which is what really matters. While the present scandal, in its cast of characters and in its dimensions, may be somewhat new to this country, the use of women for such purposes is a time-honoured (or should one say time-dishonoured?) practice. History bristles with such instances. So it goes.

These are curious times. Mr. Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi produced a letter, allegedly written by the Cabinet Secretary to the Prime Minister's office, opposing disinvestment of Air India, which has been promptly declared a forgery by the Cabinet Secretary who denied ever writing such a letter. The CBI has filed a case and is consulting its forensic experts. The question is: if the letter is really forged (and there is no reason why the Cabinet Secretary's word should be doubted), who might have done it and made Mr. Munshi, usually a savvy person, believe in its authenticity? Mr. Munshi has stated his explanation would be given only to Parliament. There the matter stands, promising a rich harvest to the media.

Incidentally, Mr. Fernandes' claim that the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu promoted the cause of Mr. Subramaniam to become the Chairman of the Unit Trust of India, has been denied by both the Chief Minister and the Union Finance Minister. And not a yip out of Mr. Fernandes since then. Readers have expressed both curiosity and indignation at the subject. One of them writes in part: ``To put it bluntly, one of them is telling a lie. Is it so difficult for the concerned authorities to reveal a shred of evidence that should lie somewhere in the series of events that led to the appointment? ... Nothing short of exoneration of one of them will convince the public.''

Finally, the Prime Minister forgot all over again that he is the Prime Minister of the entire country. At an RSS meeting, releasing a book, he spoke completely as an RSS cadre, excoriating Christian missionaries for their alleged conversion activities. Christian protests at the highest level have not so far produced a retraction from him, as far as I know.

THE VISHRANTHI Charitable Trust, a home for aged destitute women, has opened an Intermediate Nursing and Medical Care Unit for senior citizens, both men and women, who have been just discharged or are bed- ridden with disabilities, and who mainly need nursing care under medical supervision. The patient should be referred to us by his doctor. The charges for total care are very nominal. Those interested should get in touch with the Chairperson, Intermediate Nursing and Medical Care Unit, 4/227, MGR Road, Palavakkam, Chennai-41. Phone: 4490972.

LAST WEEK, an important conference on ``Celebrating Ageing by Designing the Future,'' was held in Chennai. Unfortunately, the notice to the conference reached this column too late to inform readers of it. Given a rousing start by Mr. N. Ram, Editor of Frontline, and Dr. B. Ramamurthi, eminent neuro-surgeon, the conference discussed various aspects of ageing, its problems and prospects. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Probus Club of Madras and the Heritage Hospital of Hyderabad. The Probus Club, which cares for aged persons, can be reached at Asha Nivas, 9, Rutland Gate, V Street, Chennai-600006. Phone: 8279772 and 8279311.

FOR A change, Parthasarathy, I am going to quote a few lines from a poem which should appeal to all of us:

I would rather have a rosebud, a tribute of today

Than have the richest laurels when I have passed away.

I would rather have a kindly smile from hearts ever true

Than tears around my lifeless form when earth I've bade adieu.

I would rather have the kindest word that can be said to me

Than flattery when my heart is still and life has ceased to be.

S. KRISHNAN

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