Quotas in Lokpal ?

There are reports in today's newspapers that the Government has proposed quoats for various castes in the proposed Lokpal body.

Can corruption, especially at highest level of polity, have a differential impact based on people's caste or creed ?

Why can't the Governemt just staff the Lokpal with the most competent, honest and well meaning individuals, irrespective of their caste / religion or such other artificial divisions ?

If at all this quota can be considered rational,  why not take this thought process  to its logical conclusion, and have quotas for women / sports persons / freedom fighters / disabled / Project - affected ( the last category would persumably include the Congress politicians) etc etc etc ?

Till when will this country be held ransom to the divisory tactics the Britishers initiated during Raj and the Indian politicians perfected post independence ?

How far will the brandwagon go?

Today's Economic Times carries a story on its front page, about schools "prescribing" branded uniforms, shoes and "study aids" such as iPads for their srtudents. This comes closely on the heels of the news earlier this week about a Mumbai school mandating use of Ipads for its students.

Everyone is aware of the  existing nexus the school managements have with local apparel / text-book etc. shops, and how parents are forced to buy school uniforms, shoes, school bags and everything else the school management deems fit from "approved" shops or the school directly, generally paying more than market prices for inferior products. Or at least forgoing their freedom of choice.

The corporate marketeers have now latched on to this exploitive tactic, tying up ( of course, some consideration must be involved) with schools to sell their products.

The Economic Times article states :

"Brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Lee, Woodland, HCL and Samsung are now reaching out to schools and colleges not only to expand revenue channels by tapping a captive audience, but also to build brand among future consumers, even as the trend has raised eyebrows among child experts. "


Of course, parents of school-going kids are sitting duck targets for such exploitive practices, carried out by school managements and now corporates - where can they go ?

While regulatory mechanisms such as Consumer Forum provide relief ex-post, can there be a mechanism to curb such practices and nip them in the bud, so as to speak?

While over-regulation is never a solution, it appears that increasing consumerism will only lead to more such sharp shooting marketing. And by intoning words such as brands, quality, superior products, its is the large corporates, in cohorts with the media, which is devloping / spreading such practices.

Do marketeers coming up with such practices have an iota of compuction left ?

Why doesnt Mr. Kapil Sibal and the Ministry of Education spare more thought and effort to check and prevent this blatant exploitation of  school -goers and their parents?

Why does the media does not come out unequivocally against such going-ons, instead of  commenting on them in a neutral tone, knowing fully well that these are restrictive, anti-consumer practices taregted at a segment which cannot protest beyond a point?

The most important question is  - when / where / how will the brandwagon stop? Brands are a connotion of quality, consistency and consumer connect. However, the way brands are marketed and are evolving, they are totally devoid of these elements,. Instead, they stand for snob value and a total disconnect with reality. Brands have become like a stock market bubble - where market price loses all connect with the intrinsic value ( quantitative as well as qualitative). All stock market bubbles end in a crash - should the business of brands go the same way?

The hope of future ?

For all those who see Rahul Gandhi as the hope of future, the youth icon, the fresh (40 years fresh !) face of Indian (dynastic?) politics, his recent comments and stand on furthering the cause of Muslim reservation (  with eyes firmly on UP elections) is a sure indicator of things to come.

If Mr Gandhi is indeed the face of the modern politics that Congress is supposed to be practicing ( with stalwarts like Digvijay Singh mentoring the prince till he is ready to occupy the family fiefdom), why doesn't he take up the issues of good governance, corruption, rural developement etc etc ? or even good infrastructure?

What is stopping him from fighting the UP election on real issues facing common man, instead of the regressive politics his family and by extension his political party has been practicing for decades?