RIP, Vasu

The Dreaded WhatsApp Message

It came at 6:17 AM on Thursday, 23^rd February from Ranganath to inform us that his father, and our dear friend of six decades, Vasu was no more. On the 6^th, Vasu had a stroke around midnight and fell down at his home. He was rushed to a local hospital where it was diagnosed that he had suffered a stroke and the left side of his body was paralysed. He was moved to the ICU in Apollo Hospital, Seshadripuram where, after the first few days, a brain surgery was considered and ruled out due to the impairment of his heart. He was then on palliative care and his condition steadily deteriorated. On 20^th, he was moved to St. Theresa’s Hospital where he passed away in the wee hours of the 23rd.

College Days

Vasu and the members of our small WhatsApp group were BSc students at St. Joseph’s College from 1962 to 1965. Our deep friendship was forged during those three years. Much of my recollection in this blogpost is based on the great times we had then and how Vasu was an integral part of it.

Vasu was not a conformist student. Born in Ahmedabad on 17^th Sept. 1943, he had studied in various schools all over India where his father T N Ranga Rao had held senior positions in the P&T Dept. of Government of India (GoI). Vasu was a ready wit with a quaint sense of humour. He preferred the last benches where he could mutter comments about the lecture or the professor much to the mirth of his classmates within earshot. This often got him into trouble with the teachers but that did not deter the irrepressible Vasu.

The one who bore the brunt of Vasu’s witticisms was Rangaraja Chetty, our Chemistry lecturer for whom English was not a strong suit. He may well have asked two of his students “to come together separately” to meet him. He is also supposed to have talked about a “colourless blue precipitate”. But under Vasu’s curation, the number of Chettyisms grew over the years. “You get out or I will ask the Principal to get out” was one of them. Vasu kept track of Chetty after the latter’s retirement. He was tickled by the fact that the pharmacy belonging to the Chetty family in the City Market area has been sold and a flourishing liquor store has come up there!

Vasu had his share of run-ins with other teachers as well. While most of them took Vasu’s muttered wisecracks in their stride or ignored the chatter in the back benches, one mathematics lecturer got upset on a particular occasion. Suspecting that Vasu was the mischief-monger, he made Vasu stand up and gave him a dressing down in open class. Not one to take things lying down, Vasu told him that he could not be blamed for the unruly behaviour of the other students and that the lecturer could always “pull him up” if he was at fault. This retort from Vasu so infuriated the lecturer that he shouted “No, I will pull you down”. We were not sure if  the lecturer had misunderstood Vasu’s offer to be pulled up, but this remained an oft-recalled incident in our group.

Films

Our college had the best location for viewing English movies. Imperial, Rex, Liberty, Plaza and BRV were all within walking distance. So much so, we could rush to the theatres at 3:55 pm after our last period and watch the full movie from 4:05 skipping the ads, Indian News Reel, trailers and intermission. This helped us as our unsuspecting parents were under the impression that we were late because we had a longer-than-usual day at the college.

The other pleasure was the reruns of Hindi hit films as morning shows at deeply discounted rates at theatres like Prabhat and Vijayalakshmi in the Majestic area. If my memory serves me right, we could watch a morning show for less than 60 paise. The challenge on Saturday mornings was to finish the Chemistry practicals and rush to the theatres to see re-runs of old Hindi movies. And of course, new ones like Woh Kaun Thi, Kohraa, etc. at the regular evening shows.

Vasu had his own quirky takes on the titles of the films. In Main Nashe Mein Hoon, he would pronounce the silent n in three of the four words. Ustadon Ke Ustad became Ustad on Ek Ustad! Our classmate Jagannath was always referred to as Apna Haath Jagannath!  

Cricket

In our group, all were cricket enthusiasts. In those pre-TV days, tennis ball cricket in one’s own locality was the staple diet of youngsters. 5^th Block Rajajinagar, where Vasu and Kumar lived had its own cricket team of which Vasu was the captain. There were teams in Malleswaram and Vyalikaval too. Krishna who lived in Vyalikaval was a dreaded left-hand fast bowler. We would have matches between these teams with Sweet-Kara-Coffee (SKC) bets settled at CTR for Jamoon-Masala Dosa-Coffee. Vasu, I am told, had kept the ball-by-ball scores of those matches and shared them with friends in later years. He also had a good collection of cricket books, including some rare hardbacks that he had picked up in England when he visited his son Ranganath.

Music

Like many in our group, Vasu shared a fondness for Hindi film music. He was a fan of Dev Anand and the lovely songs from his films. Vasu had his own metrics to appreciate the songs we listened to. Thus, Hai Kali Kali Ke Lab Par or Tu Kahe Agar were ‘medium-pace’ songs! In later years, Vasu built up a vast collection of CDs picked up from vendors in Palika Bazar and other haunts of his. He enlarged this to include several VCDs of hit films which he would urge us all to come over and watch at his home over liquid and solid refreshments. I recall a few such sessions at his house in one of which a banker friend of his regaled us with old Hindi film songs!

Books

Vasu had a specialised taste in books. He was fond of books on the World Wars, particularly WW II. Between him and Shekar, they had devoured all the books of Louis L’Amour. Vasu was also keen on books about the building of the Indian Railways and P&T systems. We also exchanged books on Hindi films, musicians and actors.

Sense of Humour

Vasu was quick-witted and had the uncanny ability to pun and see the comical side of things. B R Ashwathnarayna Rao, the Sociology lecturer in college was for Vasu, ‘BRA’ Rao. A related one brought in the British award of OBE. Vasu liked to play with the names of our classmates too. Parthasarathy was Sarthaparathy and Arul Raj became Arul Jar! When GoI came up with Hindi names for its corporations, Vasu asked why not Bharat Thel instead of Indian Oil? He was vindicated when, after nationalisation in 1976, Burmah Shell became Bharat Petroleum! It would have been interesting to prod Vasu on his take on the numerous acronyms for current Government of India schemes like Uday, Udaan, Sehat, etc.

The Human Being

Underneath the above facets of his personality, Vasu’s was a warm heart that beat for others. A long-time resident of Rajajinagar, he had numerous friends and admirers there. Bhupat recalls how he was there to help each and every one of them in times of need. Shekar remembers that Vasu would be ready with a chocolate for his granddaughter when he picked her up from the school next to Vasu’s house.

Among us classmates, Vasu had the widest circle of friends and he kept in touch with all of them. He had collected the addresses and telephone numbers of many of them not only in cities like Hyderabad (‘Prof.’ Chandran) and Kolkata (Gomes) but also in the USA and Canada.  

Vasu was a tireless champion of the rights of the staff in banks. He was Vice-President of Canara Bank Officers’ Association (CBOA). He continued as Central Committee Member after his retirement. In that capacity, he travelled extensively all over India to educate serving officials, lobby with Government of India and brief lawyers with the ultimate aim of getting a fair pension deal for bank employees, including VRS optees. He was bitter that there was not enough honesty and integrity in the system to get this done.

Gaampara Gumpu and its Unfinished Agenda

That is our compact WhatsApp group put together by Kesari with Vasu, Kumar, Shekar, Bhupat, Krishna, Prasanna, Saikumar and myself as members. The Gumpu did stay in touch on a daily basis and even managed a few lunch get-togethers. Covid-19 put paid to all that. We tried to meet online quite a few times but that did not really click. It only made us draw up plans on how we would catch up after the pandemic is over. Vasu led these discussions with many practical suggestions. He was all for a road trip to the Malnad area covering Hassan, Shivamogga, etc. He had friends everywhere who could take care of the accommodation, etc.   

Farewell, Dear Friend

I last spoke to Vasu on 30^th January. He had called me to enquire about the family of my brother Viji who had passed away in March last year. I told him that my sister-in-law’s family pension is settled and that she is in Thane with her daughter. “Eno, Vijina Nenappu Nannannu Khadthayidhe” were his last words, as we ended the call. Krishna tells me that Vasu had called him up on 3^rd February and updated him on Sudha’s surgery and extracted a promise that all of us would get together soon at his home.

We did get together on the 23^rd. But Vasu who was the life and soul of Gaampara Gumpu was there only in spirit. Farewell, dear friend. With your unique sense of humour, may you spread laughter and good cheer in the other world you have left us for. Their gain is our irreparable loss!

Rishta dil se dil ke aitbaar ka,

Zinda hai hamhi se naam pyaar ka,

Ke mar ke bhi kisi ko yaad ayenge,

Kisike ansuon mein muskuraayenge,

Kahega phool har kali se baar baar,

Jina isika naam hai!

S. Krishna Kumar

27^th February, 2023,

Bengaluru

Blog # 56

Transmission Mechanism

Synopsis

In general, transmission mechanism is the process through which policy decisions affect stakeholders. The phrase has become familiar in the last decade or more in the context of monetary policy to connote how changes therein impact economic activity at large through channels like interest rates, price levels, inflation, etc. Reading an interesting article by Manu Joseph (MJ) in the Mint a couple of days ago, I was struck by the thought if there isn’t a similar transmission mechanism in the political realm and whether that is failing in India.

Nano to Air India

The title of the article by MJ was “Nano to Air India: what sets India’s swag apart now”. The author points out how an India that was not excited about the Pokhran tests, major Indian corporate acquisitions in Europe, the India Shining campaign in the 2004 general elections and the failure of the Nano car is now all agog with Air India’s proposed mega purchase order with Airbus and Boeing. MJ concludes thus:

“But today, the financial optimism round me has a relaxed certainty about it, despite the classical fears and uncertainties within the lives of working people. Away from a few dismal professions, all of that are within the media, people are preparing to thrive. They are ready for an age of political stability offered by a right-wing government that reflects the provincial practicality of a majority of new Indians. They are preparing for an age of economic opportunities, of widespread adoption of the web and the smart phone, a dramatic increase in retail bets on the stock market in the form of mutual funds. And, of course, a boom in air travel.” (Emphasis added)

This thesis about the ‘new Indians’ ‘preparing to thrive’ made me wonder if India had suddenly become even more ‘aspirational’ than in the wildest dreams of the current policy makers in New Delhi.

Aspirational District Programme (ADP)

ADP is a NITI Aayog Programme that aims to improve the socio-economic status of 117 districts from across 28 states. Its three core principles are – Convergence (of Central/State Schemes), Collaboration (among citizens and officials of Central/State Governments, including district teams) and Competition among districts. ADP focusses on 5 main themes – Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure, which have direct bearing on the quality of life and economic productivity of citizens. Through the content of the programme, “…Districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch up with the best district within their state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism.” It is reassuring to see that the focus is on Basic Infrastructure covering drinking water, sanitation, electricity and road connectivity. Not air travel!

‘New Indians’

If even the flagship programme of the Government does not carve out aspirational districts as a separate ready-to-take-off category, where does this notion of the ‘new Indians’ come from? Are they the Indians in the 117 districts who may be said to have arrived? Obviously not. Clearly, these are a sliver of the middle class who are upwardly mobile and whose self-esteem needs are reinforced by the prospect of air connectivity in and outside India booming in the coming years.

‘Preparing to Thrive’

All of us recognise that to thrive, one needs to survive. Has India reached a level of economic development where the aspirations of a miniscule minority to ‘thrive’ obscures the daily struggles of survival of a large segment of the population? Would the purchasing power of this minority be enough to propel the entire economy forward? This is not to demonise the Indians who want to thrive but merely raise the question whether as a country, we are getting our priorities right.

‘Political Stability’

Unintentionally perhaps, MJ himself provides the answer to my rhetorical questions. The economic optimism of the latest Indians is clearly buttressed by the political stability of the last nine years and the clear prospect of this continuing for another six years and beyond. How can there be expectations of political stability in the sense of the prolonged rule of one party in a vibrant parliamentary democracy? What does that say of the opposition parties as a whole and the leading opposition party in particular?

‘Provincial Practicality’

This is an interesting, but problematic, coinage. Does MJ imply that any worthwhile opposition to the ruling dispensation can only come from the provincial parties and that as long as voters in those States can be enticed on the promise of ‘double-engine development’ or blunted by ‘divide-and-rule’, political stability can be assured for the new Indians?

Political Transmission Mechanism

Even MJ may not be able to argue that the political stability he is alluding to has been won through economic stability. On the contrary. The major economic initiatives of the last nine years have had deleterious impacts on those who are struggling to survive, be they individuals or enterprises. That goes for the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic too. It has been argued that many of the so-called relief packages during the pandemic were designed and delivered for those thriving or wanting to thrive rather than those on the edge of survival.

If the above is a fair and widely-held assessment, why is it that this is not being transmitted through the political and electoral process? Why is not citizen distress manifesting as voter dissatisfaction in the next election? There are two possible explanations. First, the opposition parties are too fragmented and caught up in their own limited turf wars that they are not paying any attention to the long-term issues and trends. Second, and more chilling, is that not merely the latest but Indians of all vintage are becoming more and more apolitical. They just do not believe that the political class as a whole understands their needs or is capable of fulfilling them.

Market Failure

The above phrase describes the situation of inefficient distribution of goods and services in a free market. The phenomenon of market failure has been studied and written about extensively. Some of the causes of market failure are externalities, information failure, market control and public goods. One can easily see that all these are present in various degrees in the Indian political market. Political discourse is continuously polluted by hate speech, disinformation campaigns are the rule rather than the exception, one party with disproportionate access to resources (including through electoral bonds) dominates the polls and institutions with Constitutional mandates are prevented from or hesitant to provide correctives that would constitute valuable public goods in this situation.

Do the opposition parties even care?

There is no evidence to show that the national and regional opposition parties even comprehend this failure, let alone worry about the resultant outcomes. The leading opposition party is busy with a yatra and its leading lights are trying to disprove that it is no more than a distracting side show to prop up a failing dynasty and its heir. It has given up any pretence at articulating an alternative vision for the economy where survival can go hand in hand with thriving. It does not have a well-considered stance on any of the major social and economic issues facing the nation either at the individual or collective level. Which political dispensation will provide an alternate approach to “Viksit Bharat’ and make India ‘swag’ over its education or health systems and their outcomes? And when? Knee-jerk reactions of reverting to the old pension system or supporting further OBC reservations may not cut any ice with the voters.

Parliamentary Hypocrisy

If the ruling party is excessively oriented towards polls, the opposition is playing into its hand. It is as though politicians are in echo chambers of their own with little direct contact with people in their constituencies. Such contact which is the equivalent of the invisible hand in a free market is the transmission mechanism implicit in a democracy. The depth of this contact and the quality of interaction it provides determine how effectively the transmission mechanism works through the political and electoral processes. If the mechanism becomes defective and defunct, then we will merely be a parliamentary hypocrisy which many both inside and outside India suspect we already are.

S. Krishna Kumar

22^nd February 2023

Bengaluru

Blog # 55