Ever Met a Responsibility Activist?

"India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give respect to my parents, teachers and elders and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness."

I am sure most of us would be able to recall the above lines that we have recited almost daily during our school days. Years passed by and we almost forgot that we had at some point in time pleged our devotion to our nation. Most of us know what our rights are as citizens of India, but we are least concerned about our responsibilities towards the country. I am known to several Rights Activists but never came across a single Responsibilities Activist. Never heard the term? Yes, because no such actvist exists. We are fighting for our rights as well as for others', but we do not realise the fact that if we start taking responsibilities to ourselves, half the battle would be won.

It was a typical summer afternoon, in Delhi, and I was on my way to Saket from Lajpatnagar, in an auto rickshaw. It was tough to keep up with the scorching heat, with the temperatures reaching 42 degrees. The auto rickshaw had stopped at the traffic signal near the BRT corridor, when I noticed a little boy approaching us. He had a bunch of beautiful red, heart-shaped balloons in his hand. Yes, he was a roadside vendor. He quoted the price at rupees twenty for the entire bunch and even before I could respond, he had slashed down the price to rupees ten. The innocence in those eyes captured my attention and pinched my soul.

Now where the hell have all these activists, NGOs, social workers and our own selected representatives holding key positions in the country's government, gone. Or for that matter, am I to believe that none of these people have ever come across such traffic lights? With this being a common sight across the city, it is hard to believe that they did not!

Anyways, why put the ball in someone else's court? Can't we make a difference? Yes, we can! By speaking about it, spreading the word, condemning child labour, blogging, and volunteering to help realise the dream of an educated India.

Well said Mr. Custodian of Education

Recently, I got the privilege to enrich my knowledge bank by directly interacting with a high profile Head of a leading Business School in our National Capital Region. His expert insights on various aspects related to the factors responsible for the success of a Business School truly enlightened me, so much so that it becomes my social responsibility to share my experience with you.

The session that lasted almost forty-five minutes was highly engrossing and left me in a state of complete amazement. I initiated the discussion about leadership development being a key factor for setting new standards in Business Education and expressed the need for organizing leadership training sessions and workshops for students. The topic for discussion had been introduced, and my key speaker took charge thereupon. With a smile on his face, he asked me if I could guess what his monthly remuneration was. Without me giving it a try he said, "You have no idea how I have turned this non-performing business into a highly profitable venture." I was confused, and tried to figure out which business was the man referring to. "Do you know how much we make each year just out of selling application forms for admission to the Management programme?" I did not, and niether was I interested in knowing. I interrupted, "Sir, the issue in question is what is a student's takeaway from this institution?" His prompt reply left me speechless, "I am not being paid to look into that. My prime concern is the Management's ROI." He quoted figures to prove how profitable the business of running a Business School could be. He took pride in claiming to be among the highest paid heads of instituions across the country. "But Sir , what is the highest remuneration offered to any student in the last campus recruitment at the institute?" "Hardly matters, go and check with my accountant, how many applications we have recieved for the next session. Go and find out what the latest fee structure is. Parents who can afford to pay that much, can also afford to get their children into decent jobs." I wished the applicants' parents could actually hear this conversation. I felt sorry for all those students who had opted for study loans to pay for a Management education from the institute.

He went on, "I truly believe, that people in Uttar Pradesh are worth nothing. I reject applications depending on the town an applicant comes from. Had the management not been paying me so well, I would never have preferred to stay with this institute for the very reason that it is situated in Uttar Pradesh." His derogatory comments about Uttar Pradesh were too much to hurt my sentiments. My family hails from Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh and I take great pride in my roots being in Uttar Pradesh. I politely put forward my disagreement and mentioned facts to support my argument. All my efforts went in vain and I finally realized that it was time I acknowledged his subject-matter expertise and put an end to the overwhelming speech.