I got a call from 5thPillar Director Mr.Subramani for an urgent work last wednesday evening. I took it up gladly, though it meant going 10s of kms in and around Chennai in the weekdays. I owed it to 5thPillar as the PR Coordinator who hardly did any work. 5thPillar as a constituent of Forum for electoral integrity (www.freefairelections.org) is submitting a memorandum to Chief Minister requesting to take steps conduct free and fair local elections in Tamilnadu this year end.
The moment I saw the list of people I have to meet I knew it was going to be a very enriching experience. I had to meet top ex-bureaucrats like Former CBI Director, IAS officer, heads of pioneering NGOs like IPA, CAI, Nandini Voice for the deprived etc. I will elaborate on a couple of meetings that stand out.
Mr.T.S.Kannan of Insititute of Public Auditors was the first person I met. He spoke to me on his vast experience in running a mill in Mumbai, dealing with labour unions. The biggest mistake as per him of the current industry leaders is the total lack of communication with bottom level labourers. He said he unearthed lots of irregularities in CMDA approvals and is ready to guide me in acting on them.
Then I met Mr.Ragavachari Desikan of Consumers Association of India. Though he could not spend much time talking. He said there was no dearth of guidance he can give related to consumer rights and assured me of all help possible.
The next person Mr.B.S.Raghavan ex IAS and founder of the Rajaji Center for Public Affairs was a very dynamic personality. He was full of energy and enthusiasm but very angry at today's youth for total lack of passion in what we do. Software engineers per him just do the job of examining the vomit of westerners. This is what he had to say - வெறி is needed to get வெற்றி - i.e., to win deep passion is necessary. He said, if its Computer field work like Bill Gates even from a garage and if its politics then one should aim to become the Prime Minister and work non-stop starting from the field level. I had already met him at his center during the All candidates meet before elections. Though he was kind of pushing me to work in Software I told him I made up my mind after listening to my inner voice to achieve only in politics but unable to do it full time right away. He said he will give me all he can. He says today's youth have various distractions and the only people who come to his center are Lokku lokku (cough) takku takku (stick) old men. I do not fully agree and got to prove him wrong.
Though all of them had held top positions, they have a deep sense of dissatisfaction for having grown old without doing enough. They are all trying hard to motivate today's youth often unsuccessfully. Its very clear to me that there is no dearth of people who can act as alma mater - only if we youth are ready to receive the guidance.
