Opinion Obscene craze for statues

Hankering after fame and eventual immortality is a common human weakness and may be forgiven....

September 13, 2009 12:12 AM IST First published on: Sep 13, 2009 at 12:12 AM IST

Hankering after fame and eventual immortality is a common human weakness and may be forgiven. What is unforgivable is expenditure of huge public funds for erecting of statues and monuments in honour of a current Chief Minister and the ruling party in the State. Legality apart,such extravagant expenditure is immoral because these funds could well have been utilised for betterment of the indigent and marginalised segments in the State. Social conscience of any enlightened leader should revolt at such obscene waste of public funds. Unfortunately,conscience is conspicuous by its absence. A law to curb such expenditure is sorely needed. But it will be some seasons before the requisite law is enacted. In the course of hearing of a writ petition filed in the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the UP Governments said action,a Bench of Justices B.N. Agrawal and Aftab Alam recently observed that the case involves constitutional issues. There will be colossal wastage of money if we order demolition of the constructions. It will be a wasteful expenditure. You cannot fritter away public money like this. These timely observations should send the right message to all ministerial and political megalomaniacs.

Thieves on rampage

Modern day thieves are not content with petty thefts. Their activities extend even to Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is reported that a computer monitor,CPU and three pairs of exercising dumbbells were stolen from a health club on the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises. Apparently this thief is a health freak with a strong attraction for dumbbells. If the miscreant is caught and ultimately sentenced to imprisonment,the jail authorities may consider giving him a pair of Tihar jail dumbbells for compulsory exercise. Besides he should be required to give lessons in physical exercise with dumbbells to other jail inmates. Health after all is important.

The library of Rashtrapati Bhavan has some excellent invaluable books. It is hoped that the librarian at Rashtrapati Bhavan will ensure none of them finds way into the hands of a literate intellectual thief kleptomaniac. Another recent theft is of a gold watch,presented to our often forgotten late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri by the Soviets on an official visit. The Shastri Memorial which houses several memorable items woefully lacks security and pilferers can have a free run unless security systems like Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) are installed. Thieves have not neglected ordinary mortals like Members of Parliaments. It is reported that some bathroom fittings were stolen from the house of a Rajya Sabha member. Apparently the principles of non-discrimination and egalitarianism are observed by the community of thieves which shows their attachment to our Constitution.

Indian jazz scene

The present generation of jazz musicians thrives on electric or bass guitar,synthesizer and drums. Traditional jazz instruments like trumpet,trombone and clarinet are shunned by them because mastering them takes time and involves intensive practice.Vibraphone,made famous by Lionel Hampton,is hardly played by our jazz musicians. An exception was the gifted musician,Anto Menezes,a pianist,composer and performer,who delighted jazz fans by his magical touch on the vibes. Anto played in Delhi in 1982 with the All Star Swing Band which featured greats like Rudy Cotton and Antos brother Mosin Menezes. Antos performance made that concert unforgettable. Anto rightly described as an ever-giving soul with a peace-loving heart passed away in Calcutta last month leaving a void in the Indian jazz world.

But life goes on. The Indian jazz scene has seen the emergence of a brilliant young musician,Madhav Chari. Madhav is a brilliant pianist. His recent performance at the release of his CD,Parisian Thoroughfares,displayed his complete mastery of the key-board. His sparkling runs on the piano,his solid left hand and the ingenuity of his compositions thrilled jazz fans. Madhav is an extremely knowledgeable jazz musician who keeps abreast of developments in the jazz world and adapts them to his musical style and his remarkable compositions without losing his individuality.

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