Page 98 - EducationWorld Aug 2020 Flipbuilder

Postscript

Too big boots the infamous neta-babu brotherhood, the legal process is
punishment, and Akbar’s defamation plaint has disap-
peared within the mountainous load of 30 million cases
OR BELEAGUERED MANAGEMENTS OF English pending in the courts. Meanwhile the crab culture of the
television news channels, the sustained advertis- media world has pilloried and cast this accomplished
Fing splash of the unlikely Gujarat Cooperative Milk writer with extraordinary clarity of mind and trenchant
Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has clearly come as turn of phrase, into the outer darkness and blacked out
manna from heaven. Technically GCMMF is owned by his compelling new book. Although Akbar undoubtedly
milk producing farmers banded together into modest had a reputation, the general perception is that he was a
cooperatives. These dairy farmers are probably unaware successful — and much-envied — Don Juan with a high
of the very existence of English news channels. But this strike ratio, rather than an aggressor who forced his at-
federation of cooperatives based in Gujarat, owns Amul — tentions.
one of India’s most popular brands developed under the Unfortunately, in recent years a whole new monstrous
supervision of the late and legendary Dr. Verghese Kurien regiment of women warriors whose preoccupation is to
(1921-2012), who during his eventful lifetime built the wind up ‘wronged women’ to expose alpha males for trial
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), GCMMF, by sensations-hungry media, has sprung up on Indian
and Amul from ground up. Launched by Kurien, the terra firma. Tarun Tejpal, former publisher-editor of
White Revolution transformed chronically milk-deficient Tehelka, is another talented writer-journalist — already
India into the world’s largest producer of milk and dairy pronounced guilty by frothing television anchors — who
products, and cut the ground under from several dairy has been contesting an improbable sexual misconduct
multinationals that were buying cheap and selling dear. case for over five years, his finances and promising career
The recent ad splurge must have cost GCMMF millions of as a man of letters buried deep in our national graveyard
dollars. of talent.
This profligacy is in sharp contrast with several cam-
paign proposals advanced to R.S. Sodhi, who succeeded
Kurien as the CEO of GCMMF, to modestly — in our mu- Overdue land reform
tual interest — advertise in EW which is directly targeted
at EPS (educators, parents and students) and therefore, LTHOUGH BJP GOVERNMENTS AT THE Centre
highly cost-effective. Our mewing solicitations have been and in the states have not particularly distin-
studiously ignored by Sodhi, unmindful of the fact that Aguished themselves for policy and project imple-
Kurien readily accepted the merit of our proposition mentation, the party’s leadership deserves some credit
even at the time when EW was in its infancy. Evidently for its commitment to big ticket structural reforms which
Sodhi, hand-picked and nurtured by Kurien to succeed offer a modicum of hope of extrication of the suffering
him, believes he knows better than his mentor. During citizenry from the wilderness of neta-babu socialism.
his lifetime, despite the opposition of commies and fellow Some initiatives of the BJP indicate that the party is ready
travellers who continuously belittled his achievements, to make a break with control-and-command socialism
Kurien built Amul into the country’s most loved brand which has bankrupted post-independence India.
and converted India into the world’s largest producer of Recently, the BJP state government introduced the
milk and dairy products. Too big boots for Sodhi.
Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance
2020 to repeal several provisions of the Karnataka Land
Talent graveyard elegy Reforms Act, 1974 which cleverly suppressed the price
of agriculture land to the advantage of the rural landed
gentry. Under s.79 of the Act, agricultural land could be
RIVETING HISTORY OF THE FINAL YEARS purchased only by agriculturists. With high net worth
before the independence and partition of India urban citizens prohibited from owning agricultural land,
A titled Gandhi’s Hinduism — The Struggle Against gates were opened for the rural gentry who dominated the
Jinnah’s Islam (Bloomsbury 2020) which documents the state’s Congress party, to accumulate vast benami land-
rise of Mohammed Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) from an effete holdings. Also barred from leasing or mortgaging farm
epicurean, agnostic barrister of the Bombay high court land or signing contract farming agreements, distressed
into the leader of India’s then 50 million-strong Muslim farmers had no option but to sell out. In effect, agriculture
community and founding father of Pakistan, has been land became a substantially devalued, if not dead asset.
comprehensively ignored by Indian media. Presumably The iniquitous impact of this regressive legislation
because it is written by M.J. Akbar, founding editor of was experienced first-hand by your publisher who was
Sunday, The Telegraph (Kolkata) and Asian Age. Akbar obliged to sell inherited farmland to an agriculturist at a
is currently in the national doghouse following charges throwaway price. Now following belated amendment of
of sexual harassment by several women journalists who the KLR Act, with corporates and urban high net worth
worked with him during his four decades-plus career in individuals free to purchase the very same property, its
mainstream media. price has risen manifold. Fortunately, even if belatedly,
The media blackout of this excellent book is totally un- the state government has seen the light.
warranted because Akbar has not been convicted by any But the Amendment Bill has to be enacted by the
court of law. On the contrary, he has courageously filed a state’s legislative assembly, and predictably the opposi-
suit against one of his alleged victims for character defa- tion Congress party which has legislated the Act, is oppos-
mation. Inevitably, in our fractured democracy ruined by ing the amendment as anti-farmer. Incorrigible.

98 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2020