Gandhigiri practised

‘A letter to CM’ (MM, January 16th) represents the true state of affairs in Tamil Nadu without even a little hit of exaggeration. The Tamil Nadu Government (irrespective of the party in power) compares the price of milk, bus fares, electricity tariff, etc. with other States to justify increases. But it does not compare the auto tariff and also the behaviour of the auto drivers with their counterparts in other States where we can get into the auto, go to the destination we want and pay according to the meter. When I read the article in MM, I was reminded of a news item about a special auto driver in Ahmadabad. I give below the gist of the news item (courtesy: Tatraloka) I saw:

• Udhayabhai Jadav, an auto driver, is a different person in this world. He provides books, music and even food to his customers. Not only that he lets them pay what they deem fit.

There is a mini-library in his auto with books on places of pilgrimage and heritage centres, in addition to newspapers in English and Gujarati. There is an MPS 3 player and a choice of songs is provided and there is a small fan for summer months. There are two boxes containing snacks and drinking water for passengers who are hungry. There is a dust bin for the remains.

On the exterior of the auto is painted ‘LOVE ALL’. The mudguard displays the symbols of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian faiths to convey that all are equal. On the side there is a board in English and Hindi: ‘Namaste and welcome to Ahmadabad. I am Udhay and will take you to places to experience Gandhiji’s legacy and architectural master pieces’.

A very important point is that he does not charge according to meter. (True indeed in Chennai also!) At the end of the journey he hands over a cover to the passenger and he can put in it whatever amount he deems right. He has a donation box too. You can deposit any amount to be used for poor pupils.

When asked whether he can manage his life in this way he says that there is no problem.

On reading this I wondered whether I was in a daydream and whether such a thing can happen in Chennai. If there is even a single individual like this, he must be brought into limelight.

R. Rajagopalan
C-1 Vaishnavi Flats
22, Muthu Mohammed Street
Puzhuthivakkam, Chennai 600 091

A welcome experience

My Indian driver’s licence was due for renewal on January 20, 2012. Because I was in Madras during Christmas 2011, I decided to go to the Regional Transport Office, Anna Nagar (RTO-AN), where my own licence renewal was done earlier in 2007, thinking that I may need to spend several days in getting this task done.

Because of the heavy rain, the entry point to RTO-AN was soggy and slippery; the nearly 20° inclined slope made it more difficult to access the office door. Nonetheless, the remainder of my experience was pleasant.

The reception clerk was at his desk at 10 a.m. that day and when I presented my then valid licence and sought his advice on the renewal process, he supplied me the relevant papers and told me to come back with the papers appropriately completed, together with a certificate of physical fitness from a qualified government doctor and three most recent passport size photographs. He advised me to present them at that office between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and pay the licence fee of Rs 350.

In two days’ time I went back with all those requirements completed and everything went on with clockwork precision and within next 30 minutes I was told that I could collect the new driver’s licence any time after 3 p.m. the same day, which I did.

The experience was, overall, positive and pleasant. Most importantly, I did not have to go through the harassments of touts and intermediates. The process was straightforward and clean.

I congratulate the Regional Transport Officer, Anna Nagar, and his staff for the efficient job they did and the pleasant experience they offered me. I am sure the same must be the experience of everyone else who goes there to get his/her tasks done. I hope that the other RTOs in Madras and State Government offices with front office desks dealing with the needs of general public work with the same efficiency and offer the same quality of service.

Dr. A. Raman
Charles Sturt University
PO Box 883, Orange, NSW 2800
Australia

Art of self-discipline

Reference the letter to the CM (MM, January 16th), we must not forget that Singapore has been a sort of totalitarian country, where fundamental rights are subject to a lot of restrictions. Dubai and Muscat, both small, are ruled by kings. India, on the other hand, is a huge country with considerable democratic freedom. There is no point in comparing India with these countries.

What Indians lack is self-discipline. Having suffered under the tight controls of foreign conquerers and alien lords for centuries, we have not learnt the art of self-discipline. Everyone from bus driver to autorickshaw driver to pedestrian to a politician thinks his rights are absolute and inalienable. So we witness chaos all round.The only time there was some order and discipline in the country was when the infamous Emergency was imposed. As one wag put it, during that period everything worked except democracy and when the Emergency was lifted nothing worked except democracy.

I am not sure if order and sense will ever prevail in this country. Greedy politicians have no will power to enforce rules. Sections of inefficient police are corruption incarnate. We encourage them in flouting rules and then paying them bakshish instead of fines. We think, for instance, it is our birthright to urinate and spit wherever we choose. We talk all the time about the high ideals in our sacred books and about the past, but never practise them in our lives. Honest leaders are sorrounded by self-centred people. Will things ever improve and change? Let us hope so!

T. Santhanam
tyagasanth@gmail.com

Bus travel woes

I read with interest as well as with a sense of sadness the state of affairs in public transport (MM, January 16th). It is deplorable that not even a single bus on some of the routes runs on time and the condition of some buses is disgraceful. While a large number of buses ply on some routes, there are very few on others. This anomaly has to be set right.

The courtesy, if any, of bus drivers and conductors, as pointed out, leaves much to be desired. Bus conductors hardly move out of their seats and passengers are put to lot of inconvenience in getting tickets. In addition, some conductors collect excess bus fares.

It is of immediate importance that the whole MTC administration is rejigged in order to win the confidence of the travelling public.

R.K. Sridharan
3, East Circular Road
Mandavallipakkam
Chennai 600 025

A different answer

In Madras Musings August 1st, V.V. Ramanan’s question no. 20 was “If Vishnu Kanchi was the area also known as ‘Little Conjeevaram’ and Siva Kanchi was ‘Big Conjeevaram’, what was known as ‘Jina Kanchi’?”

The answer given, “Pillai Palayam”, is wrong. It is a holy place of the Jains and is known as Thiruparuthikundram.

Rajakumar Jain
rajakumar65@hotmail.com

V.V. Ramanan writes:

I had framed the question based on what Rao Sahib C.S. Srinivasachari stated in his History of the City of Madras, written for the Tercentenary Celebrations in 1939. He said:

“...It is also known as the City of Temples, there being as many as 108 Saiva and 18 Vaishnava shrines comprehended in it. It has been traditionally divided into three main parts. viz. Little Conjeevaram (Vishnu Kanchi), Big Conjeevaram (Siva Kanchi), and Pillai Palayam (Jina Kanchi), which is now a large weaving centre...”

Moreover, on doing a search with Google, I found that the place has been referred to as Pillai Palayam and Pillayar Palayam, with the latter being more common.

Reader Rajakumar is also right in a sense, as another set of searches shows Thiruparuthikundram being referred to as ‘Jina Kanchi’.

As reader Rajakumar is presumably a Jain, I accept his views and will henceforth remember that Jina Kanchi specifically refers to the place he has mentioned rather than to what I had given as answer.

Kalas or Khalsa?

In the article and photographs published in MM (February 1st), Kalas/Khalsa Mahal is used. Er. C.S. Kuppuraj (89), the former Chief Engineer, states that the correct name is Khalsa Mahal and not Kalas Mahal.

Khalsa means ‘appointment/ udyog’ in Urdu.

C.S. Kuppuraj desires that MM use the correct name only.

Er. A. Veerappan
State Secretary
Tamil Nadu PWD Senior Engineers’ Association
veerappan@hotmail.com