‘Meow,’ my
Siamese cat Jill made her presence felt. She was angry. Jack, my Great Dane,
sat up and took notice. He looked at Jill with a question mark on his face.
“Very short
tempered” Jack remarked. “Just a very small cause is good enough for her to blow
up.”
“She must
have read something in the newspapers today. The newspapers are a great source
of hypertension. We should stop reading the news.” I said. “What’s it, Jill?”
“It’s about
non-teaching staff of Junior Colleges in Mumbai. They have ‘boycotted’ the
examinations. So poor students can’t appear for some examinations – and all
arrangements are in a mess.” Jill said. “Very irresponsible! Why do they play
with lives of young boys and girls?”
“Yes, yes”
Jack readily agreed. “But did you notice that some colleges were not affected
at all. The union leaders must not have been active there.”
“Jack, you
are right, but did you notice the reason why those colleges were unaffected?” I
asked and continued, “Those colleges did not have any problem where non-teaching
staff was employed on ‘contract.’ This is why we as employers prefer contract
system.”
“That is
very clever of you. All this is happening because the demands of the
non-teaching staff are not settled quickly. Keep a problem simmering and then
complain about its ill-effects! That’s not done.” Jack said.
“Sorry, I
don’t agree. You can’t do certain things even by way of protest, no matter how
grave the provocation is. These protesters should be packed off under MISA. Do
it a few times and things will improve.” Jill came down very hard on the
protesters. “People stop trains, hospital staff goes on strike while patients
die, and there is ever present ‘Rasta-Roko’ somewhere! Some discipline is
essential. The police must crack a whip and all will be well.”
“I tend to
agree with Jill. Look, Jack, it has become fashionable to put blame at the door
of management.” I said. “Indeed the Education authorities are inefficient and
have not managed things well. But people must see reason. They should be aware
of the consequences of their actions.”
“Nani Palkhiwala
said that people must show ‘obedience to the unenforceable.’ You can’t
enforce a code of conduct. You can enforce only a written rule, but not the
spirit behind it.” Jack said.
“Oh, you
are at it again Jack. Moral statements like ‘obedience to the unenforceable.’
What the great lawyer did not tell you is that the weak invents morality to
restrain the strong. First crack a whip, drive some sense in the heads of wrong-doers
and then speak those high sounding statements. They will sell then!” Jill shot
back as she stood up and jumped on the center table.