Between you & me

THE DAY this column appears (April 23) is the last for aspiring candidates to file their nominations for the forthcoming Assembly elections. As of this writing, though, defections and party- hopping are going on merrily, and lists of candidates are being released almost mechanically by the political parties. I hope candidates who go to file their nominations will remember the particular party they owe their allegiance to - at that moment at least. The other noteworthy thing about the impending campaign is that it gives promise of being one of the most acrimonious ever. Already the slanging match between the DMK and the AIADMK has started with, curiously enough, each accusing the other of misrule and corruption. Cable TV stations show every leader attracting huge crowds, which may comprise admirers or may have been hired. And above all hangs the Damoclean sword over the head of the AIADMK general secretary - wlll the Returning Officers accept her nominations or not? I don't personally think it will make any change to the end result whether she runs for office or not, for it is the general voting public which will determine the outcome of this messiest of all elections that we have known. As the old Malayali gentleman said (according to his nephew, a friend of mine): What what must happen at what what time, that that will happen at that that time. A comforting thought for us fatalists, who have given up all hopes of ethics and reason and good sense prevailing in this Step-mother of all Elections.

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THE NATIONAL picture is equally sombre. During the week we saw a major legislative measure, Railway Budget, being passed by voice vote, without discussion. Most of us feel that the measuring of strength between the Government and the Opposition has gone on all too long. There is little one can do to dislodge a determined Government with a majority, except using the parliamentary forum to pillory it. Incidentally, the Government has not exactly covered itself with glory, with its not so subtle attempts to smear the image of the Opposition leader.

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WHILE I am still thinking of elections, let me add that several readers have suggested that it would be a good idea to demonstrate the working of the Electronic Voting Machine on lanugage TV stations. This would surely be the best way to acquaint especially rural audiences with using the machine. For one thing, TV has an enormous reach. For another it will save the officials much time as it will make it unnecessary for them to teach each voter how to use the machine.

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THERE WAS during the week a great moment when the generally disillusioned people of this country could stand up and cheer - as a nation, as a people ignoring politics for the moment. This was when the Geosynchronous Satellite was launched - this time without any problem - from Sriharikota. The vehicle made a perfect launch, followed all indicated parameters, and if there were some glitches during its journey, the staff were sure of taking care of them. The launch not only puts us in the company of only four or five other nations with this sort of rocket firing capacity, but also, when fully developed, can carry payloads for other countries, and thus become commercially viable. To the patient creators of the vehicle, who laboured for ten years over the project, and the technical directors who worked by their side all along, especially to Mr. K. Kasturirangan, present Director, in fact to the entire Indian Space Research Organisation in Sriharikota and Hassan, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude for pushing the country further into the modern world. I saw on TV some of the villagers watching the launch totally unbelievingly. They had on their faces the same look of the man who saw for the first time in his life a giraffe in a zoo. He said: I don't believe it! I more or less felt the same way, but because of wonder and gratitude.

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I MUST start by saying that I have absolutely no faith in astrology, so that readers can anticipate my tone in this paragraph. I have no faith in the hallowed tradition, because I am not an egomaniac who believes that stars and planets rearrange themselves to get at me, favourably or unfavourably. Having grown up in villages and small towns, I have seen for myself the havoc astrology has played in people's lives. Favourable predictions, whether they come true or not (and if they do, it is sheer coincidence) leave individuals happy, while unfavourable ones leave the individual and his family in a state of trauma. Feeling as I do about astrology, I am truly shocked at the proposal to introduce it as a subject of study in universities. Whatever else astrology may be, it is most certainly not a science, and has no place in academic institutions dedicated to the sciences. The basis of all sciences are empiricism and strict laws. Astrology does not meet these qualifications. At its best, it is a word of mouth tradition, supported by flashes of intuition, and more generally it is hit or miss guess-work. It certainly has no place in institutions devoted wholly to science. Let me repeat, astrology is a matter of faith, and not a science. There is no way I can think of by which it can be moulded into an academic discipline. It is all right for a truly saffronite Government Minister to try to bulldoze it into universities, but it is certainly unworthy of the Chairman of the University Grants Commission to go along with the proposal, just to win a few brownie points from his Minister.Having said that, let me add that I don't mean to criticise at all those who believe in astrology. I don't question their faith, especially if it brings them solace and comfort. My basic point simply is that astrology is not a science, and does not deserve to be grouped with the sciences. Many whom I respect believe in astrology, and they have every right to do so, as long as they do not try to spread their belief in an academic situation.

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A READER points out that Chennai Telephones have more to answer for than just ignoring complaints from subscribers - the officers should also proof-read their printed forms. He draws out attention to a paragraph in one of their acknowledgement forms, which, I must say, sounded mysterious to me: ``Your request will be forwarded to the office at St. No. 3 Acknowledgement card for necessary action. The officers can be met on all working days between 15 hrs to 1630 hrs daily in connectin with your case.'' (Spelling as in the original.'')

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HERE IS a brief story a reader sent in Parthsarathy, and if you want to apply to some of our politicians, why, I shan't complain. Here we go. The young boy was talking to an old lady. What was interesting about her was that she never spoke ill of anybody. He complained about his friends, but she found something good to say about them all. Finally, in sheer exasperation, he said: ``Why, auntie, I believe you will say something good about the Devil too!'' The old lady smiled sweetly, and said: ``Well, you certainly have to admire his persistence.''

S. KRISHNAN

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