Unlike western countries, where politicians avoid using unprofessional words while addressing their woman folk; our politicians do exactly the opposite. For them, every woman is either a mother or a sister, in public. This sentiment becomes more profound, when it is time to distribute some goodies among the masses.
So not surprisingly, when Mr Khanduri announced his government's decision to provide free travel facilities on Raksha Bandhan for all women of the hill state in state roadways transport buses, he called it a special gesture from his government for our(their) sisters and mothers. How can somebody call all the women his sisters and mothers, is difficult to understand!
But old habits die hard, even if a less symbolic word can suffice, our politicians will always choose a weighty one.
Anyway, although the gesture smells of the history, when monarchs used to shower gems on overtly exploited masses-- if the gesture makes the travel easy for any poor woman of the state, it will solve its purpose.
But from a broader perspective, it should be remembered that a time has come when governments at any level should desist from making such gestures; as such actions encourage tentative decision making. And a decision without proper research is never good. If a government wants to improve the lives of its people, why do so for a single day, why not give them an improved and better life for a year, ten years or hundred years. Rather than rolling out schemes that provide momentary comforts, governments should opt for those schemes which provide comforts over a long period in a sustained manner. So let’s hope this is the last time we are witness to such a gesture…
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