Saina Nehwal conferred Khel Ratna

Saina Nehwal conferred Khel Ratna
'Bank Ratna' Awards for Best Performers?
Also, "Teacher of The Year" for Professors??

Congratulations to Saina Nehwal. At a time when Sania has shifted from Hyderabad/India to our neighbouring country after marriage, we were badly looking for an alternative. Saina has emerged in Badminton to bring glory to Hyderabad / India. She deserves the much coveted award of Khel Ratna. It is customary for the Government to confer Padma Awards on Politicians / Scientists / Artistes / Industrialists / Sportsmen and so on every year which number is increasing gradually. Similarly, defence personnel are also recognised with several decorations - right from a Jawan to the Chiefs of the three wings - sometimes even posthumously.

And then, these sportsmen and women too are recognised with awards like Khel Ratna or Arjuna Awards (besides of course, Padma Awards too, some times). All these winners have prove their mettle in their respective fields, earn money as also name and fame. Every award or prize takes them higher and higher and motivates to do better.

My observation is that the PSUs are also conferred the Navaratna Awards. There was a Committee headed by Dr Khandelwal to recognise the PSBs in India with such Ratna Awards. So far there is no movement in the Government's decision. SBI was considered very highly and was recommended to be given Maha Ratna Award. In fact, on similar lines, the Committee should have also recommended to recognise individual Officials (not CMDs of course) who excel consistently for at least five years, be awarded Bank Ratna in their respective Banks.

In the Academic field also, say in the B-Schools of high order in the country, we should be thinking of instituting "Teacher of the Year" Award to be conferred on September 05 every year. Such practices and incentives would definitely lead to healthy competition and motivate them to perform better in their respective fields.

The Unstoppable Indians?

I am not referring to Lalu, Mayawati, Modi (Narendra or Lalit), Jayalalithaa, Mamata, Rahul, Shashi Tharoor or Jayaram Ramesh and Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni or Sania Mirza. Neither I am interested in Shah Rukh Khans, Salman Khans, Katy Mirza or Katrina or Shilpa Shetty, Rakhi Sawant, Priyanka Chopra or Preety Zinta, et al.  All these are Public Servants, Politicians, Film Stars and Sports Persons but making tons of money.  There are this IFS-B Officials like Madhuri Gupta, Ketan Mehta, MCI Chair-person, corrupt bureaucrats and even Defence Personnel in senior positions.  Who is paying them? The gullible, innocent, honest, simple, sincere Tax Payer - the AAm AAdmi.  Either these celebrities get elected or selected initially on the strength of their merit, sincerity, honesty, hard work, intelligence and so on but later turned out to be Heros. There are some fly-by-night operators. Each one of them claim unique achievements which are some times questionable by experts, lawers, etc. They earn name, fame, money, power, positions but never share the success with others.

I am excited about those who toil and serve.  Please see the link here: The Unstoppable Indians.  The TV Channels like NDTV, CNN-IBN, etc are carrying out yeomen service in covering stories of such unsung, unheard, unwept and unknown heroes and heroines.  I wrote about the Social Entrepreneurs in one of my earlier blogs two months back.  They are the ones who care for the society, create new ventures, afford employment avenues and help their unfortunate brethern to eke out some living.  We heard of Mohd Yunus of Bangladesh who created Grameen Bank and won Nobel Prize in 2005-6 for Peace.  In India, we have several Yunuses (!) in SEWA, SKS finance, Basix, Lijjat Papad, Bhagavatula Charitable Trust, AMUL, etc. 

"The Week" of Malayala Manorama Group (Kerala) scouts for and identifies every year a unique person in the service of humanity and declares him or her as Man of the Year. It is going on for over twenty five years. The list of unstoppables by NDTV is very special with names like The Umang Mahila Movement, The Barefoot College, Dalit Businessman, Gulabi Gang, Khabar Laharia, etc.  It is time that Government of India should acknowledge and recognise / reward all such self-less unstoppable Indians instead of encouraging controversial politicians, businessmen, scientists, sportsmen, cinema stars and others who influence and get awarded with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and others.