A Srinivas
Rao
13th
June 2013
Few would have suppressed their smiles at the unseemly drama
when LK Advani blogged about the slights that Bhishma Pitaamaha suffered apart
from the entire bed of arrows he was lain on by Arjuna. While Mr Advani enjoyed the embalmed self
description and the episode does invite some deeper understanding of the Indian
reluctance to part with power and the gerontocracy’s justification for
perpetuation of its rule. (It is not that the Congress party exactly covers
itself with glory, with its first family and their inheritance of the Party
chair and the sycophancy it entails; but that’s a different story. Besides the
BJP’s genuflection while not at 10 Janpath is certainly at the RSS Sarsanghchalak
at Nagpur). I shall examine in this
article the Bhishma Ptitaamaha’s life critically, drawing entirely from the brilliant
analysis of the noted sociologist Iravati Karve in her compelling portrait “Yugant”. The reason I also wish to direct attention to
this note is the enormous leadership blockages in Indian institutional
infrastructure that is really headed by an inept gerontocracy filled with
retired judges, bureaucrats, of all hues and to occupy positions of authority
in exchange for political favors that mirrors the Jajamani patronage system. Having been also personally witness to my own octogenarian
dean at SP Jain Institute as his subordinate or minion and his steadfast refusal
to step down and enable a smooth succession, I thought this article was ringing
in my mind at many levels.
