Padma Silly

When recipients of state awards like Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan go up to receive their awards, they are greeted with a 'namaskar'. Rumour has it that a departure was made for Bhajji, who was greeted with a 'teri maan ki'.

It is with a sense of dismay bordering on disgust that I have been looking at the award lists over the years. What do you make of a Padma Shri to a movie star? What exactly is the contribution, especially from actors who's main qualification is good looks, being the winner of a beauty contest, not exceptional talent, professional training and outstanding performances on stage and on screen of say a Naseeruddin Shah? And what about awards given to people who's only apparent 'contribution' is to do their job - head a company, or a government department like the atomic commission? Awards have even been given to people who's only connection to the country is that they were born here, left the country, took foreign citizenship, earned lots of money abroad, and did absolutely nothing in or for India. Isn't it cringe inducing to chase after people to give them awards when they have chosen to have nothing to do with you?

This year there has been some criticism over the selections. The kashmiri shawl trader who got an award. The olympic medalists who didn't. The first shows how little care goes into the selection process. The second shows how apparent lack of consistency leads to a sense of entitlement. The question about the olympians is, if we start to win olympic medals by the score as China has started to and in keeping with the size of our population, will we give scores of Padma Shri's every year? What about all the hockey golds in the past? And talking of consistency, look at Larsen and Toubro. It was set up by Holk Larsen as a world class fabrication and equipment manufacturing company at the height of the licence raj. A huge achievement and a very significant contribution to development. Yet, he didn't get an award till 2001, when he was given a Padma Bhushan. The current head of L&T just got a Padma Vibhushan. Consistent?

Truth is, the whole premise of state given awards is highly questionable. Maybe they should be abolished. And yet, there is no point in saying that, because it will never happen. The cat is out of the bag, the train has left the station, the horse has left the barn....choose your analogy. Those who give the awards have a vested interest in giving them, not just seeking one for themselves, but in terms of power, influence and patronage. They are not going to give that up. Abolition is unrealistic. What is worth asking for is two things.

One, that there be just one clear guiding principle: exceptional achievement. And exceptional achievement doesn't mean the position you have achieved, but what you have done with it. Being 'somebody' is NOT an achievement, 'doing' something exceptional is. In fact a person who doesn't have a high position and yet achieves a lot is far more deserving of an award. A Mahatma Gandhi rather than some other Gandhi. A Sunderlal Bahuguna rather than some other Bahuguna. And nobody at all should get an award for just doing their job, no matter how lofty the position. Or for popularity.

Second, that there be a committee of eminent people, citizens who are of proven calibre and integrity, not bureaucrats. Like Ratan Tata. Amartya Sen. Narayana Murthy. Dr Abdul Kalam. Who will be able to resist pressures from people in power. Who will try and define criteria for measuring achievement, so as to get objectivity. Who will look at the whole process of nomination, to ensure that worthy candidates are not left off the list. And who will not give out awards unless someone truly deserves it. This should not be an allocation game. A national award should truly mean something. Like the Nobel prize. There are some years no Nobel is given in a category, because nobody deserved it.

The basic question is, are the awards about excellence, or about patronage?