In an English daily, a letter of a reader has been published against the Department of Meteorology. In his letter, the reader has sprinkled the drops of his anger with thunder and hightning of the clouds on the Department of Meteorology. He has not only sent the hurricanes of stormy air but has dropped hailstones as well. His anger is so intense that it seems that it is highest peak of anger of his life. The writer of the letter says that the Department of Meteorology is the only department whose utility could not be comprehended by anyone. Its predictions are not only wrong and so misleading that its existence could not even be comprehended by Nature itself. It seems as if Nature is ready to target the Department of Meteorology. The moment the Department of Meteorology predicted something about the weather, Nature got ready to contradict it. It does not seem that it is the same relationship between the Department of Meteorology and Nature which is found between ‘Choli’ and ‘daaman”. This relationship is like the one which could be between the fire and water. The writer of the letter has also given an example that some days back when Doordarshan was telecasting its weather forecast that the weather in Delhi would be dry. At the same time Delhi was covered with monsoon clouds and Delhi was having heavy downpour. It is such a useless and lethargic Department that it does not peep through the window outside to see what the weather is doing. The Department which says night for day and calls day for night, what is the use of maintaining such a Department. The writter, at the end of his letter suggested that this Department should be abolished immediately. In this way, the expenditure of the Govt. exchequer could be saved.
I have my heart felt sympathy for the writer of this letter that he is expressing his intense anger on an issue which needs to be considered with cool heart and mind. I also listen to the weather forecasts of the Department of Meteorology regularly but I don’t boil my blood in the way this reader did. I listen to these forecasts as an entertainment programme. And then the manner in which the writer has dumped his anger on the Department of Meteorology, people get a misunderstanding that all the Departments of the Government are functioning properly and the Department of Meteorology is the only Department which is not performing its function honestly. The writer should know that there is no Department in our country which is functioning honestly. Where is the need for dumping our anger only on the Department of Meteorology? But my personal opinion is that it is the only Department where honesty is being taken care of completely and there seems to be no scope for any dishonesty or scandal in it. I have not seen any officer of this Department taking bribe. The officers of this Department earn their bread honestly and lead their lives on their salaries only. Their perquisite income is that which is bestowed to them by God and when their forecasts prove wrong then faith gets still stronger. Expect the officers of this Department, no other officer of any Department believes this reality that whatever Nature wants, the same things happens. This is the reason why the staff of the Department of Meteorology is very honest. They have an intense feeling of the mortality of this world which no one else does have. There are some officials working in other Departments who treat themselves as God. On seeing their pomp and pride, a common man thinks the world is functioning only on their command whereas the officials of the Department of Meteorology sit in a corner and engross themselves in remembering God. They do not misuse their powers. I have another complaint with the writer of this letter. When he is aware of the fact that there are severe differences between the Department of Meteorology and Nature and they do not see eye to eye, then the writer should have made use of their differences. It has been my tradition that wherever there are differences between two factions, we should take advantage of it. You may see how the Britishers maintained their supremacy for more than three hundred years by following the principle of “divide and rule”. You are aware that when two cats fight, and go to a monkey for an arbiteration; then the cats won’t get benefit. It is monkey which gets benefit. In this case, the writer of the letter should also play the role of a monkey. You may see me. How much benefit I take with the difference between the Department of Meteorology and Nature. On a certain day when the Department of Meteorology predicts that there will be heavy downpour, I don’t go out with an umbrella and rain coat and when the Department of Meteorology predicts that the weather would be dry, I not only keep an umbrella and the rain coat with me but as a precautionary measure I don’t go out of the house either and remain at home comfortably. If the writer of the letter also starts following my principle, he doesn’t have to publish letters against the Department of Meteorology and he doesn’t have to suffer from influenza, cold, cough and fever. A gesture is sufficient for a wise man if the man is really wise. But I am in agreement with the opinion of the writer of the letter that when Doordashan telecasts the weather forecast, the news reader should inevitably open the window and see the outside weather whether it is raining or it is dry. I had put forth this proposal before a higher official of Doordarshan that the news reader telecasting the weather forecast should be seated on the tower from which the telecasts are spread. If it is not possible he should be made to sit on the top storey of the Qutub Minar. In this way, the news reader will be nearer both to the sky and the weather. He will have the facility of forecasting, but my proposal was turned down saying that news can’t be telecast anywhere expect the studio. Who accepts any good and truthful suggestion? I have bitter differences with the writer of the letter in which he has demanded to abolish the Department of Meteorology itself. Such proposals are not liked which are presented in an angry mood. By the grace of God, this is the only Govt Department in the country where the principle of honesty is put into action sincerely. I think, leaving this Department, if all the other Departments should be abandoned, then there will be eternal peace in the country. The root cause of all the worries of the public is that there are many Departments in this country. If these Departments do not exist, the problems of the people will automatically be solved. Take the example of the Department of Police. Initially, when this Department was established in this country it was expected that there will be peace in the country but under the patronage of this country, many vagabonds and criminals are flourishing and they are progressing day by day. The common man is put in the custody of the police and the culprits are wandering in society freely. Why don’t you suggest to abandon this Department?
We have a Department of Eradication of corruption in which maximum bribe is taken. This Department does not eradicate corruption, it promotes corruption. I had therefore; put forth a suggestion long back that after abandoning this Department, a separate Department of “promotion’ of corruption’” should be established. This Department should be entrusted with the responsibility of determining the rate of bribe that should be taken for works to be done in various Departments. How much bribe should be given to the line man if telephone goes out of order. What should be the rate of bribe for getting the license for a ration shop, agency for gas and permit for a petrol bunk. If rates are fixed for various works, the needy persons will be facilitated. Most of the time, people are put to inconvenience because of not fixing the rates of bribe. An officer has taken Rs. Ten Thousand for doing a certain work in whereas another officer does the same work in Ten rupees. There should not be so much difference in the rate of bribe. So, if “corruption” is regularized in this country, and if the rates of bribe are fixed, people would lead the life of peace and tranquility. If any person, in a fit of anger, suggests for abandoning the Department of Meteorology, I am opposed to it.
Brother-! I am in support of abandoning all the Departments of the Govt. but I am convinced about the need to keep the Department of Meteorology because there should at least be one Department where bribe is not in vogue. The difficulty is that people take my suggestions in a lighter vein and they shell down such talks in a joking manner, although I put forth some sensible suggestions. If the Govt. acts upon them seriously, it will be good for it and it will also be better for people like us.