Today's announcement of the Padma awards gives some scope for criticism:
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, A.R. Rehman, Resul Pookutty: We must be the only country that gives national awards to our people after they get international awards. I guess we give awards to people for having gotten international recognition, not for their work. A thoroughgoing shame. It would be interesting to dig deeper and see how often we are able notice and recognise peoples achievements before they reach international renown. I don't think we do a good job.
Prathap C. Reddy (Apollo Hospitals), C.P.Krishnan Nair (Leela Hotel Group chairman), DLF Chairman Kushal Pal Singh : I find it disturbing to see awards going to successful businesspersons whose where the work done or the business concerned doesn't have any otherwise important or socially relevant features. In the case of Apollo Hospitals and other corporate hospitals there is a definite ambiguity about them - there is a common perception of money-driven practice of medicine. Why award Leela Hotels for running a business of luxury hotels which 99% of the country will never stay at? And how many think DLF got to where it is without underhand dealings ? On the contrary, I find the award to Venu Srinivasan of TVS and current head of CII appropriate. M.S.Banga of Unilever is a bit on the borderline.
Looking through the entire list of awardess, overall, for a poor country like our, perhaps the awards should be more focussed on people who are contributing a bit more directly to national development.
Comments ?
1 comment:
I agree that awards for the celebrated ones are indeed a stupid thing to do. I hope Resul Pookutty and others reject the awards.
Regarding the luxury hotels, apollo etc, your thinking is linear and incorrect. They definitely helped the local economy by bring ing luxury tourism and medical tourism and helped in the cause of Indias growth. Like I have told you I think Narayana murthys contribution is far far greater than mother Teresas. So you cannot be so dismissive of people who contribute to society indirectly.
Whether there needs to be so many business men? I agree. But this is a matter of degree.
Arvind
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