A notorious nexus

people attend and make it a success. This is definitely an expression of Australian egalitarianism and of non-discrimination.

But things were not always like this everywhere. Mahatma Gandhi was once refused entry into a church in South Africa when he wanted to attend a Christmas celebration. He had merely desired to listen to his friend CF Andrews (author of Mahatma Gandhi’s Ideas), whom he had previously known in England, preach during the service. This refusal was despite strong entreaties. Such was the extent of discrimination then during the era of apartheid.

Many years later (in 1986), we saw an African, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, installed as the Head of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa; he had been earlier bestowed with the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1984. Tutu describes South Africa as a “rainbow nation”, a term also appropriately applicable to Australia.

Charity is not all based on merely giving either money or gifts. Kind language and proper consideration also fall into the category of charity. Particular mention must be made here about groups who welcome refugees, the most disadvantaged of groups in Australia, and make them feel at home.

The Salvation Army, in a recently released shocking report (October 2010), states that two million Australians live in poverty. It is sobering to realise, particularly in the context of Christmas, that 70% of poor children live in jobless families. This is a severe indictment of a materialistic society.

Whilst an average Australian child had $228 spent on her or him, according to the Salvation Army, hundreds of thousands of children went without any gift at all…

This great festival actually accentuates amongst the poor the feelings of poverty, loneliness and deprivation. Various charity organizations try their best to alleviate this sense of deprivation through their works. We can do our bit as well. Making all individuals feel wanted and cared for is a particular focus of volunteers in the community who also include some prominent business people. Some of them attend and serve traditional Christmas lunches to the needy.

The Wayside Chapel in the Kings Cross area of Sydney, recruits hundreds of volunteers for a big street Christmas party for the needy. This annual event is assuredly one of Sydney’s biggest yearly festivities, and is open to everyone. Thousands of

Last year, in December 2009, the Kmart Christmas Giving Index revealed a great social divide in Australia. Whilst an average Australian child had $228 spent on her or him, according to the Salvation Army, hundreds of thousands of children went without any gift at all and that organisation, therefore, endeavours to encourage sparing a gift for children in need.

Christmas, which existed originally as a solar festival, belongs to all mankind. The time chosen to celebrate it is close to the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. From then onwards, daytime in the Northern Hemisphere begins to lengthen. This significant seasonal change (the rebirth of light and warmth) belongs to all mankind. In the Southern Hemisphere, we celebrate the festival during the height of summer when the glory of the Sun is at its ascendant.

Whatever might be our religious beliefs, we can all reflect on ways by which the spirit of Christmas can be translated into peace and goodwill for ourselves and for those amongst us who are less fortunate.

Could three distinct divisions of society work together towards a common ground of equality, or is this another instance of meaningless political parley?

sharing a common railway platform. This relationship is alive and kicking furiously. Jesus, get a room!

BY ROY LANGE

Very recently, at the Indira Gandhi 10th Annual Conference, Sonia Gandhi pleaded for “the state, business and labour onto a common platform in pursuit of a shared vision — the vision of a more equal, more caring society”. Is this sincere plea possible?

What divisions of society are they working with? Who are these State, business and labour people? Rahul Gandhi’s very effective catch phrase of “two Indias” attempts to paraphrase the new Indian paradigm of the Esteem drivers and the Atlas bicycle riders. But to claim that India is only divided in two, is calling a halffilled glass of water a 12-year-old bottle of scotch.

In fact, a single division would be an earth-shattering achievement. Anyone reading this will know that Indian politics is fractured into a wildly complicated matrix of splinters that belong to caste, class and regional loyalties. Which is a head spinner! In fact, in this dumbing down age, I’m fast warming to this new idea of only three divisions.

It has to be said though that Mrs. Gandhi’s usage of the term “platform” is unfortunate, because these new castes would not be seen dead sharing a common platform, never mind a waiting room. It conjures up images, for me at least, of hordes of labourers waiting, with increasing impatience, for the Indian Economic Miracle Rajdhani Express, clutching tickets given to them by the Congress.

This unperturbed display of intimate relations between the State class and the Business class has not escaped our leader’s attention. Mrs. Gandhi ominously said, “Graft and greed are on the rise.”

The wildly lucrative 2G spectrum and Commonwealth Games construction graft were glaring examples of how well the Business and State classes work together.

Kalmadi, reportedly, helped bribe an unprecedented 72 States to secure the Games, displaying a legendary, Godgiven talent for cementing the BusinessState relationship. Yes, finally a common indivisible vision! Yes, even the labour class was involved in the construction! A glorious victory march towards a more equal, more caring society.

Well, it’s undeniable Kalmadi and Raja, the former Telecommunications minister, are now equally filthy rich and equally caring about their country. In fact they’re probably so concerned about India that they will likely team up, buy a small Pacific country with their small change, and settle there.

The corrupt have never left the corridors of power and don’t increase in number; it is the sheer scale of easy pickings that has grown in every dimension

But Mrs. Gandhi’s belief that the cancer is growing is wrong. The corrupt have never left the corridors of power and don’t increase in number; it is the sheer scale of easy pickings that has grown in every dimension, to a size that is sublime‘commissions’ that have been made possible by the new economic powerhouse in amounts that can only be marvelled at.

But they are increasingly resigned to the realisation that those tickets, to what is rightfully their passage, are worthless 60-year-old I.O.U. notes. In return for no water, no education, no health and no electricity, whilst the agents of the State made ends meet by slumming it out in Lutyen bungalows and London private hospitals.

The new business caste’s stoic social commitment? Will they answer Madam’s call for a much greater sense of social responsibility? If you asked them to share a platform with the labour classes they would kill themselves by laughing their guts out. Why in hell would they do that when you can bloody fly? You don’t get frequent flyer points for mixing with those types.

However, if there is an airline strike, which is known to happen, I can very clearly see, with no degree at all of opacity, the State and the Business classes cozily

Ironically, Mrs. Gandhi’s proposed antidote to this divisive poison is to have “greater probity, more transparency” - a cleaned window to the gears of government and business practice. This may be counterproductive. The less the public know about the workings of this Government, the better the chance of re-election.

The hard-to-find positive side of the Orwellian nature of the Indian press coverage is that corruption scandals are far more likely to be reported than in the old days of Doordashan rule. Importantly the audience reach of these televised corruption exposes increases exponentially every year, even deep into the remote heartland of backward States like Chattisgarh, that are experiencing intense ‘insurgency’.

For Mrs. Gandhi’s plea for a more caring, equal society has been, in no small way, prompted by this view of increased corruption. She knows that a unified country, with one vision, can never happen with the Business - State nexus unapologetically piddling in the village tank.