BOND-ED LABOUR

 Bonds are in the news, James the most famous one is obviously not too happy with this notoriety bestowed on them. After all 007 was to carry out the task in style with subterfuge and shaken not stirred martini. Here these bonds which occupied pride of place in the treasury have now been reduced to the state of commoners, having to disclose their sources; but natural they are peeved with this RTI business. Why should this be anybody's business to poke their nose in this mutually beneficial arrangement being a win-win for both the parties.  Bonds are supposed to be debt security instruments which most financial consultants would advise you as a must have in your financial portfolio. The aim being that since these are assured returns as against equity they are more reliable. Electoral bonds also serve the same purpose they provide the investor security that their contribution will not go unnoticed and they will benefit in a quid pro quo manner. The catch is being 'incognito' although in our scriptures it is the secret charity, 'gupt daan', which is supposed to be the epitome of virtuousness. But then these dyed in the wool disruptors would obviously not have read any of the scriptures so they insist that the identity of the donor be disclosed. I am again reminded of the age old idiom,"Miya biwi razi to kya karega kazi?"( If the bride and the groom are ready what can the pastor do?) The donors and the recipients  are happy these spoilsports have come to ruin the party.

When we were kids and played gully games with friends, there were these spoilsports who would descend down and demand that they too wanted to join in, with the dictum, "Khelenge nahi to khel bigadenge" literally meaning either we play or we disrupt the game. These RTI activists are akin to these disruptors, since they can neither purchase the bonds, I believe each one costs a Crore ( 10 million Rupees for the Yanks), well beyond the commoners, nor can they be the recipients of this bounty. Political parties are unlike our parties where we go enjoy a drink, snack around, some casual conversation and be off. These parties also have similar agenda though people join the party, and get to frequent resorts quite often where they do exactly the same thing and get paid for it by the state for being honourable members of the legislative bodies and then by the rivals who are out poaching, the highest bidder of course gets to be the winner. The parties get to keep the bonds, these are Fevicol type bonds which are forged for perpetuity, no not forgery type forge, oh the perils of this foreign language, though many donors would have loved to actually forge them and get away with it. 

The bonds of friendship and the bonds of love are for keeps. We have had our own trysts with bonds too, in fact there was a time when I would refer to myself as a bonded labour. Let me explain, when we joined school, RIMC, my father signed a bond that I would join NDA on culmination of the five year curriculum there. If I had reneged then my father would have had to cough up the total cost of training incurred on me by the Govt of India. Then a similar bond was signed in NDA that I had to complete the training regimen of three years else the same strictures of paying up. Once I was commissioned we were bonded for life as it is, but we had to serve for a minimum 20 years to earn our pension, then we could seek premature retirement without any conditions. But then, I underwent a Degree Engineering course, which tied me down for five years, before I finished that bond, it was time for Staff College and the bond was extended for another five years. This continued till I was deployed for UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cote d’Ivoire where I was asked yet again to sign a bond for five years and so it went on with Higher Air Command . By the time I was free of the bondage I had got so used to this state that I have now chosen to join on reemployment serving my term for another two years here. I am dreading the period when I will finally be a free bird with nothing to tie me down. These days  readers of my books and blogs have forged a different kind of bond with me, which I genuinely enjoy. May such bonds continue to  bloom !