It was after a very long time that I visited Rashtrapathi Bhawan again. The first time I visited was in the 1960s, when there was not that much security and restrictions. Of course, I had only an overall glance of it at that time.

Today along with Com. Balasubramanian and our families, we visited Rashtrapathi Bhawan. We had taken permission and passes earlier. By about  1000 hours we reached the Reception. There were about some two dozen visitors and we were all taken by a guide to the various rooms inside the Bhawan. In one room, there are the big paintings and statues of the British kings and queens and also the Viceroys and Governer-Generals who ruled the country till 1947,  including that of the last one, Earl Mountbatten.  In another room there are the statues or rather the sculptures of the Presidents of India, from the first President Rajendra Prasad to the last President Abdul Kalam. In another room there are some of the gifts received by the Presidents from the various countries.  The Meeting room, tea room etc. were also shown. In another room, the utensils used by the Viceroys were exhibited. The major portion of the Rashtrapathi Bhawan, which area is used by the President, is out-of-bounds for public.

We were also shown a portion of the Rashtrapathi Bhawan Gardens. That was the last and we returned by 1045 – a matter of about 45 minutes. From  outside the building we could take some photos, since it is completely prohibited inside.

The building is  grand and beautiful or rather royal. It was constructed for the Viceroy who was governing the country on behalf of the British King. The construction of the building started from 1912 after the capital of the country was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi and was completed by 1929. Along with the North and South Blocks which accommodates the important ministries like Defence, Home, Finance etc. as also the Connaugt Place buildings – all were planned and constructed by architect Lueton. His statue is  exhibited inside the building.

The present generation might not be thinking of the past when we were ruled by a foreign country. But people like me who were born at a time when the country was not free and had known what it was from one’s own experience, can not forget those days. The visit to rashtrapathi bhawan reminded one of those dark days, when the people were treated with contempt, all the wealth and treasures were looted away by the foreign rulers, and the police and judiciary with all brutalities were used against those fighting for the freedom of the country.   I remembered the thousands of Indian treasures taken away by them which are still exhibited in the British Museum.

The past is past, of course. But what about the present exploitation of the country by the MNCs and the International Finance Capital? What about the rulers who continue with the neo-liberal policies, which are harmful to the common people? It is not the past but the LIVING PRESENT.

The Human Rights Commission has sought a full investigation & report from the Police Commissioner on the ‘Cartoon-gate’ arrest of the Jadavpur University professor. This step has been taken suo moto, after a detailed discussion at the Human Right Commission on the issue. This is sure to increase the embarrassment of the Trinamul government. Meanwhile, Facebook has not taken cognizance of the CID’s missive to provide information on the sources of the cartoons lampooning the CM & the order to delete all unflattering references to the CM. There have been serious doubts amongst the legal fraternity as to the legitimacy of such an order. The Indian constitution allows freedom of expression & Facebook is governed by a strong principle of protection of privacy. Moreover, the request is person specific & not bipartisan as it is silent on the extremely vulgar representations on the left leaders. The situation of partisanship on the part of the government where its police has been singularly consistent in protecting the aggressors & punishing the victims, worsened with another such incident at Baruipur, on the fringes of the Kolkata city. Prof. Aparesh Bhattacharya & his daughter were beaten up in broad daylight at his home by Trinamul goons. The police refused to act on his complaint. Having returned from the US after a long career there, he recently retired as a senior principal scientist at Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB). His attempt to seek justice from the CM’s secretariat was rebuffed thrice.

Kerala State was declared as Full Literate State on 18th April 1991, that is full 21 years back. It was not easy to attain this coveted position, though the state was much advanced in education position even earlier. The position could be achieved only after much hard work, campaign and also with the full support of the people, the government, all political parties and others. The government gave free books, the educated persons including teachers, employees, students etc. gave coaching throughout the year in the evening – night-time to the required uneducated persons near their homes – wide propaganda was also given.  It was a challenge and the people of Kerala faced it and achieved the unbelievable.

What is the situation in other states? Recently, Com. Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura stated at the open session of the 20th Party Congress of CPI(M) at Calicut that the state has improved its literacy much and it is expected to become full literate state within a few years. There are some other states also moving in this direction.

But unfortunately, this is not the case with many states. Literacy is around 50% only. There are not sufficient schools or teachers. Sufficient funds are not made available. In some places, classes are held under the shades of trees due to lack of accommodation. Though there are acts and orders against child-labour, children of the school age are made to work and deprived of education, which is their constitutional right. The political parties also have not taken a serious view of the situation. The central government has reduced the % of amount granted for primary education.

It is a shame that India continues to be less illiterate than many countries in the African continent, which was called the Dark Continent.  All of us has the responsibility and duty to improve our literacy rate in the country and give the power to read and write to all the people.