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OFFTRACK: RANCHI, JHARKHAND

Teaching To Lead

A novel institute aims to produce sensitive politicians

By Farzand Ahmed

At first glance, you'd dismiss it as one of those innumerable fly-by-night institutes that invariably spring up in a cubby hole on some dingy lane. The thick, black fumes emitted by a generator make this particular building in Pahari Mandir Gali on Ratu Road in Ranchi seem even worse. What could a school on such premises possibly teach its students, you'd ask? Apparently a lot.

As you tip-toe into a classroom, you will find a tall, lean man holding forth. "Sacrifice, selfless service to the people, society and the nation, that's what politics is all about," he tells the small group of students in front of him. "Not a means to mint money, indulge in hooliganism and capture power by cheating the electorate."

Big deal. We all know that, don't we? Yet, when our politicians do precisely what they are not supposed to do, we acquiesce and blame it on the system. There's no getting away from it, we say. We swear by a string of specialisations and super specialisations when it comes to seeking the services of a doctor, engineer or a lawyer but we are willing to place as crucial a task as running our country in the hands of non-professionals. And that is what this school-the Netagiri Vidyalaya-hopes to change.

Launched in April by Raj Ranjan, a former small-time politician and brother of the late Gyan Ranjan, a Congress leader of Jharkhand, Netagiri is the first school of its kind in the country. For years, Ranjan had wondered about how poorly qualified politicians were. Why were they being spared the rigours of a formal education when even civil servants weren't? Perhaps, therein lay the cause of the stink in the system. A school to train aspiring politicians, therefore, seemed like a good idea. When he spoke to some friends about it, the response was encouraging. The end result was the unique experiment in Pahar Mandir Gali.

Among those extending support to Ranjan are D.D. Satpathy, former head of the department of Geography, Ranchi University, Gudakesh Pandey, an administrator with the municipal corporation, P.C. Roy, a lawyer and retired ADM, and Dilip Darad, a veteran journalist. Darad makes no bones about Netagiri being a modest beginning but is confident that the concept will gain ground and one day change the larger scenario. "Most politicians without having worked at the grassroot level jump to the top on false promises, harbour criminals and indulge in corruption," he says, adding that good schooling could make all the difference.

The institute, which has begun with a three-month course, covers subjects like political science, sociology, social psychology and economics. But the emphasis is on leadership and as Tapan Kumar Tulal, an associate of Ranjan and convener of the Jharkhand unit of the Bihar Yuva Kendra, says, understanding people's rights and duties. Seventy-five minute lectures are delivered thrice a week and students are asked to compare chief ministers like N. Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh and Laloo Prasad Yadav of Bihar. They are constantly reminded about how they, as the "centre points of the people's beliefs and the prevalent system", can make the country a better place to be in.

There are many takers. Among the 26 students who have enrolled for the course so far, is Ajai Rai, member of the Jharkhand Joint Students' Action Committee. He freely admits how most youngsters like him had hitherto seen politics as a self-serving medium, an avenue to start or expand businesses. "Now we are learning the true form and concept of politics in the era of globalisation." To fellow student Prabhakar, a mining engineer, politics was a dirty word earlier. A few classes at the Netagiri changed that perception.

So what does Netagiri expect in return for such insights? Far from a huge fee like most other schools, education here is free. Says Ranjan: "We don't want to do any business. What we take from the students is a meagre Rs 50 as a one-time enrolment fee. Plus we want their commitment to learn and practise what is taught." That's a small price to pay for what is obviously a Utopian dream. And maybe tomorrow's politicians will be a better lot.

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