It is early to say if 2002 will go down as the year that the rains failed, but the misery in many parts is unquestionably extreme and profound. Every inhabitant of this sub-continent, I think, has secretly wished that we could be freed from this primeval bondage. The grand dream was always to connect the waters of the Ganges to the Kaveri, and one English engineer even forced a debate in the British parliament in the mid-19th century, where he argued that instead of building railways in India, Britain ought to develop inland waterways by connecting its rivers and join up the country through a network of canals. In this way one would create not only a transport network, but irrigate the country, bring abundance and prosperity, and even create a richer market for British goods. The railway lobby was, however, too strong for this sensible idea to take root.

The only discordant note in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's otherwise triumphant trip to the United States was his pleading for a permanent seat in the Security Council. I have never been comfortable with this unseemly campaign. Hankering after superpower status is a sign of our status anxiety and lack of self-confidence. Besides, a seat should never be a national goal. It is like a medal in a race; the goal is to win the race; the medal is only a by-product. So, let us focus on genuine achievements like building a prosperous and compassionate society.

It is with anguish that I sit down to write this column. Two years ago I met a distinguished friend in Delhi, who is the president of a prestigious American university that has produced several Nobel laureates. He loves India and he told me with some pride that India is increasingly perceived as a future knowledge capital of the world. He thought he would contribute to this future by setting up a branch campus here so that Indians could acquire his university's degree at a fourth of the cost in America. I was delighted.

Good news comes quietly, and it did two weeks ago on a typical May evening as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a new system to evaluate the IAS officer. Our real failures, I have always believed, are managerial and not political. Laloo may grab the headlines but good governance lies in the ubiquitous daily interface between the lowest babu and the public.