John Monteiro's new book a scholarly focus on corruption and Lokpal
 
Florine Roche

Mangalore, Mar 29: One should never underestimate the might of a pen, especially if that pen is wielded by a person ripe with experience and age. John B. Monteiro, veteran journalist and author, is one such writer whose puissant pen has become sharper and more restless with each passing year. At almost 75, Monteiro continues to deliver essays and articles on diverse topics of public interest and daijiworld readers need no introduction of the man. An exuberant person who believes in making the best use of his time and his high energy levels, the latest addition to his list of achievements is the revised, updated and expanded edition of his 1966 book on corruption, now titled ‘Corruption – India’s Painful Crawl to Lokpal’, published by Houston-based Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co. The book will be formally released on Saturday March 30.
 
The word ‘Corruption’ may not evoke much curiosity among people these days, mainly because corruption has become commonplace and has percolated every facet of human life in India. But 46 years ago, when `corruption’ was an extraordinary word, a young and energetic Monteiro researched the topic threadbare and was the first one to come out with a book making a comprehensive case for the introduction of ombudsman in India – ‘Corruption – Control of Maladministration’ – dealing with various facets corruption in our country and ways to root out the problem , mainly through control of maladministration. In it, he had advocated adoption of the institution of the ombudsman – equivalent to Lokpal in the much-debated Lokpal Bill, which is yet to be passed into an Act by Parliament.
 
It was just by fluke that Monteiro got to write and publish this first book. Having started his career as a lecturer at St Aloysius College, Mangalore, he moved to Mumbai in search of greener pastures. Interested in journalism, he went on to work for newspapers and also freelanced for reputed publications. At that time, he wrote an article on corruption in the Indian Express. An industrialist took the trouble of tracing Monteiro and offered him Rs. 5,000 (a princely sun then) to bring out a book on the subject – because his views on corruption matched what Monteiro had written in the article. Monteiro took up the challenge and thus was born the first comprehensive book on corruption in India, which was well received by critics and the general public.

Teaser from Team Anna
 
Monteiro decided to work on a revised edition (with 35 % addition and 25% deletion) when Anna Hazare and his supporters drew the attention of the entire nation to the Lokpal Bill in 2011. “Forty-six years ago, I had strongly advocated the setting up of the institution of the ombudsman, of which the Lokpal Bill is nothing but the Indian version,” Monteiro reveals. “I thought it was quite appropriate to come out with a comprehensive chapter on the Lokpal Bill and began working on it when the Team Anna movement became a nation-wide issue uniting people of all hues. As the cacophony for a Jan Lokpal Bill began to echo all around with feverish pitch, my enthusiasm to come out with the revised edition was renewed.” While the first book comprised 300 pages, the updated version runs into 390 pages; Monteiro has added about 50 pages of content in Part V dealing with the Lokpal and the Lokayuktas (ombudsman-like institutions). The updated version has a chapter on the functioning of the Lokayuktas in 18 states, with special reference to Maharashtra and Karnataka. The developments since the idea of the ombudsman for India was first mooted have been tracked in this part of the revised edition in chapter 20. Their working establishes the fact that the institution could be introduced at the national level under the much touted-name `Lokpal’.
 
Chapter 21 of Part V of the book deals exclusively with chronicling India’s rather long, abortive and elusive attempts to introduce the Lokpal Bill and pass it into an Act. Monteiro points out that there have been eight frustrating attempts over a period of 45 years to introduce the Bill in India and that it still remains elusive. The book gives a vivid account of how politicians have sabotaged the Bill from becoming a law every time it is introduced in Parliament. The book also gives a detailed account of the institutions in America, Britain, France and the then-Soviet Union that control maladministration and corruption vis-à-vis their suitability for India. It also deals with the working of the ombudsman institution in Scandinavian countries and in New Zealand, which he advocates for adaption in India.
 
Interestingly, the preface to the second edition of the book is written by Union Cabinet Minister Dr. M. Veerappa Moily, who says: “Now the author has added a fifth part to his book, with chapters covering the Lokayuktas functioning in some Indian states, detailing the long and painful crawl of the Lokpal Bill, pending parliamentary approval. Thus, the book emerges as a very comprehensive treatment of the subject. With the inclusion of chapters on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas now, there is an enhanced value addition to this revised and updated version of the book. Therefore, I am happy to commend the book to prospective readers and wish it the best of success… John Monteiro, I would stress, is a pioneering soul who spearheaded the thought process on corruption through his book in 1966. This revised and updated book deserves to be read to salute his great contribution to the subject.”
 

Why Revise?
 
When asked why it was necessary to revise or update his earlier book, Monteiro comes out with a quick riposte: “My book `Corruption’ has been sitting dead in the water for 46 years. But, the defining compulsive moments to consider an update came in 2011 when the ombudsman I had advocated in my book in 1966 seemed inevitably to be established under the Indian name of ‘Lokpal’.” His idea got a major boost when he browsed through the list of publishers given by his friend and wrote to the current publishers of the book – Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co, USA. They were quick to return with a positive response and offered to partner with the author to bring out the book.

In 1966, the book was priced at Rs 12 for a soft-cover edition and Rs 25 for a hard-cover one. The revised edition is priced at $ 21.50, which comes to Rs 1,200, and will be available at leading bookstores across the country.
 
As Monteiro had done extensive research and reference on the topic of corruption for his first book, the topic was never out of his mind despite a yawning gap of 46 years since the publication of the first edition in 1966. Soon after, he got busy with his job at L&T where he joined Public Relations Officer and got into corporate communications. Though he went on writing essays and articles for various national-level newspapers and magazines, he only got down to writing a book again after his retirement in 1998, coming out with his second book – ‘Some Current Issues for Debate’ –in 2000. If the daily Laughter Club sessions, which he anchors, keep him agile and happy, his website www.welcometoreason.com (Interactive Cerebral Challenger), which acts as a platform for exchanging views and ideas, gives his razor-sharp brain ample exercise.
 
Since returning to Mangalore, he has been living at Bondel with his wife Lynette. It is his passion for writing that keeps him alert, agile and also in the news. Armed with a never-say-die spirit, he is readying himself to come out with another (sequel) book, apart from regularly writing for the print and electronic media. 

It is ironic that the author of ‘Corruption‘ became a victim of corruption as his book was pirated by a Jaipur ‘publisher’ with a new title, Corruption in India, retaining his name as author. Released in 1980 and priced at Rs. 100, the book surfaces on Google search. An appendix in the present book gives details of this shameful chapter in Indian publishing.
 
Monteiro’s first book on corruption was researched in the Bombay University Library, under its famed Rajbai Clock Tower, where he held a research table as Ph.D. aspirant. Diverting his attention from plantation crops in Karnataka, the subject of the thesis, to Corruption and Ombudsman, his Ph.D ambition went for a toss. Now, well-wishers console him that his books count for more than Ph. D or he may be awarded an honorary degree. May this come true!
 
Monteiro is confident that his revised and updated book will be well received by discerning critics and readers. Though the Lokpal Bill is yet to be passed into an Act, he believes his job is done... “It is just the beginning of a journey,” he reasons. Monteiro himself is starting a new chapter as he is set to mark his diamond jubilee birthday in July this year.
 

Details about the book are available on publisher’s website: http://sbpra.com/JohnBMonteiro or Google by keying in “John B. Monteiro”. Copies are also available online at Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com. or : bookorder@sbpra.

Soft cover 6X9-390 pages-$21.50;
ISBN: 978-1-62212-199-1; ISBN/SKU:1-62212-199-6.