1. Rule of Law: Some of the enterprising and dedicated people are sitting high up on the space stations and are orbiting the earth for days, weeks or months with an obsession to unfold the mysteries of nature. Giant steam ships or floating islands are ruthlessly tearing through the high seas almost all the time with motley crowds of people, linking the scattered islands, countries and continents. Jumbo jets or flying monsters are constantly hissing past each other ferrying restless people of all hues and colour, singing the tunes of globalization. All highways and thoroughfares of the world continue to witness regular streams of speeding vehicles running bumper to bumper, keeping people on the move. All the city squares, parks, plazas, business centres, industrial and commercial conglomerates, schools, colleges, sports grounds, theatres and places of worship remain crowded with throngs of people for all types of activity and action. Millions of people can be found sweating and toiling on land, shop floors and market centres for providing a regular flow of goods and services to the people and for keeping the economy going. They are all law abiding people, more concerned with their daily chores, rather than the rules, regulations, laws and bye-laws, which are being churned out by all the civilized societies, non-stop, almost all the time. And then, there are millions of marginalized people scattered around the world, looking at all the action with awe, anxiety and blank faces, wondering all the time, about all the fuss. And in the meantime, the show goes on and on, with all the merrymaking and smiles on privileged faces.
In this world, sooner or later, everybody gets into his groove. He develops his own way of life, his own way of thinking, his own likes and dislikes and so many other things, which set his pace. He may or may not record his preferences and priorities, but they soon find a reflection in his habits, personality and behaviour. As the child grows up and mixes freely with other children, he develops his own methods or codes for interaction and bonding with them. Soon after, during his passage through schools, colleges and professional institutions, he goes through a plethora of rules, regulations and conventions without losing his initiatives, preferences and personality. Then he steps into this harsh world of realities, with all the gaiety and enthusiasm, gazing hazily at some of the beaten paths and driving his own furrows for breaking new ground. Gradually, all doors open up. He looks forward, has his own dreams and begins the odyssey of his own, in the pursuit of those dreams. Look at the people in the hospital deeply involved in saving lives. Then, there are people in schools, colleges, universities and workplaces, who spend a lifetime in pushing the frontiers of available knowledge and information for the benefit of mankind. And, off course, millions of people work ceaselessly, almost everywhere, with a wish and obsession to make this troubled world slightly better than, what it is. They follow their own intuition, initiatives and urges. Some of them may not even understand, what they are doing, what they are saying and what may be the implications of their contribution. They never go through the letters of the law. Law finds a place with them in the form of some sort of scribbling in their imagination.
2 Law: Law is something, which has universal application. Normally, nobody ignores, disputes and confronts the law. Nature has its own laws. All celestial bodies religiously respect the laws of nature and keep moving on their paths in perfect harmony with each other. All natural elements of the earth like heat, light, water and winds keep working tirelessly for sustaining animal and plant life in the remotest corners and crevices of the earth. Then there are laws of the land, in the form of written or unwritten constitutions, conventions, customs or traditions. Sometimes, the spoken word or even the unspoken word may carry much greater force than the force of the written laws. The nature beckons all the time that, everybody living in this world should have a place under the sun, should have the freedom to do all that he considers to be good and which leads him to a happy and satisfying life. This can be codified or written in the constitutions of the world or can have universal acceptance in the form of common understanding between man and man. All laws of the world have been drafted by the reigning wise men of the times and perhaps they had visions of a peaceful world, free from strife, conflicts and tension between man and man. How is it, that, in spite of all the laws, the common man has been facing persecution, insecurity, scarcity, want and hunger at all times and through all ages. All laws are declaration of intent. What happens is the reality. All elements of the world enjoy the fullest freedom for growth and development within their own spheres, but within the constraints or boundaries set by nature. Naturally, every individual aspires to have the fullest freedom in the pursuit of his happiness, growth and development. Laws can be good or bad depending on the perception of an individual. There are letters of the law and there is the spirit in which the laws are written. Most of the controversies and disputes are over the letters of the law and in the process, the basic intensions and spirit of the laws is lost. Understanding between man and man is perhaps the most cherished law.
3. People on the other side of the law: A man normally does, what he considers to be good and what fulfills his common needs and aspirations. This may include a large number of people, who are normally law abiding, but, whenever they happen to be in adverse circumstances, they may cross the line and may find themselves on the wrong side of the law. This happens with almost everybody, sometimes or the other. So long as the man is conscious about his indiscretions, he continues to be a normal law abiding person. However, there are people, who get into the habit of flouting the established laws and norms and start taking pride in standing on the wrong side of the law. In all such cases, the law is supposed to take its own course. Unfortunately, the course is normally long and circuitous and it provides an opportunity to the delinquents to keep their head high and to frown at all the established laws and norms. Gradually, they start flashing an aura of power and invincibility. They develop their own following, form social societies and political parties and start masquerading as power brokers and power grabbers. They are able to corner all the publicity and attention by embarrassing the establishment and disrupting the normal peace and order. A stage comes, when in the process of saving the people from their reckless actions and under the fond hope of establishing the rule of law, the delinquents are invited to the negotiating table and are provided with all the attention and respectability. These days, we are in the thick of this phenomenon. People on the wrong side of the law are thoroughly organized, well equipped, intimately informed and daring. Tribes of such people can be found in almost all countries and most of the governments seem to be helpless in dealing with them. In some of the countries, they have even succeeded in usurping power and have thrown challenges to some of the most powerful countries of the world.
4. Crime and the law: Since times immemorial people have been committing crimes and laws of the times have been punishing them in the fond hope, that punishment shall serve as a deterrent. No such thing has happened. Crime has never seen its lean years and of course, these days we find it in full flow. Crime and law are a reflection of the times. If people are good and well meaning, perhaps no laws may be needed and crime may not be able to raise its head. If the people are self-centred and self serving, they may get the type of laws, that, they deserve and sooner or later different types of crimes may have a field day. All types of criminal laws and methods have been tried and it is a common experience that the best of criminal laws, promulgated for the safety and security of the common man, primarily lead to all the restrictions and inconvenience to the common man, whereas, the targeted criminal goes scot-free and has the audacity to smile from the sidelines. While some laws may be necessary for the harmonious functioning of a civilized society, the inbuilt provisions of punishment and punitive action may be the breeding grounds for pushing some of the people to the wrong side of the law. What is perhaps needed is a common understanding about, what is good for the individual and for the society. Everybody knows and understands, that, if there are no distractions or disruptions and the country is peaceful and is moving steadily towards growth and development, it is the people who are the beneficiaries and have the freedom to pursue their chosen paths and lead happy, prosperous and satisfying lives. Our good old villages have been living examples of fraternal relations and social bonding between man and man. It is for the social organizations, political parties and governments to come together and shed their inhibitions to enable them to take unified approach for feeding this message in the psyche of the people living in the neighbourhoods of the cities and mega cities and every village, hamlet and nook and corner of the country, so that, the people are able to muster sufficient courage to condemn all types of agitations, demonstrations, rallies and acts of violent and non-violent distractions and disruptions, which disturb the normal working, peace and tranquility of the common man.