Gandhiji's Talisman
Its written in the beginning of every NCERT book, it was written in the beginning of another book i opened today. It in essence says, whenever u are in doubt of whether to do something or not, think, of how ur actions are going to affect the poorest person u hae ever met. Then u will see ur doubts melting away...
We had this session on Good governance and People Living in Poverty today. Its a subject which I have taken in this term. The faculty is an ex IAS officer, Harsh Mandar, who resigned after the Godhra carnage because of the state's complicity in the whole matter.
It was the first time in months that i went thru 2 sessions without looking at the wallclock a single time.
Almost everything he said was insightful. But then would write about just a couple of them.
The question of the need for taking tough decisions came up. When the govt takes decisions like building of the Narmada dam for the benefit of the people. Some of us have to sacrifice for the greater good of the society. But then, who is it that is sacrificing? The Narmada dam is going to displace thousands of tribals with their miniscule plots and their ecosystems. At the same time, there are hundreds of projects which would "benefit the society as a whole" but the one's sacrificing would be the rich farmers.
Since independence, NEVER has such a project been conceived.
So we are asking those people to sacrifice who donot have anything to give. Is this equality?
All of what i write, i draw upon from the class today. None of it is mine.
Harsh Mandar also narrated an anecdote. There was this father who was apprehended trying to drown his daughter. His 7 yr old daughter. The child survived. She was traumatized on why her
loving n caring father was trying to kill her...
the man had 6 other children. the daughter he was trying to kill was suffering from a chronic kidney ailment which needed about a lakh rupees per yr to keep her alive. He put in all his earnings (he was a labourer) to keep her alive for a yr since her ailment. Now he had to make a choice. He either saves her, or his other children. So he made the choice.
A father having to make a choice of drowning his daughter...
And we are a country which is growing at over 8% per yr and we are going to hit double digits soon.
All major brands want to come to India because the "middle" class is eager to spend.
India is shining.
THE FUCK INDIA IS SHINING.
60 yrs since independence, a father has to drown his daughter to save his other children, 60 yrs since independence, over 300 million of us are illiterate, 60 yrs since independence, 50000 children sleep on the streets every night in Delhi alone, 60 yrs down the line, 50 men molest 2 women on new yrs eve, 60 yrs down the line, we havent been able to provide drinking water to more than half of the nation, what have we been able to do...
the fuck india is shining...
We had this session on Good governance and People Living in Poverty today. Its a subject which I have taken in this term. The faculty is an ex IAS officer, Harsh Mandar, who resigned after the Godhra carnage because of the state's complicity in the whole matter.
It was the first time in months that i went thru 2 sessions without looking at the wallclock a single time.
Almost everything he said was insightful. But then would write about just a couple of them.
The question of the need for taking tough decisions came up. When the govt takes decisions like building of the Narmada dam for the benefit of the people. Some of us have to sacrifice for the greater good of the society. But then, who is it that is sacrificing? The Narmada dam is going to displace thousands of tribals with their miniscule plots and their ecosystems. At the same time, there are hundreds of projects which would "benefit the society as a whole" but the one's sacrificing would be the rich farmers.
Since independence, NEVER has such a project been conceived.
So we are asking those people to sacrifice who donot have anything to give. Is this equality?
All of what i write, i draw upon from the class today. None of it is mine.
Harsh Mandar also narrated an anecdote. There was this father who was apprehended trying to drown his daughter. His 7 yr old daughter. The child survived. She was traumatized on why her
loving n caring father was trying to kill her...
the man had 6 other children. the daughter he was trying to kill was suffering from a chronic kidney ailment which needed about a lakh rupees per yr to keep her alive. He put in all his earnings (he was a labourer) to keep her alive for a yr since her ailment. Now he had to make a choice. He either saves her, or his other children. So he made the choice.
A father having to make a choice of drowning his daughter...
And we are a country which is growing at over 8% per yr and we are going to hit double digits soon.
All major brands want to come to India because the "middle" class is eager to spend.
India is shining.
THE FUCK INDIA IS SHINING.
60 yrs since independence, a father has to drown his daughter to save his other children, 60 yrs since independence, over 300 million of us are illiterate, 60 yrs since independence, 50000 children sleep on the streets every night in Delhi alone, 60 yrs down the line, 50 men molest 2 women on new yrs eve, 60 yrs down the line, we havent been able to provide drinking water to more than half of the nation, what have we been able to do...
the fuck india is shining...
Labels: Thoughts
posted by Anurag at
9:54 PM
23 Comments:
Whatever is India shining on! Totally agree. Although, Im now on the other side, not sure if I am really right in saying so! If I remember this whole "India is shining" thing was started by the BJP. Now, whom do we blame!? And,oh yes, I was surprised to know that there is really an empathetic KAS officer who actually resigned owing to the terrible state of the system!
@candid (i really need a name i can use...candid seems a bit odd :D)
yes...the bjp started it
n i didnt understand what u meant when u said, i am on the other side now?
n beleive me, there are quite a few IAS officers who WANT to make a difference. however, there are very few who can muster the courage to do so. Mr. Harsh Mandar is one of them
that is some insight ! mebbe you should put up more stuff from your classes for the junta who cant make it to elite institutions like yours :)
@xeres
sure will do :o)
Totally unrelated comment....
While we are talking about Gandhi, just what did he say about consumption of alcohol ?
@vinay
quite unrelated :D
hmm, I agree there is a lot of work to be done. I believe in doing things rather than cribbing about them; so if I may ask - what is your contribution to make India really shine? sorry for being rude. the only way to clean the murk is to first step into it; please step into it; you dont want corrupt politicians - stop cribbing about no honesty - please BE that honest politician ; if you dont want illiteracy, spend an hour at a slum - work with them; education is way down in the list of thier basic necessities - allow them to it is roti and kapda that they need; work with them to get them that; I still remember one mother telling me she did not want me to go to their slums; because the children whiled away their time writing ABCs; when I told them that it will make them independent when they grow up; she said a very profound statement that doesnt stop moving me to tears even today - she will be independent only when she will be alive; food is the greatest educator - I realised that inorder for them to study; some of them MUST work - even if part time; we worked for that... someof us still are.Do something, dont just talk dude. The IAS officer who resigned maybe a man of high morale, but to resign a post which he could have used to help others is something I do not advocate - stay in there, fight in there; or move to another angle and fight from there... like say move from civil services to politics etc.
for any crib; remember we are as responsible as any other. It is our country and nothing will change unless we will bring about the change.
having said that - I will say India is a better position than say America - 60 years from its independence - they were still grappling with slavery and were ridden by civil wars; we are better; and will be the best only if we work towards it. India is still a young country and the young in the country have to work to make it a better place
(sorry for the extra long comment; this is a topic that is very close to my heart and couldnt stop myself from the rant)
@arpz
totally agree that its people like me who crib about the country goin to the dogs n watch from the periphery
n the IAS offcer IS doing something after resigning...he has started his own initiatives to work towards the principles he stands for...n many other things...so ur comments on him are unjustified
n why dont i do something about it...i will do something about it...i am...am alreay associated with an NGO working with children...n once i start working...i have more plans
my complaint it...the people who are there to do what they are there to do...why dont they do that...if i become an architecht n then dont build a building honestly...then that is wrong...if i am a doctor n i am doing what i shld be doing honestly...THEN I HAVE THE RIGHT to challenge that architect who is not doing his job...i cant become n architect n do his job
u talked bout politics...i donot have a flair for it...so i wont do it...that shld answer ur question on why dont i join it...but i will do honestly what i have a flair for...n again...THEN ITS MY RIGHT...to object to things not being done right
n yes...america itself is not well off...but why compare india to america...there are other examples ...much better ones to compare...
nevertheless...thanks for the comment...appreciate it
it rains for 12 hours and i need to plod thru slush to get to office.
The fuck India is shining :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
@jake
he he...watch the lead india video :o)
Anurag,
Aren't you and I beneficiaries of the" India shining"
campaign?
The subtle change from charity to investment?
India Shining is an investment campaign from what I have observed and it should continue. They used the campaign to get people to start businesses in India using technology, knowledge transfer etc. and promising investors that India is a good country to invest in. This has enabled the youth of India by giving them information and opportunities. You need money to implement Ideas. You need money to start small businesses for these poor people so that they can be self sufficient.
Investment NOT charity.
the India shining campaign is also a way to make sure that india doesn't continue to spiral into sectarian violence which it does time on and again.
You don't want the world to look at India as they do some African countries : a Charity case. A monetary blackhole. You want people to look at it as a responsible nation with well educated people that can handle money responsibly.
my 0.02 cents.
I so agree with you!!!....I keep having this discussion with people..and I usually have the same thing to say "The fuck India is shining" Bangalore is a supreme example!....there's the IT crowd with their pots of money and the rest of the public. You can see 2 India's here and it is not a pretty sight
@anurag - glad to know the IAS chap is working on things. we need people like him, and when they resign and go grumbling is when I feel like nuking them. good to know this guy isnt one of em "now im a cynic"
America was an example; ( i think with the exception of Japan) India has done far better than any other country in its 60 years of independent existence.
and I agree on the fact when you say "why do I become an architect"; yes, but your criticsm needs to be constructive; and if the architect isnt good; you need to look out for a better person; in case you find none; but yet want your building beautiful, maybe, you should go ahead and accquire those skills. (mind you the "accquire" option is the last; but definetly not the least - lemme give you this example - say if the maid hasnt come in to sweep the home; wont moms do the sweeping themselves, inspite of having a million other more important things to do? exactly the same thing; but yes, the fact that you are stepping into someone's shoes does not mean you let the other person go scot free. you MUST penalise the offenders. And that penalising should happen from each of us. and to speak of it, who are these doctors? these architects? they are people like us, they are infact us. we need to have our fundamental values straight ... every drop counts.. I dont mean a particular person here, I mean "we" in general, we as in the young of the country. Having said that, I agree with the rest of your statements.
@sonali
am not AGAINST the india shining campaign as such
its the idea of india shining that i resist...when u n i know the ground realities
@hithchiker
absolutely...when u go towards mg road from NGV...forgot the name of the area...there u can see the well off slums..
or when one is on brigade or mg..while there are so mny YO people around...there are also these kids trying to sell u that red balloon right outside barrista
@arpz
ur example of the maid is nice...but lets face it...all of us new gen professionals would HARDLY take the plunge to work in the development sector...we would be looking out for plush offices and fat salaries...i speak for myself...n then taking the broom n cleaning up the dirt would take the back seat...
does for MOST people
so then its important that the people, the government, the officals, who are paid to do this work...they should do it
"its the idea of india shining that i resist...when u n i know the ground realities"
When you compare it to what it was 18+ years ago, it's definitely in a better position now.
Maybe not for everyone, but it is definitely getting better for the majority ( in 1 billion + population, 400 million poor people are not a majority).
As a country we are definitely more aware now.
Sure we have a long road ahead, but it's better than nothing.
The choice is between : Half empty or Half full.
@s ( i assume this is sonali)
of course we are better than 18 yrs back...have to be right...
but in a population o 1 billion plus...its not 400 million poor...its over 750 million (yes...we have more than 75% of our population in poverty)
n its not just poverty...its discrimination...social...gender etc etc...that the country is grappling with
i know the picture is no where rosy in other societies...but what i am saying here is...let us not try to ignore the issues here...n lets us actively work towards resolving them
Thank for this great post!!
Even more heartening is to read everyone's comments here.
I say one negative thing about Indian's attitudes and whoa..everyone gets defensive. This is way more provoking and yet people have had the guts to admit to the reality!
@solitaire
thanks sneha (i hope i got ur name right...read in few of the comments on ur blog :o))
n yes...it is encouraging to see people accepting the issues we as a people are facing
but then what me and u n all of us need to do is work towards resolving them...that is where we shy away
"its over 750 million (yes...we have more than 75% of our population in poverty)
"
Actually, I was reading about it online,
it is "77% (836 million) people live on 20 rupees or less per day with most of them living in abject poverty".
The poverty line is set at 12 rupees per day which makes 27.5% of the population ~ roughly 400 million below the poverty line.
I do undertstand what you mean by saying that India isn't shining, but my point is that it is discouraging to those who have actually gotten off their butts and computers and made changes to be told that what they did was nothing and has had little to NO impact. Sending out the message that change CAN happen and HAS happened for the better in a chaotic and depressed environment such as that in India is more important than pointing out "ground realities" of death destruction and poverty which is more evident than the good changes. It gives encouragement to those who actually make a difference to continue in that path and not to give up.
It's a fine line. And I think it is important to maintain it.
"rural India has benefited from this growth: extreme rural poverty has declined from 94% in 1985 to 61% in 2005, and they project that it will drop to 26% by 2025"
As stated in wikipedia's "Poverty in India".
@sonali
u know how they set this poverty line...its based on how much "nutrients" do u need to undergo the basic metabolism...n how much money do u need to get food to get those nutrients
poverty isnt that
n yes...people who are making changes need to be encouraged...but i beleive the ones who are making change would continue to work towards it
its people like us who are sitting on our butts tht need to be "sensitized"...not even mobilized...just sensitized...coz that is the first step
is my blog goin to do that...i dont know...i dont think so...i dont have enough readership :D...but its my effort to vent my feelings about the subject...thats it
"poverty isnt that"
I am aware as to how it is defined. THAT is what is used as a standard though. Change the standard and you may have different stats and different issues. BUT what is and isn't enough in that case?
In that case, how would you define poverty?
@sonali
poverty is not just nutrients...it has economic, physcial, mental and social angles to it
if someone can eat enough to survive...but cant have that occasional entertainment in the mela in the next village...isnt he/she poor...
if someone can eat just enough...but cannot enter the place of worship he/she wants/beleives in...isnt he/she poor
if someone can eat just enough...but is discriminated because he/she was born with a genetic disability..isnt that being lacking...or poor
i beleive it is
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home