We call this is India

WE CALL THIS IS INDIA 

By S.D.Srinivasan


Recently, we have seen an election in Tamilnadu. In our country, the elections are being held in the country with all the political parties’ involvement and their intentions to win the elections at all costs as well as to form the Government at the Centre.  Suddenly, the “aum aadmi” has become so important that we regularly find the sitting Members of Parliament, Central and State Ministers, Chief Ministers touring all over the country to canvass for their parties besides highlighting the achievements(?) of their Governments.  Assurances, manifestos are projecting lofty ideals to bring about prosperity to all, upliftment of poor and marginalised and what not?

In our country, even the Independence Day and the Republic Day celebrations have become routine formalities. For example, the 64^th anniversary of ourIndependence Day will be celebrated with ritualistic fervour throughout the country.  In every other street corner, we will hoist the tricolour.  Every school compulsorily will ask their students to come and attend flag hoisting function.  There will be lots of advertisements by the Government Ministries boasting of their so-called achievements.  Street vendors, shopkeepers, many elderly persons would be wearing Indian flags in their shirts.  Newspapers will carry clippings of girl students wearing tricolour outfits.  All the Government Offices and Organisations will hoist the flag in their respective offices.  Usual resolutions would be passed in the party meetings hailing the Independence.  But from the next day, the fervour would be gone and we will be down to our day-to-day affairs till next Independence Day/Republic Day to follow the same above programme without fail.

On 26^thDecember, 2010, we have remembered the devastations of Tsunami that hit the coastal areas of our country and other nations five years ago in 2004. Subsequently, there was another devastation in Japan due to quake and Tsunami, of course, the lives lost were not as could be compared to 2004 Tsunami.

But, back in 2005, the Human Development Report-2005 commenced its disturbing narrative by paying tributes to the victims of Tsunami, which galloped over 300,000 lives.  The report went on to add that natural disasters such as Tsunami are difficult to predict.  However, the report stated there are certain other disasters that are readily predictable and absolutely and easily preventable.  But, these disasters attack the world’s most vulnerable citizens – Children.  According to the Report of 2005, every hour 1200 children die, equivalent to 3 Tsunamis a month.  The reason given for such tragedies is absurdly simple – Abject Poverty.  Abject poverty is the poverty that kills.  Hunger is the greatest killer of children every hour on an ongoing basis.  The world has not improved itself in preventing hunger deaths over the last 6 years.  On the contrary, with the increasing food prices, the above figures should also be realistically upwardly revised since the essential commodities are becoming increasingly out of the reach of even middle class, let alone poorer sections of the society.  The data compiled for 2010 Human Development Report relates to the year 2007.  Hence, in all probability with the catapulting prices of essential commodities this year, the number of people, who would have been pushed below the poverty line, would be staggering.

The natural disasters, wars, terrorists activities find their way into the front page headlines of the newspapers, news flashes in television/media.  However, the catastrophe of the poor due to the impoverishment and penury is hardly reported as News.  The crisis of the poorer sections are experienced in silence despite the fact that with the resources in the world at present combined with technology, of course with the global partnership in the true sense and political will in individual countries, it would be possible to reduce and completely eradicate abject poverty within a reasonable time frame.  But, very few countries treat these aspects of bringing the poor and impoverished up the ladder from the bottomless pit of penury and hunger as an important political priority and agenda, especially in developing and under-developed countries.

In this increasingly prosperous globe, more than 1 billion people are denied the right to clean water.  Yet another 2.6 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation.  Water-borne diseases due to lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation kill 1.8 million children every year. 

The current population of the world is around 6.6 billion.  But, about 1/3^rd of world’s population live in utter poverty.  On the contrary, a mere 225 richest persons have assets more than the annual earnings of 2.5 billion poorest people. Another interesting fact that did rounds in SMS was that if Microsoft Chief, Mr. Bill Gates, stops earning and starts spending at the rate of Rs.10000/- per day, he can do so from now on for more than 563 years.  So much is his worth. However, 2 billion people eat without much needed vitamins and minerals in their diet and lack access to electricity.  1 billion people live without any roof even during rainy season and bitter winter. The above figures are given by the United Nations in their various reports.

The effects of hunger are disastrous.  According to WHO, about 15 crore children are affected irreparably owing to inadequate intake of nutritious food.  Every year 5 lakh children go blind due to vitamin-A deficiency.  Lack of iodine in food in tender age causes improper growth in intellect and brain cells to millions of children every year.  Adults, who were undernourished at their younger age, are physically and intellectually less productive and more frequently ill than those adults who enjoy a normal dietary intake as children. 

In India, economic growth in the agricultural sector lagged considerably behind compared to other sectors.  This should be viewed from the point of view of the fact that more than 70% of our population is dependent on agriculture and allied activities.  This has had a negative impact on the progress in alleviating poverty and hunger in rural areas.  It is also a disquieting aspect that in our caste-ridden society, people belonging to lower castes, women and ethnic minorities continue to be discriminated against and are completely disadvantaged in educational opportunities and labour markets.

As per the World Bank report, India has been ranked among top 15 richest nations in the world.  In the field of Information Technology (IT) and IT Enabled Services (ITES), our country is emerging as a world leader.  The Indian Stock Market Index has gone up to unexpected levels, though it has taken a beating of late owing to Western countries’ debacle in the economic front.  India is one of the largest pools of English-speaking, skilled manpower producing around 3 million graduates and 7 lakhs postgraduates every year.  By 2020, India will have an additional workforce of 47 million skilled manpower and a major skilled workforce supplier to the entire world to cater to the manpower shortages including to China.  The Government claims that the poverty is down to around 25% from over 50% in the 1950s.  Government of India claims that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) under various parameters will be achieved well before the targeted year of 2015.  India is world’s 7^thlargest country, has 4^thlargest Army, 3^rdlargest railway network, 2^ndhighly populated country, 2^ndfastest growing economy, 2^ndin production of tea and rice, 1^stin production of Mica, World’s largest democracy and with world’s largest workforce aiming to be the Super Power in 2020, but what is in store for us?

Our country with around 121 crore population and with the above so-called economic growth, in terms of Human Development Report, we stand in 128^th place out of 177 countries.  In Human Poverty Index, our country is in 55^thplace from among 102 countries.  In our country, 48% of the children aged less than 5 years are underweight.  The average height of 50-60% of the impoverished children is less than the normal average height compared to their age.  Even by the Statistics given by the Government, 34.7% of people earn less than US $ 1 a day and 79.9% earn less than US $ 2 a day.  The unemployment problem among women increased by 9.3% and 11.7% respectively in rural and areas in the last 10 years.  For the same period, unemployment among men increased by 9% and 8.1% respectively in rural and urban areas.  More than 22.58% of urban population live in stinking slums.  In the last 15 years, even though the food production has increased manifold, the per capita food intake has come down alarmingly and considerably.  The top 20% of the population enjoy more than 40% of the country’s income.  The bottom 20% earns hardly 9% and it is steadily coming down.  The richest persons have found their places prominently in Forbes’ List.  A mere 40 richest Indians have wealth around Rs.7 lakh crores, equivalent to 22% of GDP.  The Arjun Sengupta Committee, set up under the auspices of the PMO, had come up with disturbing report.  It revealed that more than 78% of the people earn less than Rs.20/- per day, about 50% less than the benchmark International earning threshold figure of US $ 1 per day to be quantified and qualified to be in abject poverty.  This means that our country has to go over a long way to bring these people from hunger, poverty and penury.

Now, taking globe as a whole, the cost to extend clean water access and sanitation to the poorest people is under US $ 7 billion a year for the next decade. This investment could save around 4000 lives each day as a result of reduced exposure to infectious diseases. The cost of ending extreme poverty and to lift about 1 billion people above the US $ 1 per day poverty line is around US $ 300 billions.  It may seem huge.  But, it is less than 2% of the income of the richest 10 persons of the world.  Statistics show that the Europeans spend US $ 7 billion a year on perfumes; US $ 8 billion every year are spent by Americans for elective corrective surgery and on an average US $ 31-33 billions are spent by Europeans and Americans on ice creams, cosmetics and pet food.  It is also reported that in our country, the income of Mr. Mukesh Ambani is around Rs.40 lakhs a minute. 

But, it is a sad fact that despite the above disturbing facts relating to uneven growth, not only globally and also in our country, a lot need to be done in the real sense of the term to uplift the poor.  “Garibi Hatao” may be the slogan of every politician but little is being done in this direction.  The growth is lopsided, the prices are going up beyond the reach of the “aam aadmi”.  But, the statistics released by the Governments, Centre and the States, are far from the ground realities and truth relating to poorer sections of the society.  We do not know whether the statistics mentioned in this narrative are known to the politicians, Members of Parliament, Legislators in various States.  And if at all it is known, what is being done? Whether these aspects are discussed threadbare in the General Council, Central Committee, Executive Committee Meetings of various political parties?  Apparently not!  Almost all the political parties merely pass “default” resolutions in their meetings to fight poverty and for upliftment of the poor. The politicians, legislators, Members of Parliament, Ministers are much worried about their own survival.  Very few and handful leaders care for the poor and impoverished.

This is the fate of our country after 64 years of Independence.  Unfortunately, the political parties do not fight the elections on these issues. The issue here is not Nuclear Deal, Ayodhya, Babri Masjid, Terrorist activities or Kashmir problem, Indo-Pak Relationship.  It is much more serious.  People are dying in our country every day due to hunger and poverty and many of them are children.  The food prices are going up to alarming proportions.  But, Prime Minister was willing to resign if Nuclear Deal was not clinched a couple of years ago, alas, not for keeping up the promise of uplifting the poor.  The then Finance Minister, Mr.P.Chidambaram, is air dashing to Mumbai to assure stock brokers if share market goes on a tailspin.  But, little is being done to address the issues of the poor.  Much is to be learnt about the Nuclear Deal and how it would benefit the poorer sections of the Poor.  Hardly 5-10% of people of this country invest in stock markets.  But, while Prime Minister and Finance Minister care for these issues, the same kind of attention is lacking in problems relating to poor. What we require is immediate attention towards stopping hunger-deaths and to uplift poor people.  This should be the election issue and not even the nuclear deal.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Purna Swaraj” is achieved when every tear in every eye is wiped off.  We are yet to realise the dream of the Father of the Nation despite 64 years of independent India and Republic of 61 years.  We cannot afford to fail in this aspect.

The problem in our country is that these issues do not find a focus in elections due to the fact that the substantial number of educated and middle class people does not exercise their franchise.  We take the elections casually and hence non-issues are projected to clinch the seat of power, be it in Centre or the States.  The middle class and the educated have a greater role to play to change this scenario.  We cannot blame the poorer sections of the people, who vote many times on monetary considerations.  They do not know the repercussions.  But, the educated masses and middle class know the facts.  They should live up to the expectations.  We have a responsibility towards those poorer sections of the people, dying children and the children, who clean the tables in hotels, do menial jobs due to poverty.  The educated and middle class should speak about the misdirected policies of the government and protest them in their own way, atleast to start with. We have a role to play in uplifting the poor and impoverished.  It is very easy to turn our faces to the other side and walk away.  But, the future would blame us if we do not take the responsibility to correct our charter.  If atleast a few of the educated and middle class people take the pledge and start discussing these issues from now on, new ideas could be generated to alleviate hunger and poverty.  Later on, the issues relating to people would be election issues and they would be discussed in the political parties’ meetings in true sense and the Governments would take initiatives in the right earnest and directions.

It is not the motive of this write-up that we should not care about our security concerns or Mumbai siege etc.  But, even in Mumbai terror attack, the focus of the media was mainly on Trident and Taj and not about those ordinary people, who perished in Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal.  While we have to strengthen our resolve to fight these terror attacks on our country, we should equally be concerned and take concrete steps to stop the hunger attacks that hit the poorer sections of the society and impoverished.  But, atleast the educated, middle class should take a pledge to discuss and talk about these aspects amongst themselves and other lesser gifted uneducated masses to make them realise the reality.  The process is long and arduous.  We shall have to overcome the wrath of the political parties, cheats, black-marketeers, bureaucrats, red tapes, corrupt officials and politicians, cut-throats and other selfish persons, who care nothing about these impoverished.

The elections are being battled.  Let us atleast pledge that we shall take this message to the public and let the elections be fought on the issues concerning the masses and poorer sections of the people and not on the agenda of who is joining whom.  Let us make a beginning now.  Only the first step is difficult.  If we cannot raise this issue and take it to the voting public and make it an election agenda in the true sense of the term unlike the election manifestos and propaganda of the political parties, we cannot win this issue.  The matter is so important that there is no other choice than to win the battle against hunger and impoverishment because every time we tend to hesitate on this issue, precious lives are lost due to poverty and hunger.  While poverty is an economic term, hunger is a physical sense and is felt by the poorer sections of the people every hour in every day.  This has to be stopped.  If we make a beginning atleast now, it will be an issue of the Governments, in future, whoever they may be, and they would be concentrating on the matter concerning the general masses instead of their never ending concern for the chair.

In the movie “Ten Commandments” Moses would be asked a question by the Pharoh whether he would deliver his people from the Bondage.  To this Moses would reply, “It would take more than a man to deliver these people from the Bondage.  It would take a God and if God wills it, I would do it.”

In the case of impoverished and people, who are below the poverty line also, it would take more than a man to bring up these people from the clutches of poverty and penury.  But, if we try unitedly, it is not impossible.

Once some students wanted to test a sage.  A student was having a small bird in his hand covered and the others asked the sage whether the bird was alive or dead.  The idea was to crush the bird if the sage said it was alive or to let the bird fly if he said it was dead.  But, the sage said, “It is in your hands.  If you want the bird to be alive, it will be and if you want it dead, it will be.”

To attain Mahatma’s Purna Swaraj or not is in our hands.  Will we realise it and do what is expected of us?