My native place

 Golden days of my native place (written by me and published in The Hindu , Open page ono9.9.12)

The memories of my childhood days spent at Natchiar Koil village in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu are still fresh in my mind. Such memories led me to compare the existing situation in India, in general, and in villages, in particular, with the past. An analysis left me sad for the undesirable transformation which India has undergone over the last few decades. Those were really golden days.

As children, we didn’t know that our village was famous for the Mariamman temple, the Perumal (Vishnu) and Natchiar temple, for the world famous brass lamp factories, for Nagaswaram vidwans like Raghavan Pillai and for betal leaves. Our village, like any other village of yesteryear in Tamil Nadu, had an Agraharam, where Brahmins lived, the Muslim streets surrounding the mosque and the colony where the Scheduled Castes lived. The Brahmin youth were working in offices, the Muslims were landlords and traders and the Scheduled Castes mostly served the other communities in various capacities. But we never witnessed communal clashes or disputes. We lived in total harmony. Everyone treated the other with dignity. All community leaders participated in the meetings held to discuss village matters.

The Mariamman temple festival was celebrated for 10 days at a stretch. It attracted crowds from all surrounding villages and towns. Small traders from all over Thanjavur district participated in the shanty, spreading their wares in the lanes around the temple. Children, and even adults, used to crowd the shops for the whole day. Things which attracted the women were vessels of all types, ready made clothes and kitchenware. The children liked seeni mittai, a sweetmeat in different shapes and colours. Jav mittai was an attraction as well. The vendor would sing songs to attract children and pull out the colourful, sweet semi-liquid material which was elastic enough to be moulded from the bamboo which was holding it and out of which he would make birds, animals, watches, insects, etc., as per our demand and stick the design on our hands. Girls used to crowd ribbon, bangle and wooden and papier-mâché doll shops and boys thronged shops selling kites and tops. There were bio-scopes through which we can see “cinema bits” and the merry-go-rounds, and folk arts performances provided us enough entertainment.

The best part of the festival was the display of religious tolerance. All Muslim families wrote letters to their relatives living afar, inviting them for the Mariamman festival. Every Muslim home used to have so many guests during those days. The same way, people of different faiths arrived for the three-day float festival of the Natchiar temple, making it grand by their presence, participating in the festival activities organised outside the temple. I still remember the regular badminton practice given by my father to Brahmin boys on the mosque ground in the evenings.

Hindu women used to bring their babies suffering from fever to the mosques in the evening and would wait for the Mullahs to come out after prayer and get them cured of illnesses. The Mullahs would recite Arabic prayers, and bless the babies.

Muslim families always threw a separate vegetarian feast the day after their family weddings for Hindu friends. On Pongal days, all agricultural labourers used to bring fruits, flowers and hens for the Muslim landlords and they, in turn, were given dresses, money and food. They were allowed to decorate the cattle as they liked.

In short, everyone faithfully followed his/her religion and was tolerant of other religions. They never talked of conversions. As children, we never bothered to know about the classmates’ religion. We never heard of untouchability during our school days. In the big bazaar of our village, Hindu and Muslim traders conducted business without any clash of interests or rivalry.

Our village had Panchayat-run Tamil medium primary and secondary schools. Private schools were unheard of. Students belonging to the rich, middle and poor classes studied in the same school. Our teachers never demanded but always commanded the respect of not only students but also the village elders. The headmaster was always consulted by the panchayat leaders in village matters. Out teachers inculcated in us the values of religious tolerance, patriotism, secularism, respect for elders and honesty. Independence and Republic days were celebrated with patriotism. I still remember some Hindu teachers giving free tuition to poor Muslim students and some Muslim landlords helping poor Brahmin boys in their higher education.

Life was simple and stress-free. We spent our childhood playing out on the dry riverbed, the open ground for the entire evenings. We played in rainy and summer seasons. We played in mud and clay, but were never discouraged from playing for a long time and we never felt sick because of dust or pollution. We never had heavy homework. Going to school was fun since we could meet all our friends and exchange our eatables. We studied only for the examinations. English was introduced only from Standard VI. Yet many of us could get higher educational qualifications and a decent status in our life.

I can go on and on, with the memories of my village life. My heart bleeds when I now hear news of loss of human lives, destruction of business and property taking place, in the name of religion. It is painful to see responsible political leaders making hate speeches about different communities, owners refusing to rent out their homes to particular communities, children in village schools suffering the indignity of untouchability and neighbours in apartments in the cities boycotting one another on the basis of religion. How backward have we become in social harmony and religious tolerance? Our mindset has become so rigid against peaceful co-existence. Such an ugly transformation is not only confined to the cities but has spread to villages, which had all along protected the rich Indian culture. Will India revert to the golden days?

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Freebees culture of Tamil Nadu

The article, "public policy and private gain" by Pulapre Balakrishnan in the Hindu (16.12.15)clearly explains how the distribution policy of the Dravidian parties has restricted the space for public goods in Tamil Nadu.. The youth of  Tamil Nadu particularly, of Chennai who were rendering humanitarian service of high order during the recent flood would have witnessed directly for the first time in their life, the futility of distributivism policy pursued vigorously   at the expense of  the  provision of  physical infrastructure like roads, bridges, sewage, drainage system etc., and shocked beyond limits. But the question is , have   the political parties of Tamil Nadu  wanting a  clear mandate to govern this State after the election of2016 learnt any lessons? Have the voters who vote repeatedly on the basis of free bee culture learnt any lessons ? Only the recent flood exposed fully the quality of governance of the Dradvidan parties which has ruled Tamil Nadu for most of the decades. In a away the flood has exposed  the mismanagement of the disaster and  has  awakened the collective consciousness of the voters of Tamil Nadu and made them feel guilty about blind use of their votes 

Directionless conduct of the Congress party .

Ever since, the “high command” culture and the centralisation of powers in one family started in the Congress Party resulting in the fall of the federal structure , the  party faced  reduction in  the party’s   vote banks in several states  For example, as long as regional leaders like Kamaraj and Moopanar were playing a dynamic role at the national executive level of the party , the congress had decent vote bank in Tamil Nadu. The most important  effort  the Congress Party has to take urgently is to strengthen the Party at the states level through giving an opportunity to local leaders to participate at the decision making level . Imposition of decisions from above without considering local realities  may not enthuse the party cadres. Moreover the present strategy being adopted by the Congress party session after session in the parliament has  irritated many responsible members of their own party and the even their allies . The Nation is also losing it’s patience over their unproductive approach to parliamentary affairs . Can’t they fined a better strategy to put the BJP under right track ? A mature approach to revive their glory is expected from a old party.

Illeberal law of the Haranana govenment

The statistics presented in the editorial, “Illiberal law” in the Hindu Editirial (12.12.15) proves that all the governments which have ruled the state  of Hariyana so far, have failed to achieve  better social status of the SCs . Denying them the right to contest in the local election on the basis of their educational qualification and other conditions  amounts to a slap on their face in the form of denial of political a participation and will leave them under represented in the political arena . It will further deteriorate their social status. What justice is there in punishing the victims for the failure of the various governments ?  Has the Haryana and Rajastan governments run by the BJP  taken any special effort to improve the educational enrollment and retention of SC children whenever they were governing those states/  It is very unwise to introduce political reforms in an unequal society .

Tamil Nadu flood

When will our administrators learn through their mistakes and take corrective steps at least to prevent  large scale losses of materials   and human lives in future, when nature attack man kind with intensive  fury? Why  do party men waste the viewer’s time by engaging in blame game during the channels debates on Tamil Nadu flood? Why can’t the Tamil Nadu government invite representatives of the major political parties,  experts on  natural disasters , central government and the  local governments of Tamil Nadu and the secretaries of the various departments connected with flood management to arrive at a clear picture regarding the road map for disaster management of this magnitude, resettling of those who have lost everything and to plan for coordinated efforts by central, state and local agencies  to normalise life in Tamil  Nadu. Is this a time for prestige and decide about future course of action without involving all the stake holders? Is it not time for swift action than engaging in postmortem of who did  what and when? Is not time to concentrate on getting central aid quickly by finishing the evaluation of damages in time?

Flood in Tamil Nadu and the lessons learnt

The flood in Tamil Nadu taught a humbling experience to many . The nature treated every one equally and hence, in spite of the differences in economic, social and political status every one suffered in different ways and degrees. For the first time people would have realised that , it is not the financial strength that would come to their rescue  during crises of this magnitude  but , it is the humanness of fellow citizens that would give them the required solace and relief .The unbearable sufferings experienced   taught many lessons to the citizens. But the political class alone seems like not learning any lessons since they were continuing to exercise the  arrogance of power , malpractices and sycophancy acts , even, in the middle of a human tragedy of this magnitude. They have forgotten that India is a democracy and they will soon be taught a lesson .Otherwise their spokes persons of the ruling part will not appear in TV channels and attack the youth of Tamil Nadu  and of the neighboring states who rose to the crisis and lent all their resources like money, time ,energy, intelligence and social networking facility  to render devoted service with  admirable social responsibility? What justice is there in attacking them for the  the adverse comments the government received in the media for it's various failures in   coping  up  withe the crisis

A mindless act exposed by the media

When the media was engaged in covering extensively about the impact of unprecedented rain in Tamil Nadu and its impact on different parts of the state ,particularly, in the Chennai city and was covering the extent of assistance from the central government through cash assistance and through sending the army, navy , inspection squads and the disaster management groups, the extraordinary assistance rendered by the NGOs and other social media groups, college students and other political parties and also the neighboring states and other states  and of the heart moving scenes on the human sufferings  one particular news coverage of an event  irritated the civil society. It is on the attempt by a group of people ( who are instructed to do so)to paste the Chief Minister’s pictures on the relief materials sent from different corners of the nation  , thereby exposing  their lack of   sensitivity even over human crisis. The flood in Chennai is a humbling experience to many sections of the population especially to  the well off sections that ,money will  not come to their rescue under all the circumstances. This natural calamity taught us a lesson i.e., when nature plays a major role humans  are powerless however  big they are politically, socially or financially. But the political class alone is not in the habit of   learning  any lesson  even during a worst crisis This point  is proved by the attempt to paste CMs picture in the middle of critical  operations related to  relief work . Whose brain has ordered them to be engaged in that work when we are facing manpower shortage for relief work and when every minute and energy of manpower is required for mitigating peoples sufferings?  Thank God the  CM has noticed that and has ordered the stoppage of  such mindless tasks. Otherwise this act would have continued and irritated every body and  spoiled the reputation of the ruling party

Women's employment growth rate

Every one will agree fully with the IMF chief’s statement that, “girls education is probably the single best investment a country can make” . As far as India is concerned , economic contribution of women is not in proportion to their number or skills acquired through higher education or  professional training . It is for such  women of India to realise and convince their family members about the need to equip themselves with economic security through high or medium profile jobs .The benefit to the nation through their entry into job market in great number is accelerated growth of GNP. Then the history will record their economic contribution with gratitude.  The additional  benefits are , improve in the standard of their families , dignified treatment , confidence to face the challenges of life and removal of the description of women  as “ unproductive, wasteful or idle resource.”

control of BJP by RSS

The control of RSS over BJP was proved already when the  PM candidate for the 1014 election and the BJP president candidate were as per RSS wishes .Their control over BJP is not “remote control” any more . Like  octopus  RSS is exercising it’s  influence in many matters such as the policy and programme changes at least in BJP rules states as per the Hindutva agenda ,  They seem to have a say  in the key appointments in educational cultural,  historical and even  in the  choice of Central  Ministers and bureaucrats.

India's present and future

When we think of India we can come only to one conclusion , ie., it is the most mismanaged country, What is lacking in this country? Why we have to be branded as a nation  with rich resources and poor people ? Why does poverty continues to this level even after 68 years of Independence? How is that  we have so many billionaires  with global level ranking in richness ? How could all the governments in power since Independence allowed this atrocious income inequalities ? Why does India ranks very low in health indicators, gender equity,  ease of doing business, educational quality, women’s safety , child abuse and ranks very high in corruption?  Is India in a democratic mess ? 

The answer to these questions we can get from the number of corruption cases running into several crores of rupees happening under every government . Corruption has become a national disease in India . When  politicians  are elected to become members of local bodies or  State Assemblies or the Parliament or ministers ,their aim seems to be to accumulate ill-gotten money to a maximum extent within  the term of their office. Only few are caught  and brought under the legal system . There are thousands of politicians with black money and income disproportionate to their  known sources of income . Even the bureaucrats and police officials are highly corrupt  . Corruption is paralysing good governance . The archaic laws give escape routes to these law breakers .  The police , administrative, education, election   and judicial reforms are long pending . The youth who are disappointed with the performance of  all the governments which had ruled  India so far, including the present government which came to power with tall promises are seeking greener pastures and migrating to other nation.s Only those who can not migrate are left behind. We are so proud of youth power and what are we going to do for them with this type of parliamentarian who are so proud of paralysing parliament and consider it as an act achievement and the top leadership shielding cabinet ministers and chief  ministers who have indulged in acts  of corruption and illegal activities? . questions and questions with no answer about future India . The shining India remains a permanent vote catching slogan without any practical value attached to it. We do not see any symptom towards it even if we want to have positive hope. The PM talks about clean India campaign . who is going to clean the corrupt  India? Can we see such an  India in the near or in the distant future at least?  

A human tragedy in Qutar

                                            A human tragedy in Qatar

The front page news in The Hindu under the heading, “Is world cup killing Indian workers?”  on May 31^st disturbed my mind instantly. There  is an explanation regarding the statistics concerning the mortality rate among Indian migrant workers who are engaged in construction activities in Qatar which are plenty due to the world cup event in 2022 . The general view that, “statistics is very carelessly collected and carefully presented” is proved right   in this matter.

It is reported that, 1093 Indian workers have died between 2011 and 2015 in Qatar.

It seems that, the year 2014 witnessed highest Indian workers death in Qatar which works out to be .5 per thousand populations since, the Indian migrants in 2013 was 5.8 lakh.

 The point of consolation seems to be based on the comparison  between the death rate in India and Qatar for the 15-59  age group i.e., it is, “4.1 per thousand in India according to the record of Registrar General of India and that is over eight times the death rate in Qatar”

 The Hindu further reports that, “the statistics cited by FIFA take into account only the incidents that occur in the foot ball stadium” indicating an understatement of the real situation regarding the mortality rate among Indian workers.

For the media, statistical analysts and the readers it has only news value which would be forgotten once the news paper is closed. But if we bother to spend few minutes to ponder over the human aspect of this report our hearts will be saddened. Who are these Indian workers? They are manual laborers ready to work hard, even under the most inhuman conditions and extreme whether conditions in the foreign countries under the impression that, they would get far better salary than what they would get otherwise in India, for the same hours of work. They venture to face all types of risks in unknown counties without even knowing about the provisions of the labour laws which would ensure compensation in case accidents or death. They decide to go out of the country for the sake of providing better standard of life to their family members, so that, the next generation would be able to equip themselves with tools of empowerment like education, skill training and better health facilities. The basic aim is the dream of welfare of their families which the Indian salary would not provide.

 For the readers it is yet another data on mortality rate. But , can the families who have lost the earning member and the head of the families console their hearts and minds by the fact that ,  higher mortality rate of Indian labourers in  the 15- 59 age group is higher in India than in Qatar? Won’t the fact that, their fathers lost their lives in an attempt to provide them a better standard of life haunt them for ever? Can’t the government of India, just think for a minute the plight of the future of these families and arrange for awareness creation programmes to the labour community regarding dangers that they would face if, they take up jobs in countries like Qatar which believes in slavery   and bonded labour system even in this century, instead of arguing over with the authenticity of the statistical reporting by journalists?  Let our government at least analyse these factors from human angle and rush to the aid of the victims. “If the Qatar development model is based on enslaved model” as reported by Sharan Burrow, the Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation ( in the interview given to the Hindu ) let the Indian government raise this issue of abuse of labour rights by countries like Qatar in the internationals forums, since, the  number of workers going abroad for better survival from India  is significant . Let not the government of India wastes it’s  energy over arguments over the authentic source  of  the statistical data in this matter. Our government has the moral responsibility to take care of the welfare of our workers who are in toiling under such  in such cruel conditions in countries where the humans are treated like beasts of burden.   

lessons to be learnt

                                                       Lessons to be  learnt

(My article published in alive magazine , July-2015  issue )

Indian women of all ages should learn to do and not to do certain things if they want to live and die  with dignity in this great country called India (According to the mind set of many Indians)

Don’t do  list .

• Girls of all ages should reach home before sunset ,. That means ,they should not participate in events other than their academic  duties

• They should not  have  carrier ambition  so that they will not be  not exposed to any dangers waiting in the work places.  That means, they should not  aim to achieve something in their life through  making use of the knowledge they  have  gained through their higher or professional education.

• They all should dress up like senior women and should not  wear make up . That means ,they refrain from  attracting any man through their colourful and trendy dresses and invite dangers of sexual harassment.

• They should get married as early as possible .That means ,the responsibility of  security and safety of girls can be shifted to a robust young men from aged fathers.

• They  should not use any public or private vehicle or  lift or subway when they are alone. That means , always move with a crowd or wait till a crowd gathers.

•  They  should learn to be docile and not exhibit their intelligence or smartness even if they happen to be working in a 9-5 job . That  means, they can protect themselves from the envy or irritation and anger of  their male colleagues and thereby escape  from dangerous attack on their  .dignity

• They should never work hard to reach certain ambitious goals in their professional life  That means, they will be spared  from character assassination.

•  If they are economically constrained to take up a job , they should opt only for teaching Job  and that too in girls schools  or colleges .

• They should not think of any life in the out side world . That ,means they are born to be a good wife and mother ,doing only the wifely and motherly duties.

• They should never think or talk of women’s empowerment or economic independence  or freedom or gender equality . That  means they should be prepared to live with the ideology 18^th century women who were satisfied with their suffering in silence attitude. in spite of denial of basic rights . 

Do list.

The girls who are born with independent sprit, sense of gender justice , intelligence , wisdom and equipped with knowledge gained through  higher education and specialised professional ,skills are not willing to confine themselves to the traditional womanly duties . Such women do take up carriers  for achieving their life goals. Though they know about the difficulties of juggling  between home and carrier managements . They have to follow certain precautions.

They are –

·        Acquiring skills  in self defense methods, carrying a pepper spray or a long pin and  a cell phone with balance in account and with  help line numbers   in their hand bags.

·        Entrusting  young daughters in the care of any men however close they are in relationship and friendship should be avoided .

·         Equipping themselves with legal awareness so that they will be familiar with the provisions and  recourse to women protection laws.

·        Moving  away from  unsafe environment  abruptly even if it will look non  courteous .

·        Remaining  very cautious with  men who are totally strangers and avoid giving personal details.

·         Avoiding  the company of social drinkers even if it is part of   official life.

·        Following  all types of security measures while remaining  active in the social media.

·        Seeking  the help of women support groups when targeted  with sexual threats.

·        Taking family members into confidence if caught in sexual harassment situation

·         Giving police complaint immediately after sexual offence irrespective of the position of the offender  and keeping all the evidences in tact .

          

But we have to admit that  the growing crimes against  women have placed India with a 4th rank among countries in the matter of unsafe environment for women . It is sad commentary on our culture. India is now known as country with  no respect for the need for gender justice. Many number of women would come forward to complain about sex related crimes without fear or favour, only when, trials are conducted speedily and verdict announced within 6 months.  

Suggession by a judge for mediation in rape case .

The suggestion by  the judge for  mediation to the rape victim after she had suffered for seven years as a single parent and going through the ordeal of court proceedings in spite of her poverty, is a  matter to be pondered over. If she had wanted mediation she could have used the community members or relatives or the lawyers or the Panchayat  for mediation during the period of her sufferings .Courts are meant for rendering justice to victims by punishing the offenders and not meant to offend the dignity of rape victims through suggesting compromise formula. Only such happenings as this incident, prevents poor women from resorting to legal remedy and make them resort to suffer in silence instead. 

Indian institute of management Bill -2015

All of us ,including the government want global ranking for our premier institutes of higher learning like IIM and IIT. Despite the absence of such ranking, these institutes have  earned global recognition and the alumnae of these institutes  will vouch for it through the eminence they have earned by passing out of such institutes . Why should the HRD Ministry suddenly want to  destroy the peace and excellent administration of the IIMs through Indian Institute management Bill –1915 which attempts openly for  acquiring  sweeping powers over IIMs administration . Why will any government in the right mind and purpose will try to destroy  good institutes ? The directors of IIM are very correct in fearing that, the clause in the Bill which says, “The IIM board must have government approval”is very dangerous since it means disapproval to  many of their schemes and appointments , delays and conflict of interests . Any one can understand , why does  this government propagate deregulation to industrial sector and excessive regulation to the education sector  .

                     We are not ashamed 

 published in Beyond headlines on 22. 6.15

The Indian government and the Indian citizens   have been aping the west in many matters in an attempt to project themselves as a very trendy nation.  It is true that India is an emerging economy and has a pride of place at the global level.  But, we, as a nation have to be ashamed of certain undesirable factors which exist in this country.   They are related to the treatment of women, senior citizens, children and the disabled, the indifference to environmental cleanliness and the high level of corruption prevailing at all the levels of governance.    

Position of women In India

Indian women are denied justice in matters of economic, social and political equality in spite of constitutional guarantees and legal protection.   The very bad treatment of women in this country is  indicated by the result of  Expert polls conducted by Thompson Reuters Foundation  i.e.,” India is the world’s biggest democracy, but is ranked fourth most dangerous country for women  in the world due to a combination of violence, dangerous customs, lack of education and poverty  affecting Indian women.” . It is not an exaggerated finding, because, not a day passes without news report of rape incidents happening in different parts of the country and Delhi proving to be the rape capital of the country. Even four year old girl and old women are subjected to brutal form of sexual .violence .The PM, the President and the leaders of the ruling party and the opposition parties expressed shock and concern over the raping of five year old Delhi girl child . But what is the use of their reaction when rape incidents happen unabated in spite of the recent, "anti-rape law" which has put in place a slew of new provisions and tougher punishments? The recent rape reports prove the point that the   solution to sexual assault on women can not be solved by laws alone. Laws have been ineffective in the face of a patriarchal culture. A combination of several measures have to be attempted urgently, if we are really ashamed of the  poll result of 370 gender specialists around the world that voted  India ,as the worst place for women among  all the G20 countries .

What is the use of death sentence, sacking of the police commissioners or advising girls to be careful in several matters?  These incidents mostly happen within homes. It is the mind set of boys and men that has to undergo drastic changes. The responsibility for correcting this situation lies on the parents, teachers and film makers. It is true that it will take a longer time. Till then the quick solution is to sensitise the lower level police personnel who are slow in filing FIR and speedy justice system. More over, the sexual assault crimes must be declared as non bail able offence. The son preference attitude which is dominant among even rich and educated families results in higher level of feticide resulting in skewed sex ratio i.e., 940/1000 as per 2011 census. The missing women of 60/1000  have disappeared from this world due to feticide, infanticide, higher female child death rate , higher maternal mortality , dowry death,  honour killings and  suicides which is due to rape, acid attack, sexual harassment , dowry harassment, domestic violence etc., In no other country the teachers, religious preachers, policemen and politicians indulge in raping  girl children. The culprits are selected to contest election without any political morality s and win the elections too and then try ever

Method possible to escape punishment. Even   female tourists become victims of rape and this has compelled   few countries to declare India as an unsafe country for women travelers.  In the three months since that attack, the number of foreigners traveling to India has dropped by 25 per cent, according to the study by the New Delhi-based Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The number of women tourists has dropped by 35 per cent, the study released said. A poll of 370 gender specialists around the world that voted, India, as the worst place for women among all the G20 countries caused ripples in India. It stung – especially as Saudi Arabia was at the second-worst. But the experts were resolute in their choice. “In India, women and girls continue to be sold as chattels, married off as young as 10, burned alive as a result of dowry-related disputes and young girls exploited and abused as domestic slave”

Yet, we are not ashamed of the unsafe conditions prevailing in India for girls and women in spite of the existence of so many laws.

Position of disabled persons in India

As per Census 2011 results there are 21 million people in India as suffering from one or the other kind of disability. It is equal to 2.1% of the population as per 2011 census data  This meant that while the government officially recognises 20-30 million disabled people, 50-60 million are invisible. The constitution of India ensures equality, freedom. Justice and dignity for all the individuals, including persons with disabilities through the policies of the Government of India. But there is total indifference to need of the disabled persons in this country. For example, the railway stations are not accessible. Ramps are rare and that too limited for entry into the foot over–bridges. Platforms are inaccessible. The gap (height) between the platform and the coach varies from station to station. India is noted for lack of resource allocation for facilities and opportunities for the disabled. The toilet has been made, but sadly it does not follow the international standards. The height and space are not made according to the requirements."

Negative attitudes held by the families of the disabled, and often the disabled themselves, deter disabled persons from taking an active part in the family, community or workforce. Those suffering from mental illness or mental retardation face the worst stigma and are subject to severe social exclusion. In fact, employment of people with disability actually fell from 43% in 1991 to 38% in 2002, despite the country's economic growth. In the public sector, despite a 3% reservation since 2003, only 10% of posts have been identified as “suitable”. The situation is far worse in the private sector. The sector has few incentives for hiring disabled people. In the late 1990s, employment of people with disability among large private firms was only 0.3% of their workforce. Among multinational companies, this was a mere 0.05%. Financial assistance too has hardly reached those in need. The quota policy is also covers just three types of disability – locomotors, hearing and visual. The equipments needed to assist the disabled in their daily tasks are not mass produced and are costly.  The Indian disabled persons are subjected to deprivation in many dimensions of their lives. Yet, we are not ashamed   of the inhuman attitude and indifference towards them.

Dirty cities of India

India cannot claim to be the world’s leading economy when its urban areas pose a major public health hazard. We might have reduced the number of poor people thanks to the benefits of planned economy. But the Indian government has failed to instill in urban and rural Indians, a civic sense and respect for public spaces. Many people are still defecating and urinating in the open, like they did centuries ago – not just in villages, but in urban areas as well. Forbes has rated Delhi as the 24th dirtiest city in the world with the filthy waters of the Yamuna and its unhealthy surrounding being cited as one of the chief factors. The arrangements made to improve the basic facilities like sanitation, drainage or infrastructural facilities by our government are not sufficient to meet the growing expectations of ever-growing population of the developed or developing cities. A Chinese tourist made a comment about Indian environment in one of her travelogues as, “All the places in India where there are human dwellings have three things in common—they are dirty, smelly and messy.”

Indians seem to lack civic sense when it comes to cleanliness of our public spaces  It is true that, it is difficult to expect the slum dwellers to maintain cleanliness since they are not provided with toilets and  regular supply of water. What about the well off sections? We often see people traveling in busses and trains and walking on the roads, spitting, urinating and throwing garbage any where and every where. The beaches and parks and other public places look dirty because of the lack of civic sense among the Indians. The conditions of some bus-stands and railway stations are a direct reflection of national attitude towards cleanliness. Some government offices look very dirty. Indian city roads and lanes are filled with un cleared garbage and stagnated water. According to some survey report, half of the households in India do not have access to toilets. Many government schools do not have toilet facilities. The lack of clean   toilets in the tourist spots and national highways is driving the foreign tourists mad. We are not bothered about environmental degradation and pollution caused by some of our activities. Is it because Indians in general have no regard for cleanliness?  No, India is so dirty because people prefer to live in that dirty environment than to clean things. . The government departments and the individuals lack sense of cleanliness. Yet we are not ashamed and talk about Incredible India

Status of children in India  

The children of today are the future of tomorrow and they constitute one third of our population. Hence their needs are to be addressed immediate. But the statistics available on their status in India is very shocking.

One out of 16 children die before they attain the age of 1, and one out of 11 die before they are 5 years old.

35% of the developing world’s low-birth-weight babies are born in India. Out of every 100 children, 19 continue to be out of school.

Of every 100 children who enroll, 70 drop out by the time they reach the secondary level.

Of every 100 children who drop out of school, 66 are girls.

65% of girls in India are married by the age of 18 and become mothers soon after.

India is home to the highest number of child labourers in the world.

India has the world’s largest number of sexually abused children, with a child below 16 raped every 155th minute, a child below 10 every 13th hour, and at least one in every 10 children sexually abused at any point in time

The very survival of the Indian child is a matter of concern. Around 2.5 million children die in India every year, accounting for one in five deaths in the world, with girls being 50% more likely to die

According to a report on the state of India’s newborns, the health challenges faced by a newborn child in India are bigger than those experienced by any other country. One in every three malnourished children in the world lives in India. (40% of child malnutrition in the developing world is in India)Child malnutrition is generally caused by a combination of inadequate or inappropriate food intake, gastrointestinal parasites and other childhood diseases, and improper care during illness.  A new report by the Naandi Foundation concluded that around  46% of all children below the age of three are too small for their age, 47 percent are underweight and at least 16 percent are acutely malnourished, or wasted.

            India does have welfare systems aimed to aid millions of the hungry; school        meals theoretically feed poor children across the country, and the Anganwadi             services provide support to mothers in every district. Yet the services are plagued      by mismanagement and corruption, Al Jazeera reports, that, the school meals     carry worms and insects in them, and the Aganwadi centers are often closed and dysfunctional.

 Many of the street children who have run away from home have done so because they were beaten or sexually abused. Tragically, their homelessness can lead to further abuse through exploitative child labour and prostitution. Not only does abuse rob runaway children of their material security, it also leaves them emotionally scarred. Many of the abused children are traumatised and some refuse to speak for months. The facts and figures about the Indian children should cause some concern to the government. Yet we are not ashamed of the plight of the children

Corruption.

Corruption is a social evil. It spreads like cancer .Corruption in India is a consequence of the nexus between bureaucrats, politicians, corporate and the law offenders. Today, the number of ministers with an honest image can be counted on fingers. It looks as though entry into politics is to earn illegal money .At one time, bribe was paid for getting wrong things done but now, and the citizens are used to bribing for getting right things done at right time. It has become so widespread and deep rooted and the result is for everyone to see i.e., India is ranked at 95th position and 96^th among   183 countries in 2011 and 2012 respectively as per Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

. Most of the government offices are the places where corruption is most evident. Police are supposed to be the symbol of law and order and discipline. Even they are indulged in wide spread corruption. This is more so because, they enjoy unlimited powers and there is no action against them even on complaints. It is very distressing to note that   even the judiciary is not free from corruption. No one is made accountable for the various scams, involving several thousand crores of rupees .The process of law dealing with them is very slow. Hence, the influential law offenders are not really scared of punishment.

.Currently, the nation is rocked   by exposure of scam after scam at the government level.

Major corruption cases uncovered in 2012 include: the Karnataka Wakf Board Land case, at US$36.4 billion; the 2G Spectrum telecommunications case, involving the alleged misappropriation of US$32.15 billion; the Indian Coal Allocation case, a major issue as India faces energy scarcity, involving US$33.78 billion. With a total value of over US$100 billion, the corruption cases represent 5.5 per cent of India’s gross domestic product for 2011. If it is not controlled in time, it will eat up all the good work done far. Even the safety of our nation is jeoparadised due to corruption in defense deals.

According to the World Bank, India has a poor rating on business climate. "One of the reasons is related to bribery and corruption resulting in lower FDI flow. "It is difficult for foreign companies to operate in India without being touched by the issue of corruption in some shape or form. India slipped to the fourteenth spot from the eighth position in the list of countries that attracted the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) last year. The FDI   Inflows into India declined by about $10 billion to $25 billion, according to the “World Investment Report 2011” released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) According to the investment report, India ranked way below its competing neighbor China, which saw FDI inflows to the tune of $106 billion in 2010. India was in the eighth place in 2009.The major reason is corruption, yet we are not ashamed of our global image in this matter

 

Written by Prof. Dr. Rameeza.A.Rasheed.

lalith Modi and the crisis faced by the BJP

How ever the media screams and writes about the wrong doing of the external minister , the BJP is not going to pay any attention to it . Within one year of NDA rule the nation knows that , the BJP is not a party with a difference in spite of rhetoric about promise of clean government , measures against black money ,. When a person like Lalit Modi is able to escape Indian laws, live like a king for such a long time in foreign lands ,does  what ever he wants to do making use of top level BJP connections , even able to achieve many things in  UK and has the audacity to give an interview as if ,he has not committed any crime in Indian soil make us weary about the Indian rule of law, partiality shown by those who are in charge of governance to powerful and rich and the helplessness  of our judicial system in punishing such visible black money holders and great violators of Indian laws . A single person is able to challenge the Indian laws and capacity to catch him and the government is silent . Lalit Modi and Sushma Swaraj    will not be affected in any way by their acts of omission . The nation will soon see many such episodes

solution to the conflict of interest problem in the Madras IIT.

It is really good that IIT students and managements dispute over the curb of  right to express opinion on matters of relevance is solved amicably without giving any  chance for the political parties to fish in troubled water . But, it is a pity that even in institute of higher learning like IIT the castes and religious factors  divide the students, just because, the presence of students of a particular community is  big in number. The voice of the minority should not be crushed either by the management or by the majority community students . An environment of freedom in thinking and expression alone  would enable the young students to liberate from the narrowness of caste or religious politics and broaden their vision towards analysing the socio, economic and political aspects of our nation  in a matured manner and improve their logical reasoning and analytical  skills  .It is high time for the IIT faculty to instill such values in the minds of the students instead of supporting the majority view. If tahy fail in this duty they can be accused of being the tool for making the IIT students pawn in the hands of the caste based political parties  It is advisable for IIT managements to deal with any campus  problem in an impartial manner and prove their autonomy by independent decisions  instead  succumbing to dictates from HRD ministry 

Let ,peace in IIT Madras campus return

Let not the students and the authorities of IIT Madras stand on prestige and delay the restoration of peace in the campus . Political parties support need not embolden the students to resort to rigid attitude during .negotiations . The aggrieved IIT Madras students should never be carried away by political parties support for their struggle against freedom of speech and thought . Political parties are only interested in creating opportunities for prolonging the confusion and the agitation of the students with different motives. IIT is a centre of learning . Peace in the campus should return as early as possible and the students return to their main task . If the authorities call them for a negotiation through talk they should respond to it and handle the procedures in mature way without sacrificing their core demand and help the authorities to solve the problem without standing on prestige and without yielding to the promises of political parties to support them in case the problem continues.'' Let the management respect the student’s rights related to free thinking, learning and expression and let the students respect the guidelines meant for orderly running of an institution .The Students have registered their protest and succeeded in getting wider media coverage and support from various quarters for their genuine grievance . Now, let peace in the campus return , so that, the learning days are not wasted after free discussion over the problem take place and solution arrived at .