antyoday - अन्त्योदय

Crisis in our backyard : Emergence of new social world order ?

2011-10-24T11:14:00.003+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

Let’s keep this simple for a reading mind. Gordon Gekko euphemized it in 1980’s in the famous movie, Wall Street “Greed for lack of a better word, is good”. The gospel which over rode every fundamental ethical business principle for practitioners and the new generation with wide eyed bated dreams to join them someday, took over the ambitions scaling them beyond the idealistic propounded theories of capital. The spoof on corporate, as perhaps it was a mirror of aspiring conditions prevalent, were in know of this all the time. The slumber ever to be broken, an unwritten law and game of engagement where the winner claims all leaving no consolation for the one’s following them in competition. Greed indeed has never been so good.

Adbusters Media Foundation, a not for profit entity based in Vancouver Canada, founded by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in 1989 with a few band of pranksters and absorbed convoluted ideology of pitting socialism against accumulation of capital, aka anti capitalism and its by product, consumerism, begin their movement against rich corporate media institutions through “Media Carta”. They challenged the hegemony of these corporate media institutions by not providing a free access on information and mediums of communications. Through a law suit, they took on almost single handedly the Big 6 of Canadian broadcasting corporations. They partially won their point following years but their share of glory was to come in year 2011 and some few hundred miles away in geography but within the same conducive business turf. Moving from the back yard of Canada to the front lawn of United States of America “busting” more than the myths they had imagined they would and igniting more corporations on a debate, which the bosses and barons, had conveniently scuttled under the billion dollars dividends paid to the institutional investors and shareholders and the governments in process.

The Central business district of New York known for grandiose offices and head quarters of almost all of the major financial & security market behemoths and the coliseum where these gladiators slug fest to get the bounty, New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ and NY Mercantile Exchange are all located on a eight block long street, called the Wall Street, a metonym of principle US financial interests, the term which has ever influenced the security exchanges the world over. Zuccoti Park, a private property in this financial district is where the Adbusters emerged and further chose to hold their historic protest, to “Occupy wall street”.

September 17^th, the several hundred protestors emerged with intent to picket the street against the growing share of social and economic inequality which has plagued the US economy for years. Protesting against the harrowing class divide of under subsistence and more than over disposal by select large corporations driven by corporate greed, unethical accumulation of profits through control of policy institutions, financial markets and influence of this generated capital over the government representatives, as “we are the 99%” calling out for the difference in wealth as against 1% of the top corporations and other citizens of the United States. This ongoing protest has ever then spread across to some 70 major cities and 600 communities in the US alone, with almost 100,000 protestors rallying around on October 15^th on Wall Street and yet continues to reverberate across some 900 cities worldwide including Spain, UK, Japan, all major countries in Europe and parts of Australia and South East Asia.

An unprecedented and unimaginative event coming from the nerve center of the largest consumerist society of the world, a renewed social anthropologist of a reputed Indian University commented, when the first innocuous news of protests broke out in September. He added that this perhaps might bear seed to an emerging new social order the world could have ever witnessed since the “Great depression” of 1930’s” and simply cannot be ignored as an internal state problem of the US. Prophetic words indeed.

As the protest gathers steam, whilst one reads, we need not to spend efforts to understand the root of the issue which vents itself in frustration on the streets. The glazed melting pot of civilization has been developing chinks for a longtime however was more evidentially seen in the autumn of 2007, especially after the subprime crisis. The housing bubble precipitated the crisis to an all out free fall of financial corporations as worldwide phenomena and the smaller nations with over exposure in these economies begun to catch cold with their first sneeze. In US alone between the June of 2007 and November 2008 the Americans lost a quarter of their net worth in US securities and other instruments. With consumption pattern of 110% over long years on over all income and no recourse other than to depend on an impetus by the US government, the long haul of recovery was fraught with challenges. Coupled with an added responsibility to bail out near bankrupt companies to avoid a near financial meltdown of and collapse of the economy, a plan was brokered by the Treasury department and the 3 largest US banks, Citibank, Bank of America decide to plough back beyond US $ 100 billion to avoid a complete wash out of the markets. Not restricted to US, the world economies got together and the precipice of this entire initiative was to save the large corporations without having a stimulus plan in place to augment social security measures including health, pensions and retirement, reviving domestic jobs opportunities for bringing the focus back on home economy.

What accentuates the matters most is the historic background of these large corporations which have been a regular beneficiary of government dole outs, regained their million dollar bonuses to their executives, where the job unemployment rate numbers on a general average basis kept on steadily increasing. The overall cut on tax expenditures linked and no signs of recovery the general wages across employment sector saw complete erosion with dwindling hours per week. This added with further announcements of cut down of workforce and large sackout announcements to cover up for losses and exposure.

The presidential campaign of 1932 run by Franklin Delano Roosevelt was run against the backdrop of a global recession on a platform of brining the attention back on “the forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid”, situations similar though not yet matching with its severity.

These protests are also similar in background with over 9% unemployment rate, high raise in overall consumer prices and an equally high GDP ratio of 400% across all western world economies, the artificial inseminated economic bail outs have miserably failed and the intent of the governments and have come under serious questioning to have sustained it artificially ever since. The people are rallying around asserting what they think has been a rip off by governments in cahoots with the corporate greedy corporations, protecting their interest first rather than of the citizens. This has lead closer to the class struggle between the more than have’s to less than have not’s - 99% versus the 1%.

As the protests have taken global proportions uniting the suffered against what they think is a government sponsored tyranny and continues, the voices remain ever shrill on social inequality, taxing the rich and bridging the income divide across nations. The world’s democratic institutions have a formidable challenge to make amends now or to lay on the sides to witness a new emerging economic world order of socially pregnant capitalist ideology, an idealist center of equilibrium.

Will it, only the future might hold the key to this question.

Essay : Need for a Nationalist Renaissance - Pro-Bharat, Pro-Poor Ideology Series (Part III)

2011-07-22T12:33:00.000+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi: (contd. from last post)

What do we mean by Pro-Poor:

When we refer to our Pro-Poor ideology the first aspect which strikes our thoughts is to collectively seek favourable responses from our policies of governance to ensure that the bottom most person in the social hierarchy and his basic needs of rightful living, food, water, shelter, medicine, education and livelihood for being met at the first instance itself. The system needs could afford to go conservative; perhaps for a while as progressively it moves up the ladder however the course correction needs to be respectful at its origin itself.

We are aware today that unfortunately, we continue to follow the “trickle down theory” of governance, where only when it rains heavily, the top most gets drenched first in the shower of benefits with the last person obligated to get rightful few drops for sustenance and rest for him to secure all by himself. The pro-capitalist and new school of thought as socio-capitalist political formations are the one’s who decide on every aspect of this shower as well. How much of it, when, where and who gets the right of it in. Unfortunately, naming one group of association or political alliance for this misgiving would leave the others to achieve there liberty but it remains quite true and sadly, that each one of them has participated in this uncouth dancing ring of nominations of richness with impunity. It’s a hard known fact that rules of engagement of democratic participation itself have been heavily muddled with candidates having criminal track records, supported either fully or partially by stashed black money and economical offences perpetrated on state itself, which now they lay their claim to rule.

These segment of people are so deeply entrenched in this system that from a minority few immediately after independence who used to work underground for fear of social denouncement are now freely as majority, even with pride in few cases are openly supporting this process with nefarious motive of extending their ambitions of insatiate desire of greed. It is a known fact that Bharat leads the list of nations on illegal money stashed away in tax heavens and Swiss Banks. Dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, civil servants and officers, film artistes, illegal sex trade operators, to name just a few, have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ +500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt. With this amount 250 Mn poor people can get Rs 1, 00,000 each.

This huge amount has been appropriated from there own people on pretence of effective rule of governance by exploiting and betraying them. If this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India, the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt, leaving one wonder and aghast with its sheer magnanimity. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government and assuming all taxes thereon are abolished, the Central government will still be able to maintain the more than basic upkeep of its citizens.

This amount is also more than the combined of the other top four nations at 1.4 Trillion US$. Resultantly, these ill-gotten wealth hoarders to protect their social legitimacy continue to sponsor and lubricate this system with this money as favours and reaping a bountiful harvest in return, churning this cycle over and over again. Naturally, if this money is going to be deciding the policies for betterment of its people and masses, it would have a major share of this money solely to be kept to ensure this cycle remains intact, maintained and forcefully in their own desired direction. This has created a social imbalance such large that people, who are rich, continue to add up this wealth to themselves and people who any which ways were deprived in the first instance are being pushed more and more deep into this bottomless pit of poverty. Already we are being witnessed of various social anomalies and situations where one can only think and ponder the rotten environment around us with empathy.

The government has at best acknowledge this fact as latest as under Arjun Sen Gupta Commission report, which blares its throat out on the system deficiency, its vagaries of implementation and the end result – which if anything as sad, is bitterly laced with mistrust of its own people, their will if anything again but dishonest and execution capability, if all remotely plausible.

To speak of Pro-Poor pursuits it certainly is most important to bear in mind, first and foremost task of equipping them with their constitutional right of “basic fundamentals” and adding further their “equal” right of non poverty. Presently, the statistics of poverty are more conspicuous by there absence, an expression, which sadly is even short of covering this statement. What we have instead is the Gross domestic Consumption, Investment index of statistic, which as apparent as they would are skewed more towards encouraging this divide to widen at with capitalist fervour. Sadly, both the government and the ‘their’ people who vehemently avoid looking at the former are contented with Share Price sensex, attracting FDI’s in various fields and production and consumption factor of the country, as latter. It bitterly, as mentioned above hide more than it reveals yet everyone seems to be calling this as score card of relative success at expense of the common man, for whom this foundation of progress is being laid. This corrobates its match with celebrations by the government of “India" announcing to have arrived when the annual Forbes declares the number of its billionaires from the country, gracing its list, pushing more an more “with” same number of decimals of this wealth replacing the actual number of people “with” it who are constantly being pushed down into abject poverty yet covering the same ground of existence of this country.

The difference between the per capita income of the wealthiest citizen of the country and the lowest on the social ladder is pitiable with almost 90 times its size of earnings. This entire constitutional machinery, including parties, both ruling and opposition have become so hard necked in their pursuit of serving their “true” masters with contemptuous wealth-ism that the appalling condition of poverty are simply ignored or at best not even acknowledged being present, to deprive the only sustenance of their voice being heard at above. This makes them continue to work against the dignified right of their living versus what essentially should have been made “for” them.

This when the central planned allocation for anti-poverty programmes have seen a 15 fold increase in last 15 years from 7,500 Crs in 1993-94 to well over 120,000 Crs in 2008-09, this in addition to 70,000 Crs of farmer loan waivers, simply having no inter relation between outlay and outcomes. The situation gets accentuated more when we look at the sheer statistics of this greatest deprivation of rightful fundamentals that people in rural habitations, the villages where people have seen there income rise from Rs. 8 per day to Rs.9 per day, the thin economic “plimsoll line” widening the gap of beneficiaries from BPL (Below the poverty line) to Non – BPL entity after all these outlays in last upwards of dozen years. This interplay of deprivation as perhaps was waiting for even this partition to lay claim on the frugal benefit of governance. Alarming as it is, states corresponding to their efforts have none to appease but themselves by shamefully printing reports and organizing poverty shows to International aid doling agencies and countries to get grants. Situation likes these, where in states like Jharkhand & Madhya Pradesh with significant tribal population, 99.8 percent of there families are not able to cover one basic meal in any given month of the year. This when the state antagonism being proponent of rampant “world-bankism, grant-ism, accumula-ism with single denominator of capitalism has produced not less than 25000 people who simply have any number between Rs 7 Mn to 10 Mn, as Vehicles, all their way from portico to their garage, as simply a spoilt choice over mode of commute.

Also, this system has offspring’s in form of people, almost upwards of 1 Mn who simply have matching accessories to compliment their attire with 0.25 Mn to anywhere upwards of 2.5 Mn each. The level of socio-economic balance is so heavily skewed that even employment opportunities are controlled by just 20 percent of the people over the remaining rest, whereas the remaining below just earning 3.6 percent of their remuneration over this spread wealth and richness, ironically. These situations, to analyse have not been a result of manifesting themselves in a day.

These have had some signs of it even in pre- independence era however since the right of self rule as an independent nation was any ways deprived, it was hoped that these corrections would happen by themselves progressively with right earnest and policy changes geared towards betterment of and towards the people. Policies which were foreign would be dumped and nationalistic policies, allowing the expression of diverting these towards uplifting the masses over years of tyranny and eventually would disappear.

The seeds of hope were being carried to bear fruit of freedom, yet we just run out of expressions to condone where we find ourselves today. A lot of these expressions needs be made the foundation of this change to happen today with nationalism, patriotism and care of our people without expecting any favours in turns by these aggressors of capitalist formations. These anomalies are to be corrected, since without these we can not but dream of an egalitarian society and achieve its socio-ecological equilibrium.

To achieve the objective of a Pro-Poor system, which adopts and not discards the approach towards this balance, we foremost need to do away with the per capita formation pay anomaly brining it as close to be possible to be not more than 10 percent of it, between as high as the President of the nation, to the lowest citizen of the country. It would also be expected of all to agree on this approach by owing and endorsements by all political parties and its representatives to have their remuneration adjusted to the lowest denominator of this system. To ensure collectively this just does not remains thematic at best, progressive steps would be needed to create sufficient employment opportunities for this spectrum to ensure the system self corrects and sustains on its core, running efficiently without misbalancing itself.

To work towards a Pro-Poor nationalistic thought we would need to ensure that the basic tenants of rightful living and livelihood are duly protected. This would entail, everyone rightfully employed to his skill and all the people in the system have gainful right to food. Immense hunger, starvation deaths and under nourishment especially amongst the children due to non availability of rightful means to sustainable livelihood have created this wide imbalance where more than 260 Mn people go hungry everyday or having no course of even at best assuming the next meal availability. This abject condition to not been able to protect their families have had the most impact on the families of bread earners with children facing the most ghastly of the brunt in early years, some not even crossing the age of early childhood as a result.

Some 46% of the nation’s children relate to these facts and its immensely disturbing when development is being sponsored and proponents of it are seen singing paeans of globalized development. Gross malnutrition even reported now and children being sold of for want of money or at worst, for just few kilograms of rice or wheat is not something this illustrious nation feels proud off and should not as well.

To ensure eradication of poverty and its syndrome these “enforced” rights if needed should also cover the right to shelter, medicine, and education without any difference to their class, caste or creed. A composite nutritious meal is also right of every citizen and it should be addressed. In every meal, half litres of milk, half kilogram of wheat / rice, half kilogram of fruits and vegetables completing it. To ensure the right to good health and availability of quality health facilities we need to ensure that access to these rights are not complicated and the outreach is effectively planned. Around 27% of our population yet does not have approach to these facilities either being not present or ill staffed equally from resources or infrastructural reasons. Not having any medical access incase of exigencies is the depriving the basic right to life and this would have to be equally implemented in conjunction with others as utmost priority.

We should ensure that these instances are addressed with policies favouring them as “fundamental rights” as part of constitution and further see to it that stand executed as well to its fullest word. Necessary reforms would need to be carried out if the policies are found (which they are amongst a lot) wanting in these respects or want of infrastructural lacunas.

The entire might of nation needs then to be put behind to attain the objective of ensuring these basic fundamentals are foremost addressed over others as priorities and then only in our truest sense we would be able to achieve a state of equilibrium amongst ourselves, only then we can collectively call ourselves as following the ideology of the Pro-Poor Nation. To collectively now assimilate this Pro-Bharat, Pro-Poor ideology and find scientific deployment of these to develop our temperament for our above Nationalistic pursuits we need to definite the impact of these on our policies across various sectors.

Concluded.

Essay : Need for a Nationalist Renaissance - Pro-Bharat, Pro-Poor Ideology Series (Part II)

2011-07-16T18:20:00.003+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi: (contd. from last post)

What do we mean by Pro-Bharat:

Our heritage, culture, geographical, temperament and ecology are different and this can not be adopted on the basis of what’s good for other would be good for us methodology. Nation breeds and sustains on its own core and accordingly this needs to be understood to approach with collective faith in our own temperament. If we progress on follies of others we would not make a step difference on where we as a nation would like to progress today.

The consciousness imbibed in our philosophy of sanatan dharma and complete faith in its tenants helped us to blow away the shackles of boundness making us as an independent nation. This has inspired and been subscribed since countless ages by great nationalist, as early by Chatrapati Shivaji, Swami Vivekananda to Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sri Aurobindo, Mahamana, Kesavram Baliram Hedgawar to others. We have blind folded in our approach have looked down upon these tenants which we need to revisit now, reawaken to its fullest form to form the collective nationalism and form our Pro-Bharat ideology.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, “by political independence, I do not mean an imitation to the British house of commons, or the soviet rule of Russia, or the fascist rule of Italy or the Nazi rule of Germany. They have system suited to their own genius. We must have ours suited to ours”

This nationalism would be collectively referred to the collective expressions of social and political thought, based on native spiritual and cultural traditions of Bharat. Further the native temperament and its ecology needs to built up around to understand the inclusiveness of nationalism. Affording to act global but ignoring the local terrain temperament is and would further be disastrous to sustenance of nation hood. A Pro-Bharat thought would include factors as would be necessarily to have vision for nationalistic pursuits, understanding of these pursuits, moving them beyond isolation, improvise and develop a eco-system of these be able to collectively execute of these in form of actions within the society. This needs to be understood and seen differently not by us by others as well.

A Pro-Bharat approach hence thus would be derived from the cultural GDP and not from an economical GDP perspective as seen and measured globally. These actions should not be seen as parts standing on themselves alone but as sum of parts as a whole for progressive national upheaval. A delicate balance needs to be maintained between socio-economical and cultural factors to achieve a state of constant development which further would restrain any skewed development. This eco-system would out rightly reject what does not adapt to itself and similarly would absorb what remains beneficial under this model.

This system dependent on our ancient variables of the “Panch J” philosophy of Jan, Jal, Jungle, Jameen, Janwar, synchronising this with philosophies of what’s good for this eco-system and what allows it to regain its intricate balance would allow the Pro-Bharat actions to emerge. In Bharat’s context this would mean, has the soil retained its richness with fertility, has the water level risen on its own, have we created self sustaining model of agrarian development, industries which compliment these developments than take away what already or have we demonstrated the regard for natural resources for its usability and not exploited them fully as examples. Without these, it would best create an illusion of our pedigree driven on compromises forever.

All the existing parties are at the cusp of this interplay and have adopted one or combination or worst all of these factors to extend with glaring insensitivity to core of its beneficiary, the common man in picture. These policies have a detailed aspect to open up the boundaries to exploiting international commune and their commercial cronies in form of added investment avenues for liberalization of economy at cost of this eco-system which essentially should be driven more adding to strength to these factors. Communism or Capitalism should ideally make way for Swadesi and De-centralization of these policies remaining at the centre. The potent nationalistic force needs to be liberalized; the inclusive development needs to be liberalized prior euphuism’s are used to bail out economies of others.

Where as the global developed economies thrive on the concept of materialism and its immediate pre-occupation the level of consumption with over all focus on looking at just well being of an individual, stimulating class antagonism, socialistic disorders and greed to acquire more; the Pro-Bharat approach would to create a harmonious society by building, reshaping the institutions of these thought process. Any disturbance to these factors would lead to anarchy as being witnessed today and creating a gap which would be too large to fill by any substitute other than nation first thought, progressively. In order to conclusively attain this nationalistic temperament other then the five variables, education, its reforms, perseverance of Bhartiya languages, restoration of national rivers to its purity, protection and advancement of cultural centre of traditions, protection of religious centres and indigenous trade and craft needs to be cared for and developed as well.

National GDP would hence not be a true measure of these activities and does not cover a holistic approach for the well being of a society. The country might have a stronger GDP connotation but yet could be facing issues in governance, poverty & appalling sustenance conditions, such as present Bharat so a true benchmark could be Gross Prosperity Index or Happiness Index to cover all sections of the society regardless of the commercial contribution attached to them and this would then truly reflect the state of affairs of the nation and its people. This would assist to measure the impact of policies, polity, probity and programmes for the nation, whether or not are achieving the desired objectives or not.

Bharat despite the show up of economical statistics and replacement of these factors in factor of growth rate of development yet remains mainly an agrarian economy. The sustenance of majority of the population even till today is without doubt agriculture and steps needs to be taken to ensure there is no degradation of multiple crop or single crop lands for development. The erstwhile tirade of GATT and now WTO to restructure economy on prescription based upon matured economies should not allow the markets to be opened up for our nation’s growing economy in forms of dole’s of subsidies.

We were a highly developed agriculture nation and 200 years of tyranny of imperial rule allowed us to ignore the might we have in our land and soil to achieve this without any economical intervention of these developed forces. We need to focus on doubling the output of our agriculture produce with indigenous methods of farming, traditionally being practiced. Its been seen that in few pockets we have been able to come closer to achieve this goal however this can not be said true for some regions having seen unabated suicides of farmers.

This differentiation in farming, organic dependent at most needs to be addressed and sufficient protectionism methods yet need to be reinforced to see that we do not again become dependent for our agriculture produce. Some balance needs to be achieved for farmers and farming community as a whole and needs subjective re-addressal of their grievances to achieve this objective. Coming in with their tools of imperialistic mechanisations; consumptions and demand, propensity to higher markets with accelerated growth rate of investments on capital but as a nation we need to know that they “need us” to expand their commercial interest and we have the right to dictate what we think would be an appropriate approach to harness this with string negotiations.

This without comprising on our economical and national sovereignty. A Pro-Bharat approach could even see us survive this, even if we choose to walk out from this global trade organizations and yet protect, sustain and develop further on basis of our principles of protectionism of our national interest always remembering, they ‘also’ need us.

To continue to talk about Pro-Bharat ideology we also need to expand the scale of our de-centralized industry clusters. The overall economic holistic development could only be achieved when its ensured that no pocket of industrious activity, specially small scale in nature are left behind in participating in this growth momentum. Swadesi model of development with inclusive focus on these sectors would attain and also repose confidence in our nationist abilities to compete with the best industrious zones in the world.

There has been an attempt even to let go of this safeguard on pretext of complete transformation needed for small scale sectors by offering them subsidies in form of trash loans, infrastructural facilities, inviting more of debt in already struggling livelihood of these resources where no attempt is made to ensure the produce finds the right set of consumption centres through its marketability.

Dependence on safeguard mechanisms through trade embargo’s and addition of high duty rates have done negligible to dilute its impact since owing to the volumes being brought in from cheaper sources of manufacturing the resultant impact of protectionism also wades away. The marginalized cluster producer with no match for the level of investments in these efforts further recedes to livelihood deprivation.

As has been recently seen for efficient energy growth the entire economy of the country together with its national sovereignty left in lien with capitalist over nuclear energy agreement. We need to be promoting alternative resources of energy also bearing in mind the consideration for water restoration and its purity preservation. Factually, when the country gained independence it was expected to remain, behave and act rightfully humble towards the ecology with a nationalist feeling. Policies which have reaped dividends over all these countless years, the philosophy and the rules prevailing in the society with a focussed need to maintain and at best further these with a will to attain as per the ecological temperament of the country. This thought and its execution anomaly has constantly crept into the normal lives is a visible sign of departure from our national moorings. The constitution was supposed to be a document on these factors yet this also seemed to have failed to provide the necessary direction, even being directive in nature.

The constitution itself has been amended so many times that one really wonders whether a new constituent assembly needs to be called to steer the nationalist expectations as was perhaps perceived right from its original inception. Laying bare the an old act of 1935 as a basic framework of governance has proven itself wrong and continues to do it even today, so making amends is the call of our times, not from a past perspective but for our present and charting the course of nation, its people for future direction.

The vision of “poorn swarajya" is what needs to be replaced despite we being independent in actions, yet bounded in our thoughts to invigorate our national spirit. Where unless the bottom most person of the societal hierarchy is revitalized, the holistic development and dream of an egalitarian society and a nationalist society in turn would continue to meet each other at crossroads.

This could be achieved by, in summary, by having:

• Consistent focus at grass root level to seek and develop agriculture inputs as according to the need, temperament and sustenance of ecology for the people and not on a central policy basis of subsidies and their relative interdependent plans. We still are an agrarian economy, to remember.

• Land Improvement and support where the class, caste and displacement of people are ill effected and major development projects co-exist supplementing efforts of each other with each having its sphere of influence then forcing a option of for “either of the systems”

• Focus on integrated educational development which assures the right of employment then right of knowledge and its use in the developing world

• GDP measurement to include ancillary services which do not connote a commercial value yet still are a national component e.g. the labour barter which could be seen every season across the agrarian community of farmers pooling and taking turns to till fields for saving the spend on outsourced labour and retaining their cultural bonhomie, the very backbone of the system or perhaps challenge the GDP factor itself to define a new (GPF) Gross Prosperity Factor.

• Developing comprehensive agenda towards maintaining the intricate balance of the fragile eco-system of people and their livelihood resources including water & irrigation, land & forests, cattle & livestock and indigenous cultural knowledge heritage

• Approach to seek active involvement and virtual democratic participation in governance and administration. Reforms should not be skewed as a secondary choice for an already defunct system, as add on. If it needs a complete transformation, the will should be able to support these actions with sole aim of efficient governance as its objective

A nationalistic temperament would without doubt lead us to nationalistic actions with nationalistic intellect and happens to be the need of the moment.

(to be contd..)

Essay : Need for a Nationalist Renaissance - Pro-Bharat, Pro-Poor Ideology Series (Part I)

2011-07-12T11:31:00.003+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi:

Our Culture & Heritage:

Bharat is one of the only two civilizations of the world that have a continuous and uninterrupted history of several millenniums. The other is China. Bhartiya Civilisation history in its current cycle of time, the kali yuga can be traced to more than 5000 years ago, both through modern archaeological techniques and through our own itihasas and puranas. There have been other civilisations of the world that originated in that early phase of current human history, but none of these, except the Chinese has survived to the modern day. Life and society in Bharat have undergone several changes in this long period of time. Yet, in very, real, essential and identifiable sense, life in Bharat continues to be defined and guided by the ideas, principles and preferences that were evolved at a very early stage. These basic ideas, principles and preferences defining Bhartiya civilisation are collectively known as “sanatan dharma”.

Scholars and foreign historians have often wondered at the extraordinary civilisation homogeneity that pervades throughout all parts of the country, in spite of the great geographic, cultural and linguistic diversity of the land. This homogeneity is anchored in “Sanatan dharma”. And at the core of “Sanatan Dharma” is the idea that all creation is a manifestation of the divine, and therefore every aspect of creation, all the diversity in nature and human life and society, must be respected and carefully nurtured. The essence of this dharma as mentioned and compared by Sri Aurobindo as synonymous with “nationalism”.

Bharat is blessed with natural abundance that is not found almost anywhere else in the world. Early twentieth century geographers of the colonial empire used to refer to every aspect of Bharat in superlative terms. This is the most hopeful fact about Bharat; unfortunately, we have tended to forget about this even fundamental truth.

Bharat is blessed with an extraordinarily compact geography; three fifths of the Bhartiya land is cultivable, else where in the world regions where one fifth of the land can be cultivated are considered highly valuable, at least in terms of agriculture. Of the cultivable area of Bharat, more than two-fifths falls in Sindhu-Ganga plains. The vast plain, extending over 3,000 kilometres in length and 250 to 400 kilometres in width, is the largest expanse of fertile land in the world in the world. The plain is formed of the Himalayan alluvium brought by the Sindhu and the Ganga over several millennia; the average depth of alluvium in this plain is estimated to be 1,300 to 1,400 meters. Alluvial soil reaching up to such depths is un- imaginable anywhere else in the world.

The heartland of Bharat is thus literally born of the Ganga. There are other rivers in the world, though not many, which flow over a distance longer than the Ganga, or which carry more water or more slit. But there is no river in the world that equals Ganga in her life-giving bounty. From the north to the south, every part of Bharat is traversed by some great river or the other, and each with its own magnitude give rise to and support the great civilisation on its own. In addition to fertile soil and fertilising rivers, Bharat is blessed with abundant rains and sunshine, the essential conditions for the growth of plants and life in all its varied forms. Average rainfall in Bharat amounts to 105 cm, which is the largest anywhere in the world for a country of comparable size.

Blessed with land of unusual natural endowments, the people of the Bharat have, over several millennia, developed extraordinary high and sophisticated skills to convert the nature’s bounty into abundant food and great material wealth. It has been rigorously established that unto at least the nineteenth century, skills of the nation in fields like agriculture, irrigation, metallurgy, textiles and medicines were surpassed anywhere else in the world. Such is the geography, collective ecology of the people inheriting this land that it can rise to its rich glory, unyielding in its efforts to collective being called the civilisation cradle of the world.

Our cultural ideology has its roots in sprit of our ancient civilization. The embodiment of internal values being enshrined in the concept of universal peace and universal family “vasudheva kutumbakam” the value being derived from “lok samasta sukhina bahanvantu”. This cultural heritage being central to all religions and languages is a civilisation identity and constitutes the cultural nationalism of Bharat propagated by Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand Saraswati and Sri Aurobindo, being the core of the Hindutva ideology.

Hindutva, more meaningful as “Hinduism” or “Hinduness” as way of life and not confined to the blocks of religion alone, sustains the thought of cultural aspect of being inclusive and that of inclusiveness, holding sacred all forms of belied and worship.

The contours of “Hinduness”being;.respect to all modes of worship, there is one and the same consciousness in all animate and inanimate beings, there is nothing like inferior or superior being therefore egalitarianism is Hinduism. Man is not a conqueror of nature but a part of nature and therefore, an eco-friendly economy is what Hindutva proposes. Because of the special quality of motherhood, women have a special respect in the public welfare society. The purpose of life does not end in eating, making merry and dying, but transcends that and finally, there is the nonmaterial value of pursuing a goal, even if it may be endless.

Even after having obtained independence from the imperial rule, the nation has yet to come to terms of its fullest potential with inspiration from our this rich cultural heritage and civilisation, our belief system, our principles and our “Hindu” religion. And time now has come to impregnate the nationalist thought with more rigor for immense possibilities, without failing to undertake a concerted effort, involving all our resources and all our people capital to quickly restore Bharat to her rightful glory.

Such coming together of our people of Bharat has necessarily to take place through a reassertion of the essential aspect of our ancient cultural, economical, political and religious consciousness. Any movement for national re-awakening shall have to build on these pillars of aspects and symbols and the task therefore is thrust upon us to set the direction and awaken the spirit with determination and the set the nation on the move.

Need for a Nationalist renaissance:

Post six decades of independence, we have either lost or are still searching for own national identity. Despite our imperishable heritage we continue to raise ourselves to be measured by prosperity or less malaise of the developed world. We continue to raise ourselves from a third world definition to a second world, as achievement and that is where we have kept our focus on with competing not with the world but inwardly developing a mind set of competing with ourselves.

All these years. We conveniently forgot that when these inhabitants of developed leagues were yet to come to terms of community living and even collective living as colonies, Bharat already had multi-tier governance existing complete with revenue, taxation and civic laws systems and it was this intellectual prosperity and wealth which attracted both saints and sinners to explore the marvel of a nation called Bharat. Sadly but true after all these decades we are yet to regain the conformity of a developed country and although the nation has come to imbibe the perception of having started a journey to a possibility of upheaval, the ambiguity is surpassed by the existing absence of a pride in our cultural and moral sovereignty.

The tone of our nationalistic temperament is at its all time low. We pride ourselves as the largest democratic nations of the world, yet we find this without meritocracy. Rampant corruption, dishonesty has replaced the essence of what could have been achieved by democracy and its pillars. Policies naturally flowing out of these systems laced with this malaise resultantly produce development which starts to limp from its birth and continue to be run forever as orphans between all of them without any accountability for national interests. The political parties considered to be the guardians of democracy have all these decades mastered this art of not owing responsibility and shifting of accountability with perpetual ease. The democratic contest every five years is not on ideology of who has the moral fibre of keeping the nation first but on finding audience of who could possibly deceit the nation, first with these mastered tricks.

This including the longest tenure of Congress, and now United Progressive Alliance (UPA ) or Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and its allies, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) who on every possible opportunity decided to have turns and compete with its best ability to let go of the principles of polity, probity of serving the masses, people at large to choose over their own agenda’s of serving the parties interest first, its members and privileged commune the next and leftovers for the people who repose their faith each time through the enshrined democratic process to make believe the unsurpassed end to their miseries, depriving further the singular right of living served constantly on pseudo plank of governance, as absolute last.

The nation yet remains counted as among the backward countries with another few decades of motion needed to arrive with the world. Even despite the principled stand of leading the nation, we stand at the dawn of new millennium with upwards of 260 million people still not having sufficient income to access the consumption basket remaining below poverty estimates. Our leading developing states being compared with Uganda, Congo, and Chad on Human Development Index. As huge as 27.5 percent of people officially classified under the below the poverty line, with almost upwards of a quarter of this group sustaining on less than 20 Rs a day, further classified as being mentioned as chronically poor.

Out of the entire population of close to 1 bn, 296 Mn people are illiterate and 233 million people are undernourished, particularly children under the age of 3 years. Appalling circumstances of poverty coupled with socio economic problems have failed these political experiments only to gain political ruling power at all cost as the sole motive leaving to bleed the nation as if , at its own volition.

The Constitutional right of “state to protect those, who can not protect themselves” as a simplistic way to read and lay allegiance to the pre-amble of the Constitution, the state and its pillars of democracy, the legislature and executive (more) and judiciary (fortunately less) have instead been forced to co-opt the political constitution of their respective parties and blind folded bequeathing to now the globalisation tirade of capitalist formations of USA’s and Europe’s of the world, in the garb of WTO negotiations or World Bank Agenda politics of governance.

Both, the present UPA dispensation and erstwhile NDA regime, as BJP have exploited the nation, its resources, people and their right of sustenance with impunity by there pro-capitalist, pro – WTO approach. Whether it would be the UPA regime acquiring vast tracts of fertile multi-crop agrarian land demonstrating the capitalist model of increased consumption by substituting land reforms and needed protection over larger national interest of agriculture contribution as percentage of GDP over formation of Industrial zones, SEZ, FTZ polices to attract FDI (Foreign Direct Investments) and yet taking pride of service contribution replacing the agriculture input as minor partner in still agriculture dependent economy of the country, Or the NDA regime coming out with plastered white washed version of one urban wall and announcing the entire home, the country to be “shining” and remaining that way; and further to secure this as a impressive electoral achievement to “rule” once again.

This when close to 175,000 farmers committed suicide in the country? The only achievement of these political parties post there turns of being monarchs has seen the country now standing divided between the have’s and the have nots, as being generally proscribed in their governance documents, as India and Bharat.

The nation, its nationalism, serving not more than decked conversations of capitalist’s monarchies in their Pro-Bharat documents.

We had been forewarned of these dangers several decades ago by Guru Shri Rabindra Nath Tagore, thus, “ We have for over a century been dragged by the prosperous west behind its chariot, choked by the dust, deafened by the noise, humbled by our own helplessness and overwhelmed by the speed. We choose to agree that this chariot drive was progress, and the progress was civilization. If we ever ventured to ask “progress” towards what, and progress for whom”, it was considered to be peculiarly and ridiculously backward to entertain such ideas about the absoluteness of progress. Of late, a voice has come to us to take count not only of the scientific perfection of the chariot but of the depth of the “ditches” lying in its path”. Yet these ditches despite the direction are not seen.

This has been so true for state monarchs as well, the CPI, CPI (M) who considered the champions of the proletariat, peasants, marginalised farmers and labours dumped them with Engel’s and Marx favouring disgraced organizations in there own countries and returning the electorate favour as Nadigram and Singur. This continued with backwards mobilisation of class displacement as a cause over three decades with singular objective of ruling the masses and creating an egalitarian regime by ‘investing” people state’s interest in 4,000 crores of dubious innumerous projects, including several injunctions of judiciary over mass flouting of environmental blunders and cult formation by installing statue’s and yet taking pride of “Bhaujan hitaye, Bahujan sukhaiye” as Bahujan Samaj Party.

This unabated over democratic principles and issues of genuine governance across the length and breadth of the country with various political formations as faded remembrance to convenient nationalism with immuned flexibility, at best utmost convenience. The nation seems to be long forgotten and attempts of sycophancy to lay open the siege of this nation even to a foreigner as continuation of surrogate dynastic polices as proven itself the decay which has come to roost our struggle to achieve democracy. Polity which was a means for voluntary service to the nation and having produced sterling leadership of this nation which has this developed world taking inspiration and yet not forcing this as any convoluted ideology of any “ism” has a new yardstick of qualification to participate.

The more corrupt and more criminal injunctions with severity the better chances of winnability and allocation of governance to satiate this greed of power. Not surprising even in the last concluded democratic participation, each political formation, every political formation succumbed by choice to not to loose the allure of power by offering them as candidates to the electorate, increasing them by a collective 17.2% in comparison to last in 2004. The choice of electorate to choose their representative not on the basis of this “voluntary” nationalistic service but to choose the lesser of them corrupt over others, coming further closer to at best but a sham, which otherwise was a right for genuine constitutional representation.

It is proven now that these political parties can not be trusted to rejuvenate the nationalist pride and a movement of nation first, needs to be brought to the fore within the masses. The ideologies of these parties have left nothing but to peril the glory achieved of the nation at expense of common man. This love for Capitalism, WTO’ism now needs to be replaced by core nationalism with absolute focus on Pro-Bharat, Pro-Poor ideology of nation first and people first movement. This needs all the concerned to come forward making a clarion call for much needed Nationalistic temprement as an invincible power to dispose these pro western powers, putting in place a more stronger alternative politico policies of governance by putting the common man and his ecology in the core of this set up.

This top down pyramid which forces the common person, the last man on the socio economic ladder to constantly look up within this democratic system to vehemently oppose this and allow him to question and at best to reverse this by turning this upside down by active dialogue, concurrence, and participation to strengthen this democratic process of rightful activism.

(to be continued)

Crisis in our backyard - Strangulated Democracy

2011-06-20T21:11:00.008+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi:

“Are you first time here, asked a close senior activist friend of mine at Dariyaganj Police Station. The question allowed him to brag on his valiant story of how he with some other 39 was in the lock up during the one of the agitations for complete 28 days without an FIR being filed and then subsequently released with no charges pressed. This despite him not waiting for me to collect my expressions to help him with an answer. All which took him to share this bravado was a simple question from me, “why are they (police vallah’s) taking our names and addresses down”..?

Having recently succumbed to the temptation of learning and updating myself on IPC and CrPC procedures, I simply wanted to test my understanding on what sections were we detained and under what procedures were we to be released. Knowing all this while fully, that draconian sections of IPC and CrPC completely was “out of scope” given the nature of protest (ah consulting!) so waiting in the wings for my turn, this was the best laboratory to test myself and quickly get it validated from the number of IPS officers with complete force who had been politely escorting us the entire evening. Clearly, spoiled by choice, we were outnumbered by a considerable margin – for some 200 of us to be brought at the 1930 Heritage Police Station, we had some 500 in tow. Other activist friends who were dispersed on various other locations, as we collected late in the night were not so lucky for similar privileges.

Humour naturally seeps in when you achieve as daunting as a protest being successful without compromising on your conviction all the while you were protesting for a cause as large as exercising Democratic right of expressions through “silent” protest.

Yes, this indeed was the 1st time for me. The last I remember had come closer staring the white’s of the Khaki eyes was during my college days when returning back from a splendid late night “action” movie show, the entire troupe of friends were caught in middle of severe ruckus created by the 2 warring sections of Medical Students. Their hostel straight across the street, next to ours did the trick. Little were we aware that while we were clapping, hooting and dancing on our 15 Rs ticket show, there was considerable action on the streets with a full battalion of riot control police force quelling the student crowds outside. This also was the nearest I ever came to qualify as a “Doctor” and “referred to one” when was chased by 3 stout tall Rajasthan Police Force cops across the entire football field next to the hostel premises for few hours, amazingly achieving three changes for life while I outpaced them – switched streams from Science to Commerce mid year, hostel to a friend’s pad and brought myself back to the field of sports, having demonstrated my ability to withhold long miles of running. That was past and a thrill and adventure of student life.

This was serious for present and future as a matured citizen of the country.

I had received a call on night of 4th June from one of my closed associates who had joined to fast alongside several others with Swami Ramdev for the corruption agitation. The caller mentioned that Police Force has entered Ramlila Maidan and their intentions speak differently. Haplessly, thereafter what we countless of us witnessed that entire night through live reports was as brutal as possibly our generation could ever come closer to see. The sheer brutality of oppressions on fasting women, children, and elderly and in some cases physically challenged people was the saddest day for our democracy and constitutional fabric of our country. A non violent “satyagrah” had a violent barbaric clampdown. True there could be multiple interpretations on the leadership and organizers of the agitation but some 50,000 people had committed no culpable crime to have sided on to their individual conviction by raising the voice of dissent by punishing themselves through fasting until the demands could be met. A detailed report is below in the blog, shared by Shri Rajat Sharma .

Hon’ble Supreme Court having taken “suo moto" cognizance of this atrocity had served notices on Delhi Government, Central Government and Delhi Police asking for reasons of this in human, uncivilized decision to unleash 5000 police vallah’s, riot action force on peaceful protesters, without any law & order provocation. The affidavit and observation report incidentally was filed on the day (18th June) the Citizens Protest was organized. National Human Right Commission (NHRC) also followed the Hon’ble Supreme Court directives and they too while acknowledging lapses sought an explanation from the Cental & State Governments. And, this is where it started to end as far as NHRC was concerned.

Having waited for couple of weeks for NHRC to intervene and publish facts, they simple outlived their utility by adding another single sheet of paper to their thick reams of “cognizance” sterner action observations and defying the very charter of human rights on which they were formed to defend the enshrined rights of every citizen for justice. The Chairman, NHRC himself is under scanner is all saved for my activist friends to cover in the socio-political activism blogs.

We decided to remind them and as a result “Forum for Concerned Citizens” was formed on initiative of few with citizenry cutting across different ideologies, professions, interest groups, civic, social and political organizations further agreeing to vehemently yet silently protest against proverbial despotism by power obsessed central government. A Citizen Protest March for 5th June condemning the atrocities was announced, teams formed and they swung in action on with an “appeal to participate” on social networking sites, mobiles, personal call in visits across groups reaching out to people, requesting them to join the efforts.

What followed were permissions withdrawn at last moment on 18th June afternoon despite application resting with Police Personnel, waiting approvals since 15th June. A heavy police “bandobast” met us even prior the crowd had begun to turn around. Senior Politicians and Journalists groups including the organizing leaders paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat invoking the “non violent” principles and praying for collective strength for each given the past experiences of clampdown despite no provocation and the assembly begun, sharp at 5pm.

Black bands were distributed, placards and posters – few hands written on the spot were placed on the street and we convened to begin our protest march. Few senior members continue to address the crowd until 6.30 pm. Once we decided to move ahead to NHRC, barricades which were yet a little distance away were placed right on the assembly spot.

We were stopped not allowed to move even 100 Mts of collection point. The Police personnel, including senior IPS officers though extremely polite conveyed the sterner message of not even allowing a peaceful protest to reach its conclusion by announcing “arrests” in case we persist.

We persisted & resultantly we offered to “court arrest”. Each one of the 1000+ group without any leader calling their attention, stood self disciplined by more further hardened resolved of conviction for protecting democratic and fundamental rights of each and on behalf of all – when requested squatted on the main street, silently with black bands yet covering their lips. The police preempting the protest had made “elaborate” arrangements and we were one by one asked to board the busses and police vans.

Each went to different direction. The activist, having now “officially under arrest” impromptu taking the bands out bursted with loudest each could manage in sloganeering, the catchy one which perhaps remained the closest on the determination and on back of strength of conviction for the cause was “

“Ye prajatantra ke diwane kahan chale......Jail chale bhai ....jail chale...........!!!!!"

“Kahan chale bhai kahan chale…….Jail chale bhai …Jail Chale …………!!!!!!

Section 65 of Delhi Police Act was announced to the crowd, names noted and after few hours we were released.

The crowd decided to seek a formal appointment from NHRC to present our petition on Monday, 20th June and representatives were chosen and incase denied – resolved to be back to RajGhat on 25th June. The eventful day, which part of folk lore for the new generation and extremely painful for the ones who witnessed in the past with suspended rights across Executive, Legislative, Judiciary and the 4th Pillar of Press and Media – the day Emergency was clamped on this country under Article 352 of the Constitution.

What lies ahead – watch this space. Hopefully Monday, 20th June will have updates to be posted, until then, what I leave at the 1930 site was a “nazm” fondly remembered from my college days by “Faiz-Ahmed- Faiz”

Nahiin Nigaah Men Manzil To Justajuu Hii Sahii

Nahiin Visaal Mayassar To Aarazuu Hii Sahii

Na Tan Men Khuun Faraaham Na Ashk Aankhon Men

Namaaz-E-Shauq To Vaajib Hai Be-Vazuu Hii Sahii

Kisii Tarah To Jame Bazm Maikade Vaalo

Nahiin Jo Baadaa-O-Saagar To Haa-O-Huu Hii Sahii

Gar Intazaar Kathin Hai To Jab Talak Ai Dil

Kisii Ke Vaada-E-Fardaa Kii Guftaguu Hii Sahii

Dayaar-E-Gair Men Maharam Agar Nahiin Koii

To ‘Faiz’ Zikr-E-Vatan Apane Ruu-Ba-Ruu Hii Sahii”

Congress' Midsummer Folly: Rajat Sharma

2011-06-09T08:12:00.003+05:30

Swami Ramdev asked me on June 4 whether police would try to arrest him. He said that he had definite information. My reply then was: “No government would dare to make such a mistake. You are staging a peaceful fast in the presence of thousands of your supporters. There are at least 40 OB Vans of TV channels monitoring everything”. I also told him: “Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh will never allow this to happen”.

I was under the impression that the Congress had learnt its lesson from the Emergency days. During the last seven years of UPA rule, neither Sonia Gandhi nor Manmohan Singh had nothing to suggest that they would ever try to exert muscle power.

But I was proved wrong within a few hours. At the dead of night I got a call from India TV newsroom: “Sir, police have swooped on Ramlila Maidan”.

The visuals of police on the rampage that I saw on television that night were really disturbing. How can any one do such a thing? In the glare of TV cameras police swung their lathis, fired teargas shells, beat up old men and children and tore the clothes of women.

I heard Swami Ramdev sitting on the shoulder of one of his supporters telling the police: “Do not beat the people here, I am ready to court arrest”. But when a government sends a 5,000-strong police force to disrupt a gathering, the policemen are clearly unwilling to listen to the voice of reason. Policemen are trained to wield sticks, to fire teargas shells and bullets. For the policemen, it matters the least that these were starving people sleeping after a daylong fast. Had the crowd been violent, the police could well have resorted to firing. I can only thank God that most of Swami Ramdev’s followers were either old, women and children or were his selected ‘sadhaks’(trainers) who have been trained never to be violent.

Earlier, when Swami Ramdev rang me up during the daytime, he had told me that somebody has given him a credible information that thousands of policemen would try to clear out the tents at midnight. The informer had also told him that the police could also kill him in a fake encounter or set the tent on fire.

I had then told Swami Ramdev, “such things can’t happen. It impossible that thousands of policemen will try to enter the tents, and nobody can ever imagine of killing you in his wildest of dreams”.

After seeing the police on rampage from 1 am till 5 am on television, I wondered how Ramdev proved me wrong. I later realized why Swami Ramdev wore a women’s attire to sneak out of the camp. He might have thought, when his information about police entry was correct, about police wielding lathis was correct, then surely the secret info about a possible encounter would also be correct.

Congress, to me, is a party having leaders experienced in the art of governance. I had always believed that the Congress leaders know how to govern, But the June 4-5 midnight crackdown has shocked me. I fail to understand even now why the government did such a thing at all. And the most important question: What did the Congress or the government gain out of it?

Supreme Court sent a notice asking the government to explain the brutal police action in the dead of night. Will the government tell the apex court that it did this in order to assert its might, that it can gag anybody’s voice. Kapil Sibal had told the media that evening “if we know how to accommodate, we also know how to rein in”.

I wonder what did the Congress get out of all this? The yoga guru who had been extending his hand towards Congress is now its sworn enemy. The same Swami Ramdev, who was maintaining a distance from RSS and shaking hands with Muslim leaders in order to project an image acceptable to all, has been shoved by the Congress into the RSS camp. The Congress, by brutally beating up Swami Ramdev’s supporters with the help of police, has brought both Mayawati and Mulayam Singh on the same plane. A leader like Brinda Karat who used to criticize Swami Ramdev in public, appeared on television to condemn the brutal police action.

Both the Congress and the government were already in a fix over Anna Hazare and were eyeing Swami Ramdev as an antidote to Hazare, but the midnight crackdown has reversed this.

Both Anna and Ramdev who were at unease with each other are now together. Anna Hazare is sitting on fast to protest over police brutality on Ramdev supporters. Now the government will have to deal with both.

While the Congress went on back foot, rival BJP got rejuvenated. BJP which was trying to revive its fortunes but was bereft of any big issue against the government. The very same party is now out in full force, thanks to the gift of a livewire issue from Congress.

The Congress has unwittingly given the BJP not only an issue, but also a leader like Ramdev with a mass base of crores of people. Now the Congress will have to face not only the BJP, but also Ramdev, Anna Hazare’s civil society, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh.

The timing of the bloody, brutal police action was also significant. The previous evening, Kapil Sibal had created confusion by showing a letter about a deal with Ramdev. Swami Ramdev was on the defensive and he was busy clarifying that the letter merely states that all his demands will be met and the fast will be over in two days. But by sending a 5,000-strong police force in the dead of night, the government has now put Ramdev on the offensive. It is now Ramdev who is attacking Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh by name. Ramdev had been scrupulously avoiding criticisms of these two leaders for the last five years.

On the other hand, Digvijay Singh described Ramdev as a ‘thug’, his associate Acharya Balkrishna a thief, and had demanded that the government must probe Ramdev’s assets. A prominent newspaper published a news item that the CBI and ED will prove the assets of the trusts and companies associated with Ramdev. Had Swami Ramdev been a thug, then how is it that the Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh sent him a letter appealing him not to sit on fast?

Why did the Prime Minister write a letter to a ‘thug’ to say that his movement against corruption was valid?

If the assets of Ramdev’s trusts and companies are to be probed, then why did the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and three other senior ministers went to the airport to meet Ramdev?

In any democracy, the people’s faith acts as an oxygen for the political parties, but sheer arrogance of power can work as a corroding acid for any party.

History is witness to the fact that a democracy cannot be run on the strength of sheer brute force. Only those governments last, which listen to the voice of the opposition and of those who criticize peacefully. It is now up to the Congress to choose between oxygen and an acid.

Shri Rajat Sharma is Chairman and Editor-in Chief of India TV.

जनतन्त्र का जन्म / रामधारी सिंह "दिनकर"

2011-05-26T20:39:00.000+05:30

सदियों की ठंढी-बुझी राख सुगबुगा उठी,

मिट्टी सोने का ताज पहन इठलाती है;

दो राह,समय के रथ का घर्घर-नाद सुनो,

सिंहासन खाली करो कि जनता आती है।

जनता?हां,मिट्टी की अबोध मूरतें वही,

जाडे-पाले की कसक सदा सहनेवाली,

जब अंग-अंग में लगे सांप हो चुस रहे

तब भी न कभी मुंह खोल दर्द कहनेवाली।

जनता?हां,लंबी - बडी जीभ की वही कसम,

"जनता,सचमुच ही, बडी वेदना सहती है।"

"सो ठीक,मगर,आखिर,इस पर जनमत क्या है?"

'है प्रश्न गूढ़ जनता इस पर क्या कहती है?"

मानो,जनता ही फूल जिसे अहसास नहीं,

जब चाहो तभी उतार सजा लो दोनों में;

अथवा कोई दूधमुंही जिसे बहलाने के

जन्तर-मन्तर सीमित हों चार खिलौनों में।

लेकिन होता भूडोल, बवंडर उठते हैं,

जनता जब कोपाकुल हो भृकुटि चढाती है;

दो राह, समय के रथ का घर्घर-नाद सुनो,

सिंहासन खाली करो कि जनता आती है।

हुंकारों से महलों की नींव उखड़ जाती,

सांसों के बल से ताज हवा में उड़ता है,

जनता की रोके राह,समय में ताव कहां?

वह जिधर चाहती,काल उधर ही मुड़ता है।

अब्दों, शताब्दियों, सहस्त्राब्द का अंधकार

बीता;गवाक्ष अंबर के दहके जाते हैं;

यह और नहीं कोई,जनता के स्वप्न अजय

चीरते तिमिर का वक्ष उमड़ते जाते हैं।

सब से विराट जनतंत्र जगत का आ पहुंचा,

तैंतीस कोटि-हित सिंहासन तय करो

अभिषेक आज राजा का नहीं,प्रजा का है,

तैंतीस कोटि जनता के सिर पर मुकुट धरो।

आरती लिये तू किसे ढूंढता है मूरख,

मन्दिरों, राजप्रासादों में, तहखानों में?

देवता कहीं सड़कों पर गिट्टी तोड़ रहे,

देवता मिलेंगे खेतों में, खलिहानों में।

फावड़े और हल राजदण्ड बनने को हैं,

धूसरता सोने से श्रृंगार सजाती है;

दो राह,समय के रथ का घर्घर-नाद सुनो,

सिंहासन खाली करो कि जनता आती है।

(26जनवरी,1950ई.)

रामधारी सिंह "दिनकर"

I am Revolution...

2011-02-11T15:20:00.000+05:30

Am born in the blood of the oppressed,

In the veins of the poor, I start to flow;

The hearts of the depressed have my throbs,

The wounded egos give me a beaming glow.

The injustice always thinks , I have died,

The repression considers , I have no choice;

The savagery never fathoms my depth,

The brutal regimes try to silence my voice.

I wait for my foes to mend their ways,

I exhort them to behave with a human grace;

But their arrogance stands as a stumbling- block,

Then with every silent sigh, I increase my pace.

Slowly, I leave my abode in hearts and minds,

And come on the streets to show my might;

Like the seething sea under the scorching Sun,

My simmering discontent gains its height.

Fuming with rage, I become a tempest,

My frenzy makes me totally blind ,

What I will do, I am unable to foresee;

None can anticipate my colour and kind.

Wait for the time when my fury ends,

Horrific trails of ravages, you will find;

Luxurious palaces will be lying in debris,

‘I am revolution’, I have lost my mind .

"ab main ration...."

2011-01-22T13:28:00.004+05:30

“ab main ration ki kataron mein nazar aata hoon

apne kheton se bichchadne ki saza paata hoon,

itnee menhgaayee ke bazaar se kuch laata hoon

apne bachchon mein us'se baant ke sharmaata hoon,

apnee neendo ka lahoo poochne ki koshish main
jaagte jaagte, thak jaata hoon so jaata hoon,

koi chaadar samajh ke kheench na le fir se "Khaleel"

main qafan odh kar foot-path pe so jaata hoon,

ab main ration ki kataron mein nazar aata hoon

apne kheton se bichchadne ki saza paata hoon”

lyrics : Khaleel Dahijvi

Crisis in our Backyard: “Jaan debo, Jameen debo na” (part II)

2011-01-22T11:18:00.002+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

The trend of gobbling land parcels citing national interest around the country without a scant sublimity and sensitivity towards the ecological and environmental disturbances, large scale displacement of people has its roots in the “principle of eminent domain” a practice resulting in “compulsory purchase” / “compulsory resumption” which we has been enforced under the draconian shadow of “Land Acquisition Act 1894” adopted from colonial powers. This act was explicitly created to facilitate government acquisition of private land.

This act since then has been most vehemently opposed than any other, more specifically deployed with its brutality after the opening of the markets under the liberalization regime. The powers vested under this act with the government have been questioned repeatedly forcing absolute interpretations defining “public interest”. Under strictures from Hon Supreme Court and pressure from civic organizations, the principle act was amended by the government through Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2007. The amendments include rights of those displaced by land acquisition limiting the definition to acquire land under public purpose. The bill is also supposed to establish Land Acquisition Compensation Disputes Settlement Authority (LACDSA) at State and National Levels to arbitrate any disputes. This to be read in conjunction with Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill also introduced in 2007.

Amongst other things the major succeeding factor in the amendment of Land Acquisition Act 1894 is a compulsory Social Impact Assessment Study if the land acquisition results in the displacement of 400 families in the plains or 200 families in the hill or tribal areas. The area under tribal areas is already protected under the 5th Schedule of the Constitution of India covering 9 States of India which provides for protection to the indigenous people living in scheduled areas.

Both Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2007 and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill (2007) have also been mired in controversies. Even in the present shape and form there yet is a massive resistance and hence have concurrently lapsed due for its presentation and subsequent discussions in both houses of parliament. This pertains to valuation of land, fair compensation and addresses issues of displacement.

The Bill grants the LAC DS Authority the powers of civil court by barring them from entertaining any disputes or issuing any injunctions relating to land acquisition. With this barring of civil jurisdiction there is no mechanism by which a effected party could challenge the qualification of the project as “public purpose”. The Bill also defines special provisions for land taken in the case of urgency and both the Principle Act and the Amended Bill continue to remain silent on the definitions and provisions of urgency.

Both the Principle Act and Amended Bill under Clause 5(i) pertaining to “Easement” state that the “person interested in an easement affecting the land, shall be considered a person interested”. The term ‘easement’ is not defined either in the Act not in the Bill so proposed. It’s defined in the “India Easement Act 1882” and “The Limitation Act 1963” but the definitions are significantly different in these two acts, which would impact the implementation and resultant rights post displacement rights and benefits including compensation.

The Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill (2007) also has its subjective clauses over ruling the “conjunctional” proportion under which it is to be read. For uninitiated, the Bills subjective purpose is to provide benefits and compensation to people displaced or other involuntary displacement. Reading the “finer” prints of the bill it’s imperially clear that at best it shall always remain subjective.

Though the purpose of the R&R Bill is ‘to provide for rehabilitation and resettlement’ of affected persons, the bill itself does not warrant that they should be settled. While the Statement of Objects and Reasons mentions minimizing displacement, protecting the livelihoods and improving living standards, the language of the bill does not make these clauses mandatory. For example, Land for Land “shall only be allotted” if “Government land is available” or for Employment “shall be given preference in providing employment” subject to “availability and suitability”. The Bill in proportion equally bars the jurisdiction of civil courts providing judiciary powers to Central Authorities, Ombudsman, and Administrative Tribunals who never have these qualifications or have demonsratable sensitivities on matter of these interests historically and hence subjugate the “right to appeal” in case of natural disputes.

Cherry on the cake “the Bill does not specify a clear time frame for rehabilitation” and hence has never seen the sun from a draft bill to a constitutional act. With globalized initiatives and no longer proscribed immunity to the economy, this sure will is anybody’s guess.

No surprises in less than a decade we have had issues surmounting agitations across the length and breadth of the country. The political shenanigan adding up the dose of uber development and economic prosperity has resulted in an efficacy, forming a doctrine for ushering development.

A doctrine which has been implemented with impunity from Narmada to Singur to Nandigram to Panvel to Singrauli to Niyamgri to Angul to Polavram to Tadadi to Jaitapur. The Democratic fabric of the country affords an advantage for these oppressed voices to be heard and hitherto they have seen binding in unison either in the form of social revolutions, agitations or collective associations for benefits of the causes and relative masses. However, if these vociferous voices continue to sustain momentum and rattle to compete with the deafness of the socio-political system forever, the precarious balance seems to be giving away. More actionable governance norms are needed than a mere symbolic constitutional act with all its jurisprudence interpretations and clauses would not owe itself of “factual” wrongs by “perpetual” rights.

From “humara adhikar le ke rahenge” (we shall have our right) to the extremes of “Jaan debo, Jameen debo na” (shall give our lives but not our land) we have really come progressively far to collect global accolades, never mention the wrath of our own people for the sake of development.

These voices have far met the wide eyes of development and decisions which were to be sustained by eco-centricity have all been taken on account of homogeneity. The losses of which to be borne by masses who have anything but hope and capital profits for select few who have anything but sensitivity

Other factor for these voices is to be continually dubbed in socio-imitative parlance from communal to communist to social brouhaha of civic and vested organizations, counter playing in finding polarity of issues. This can be diffused so long is this gets lampooned, crossed and sheltered as a convoluted anti-development ideology.

But, we have decided. We are a nation on the move and move we shall, by moving all who come to stand between charades of senseless development versus the constitutional right of humanity.

Having defined the opposite we are yet to define the concept of progressive development or perhaps we have. The doctrine of progressive implementation now rests on principle of eminency with a simpler choice…..

Jaan debo ya Jameen debo..?? (Your life or your land..??)

Crisis in our backyard - Jaan debo, Jameen debo na...! (part I)

2010-12-30T16:36:00.009+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

A sleepy town Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra was finally kicked out of its slumber by visiting French President, Nicolas Sarkozy on December 10th, 2010. He was not visiting the villagers to break bread with them as the “new in” concept followed by most of our young gregarious politicians but in Delhi shaking hands with Executive ensuring that they are well grasped so as not to slip the opening of India’s billion dollar lucrative nuclear power generation market. Joint declarations from French and Indian bureaucrats self patted their backs on the growing bilateral cooperation and assured assistance to India for securing its permanent membership in the Security Council. This included accommodating the elusive “P” word for us, which we continue to prod and plead, now as a tradition to any and every visiting delegation,” Sir...pls just once...!

Having said, eventually an agreement was signed for the construction of 1st set of 2 third generation nuclear reactors and supply of nuclear fuel for 25 years. French nuclear firm Areva SA and Indian state owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India signed this multibillion dollar (USD 9.3 Bn) valued agreement. The total generated capacity would be 9900 MW once commissioned and one of the largest nuclear power generating stations in the world. This further to be financed “again” by a consortium of French financial institutions and OECD which would continue to “protect” the clauses of general agreement and contract. We have a history on this but save this for future discussions.

Village Madban as the site chosen and Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (name owing to the nearest port) modalities were announced. The decks were cleared covering up for the trust deficit which Indian government continued to had with successive world lords until the “Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill (2010) was passed by the Parliament in August 2010. Controversial to the core, cleared without bearing consequences and consensus within the parliament, abjuring complete responsibility to the masses with sole objective of following the diktats and seen serving the masters, the bill was presented as the “only achievement of the incumbent government” and “through consistent dogged pursuit of our Prime Minister despite stiff opposition this year”

The bill prohibits an act of “class action suites” in India (much prevalent globally) in safeguarding any liability which could be brought to the fore in event of a nuclear disaster. The bill further states that total liability for a nuclear incident shall not exceed 300 Mn Special Drawing Rights, approximately 2100 Crores at current exchange rates. Even within this amount, the liability of the operator (in this case Areva SA) shall be Rs 500 Crores. If the liability exceeds Rs 500 Crores, the central government shall be liable for the amount exceeding Rs 500 Crores, limiting it again upto SDR 500 Mn.

The balance is tilted for the operator since he would have a “right to recourse” against the supplier and other individuals responsible for the damage under certain conditions. What could be achieved of these "certain conditions” if the operator chooses to exercise its right to recourse in due time, even the neo- liberals in their believes, including the ones who remain involved to get this through would know.

Not to be missed, smacking of Government of India bureaucratic standards matches to its hilarious propositions, when the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (under who’s jurisdiction Nuclear Power Projects are commissioned) will have to notify a nuclear incident within “15 days” from the date of a nuclear incident occurring.

Further the track record of successive Indian governments in relating to the spirit is evident in the Bhopal Gas Incident, where claimants have all but received any compensation since 1984. The ones received were as less to Rs 28 to a far more generous of Rs 1200 as compensation for loss of life. Moreover, the impact of a nuclear disaster could be a holocaust compared to Bhopal incident which has left 200,000 people with permanent injuries reported to eye problems, respiratory diseases to neurological disorders, cardiac failure secondary to lung injury, female reproductive difficulties to birth defects among children born to affected women. The Indian government has and still after 25 years continues to stand on its denial negating the impact of any permanent injuries caused by the incident. Meager justice which followed is quite a testimony to these instances.

Having set the background, let’s come back to Jaitapur. Well it’s on the Arabian Sea Coast in Ratnagiri district in south western part of Maharashtra. The district is part of the Konkan region in Western Ghats, which includes a thin strip costal line of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. Ecologically rich agricultural area, these Ghats was previously being applied to UNESCO MAB to be listed as a protected World Heritage Site. This also forms part of seismically sensitive area classified by our own government under “Earthquake hazard zoning of India”. Jaitpur falls under Zone IV a “high damage risk zone” which makes it all the more susceptible to cataclysmic events.

Trouble consistently has been brewing as opposition to the site and Nuclear Power Plant as a whole since 2006 when a court case was filed by Janhit Seva Samiti, Madban in Mumbai high court, which initially stayed any “developmental” initiatives lifting it completely in matter of few months. This lead to sporadic incidents of mass rallies organized collectively by the villagers in 2009 and early January 2010 when officials visited the plant site citing compulsory land acquisition of some 938 hectares from five villages. The villages resisted the move by refusing to accept the cheques and most importantly their presence. A Public hearing meeting building up to Environmental Impact Assessment Report prepared by NEERI was conducted by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on behalf of MoEF had 600 objections being filed by the authorities was never released and delivered to 3 out of 4 Gram Panchayats within the district. Abetting the controversy which followed the quite overzealous MoEF sometime (and picky most of the time) claimed to have cleared the assessment report in flat 80 days from its first initial submissions with no explanations cited on the objections so been filed.

This despite the fact that most of the villagers across these districts have remained united and firm in their demands and continue to agitate on the site location citing environmental concerns of an already fragile eco-system, forced displacement, loss of livelihood, radiation effects and most severely no policy being defined for Radioactive waste disposal. This despite the fact that Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) department of disaster management has criticized the site location not so politely and even pressing ahead accusations of eroding the social and environmental development by distorting facts without calling in for collective participation and transparent sharing of information of the project with its own citizens.

(to be continued)

Farmers struggle for survival

2010-12-24T10:21:00.002+05:30

By Himanshu Shekhar :

Despite tall claims about positive impact of globalization, India is still considered as a nation of farmers and about 70 percent of its population still relies on agriculture for livelihood. A section of economists says repeatedly that the contribution of this sector in GDP is coming down day by day. However, Congress led UPA government pretends to be concerned about the condition of farmers and agriculture but in terms of policy the government appears to be anti farmer. In fact, agriculture sector of the country is facing a number of challenges and these problems are making the survival of a farmer very difficult.

These problems are pressing farmers to quit agriculture and think over other options for survival. Take an example of Punjab. This state was a driving force in Green Revolution. A recent study done by Punjab Agriculture University is showing the bleak picture of farming of the state. According to the study, every ninth farmer in the state has left farming in the last 25 years mainly because of low income from agriculture and 22 percent of them have joined labour market. The condition of the small and marginal farmer is more terrible and their satisfaction level is quite low in comparison with the large farmers. The report cites, as many as 70 percent of the large farmers expressed full satisfaction, while the figure for small and marginal farmers was only 23 percent. If this is the case of Punjab then the condition of other states can be easily understood.

According to government estimates, 44 percent of Indian farmers are not interested in agriculture. Between just the Census of 1991 and that of 2001, nearly 8 million cultivators quit farming. The census of 2011 will tell us how many farmers quit farming in this decade. Farmers are not getting expected return on their investment in farming. Production cost of agriculture sector is increasing day by day but farmers are not getting better returns. That’s why Indian farmers are realising that their love affair with intensive agriculture is on the decline.

The government and Metrological department is claiming that monsoon was very good this year and its positive impact will reflect in production. But, they forget to mention that a number of states are facing the problem of drought. Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand are in the list of worst hit states by drought and farmers of these states are in severe crisis. According to government data, West Bengal received 16 per cent less rainfall than normal between June 1 and September 8, while Bihar and Jharkhand got 25 per cent and 48 per cent less rainfall, respectively, than normal.

West Bengal has declared 11 of its districts are drought-hit, while Bihar has given a similar status to 28 out of 38 districts. All 24 of Jharkhand’s districts have also been declared as drought-hit. Union government announced a package of Rs 500 crore for these states. Every farmer will get Rs 500 per hectare as diesel subsidy. But, the million dollar question is how much of these will really reach to a farmer?

A couple of years ago, the government announced a loan waiver of 71,000 crore for debt ridden farmers but in that particular year farm suicide went up. The loan waiver year of 2008 saw 16,196 farm suicides in the country, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Compared to 2007, that’s a fall of just 436. According to the NCRB, there were at least 1,99,132 farmers’ suicides in India since 1997. The share of the Big 5 States or ‘suicide belt’ in 2008 – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh – remained very high at 10,797, or 66.6 per cent of the total farm suicides in the country. It’s shocking to know that the national average for farm suicides since 2003 stays at roughly one every 30 minutes.

It means, farmers are not getting the benefit of scheme like loan waiver. These schemes appear very good in document but on ground level these schemes fails to deliver any difference. It doesn’t mean that there is no use of scheme like this. A scheme like farm loan waiver and easy credit to farmers at nominal rates can make a difference in agriculture sector but the way of implementation must be different. Government must keep these schemes away from corruption and develop a proper and effective system to keep a tab on these schemes.

Union government is trying hard to rope corporate farming. Major corporate houses from all across the world are evincing interest in corporate farming. But, agriculture analysts have a different view. They are in favour of empowering small and marginal farmers to make this sector profitable and effective. According to them, small farmers and their cultivation communities must be at the centre of any strategy to tackle poverty and increase food security and productivity. The role of small farmers is vital in our economic system. It’s needless to say that small farms play a major social role. They tend to spend their income on local goods and services, boosting local economies, and are more likely to employ people than adopt capital-intensive technologies. Analyst consider small farmers as ecologically sound because smallholders manage a large share of our water and vegetation cover, and farm far more sustainably. They reduce soil erosion, use water more efficiently, protect biodiversity, and preserve soil fertility.

This is high time to re-orient the focus, for, from the time of liberalization, the ‘development’ done in the name of the small farmer has left him worse off and hungrier than before. In the 2006 Working Group on Distressed Farmers report, its chair, Sardar Singh Johl, said so explicitly, “Mostly small and marginal farmers, as well as tenant farmers and farm labourers, bear the brunt of crop failures. Therefore, the target group for preferential treatment should consist of small and marginal farmers, as well as tenant farmers and farm labourers.” The reasons for the crisis are largely systemic, said the Working Group report.

Inadequate farm income coupled with limited non-farm opportunities have led to distress conditions in most of the cases. “Other contributing factors are increasing input costs, non-availability of quality seeds, increasing pesticide usage, de-skilling, supplier-induced demand in the input market, inadequacy of institutional extension services and research, market uncertainties, declining public investments, and additional household/consumption requirements,” the report added. If policymakers are really concerned about the problems of agriculture and farmers, then they have to once again think over the current agriculture policy and take some appropriate steps, which can deliver some positive result. Otherwise, farmers’ struggle for survival will continue.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go !

2010-08-27T11:05:00.000+05:30

Do you dare to stay out

Do you to go in?
How much can you lose?
How much can you win?
And if you go in,
Should you turn left or right?
Or right and three-quarters?
Or maybe not quite?
You can get so confused that you will start to race;
Down-long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace,
And grind on for miles across weirdish wild space;
Headed I fear towards a most useless place;

The waiting place.

For people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go,
Or for a bus to come,
Or a plane to go,
Or the mail to come,
Or the rain to go,
Or the phone to ring,
Or the snow to snow,
Or a string of pearls,
Or a pair of pants,
Or a wig of curls,

Everyone is just waiting

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

Or waiting around; for a yes or a no,
or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

(From the motion picture: Fracture)

Peepli Live at Talwandi Sabo, Punjab

2010-08-20T19:33:00.003+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

My work specially the existing one has taken me places however much has changed since "actually" I begun to travel. Clutched firm diary bags with hovering innocuous and disinterested expressions giving way to swanky machines on now slightly shrugged shoulders but with bearing sensitivity of places and people, a “thinking and observing” journey replacing the boring travel in itself.

Every Wednesday whilst journeying to my work site we witness an amazing specter at Talwandi Sabo. Hundreds of tractors spread across multiple acreage of farm with neatly stacked up red chairs waiting to be occupied. The first day on our way we checked with our driver on the reason & he simply replied as “Mandi”. By evening whilst turning back the chairs were stewed across both neatly and abused and few being occupied by people in groups next to the tractors engaged in animated discussions. Checking again with the driver on “Mandi” with no agriculture produce in sight, he non chalantly replied “Tractor Mandi”. Questions followed the entire duration of our journey to Bhatinda and what we collected was lore of debt ridden, cash starved and depressing answers which made us a weekly participatory witness of an absolute distress agrarian issue from the perceived rich cotton growing Malwa belt region of Punjab.

Owing to my personal limitations despite the best of my desires could not afford any more contribution to figure out the reasons with ample churning until a report was forwarded to me today by a close friend through one of his groups.

This report appeared in Frontline (Hindu Publication) volume 27 – issue 15 :: July 17 -30, 2010 done by Ajay Ashirwad Mahaprashasta. Reproduced below:

Report :

Tractors for sale

in Bhatinda & JIND

Farmers and farm labourers are in distress even in Punjab and Haryana, ‘success stories' of the Green Revolution.

TRACTORS of all makes, old and new, are lined up as far as the eye can see on the fields at Talwandi Sabo, an important tehsil in Bhatinda district of Punjab. On the highway cutting through the fields there are more of them, and drivers have a hard time trying to find parking space. In all, there are nearly 5,000 tractors. Stationed among the heavy farming vehicles are commission agents in different groups. To an outsider, it is the perfect image of the Green Revolution that brought glory to Punjab in the 1960s and 1970s. It could easily pass off as a farm fair or a promotional programme on mechanised farming by the government. But the reality is biting.

Every Wednesday, Talwandi Sabo hosts the largest second-hand tractor market in the State. Most of the sellers are small and marginal farmers who are in huge debt, thanks to the oppressive inflation and unsupportive government policies in agriculture. The tractor mandi, as it is locally called, is a case study of the dying farming culture of Punjab.

Gurvinder Singh, a small farmer who once owned four acres (one acre is 0.4 hectare) of land, bought a tractor two years ago. He could not afford the rising cost of diesel over the years and has now brought it for distress sale. “Successive governments in Punjab have done hardly anything to provide us adequate electricity. We have to use diesel for almost everything – tractors, submersible motors, and harvesting equipment. In the last two years, prices of all supplies have increased so much that I had to sell an acre of land. Now I cultivate only an acre and have given the other two acres on contract to a big farmer. I desperately wish that my tractor is sold today,” he says.

Intriguingly, Tejwinder Singh is at the mandi to sell his one-day-old tractor! He finds it hard to give his family two square meals a day with the two acres of land he owns. He bought the tractor on an agricultural loan. His logic is strange: “I have no money to marry off my daughter. I am in huge debt to private financiers. So I decided to buy a tractor on loan and then come to the mandi the next day to sell it and get some cash.”

While he has to pay the bank in instalments, he will get a lump sum at the mandi to marry off his daughter and even to survive for a few months. What, however, he does not realise is that he is falling into a spiral of debt. The new tractor cost him Rs.5 lakh plus 9 per cent interest. He plans to sell it off at Rs.3.5 lakh, the mandi rate. For Tejwinder, that is the only alternative.

The tractor mandi, which began in 1989, picked up business only in the mid-1990s, says Gurcharan Singh, the pradhan, or president, of the mandi. “In the last two years, the number of tractors coming here has increased. Earlier it was not more than 1,000; these days it is nothing fewer than 5,000 a day,” he says. The agents who help the farmers sell the tractors too are one-time farmers who left their unprofitable vocation.

Gurcharan says the number of buyers, too, has fallen. “There are some farmers who come here to sell their high-capacity tractors and buy smaller ones. This suggests that a small farmer's capacity is decreasing. The only ones who can afford the rising cost of agriculture are big farmers with more than 50 acres of land because they saved a lot of money in the heyday of the Green Revolution. In addition, these farmers have other businesses that help them afford better lifestyles,” he says.

The big farmers, however, are a minuscule minority in Punjab, which has a poor record of land reforms. Sukhpal Singh, a senior economist at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, noted that out of 10 lakh farmer families in the State, only 9,000 had more than 50 acres of land. As many as 11,000 families owned between 25 and 50 acres, while the rest had less than 12.5 acres. The bulk of them owned less than four acres.

Marginal farmers

The situation is no different in the Malwa region, which comprises most of southern and central Punjab and is the heart of the Green Revolution. In Tamkot village, all farmers except one or two have less than five acres each of land. Of them, 80 per cent have abandoned farming.

Nirmal Singh and his wife, Sukhwinder Kaur, once owned 2.5 acres of land. But the rising input costs put the couple in deep debt, and all they have now is 0.6 acre.

Nirmal has already sold his tractor. Modan Singh, Nirmal's neighbour, is left with 0.25 acre of the six acres he had. Both the families are in debt. Between them, they owe at least Rs.20,000 to the local grocers. To cut costs, both have stopped using spices in their food. To top it all, both have surreptitiously started going to the morning labour markets in nearby Mansa town in search of work. That is the worst that can happen to a farmer in Punjab. But even this does not help: work is not available for more than 10 days in a month.

Haryana's woes

The case of Haryana, another great beneficiary of the Green Revolution, is similar. Most of the small farmers are Ahirs or poor Jats. They have been suffering because of the rising production cost in agriculture. What differentiates Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh from the rest of the country's agrarian belts is their dependence on mechanised farming, thanks to the Green Revolution. Elsewhere in the country it is subsistence farming.

PROSPECTIVE BUYERS INSPECTING second-hand tractors displayed at the tractor mandi at Talwandi Sabo in Bhatinda district in Punjab. No fewer than 5,000 tractors are brought for sale to the mandi.

With economic liberalisation, the government gradually started withdrawing the benefits that it once gave these farmers. The same mechanised high-productivity farming, the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and modern irrigation rather than rain-fed agriculture now became a burden to them. The farmers were left high and dry as the markets opened up and the prices of crops did not rise as expected. Since April 1, the Union government has decontrolled the prices of all fertilizers except urea. At a grain market in Jind, Haryana, trader Suresh Kumar showed Frontline a price list. In 2007, a 50-kg packet of urea cost less than Rs.150; it now sells for Rs.265. The prices of DAP, or diammonium phosphate (which also comes in 50-kg packets), and zinc (10-kg packets) have gone up by almost 200 per cent in the last five years. Seed prices have increased by more than 120 per cent.

In order to cultivate one acre of land, a farmer needs at least 10 packets of different fertilizers, says Suresh Kumar. Diesel prices have gone up from Rs.22 to Rs.38 in the last two years. All this means that a farmer has to spend double the amount of what he had to spend three years ago for an acre of land.

Mostly, paddy, wheat and cotton are cultivated in these areas. Last year, cotton prices plummeted to an all-time low. “Small farmers also lease out land from big farmers. Five years ago, the lease was Rs.5,000 to Rs.6,000 an acre, but these days the rates have shot up to Rs.40,000,” Suresh Kumar says. Last year's drought brought more misery to the farmers.

Rajvinder Singh Rana, State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist Liberation), makes specific observations about the change the price rise has caused in Haryana and Punjab. Once farmers had a good number of domesticated animals, but now many are being sold off. In the past few years farmers have begun to sell all their milk. In short, the food basket of Punjab is diminishing.

He also points to the vicious cycle of debt that the farmers are in. The lack of adequate institutional financing drives many small farmers to grain commission agents who lend money to them at more than 25 per cent interest, he says. “There is also a reverse pattern in leasing out land,” he says. “Earlier big farmers used to rent out their land at very high rates. But these days, lack of capital and huge debts are forcing small farmers to rent out whatever little land they have to big farmers at half or less than half the market price. The rich farmers are thus getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.”

According to Rana, the growing inequalities have also led to a higher crime rate than earlier in the States. In Punjab, many people are getting addicted to cheap narcotic drugs because of distress, he says.

Rana says the commission agents dictate terms to the farmers now. “Marginal farmers get money from these agents, but their profits are so low that they are unable to pay the agents back. In order to survive, the farmers pay back the agents in instalments at higher rates of interest and get into an unofficial contract where the agents ask the farmers to buy ration, groceries and clothes from shops where they have fixed commissions. The price here is higher than the market price. This is a vicious circle of debt which the farmers cannot escape. Such forms of bondage can be seen across Punjab and Haryana,” says Rana.

Pushed to the wall, many of them are ready to work as causal labourers. In one of his studies, Sukhpal Singh of PAU writes about farmers joining the unskilled labour force: “The process of de-peasantisation in Punjab began since the early 1990s and gathered momentum since 2000. More than two lakh small/marginal farmers have left farming due to economic distress. An extensive field survey showed that 22 per cent joined the labour market, 23 per cent joined the low-paid private/government jobs and 27 per cent started some low-skill self-employed venture…. There are no strategies to assist them. Those who sold land in distress to repay old debts were not better off. Ten per cent were living on meagre land rent as ‘distress-rentiers' and are more prone to drug addiction. Those who left since long have again become worse off.”

Agricultural labourers

If that is the worst that can happen to a farmer, the condition of agricultural labourers is beyond words. Traditionally, Jat Sikhs in Punjab and Jats in Haryana have owned the bulk of the cultivable land, and Dalits have worked in their fields. But the mounting pressure on farmers to cut costs has resulted in the exploitation of agricultural workers. Most of these workers stay in separate colonies in a village (mostly on the western underdeveloped side of the village) in temporary shacks with bare minimum essentials to survive. The landlords often pay them a pittance.

Frontline visited two such villages in the Malwa region in Punjab – Khiala and Tamkot in Mansa district – and one in Haryana, Utla in Jind district. In the past five years, both States have seen a huge influx of agricultural workers from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, where survival has been even more difficult. This has led to a bitter conflict between local agricultural labourers and the migrant workers. Migrant workers who are ready to work 24 hours, guard the fields and work for low wages out of sheer necessity have become the favourites of landlords.

Last year, at Khiala village, local agricultural workers led a movement demanding minimum wages from the landlords and proper housing from the government (“Promised land”, Frontline, July 17, 2009). They were arrested and the Jat Sikh landlords boycotted them for several days. Darshan Singh, an agricultural worker at Tamkot, stays in a 10 x12 feet house, which has no electricity. “I can offer you tea but without sugar or milk,” he says, adding that he has stopped buying these items. He lost his arm in an accident while working in the field six years ago. His wife, Sarjeet Kaur, is now the breadwinner of the family with two children. But work is not there for more than 10 days in a month.

WAITING FOR WORK at the labour mandi in Mansa town in Punjab. With agriculture becoming unviable, many farmers have joined the labour force.

Sarjeet Kaur says they have stopped eating dal. Instead, they eat only rotis and achar (pickle). “Some farmers have given me their goats and buffaloes to take care of. They have promised to give me half the amount when they sell them,” she says.

In the run-up to the last parliamentary elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) government in Punjab fixed an electricity meter at Darshan's house to lure him to vote for the party. (The party is run mostly by Jat Sikhs.) Three months later, the family got an electricity bill for Rs.25,000, for running one bulb and a fan. When Darshan could not pay, the electricity connection was cut.

This is the story of many agricultural workers in Khiala and Tamkot and many other villages of Punjab and Haryana.

It is 24x7 work for almost eight months of the farming season for Md. Azeem and 15 of his friends who migrated to Utla village in Jind district from Purnea in Bihar. He says he earns up to Rs.12,000, but his cost of living has increased so much that he can send only slightly more than Rs.5,000 to feed five mouths back home. He has no other choice as floods in the Kosi river have destroyed his fields in his native place.

“The only respite for the local agricultural workers is the MGNREGS [Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme] which gets them work, but even that is not for more than 50 days a year,” says Bhagwant Samaon of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha.

“The rest of the days, the workers have to find work at labour markets, but there, too, the days of work do not cross 10 days a month. The workers walk or cycle 25 km to reach the nearest town to find work in these markets but return empty-handed. When they get work, they return with a maximum of Rs.150 a day, which should feed them until they find more work. I have never seen such insecurity among agricultural workers in years.”

Fall in labour

Sukhpal Singh of PAU says after cultivators, agricultural labour is the largest rural worker category: they account for 30.5 per cent of total workers, slightly lower than that for India as a whole (31.8 per cent). “The demand for human labour in the farm sector in Punjab has decreased significantly since the late 1980s [after the introduction of technology in farming]. On the basis of per hectare labour use in the crop sector, the demand for human labour is estimated to have fallen from 479.3 million mandays in 1983-84 to 421.93 million mandays in 2000-01.”

Consequently, farmers and agricultural workers are driven to suicide. A census conducted in the two districts of Bhatinda and Sangrur shows that from 2000 to 2008, there were 2,890 suicides by farmers and agricultural labourers. Of this, 1,133 (39.2 per cent) were agricultural labourers. Debt forced 1,288 farmers to take their own lives; 469 committed suicide for other reasons. While 671 farm labourers committed suicide owing to indebtedness, the remaining 462 did it for other reasons. Today, both farmers and agricultural workers fear that big farmers and agro-companies will buy off their lands and eventually they will have to work in their own fields as labourers. Their fears are not out of place. Suneet Chopra of the All India Agricultural Workers Union makes a detailed analysis of how the government is pushing farmers to the brink so that the multinational companies can take over.

“The diesel price was hiked at a time when farmers were getting ready to sow the fields and required diesel. It is even worse when the supply of electricity is low for the farmers. Grains are rotting in the godowns instead of being distributed to the poor through the public distribution system. Fertilizer prices have increased,” he says.

He says the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in the first United Progressive Alliance government closed down seven public sector fertilizer plants, saying that the production costs were $120 a tonne when the country could import it for $84. “But when a market like India becomes a consumer, the prices are bound to go up. Today, we are buying fertilizer for $250 a tonne. There is a complete lack of institutional finances, leading to huge debts among farmers. One must also realise the systematic neglect of agriculture and farmers. While the industrial sector gets loans at 4 per cent interest, the farmers are charged 9 per cent. This shows that the government is engineering the inflation,” Chopra says.

He says the government is spending less on rural development than before. The Budget expenditure on rural development and agriculture was 15 per cent of the total Budget outlay in the early 1980s. It was 6 per cent in 2009-10, he says.

“It is not a surprise then that the farmer in Punjab or Haryana has to spend around Rs.2 lakh to get a submersible motor to drain out water from the ground. The government's argument that groundwater levels are decreasing is absurd. It is its duty to provide them irrigation facilities. Because of such cruel government policies, the percentage contribution of agriculture to the GDP has come down to 15.74 per cent from nearly 30 per cent in the 1980s. However, the percentage of people working in the agrarian sector is more or less the same [around 52 per cent of the total workforce],” Chopra says.

He says allowing futures trading in commodities and opening up the market to multinationals are an incentive for hoarding and contribute to inflation. “During the National Democratic Alliance's regime, the Australian Wheat Board bought most of the wheat in Punjab at around Rs.850 a tonne. A food crisis in India followed, after which the government purchased the same wheat at around Rs.1,250 a tonne. In such situations, the government takes care to lure big landlords by supporting khaps and Jat Sikhs and talks about social problems as isolated ones, separate from production issues, so that real economic issues could be kept at bay,” Chopra says.

Vidrabha Jan Andolan Samiti Demands Ban on ‘Peepli Live’...

2010-08-16T10:24:00.001+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

Nagpur -Saturday, 14 August, 2010,

Some restrain and sensitivity to issues should be manifested in articulating art forms – Peepli Live, is one example. Satire loses its edge to causes of farmer suicides….if people are left laughing and amused with distorted facts, than left thinking for reasons and plagued miseries of giving up on life !

Report:

Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) , farmers advocacy group in vidarbha ,the epicenter of Indian ‘Agrarian crisis’ which has claimed 2,00,000 farmers suicides in last decade and Maharashtra western region which is termed as dying field of cotton farmers where more than 40,000 farmers committed suicides has objected the basic theme and script of film Peepli Live produced by a mainstream filmmaker Aamir Khan and Directed by Anusha Rizvi that the ‘farmer is committing suicide for compensation’ , released yesterday and urged Maharashtra Govt. to ban it’s screening immediately as it is hurting sentiments of 8 millions of distressed and debt trapped farmers of Maharashtra who are being forced to commit suicide due to wrong policies of Indian Government .

Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) president Kishor Tiwari has written letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan urging him to ban the screening of movie and appoint agrarian experts to look in to objections of the farm activist as the massage of the film is taking farm suicide in to very damaging turn and diverting from the basic issues and reasons of agrarian crisis and further filming of the movie will create law and order problem in state ,tiwari added in the letter.

‘Initially TV serial ‘Bairi Piya’ has shown that debt trapped vidrabha farmers are selling daughters for clearing the debt now Peepli Live movie has shown Natha, a poor farmer from Peepli village in the heart of rural India is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid government loan has got a quick fix to the problem is the very same government’s program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide and as a means of survival Farmer Natha can choose to die and futher shown that His brother is happy to push him towards this unique ‘honour’ of suicide but Natha is reluctant ,this is totally untrue too much twisted from the ground reality and insult of poor millions of dying farmers of vidarbha who are the victims of globalization and wrong policies of the state hence we are disturbed .

VJAS respect social commitment of Amir Khan and other part of movie exposing the reality behind media houses, politicians, bureaucrats and their apathetic approach towards problems and shocking truth that India promotes itself as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but the film shows the miserable condition of farmers who continue to end their lives after living in extreme poverty but he should have consulted rural crisis expert before finalizing script that our objection ’Tiwari said

‘Peepli Live has made big question mark to 1,60,000 farm widows who are demanding compensation after their bread earner farmer committee suicide due to debt and crop failure as this movie shows that vidarbha cotton farmers are committing suicides for getting aid where as Govt. of Maharashtra has rejected more than 90% cases of farm suicides without even visiting house of dying family members of debt trapped farmer more Peepli Live will give strong support to politicians, bureaucrats and their apathetic approach towards problems that farmers are not forced to kill themselves where as they themselves killing for compensation hence we demand the ban of the film and cancellation censorship certificate to the film’ Tiwari urged.

हमारे सैकड़ों भोपाल

2010-06-16T17:51:00.003+05:30

By Shri. Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik :

भोपाल का हादसा हमारे हिंदुस्तान का सच्चा आइना है भोपाल ने बता दिया है कि हम लोग कैसे हैं, हमारे नेता कैसे हैं, हमारी सरकारें और अदालतें कैसी हैं कुछ भी नहीं बदला है ढाई सौ साल पहले हम जैसे थे, आज भी वैसे ही हैं गुलाम, ढुलमुल और लापरवाह ! अब से 264 साल पहले पांडिचेरी के फ्रांसीसी गवर्नर के चंद सिपाहियों ने कर्नाटक-नवाब की 10 हजार जवानों की फौज को रौंद डाला यूरोप के मुकाबले भारत की प्रथम पराजय का यह दौर अब भी जारी है यूनियन कार्बाइड हो या डाऊ केमिकल्स हो या परमाणु हर्जाना हो, हर मौके पर हमारे नेता गोरी चमड़ी के आगे घुटने टेक देते हैं

आखिर इसका कारण क्या है ? हमारी केंद्र और राज्य की सरकारों ने वारेन एंडरसन को भगाने में मदद क्यों की ? कीटनाशक कारखाने को मनुष्यनाशक क्यों बनने दिया ? 20 हजार मृतकों और एक लाख आहतों के लिए सिर्फ 15 हजार और पांच हजार रू. प्रति व्यक्ति मुआवजा स्वीकार क्यों किया गया ? उस कारखाने के नए मालिक डाऊ केमिकल्स को शेष जहरीले कचरे को साफ करने के लिए मजबूर क्यों नहीं किया गया ? इन सब सवालों का जवाब एक ही है कि भारत अब भी अपनी दिमागी गुलामी से मुक्त नहीं हुआ है

सबसे पहला सवाल तो यही है कि यूनियन कार्बाइड जैसे कारखाने भारत में लगते ही कैसे हैं ? कोई भी तकनीक, कोई भी दवा, कोई भी जीवन-शैली पश्चिम में चल पड़ी तो हमें उसे आंख मींचकर अपना लेते हैं हम यह क्यों नहीं सोचते कि यह नई चीज़ हमारे कितनी अनुकूल है जिस कारखाने की गैस इतनी जहरीली है कि जिससे हजारों-लाखों लोग मर जाएं, उससे बने कीटनाशक यदि हमारी फसलों पर छिड़के जाएंगे तो कीड़े-मकोड़े तो तुरंत मरेंगे लेकिन क्या उससे मनुष्यों के मरने का भी अदृश्य और धीमा इंतजाम नहीं होगा ? इसी प्रकार हमारी सरकारें आजकल परमाणु-ऊर्जा के पीछे हाथ धोकर पड़ी हुई हैं वे किसी भी क़ीमत पर उसे भारत लाकर उससे बिजली पैदा करना चाहती हैं

बिजली पैदा करने के बाकी सभी तरीके अब बेकार लगने लगे हैं यह बेहद खर्चीली और खतरनाक तकनीक यदि किसी दिन कुपित हो गई तो एक ही रात में सैकड़ों भोपाल हो जाएंगे रूस के चेर्नोबिल और न्यूयार्क के थ्रीमाइललाँग आइलेंड में हुए परमाणु रिसाव तो किसी बड़ी भयावह फिल्म का एक छोटा-सा ट्रेलर भर हैं यदि हमारी परमाणु भटि्रठयों में कभी रिसाव हो गया तो पता नहीं कितने शहर और गांव या प्रांत के प्रांत साफ हो जाएंगे

इतनी भयावह तकनीकों को भारत लाने के पहले क्या हमारी तैयारी ठीक-ठाक होती है ? बिल्कुल नहीं परमाणु-बिजली और जहरीले कीटनाशकों की बात जाने दें, हमारे देश में जितनी मौतें रेल और कारों से होती हैं, दुनिया में कहीं नहीं होतीं अकेले मुंबई शहर में पिछले पांच साल में रेल-दुर्घटनाओं में 20706 लोग मारे गए भोपाल में तो उस रात सिर्फ 3800 लोग मारे गए थे और 20 हजार का आंकड़ा तो कई वर्षों का है

यदि पूरे देश पर नज़र दौड़ाएँ तो लगेगा कि भारत में हर साल एक न एक भोपाल होता ही रहता है इस भोपाल का कारण कोई आसमानी-सुलतानी नहीं है, बल्कि इंसानी है इंसानी लापरवाही है इसे रोकने का तगड़ा इंतजाम भारत में कहीं नहीं है यूनियन कार्बाइड के टैंक 610 और 611 को फूटना ही है, उनमें से गैस रिसेगी ही यह पहले से पता था, फिर भी कोई सावधानी नहीं बरती गई इस लापरवाही के लिए सिर्फ यूनियन कार्बाइड ही जिम्मेदार नहीं है, हमारी सरकारें भी पूरी तरह जिम्मेदार हैं यूनियन कार्बाइड का कारखाना किसी देश का दूतावास नहीं है कि उसे भारत के क्षेत्रधिकार से बाहर मान लिया जाए भोपाल की मौतों के लिए जितनी जिम्मेदार यूनियन कार्बाइड है, उतनी ही भारत सरकार भी है जैसे रेल और कार-दुर्घटनाओं के कारण इस देश में कोई फांसी पर नहीं लटकता, वैसे ही वारेन एंडरसन भी निकल भागता है

एंडरसन के पलायन पर जैसी शर्मनाक तू-तू-मैं-मैं हमारे यहां हो रही है, वैसी क्या किसी लोकतंत्र् में होती है ? अगर भारत की जगह जापान होता तो कई कलंकित नेता या उन मृत नेताओं के रिश्तेदार आत्महत्या कर लेते हमारे यहां बेशर्मी का बोलबाला है हमारे नेताओं को दिसंबर के उस पहले सप्ताह में तय करना था कि किसका कष्ट ज्यादा बड़ा है, एंडरसन का या लाखों भोपालियों का ? उन्होंने अपने पत्ते एंडरसन के पक्ष में डाल दिए ? आखिर क्यों ? क्या इसलिए नहीं कि भोपाल में मरनेवालों के जीवन की क़ीमत कीड़े-मकोड़े से ज्यादा नहीं थी और एंडरसन गौरांग शक्ति और श्रेष्ठता का प्रतीक था हमारे भद्रलोक के तार अब भी पश्चिम से जुड़े हैं दिमागी गुलामी ज्यों की त्यों बरकरार है यदि एंडरसन गिरफ्तार हुआ रहता तो उसे फांसी पर चढ़ाया जाता या नहीं, लेकिन यह जरूर होता कि यूनियन कार्बाइड को 15 हजार रू. प्रति व्यक्ति नहीं, कम से कम 15 लाख रू. प्रति व्यक्ति मुआवज़ा देने के लिए मजबूर होना पड़ता यह मुआवज़ा भी मामूली ही होता, क्योंकि अभी मेक्सिकों की खाड़ी में जो तेल रिसाव चल रहा है, उसके कारण मरनेवाले दर्जन भर लोगों को करोड़ों रू. प्रति व्यक्ति के हिसाब से मुआवज़ा मिलनेवाला है

असली बात यह है कि औसत हिंदुस्तानी की जान बहुत सस्ती है यही हादसा भोपाल में अगर श्यामला हिल्स और दिल्ली में रायसीना हिल्स के पास हो जाता तो नक्शा ही कुछ दूसरा होता ये नेताओं के मोहल्ले हैं भोपाल में वह गरीब-गुरबों का मोहल्ला था ये लोग बेजुबान और बेअसर हैं जिंदगी में तो वे जानवरों की तरह गुजर करते हैं, मौत में भी हमने उन्हें जानवर बना दिया है यही हमारा लोकतंत्र् है हमारी अदालतें काफी ठीक-ठाक हैं लेकिन जब गरीब और बेजुबान का मामला हो तो उनकी निर्ममता देखने लायक होती है

सामूहिक हत्या को कार-दुर्घटना-जैसा रूप देनेवाली हमारी सबसे बड़ी अदालत को क्या कहा जाए ? क्या ये अदालतें हमारे प्रधानमंत्र्ियों के हत्यारों के प्रति भी वैसी ही लापरवाही दिखा सकती थीं, जैसी कि उन्होंने 20 हजार भोपालियों की हत्या के प्रति दिखाई है ? पता नहीं, हमारी सरकारों और अदालतों पर डॉलर का चाबुक कितना चला लेकिन यह तर्क बिल्कुल बोदा है कि अमेरिकी पंूजी भारत से पलायन न कर जाए, इस डर के मारे ही हमारी सरकारों ने एंडरसन को अपना दामाद बना लिया

पता नहीं, हम क्या करेंगे, इस विदेशी पूंजी का ? जो विदेशी पंूजी हमारे नागरिकों को कीड़ा-मकोड़ा बनाती हो, उसे हम दूर से ही नमस्कार क्यों नहीं करते ? यह ठीक है कि जो मर गए, वे लौटनेवाले नहीं और यह भी साफ है कि जो भुगत रहे हैं, उन्हें कोई राहत मिलनेवाली नहीं है लेकिन चिंता यही है कि हमारी सरकारें और अदालतें अब भी भावी भोपालों और भावी चेर्नोबिलों से सचेत हुई हैं या नहीं ? यदि सचेत हुई होतीं तो परमाणु हर्जाने के सवाल पर हमारा ऊँट जीरा क्यों चबा रहा होता ?

(Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik is well known scholar, political analyst, orator and a columnist on national and international affairs)

Their Final Letters - Vidarbha Farmer Suicides

2010-05-23T11:21:00.005+05:30

By Shri P. Sainath :

Seeking authenticity for his letter to the Prime Minister and the President, Ramachandra Raut composed it with care on Rs.100 non-judicial stamp paper. Then he added a few more addressees, including his village sarpanch and the police, in the hope that it got home someplace. Then he killed himself. A mere digit in the nearly 250 farm suicides that hit Vidarbha in four months; but a villager desperate to be heard on the reasons for his action: “The two successive years of crop failure is the reason.” Yet, “bank employees came twice to my home to recover my loans”. (Despite a government order to go slow on recovery in a region hit by crisis, crop failure and more recently, drought).

Raut's suicide being the third in a month in Dhotragoan in Washim district, the village wants to see it spreads no further. “We try and meet every evening for an hour, all of us, anyone who will come,” says Nandkishore Shankar Raut from Dhotragaon. “The idea is to keep people's morale up.” So Dhotragaon counsels itself. Ramachandra Raut's letter was also an appeal not to be misunderstood. “Don't trouble anyone in my home,” it tells the police. “I am fully responsible for my action.” The stamp paper suicide note carries the seal of the deputy treasury officer of Mangrulpir tehsil dated March 29, and that of the stamp vendor who issued it to Raut on April 7. Raut filled it in and took his life the same day.

The family owes the banks Rs.1.5 lakh ($3,285). His village pooled money to observe his 13th day ritual, sparing Raut's indebted family further expense.

Unique :

Vidarbha's farm suicides have been unique in one respect. Some of those taking their lives have addressed suicide notes to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister or the Finance Minister. In August 2006 Rameshwar Lonkar of Wardha complained, in his note, to Dr. Manmohan Singh, just a month after the Prime Minister went to his region. “After the Prime Minister's visit and reports of a fresh crop loan, I thought I could live again,” Lonkar wrote. But he found himself rebuffed at every stage while seeking that loan. Sahebrao Adhao's last testament in Amravati the same year painted a picture of usury, debt and land grab.

In November 2006, cotton grower Rameshwar Kuchankar addressed the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in his note. He scribbled it down moments before taking his life in Yavatmal. “We are fed up with the delay in procurement and crashing prices ... Mr. Chief Minister, give us the price.” He also warned State Home Minister R.R. Patil that if the price did not improve at once, suicides would soar. They did.

“These notes are the last cry of despair of people trying to tell their government the reasons for agrarian distress,” says Kishor Tiwari. Mr. Tiwari heads the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, a body fighting for farmers' rights. “We set up expert committees to tell us why farmers commit suicide when they are themselves telling us the reasons with such clarity in their suicide notes.” The notes often speak of debt, soaring cultivation costs, high cost of living and volatile prices. Some of them trash regressive policies and a credit crunch that have destroyed thousands of farmers here in the past decade. Crop failure and drought coming atop these, ruin fragile lives.

Two years of crop failure in a single crop district can mean 34 months with no income. Vidarbha gained little from the 2008 Farm Loan Waiver which addressed only bank debt. The waiver excluded those farmers holding more than five acres, and made no distinction between dry and irrigated holdings. In Western Vidarbha, farmers take more loans from moneylenders than from banks. And, the average land holding is around seven acres in this mostly unirrigated region.

Of the five states that account for two-thirds of all of India's farm suicides, Maharashtra is by far the worst. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) the State logged 41,404 farm suicides between 1997 and 2008. That is, more than a fifth of the national total of nearly 200,000 in that same period. Of those 12 years, NCRB data show, the years 2006-08 have been the very worst. Within the State, Vidarbha has been the focal point of the tragedy.

Back to square one :

However, the situation here seems like a throwback to that of 2005-06, before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit. Hit by a spate of suicides at the time, the State government spoke in many voices. In mid-2005, it gave out a figure of just 141 distress suicides across the whole State since 2001. Challenged in court, it revised this to 524. When the National Commission of Farmers team led by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan visited later the same year, it conceded there had been over 300 in the single district of Yavatmal. The final figure for the whole State that year, put out by the NCRB, was actually 3,926 suicides.

“For a while,” says Mr. Tiwari of the VJAS, “the State revealed real numbers on the website of the Vasantrao Naik Farmers' Self-Reliance Mission. That was because of Dr. Singh's visit and a lashing from the courts.” In fact, those figures were far higher than anything even the VJAS had recorded. This year, however, the website's columns for 2010 are so far blank. The Agriculture Ministry's reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, based on State claims, says just 23 farm suicides occurred between January and April 8.

This, even as other arms of government (and the Leader of the Opposition) put out figures ten times as high. The Vasantrao Naik Mission has itself given out signed data confirming there were 62 such deaths in January alone. (Though it has not put this up on its website.)

The numbers are routinely lowered by tagging hundreds of suicides as “non-genuine”. That is, “ineligible for compensation”. Aimed at curbing the amounts the State has to fork out to bereaved families, this move has caused much damage. “We are deluding ourselves,” says a senior official. “No wonder Ramachandra Raut felt the need to address his letter on stamp paper to the Prime Minister and President as well. He knew nothing would be taken seriously here in Maharashtra.”

Shri P. Sainath is the rural affairs editor of The Hindu, where this piece appears, and is the author of Everybody Loves a Good Drought: Stories From India's Poorest Districts.

(Shri P Sainath Ji is also amongst the many inspirations behind starting of this social reporting blog "antyoday")

नाकारा राज्य संस्था ही नक्सल आंदोलन के बढ़ाव के लिए जिम्मेदारः गोविंदाचार्य

2010-04-22T17:26:00.001+05:30

राष्ट्रवादी मोर्चा के संरक्षक श्री के.एन. गोविंदाचार्य ने कहा, ‘नक्सलवाद स्वंय में कारण नहीं बल्कि संवेदनहीन नाकारा सरकारों की प्रतिक्रिया भर है। यह कोई आतंकवाद नहीं है। हमें यह समझना होगा कि नक्सलवाद को प्राथमिक स्तर पर स्थानीय समर्थन प्राप्त है। ऊपर से विदेशी मदद उन्हें और भी घातक बना रहा है। यह कोई विदेशी हमला नहीं है, बल्कि घरेलू राष्ट्रीय समस्या है।’

राष्ट्रीय राजधानी में एक पत्रकार वार्ता में गोविंदाचार्य ने कहा, ‘दंतेवाड़ा की घटना के लिए छत्तीसगढ़ के मुख्यमंत्री समेत देश के गृहमंत्री, प्रधानमंत्री और राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा परिषद ही कसूरवार है। इस घटना के कुछेक दिनों बाद कांग्रेस पार्टी के महासचिव और मध्य प्रदेश के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री श्री दिग्विजय सिंह के गृहमंत्री श्री पी चिदंबरम के बारे में व्यक्त अभिमत से मैं सहमत हंू। वह यह कि श्री चिदंबरम का अड़ियल सर्वज्ञ स्वभाव भी नक्सली समस्या के समाधान में बहुत बड़ी बाधा है। पार्टी अनुशासन से बंधे दिग्विजय सिंह इतने भर से बहुत कुछ बयान कर गए हैं। यह जरूरी है कि उनके बयान को दलगत राजनीति से परे होकर नक्सली समस्या के संदर्भ में देखा जाए।’

उन्होंने कहा, ‘जहां एक तरफ दंतेवाड़ा जैसी घटना को अंजाम देने वाले नक्सलवादियों को यह समझ लेना चाहिए कि भारत जैसे देश में वे अपने उद्देश्यों को हिंसा की राह पर चलकर कभी प्राप्त नहीं कर सकेंगे। वहीं दूसरी तरफ भारत सरकार व अन्य राज्य सरकारों को यह गांठ बांधने की जरूरत है कि वे नक्सलवाद को महज कानून व्यवस्था की समस्या मानकर सरकारी हिंसा के बल पर उन्हें काबू में नहीं कर सकेंगे।’

उन्होंने नक्सलवाद के विस्तार के लिए राजनीतिक व्यवस्था को जिम्मेदार ठहराते हुए कहा, ‘देश के पिछड़े इलाकों में नक्सलवाद का फैलाव इस बात का प्रमाण है कि राजसत्ता अपने उद्देश्य में विफल रही है। राजसत्ता का यह परम कर्तव्य है कि वह समाज के उन वर्गों का बचाव करे जो स्वयं अपना बचाव नहीं कर सकते हैं। देश की संवैधानिक व्यवस्था सामान्य आदमी के काम नहीं आ रही है। इस सामाजिक-आर्थिक यथार्थ से नक्सलवाद को ताकत मिल रही है।’

गोविंदाचार्य ने कहा, ‘सैकड़ों वर्षों से प्राकृतिक संसाधनों पर निर्भर रहने वाले वंचित गरीब आदिवासी अपनी ही जमीन व जंगल से खदेड़े जा रहे हैं। सेठों, बिचौलियों, खदान मालिकों और देशी-विदेशी उद्योग घरानों के पक्ष में केंद्र सरकार व प्रदेशों की सरकारें कार्य कर रही हैं। संवैधानिक रास्तों से भी गरीब वंचित लोगों की सुनवाई नहीं हो रही है। भारतपरस्त और गरीबपरस्त राजनैतिक ताकत के उभार के अभाव में वर्तमान सामाजिक, आर्थिक स्थितियों का लाभ अराजक तत्व ही उठा रहे हैं। आम आदमी दुत्कार भर झेल रहा है। इससे नक्सलवाद लगातार मजबूत हो रहा है।’

उन्होंने कहा, ‘विगत 40 वर्षों में नक्सलवादियों ने राजसत्ता के चरित्र और दलीय राजनीति की विसंगतियों का अपने फैलाव के लिए भरपूर इस्तेमाल किया है। यह महज संयोग नहीं है कि आंध्र प्रदेश में नक्सली कमांडरों के पकड़े जाने की स्थिति में तत्कालीन मुख्यमंत्री ने सुरक्षित निकासी की व्यवस्था की थी। नक्सल प्रभावित क्षेत्रों में सत्तारुढ़ दलों के उम्मीदवारों की चुनावी जीत राजनैतिक दलों की नक्सलवादियों से सांठगांठ का नतीजा है।’

इस समस्या की समाधान की राह बताते हुए उन्होंने कहा, ‘जमीन अधिग्रहण, खाद्य सुरक्षा कानून गरीबोन्मुखी बने। बेदखली, विस्थापन, पलायन को मुख्य समस्या मानकर समाधान की नीतियां तैयार हों। जीडीपी की दर पर जोर न देकर अंत्योदय, जन सहभागिता, सत्ता के विकेंद्रीकरण पर जोर दिया जाए। भूख और बेरोजगारी को नीतियों की धूरी बनाई जाए। खदान, उद्योग, सेज आदि की अनुमति देते समय जन मिल्कियत को आधारभूत तत्व बनाया जाए। शासन-प्रशासन जनता के मन में विश्वसनीयता अर्जित कर पाए, इस बाबत अनुभवी लोगों से परामर्श कर योजना बनाई जाए।

राष्ट्रवादी मोर्चा संवेदनशील परिणामकारी शासन एवं प्रशासन हेतु पहल करेगा साथ ही देश में वातावरण भी बनाएगा।’

Nanaji Deshmukh passes away

2010-03-01T09:42:00.003+05:30

Sangh Parivar veteran and the former Rajya Sabha member, Nanaji Deshmukh, passed away here on Saturday at the age of 94.He breathed his last at the premises of India’s first rural university that he established in this temple town bordering Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, his close associate Sharda Prasad Dwivedi said.

Mr. Deshmukh was unwell for some time due to age-related ailments and had refused to be taken to Delhi for treatment. The Padma Vibhushan awardee had donated his body for medical research.

Born in Kadoli in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district on October 11, 1916, Mr. Deshmukh founded the Deendayal Research Institute here and was credited with exemplary work in education, health and rural self-reliance.He was also instrumental in carrying out a social restructuring programme in over 500 villages in both the States.

Mr. Deshmukh established the Chitrakoot Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya here — the country’s first rural university — and was its chancellor.

Senior BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee said Nanaji was an expert at handling challenges and was a dedicated social worker, lifelong pracharak of the RSS, senior politician and a visionary.

“He was an expert in handling challenges. There was a magnetic attraction in his personality and whoever came in touch with him remained with him throughout,” Mr. Vajpayee said, adding: “By voluntarily disassociating himself from politics, he became a role model…his death is a loss to society and me personally.”

BJP president Nitin Gadkari also condoled Mr. Deshmukh’s death. “Nanaji was one of the modern rishis of India. One of the early architects of the Jan Sangh, Nanaji firmly stood for true value-based politics. He could rightly be described as idealism personified,” Mr. Gadkari said. He said Mr. Deshmukh’s courage of conviction was so strong that he left active politics when he was almost at the pinnacle.

Senior leader L.K. Advani said he would not celebrate Holi or any other festivities related to it as a mark of respect to the deceased leader.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, in his condolence message, said: “In the death of Nanaji, India has lost an elder statesman, a patriot, and a role model.”

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the RSS also condoled his death. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat condoled Mr. Deshmukh’s death on behalf of the Sangh.

Mr. Deshmukh’s body was flown to Delhi from Chitrakoot on Sunday for his followers to pay their respects, before it was donated to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

His body was brought to Delhi around 2.30 p.m. and was kept at Keshavkunj, the RSS’ office, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. for his followers and admirers to pay their last respects.

As per Mr. Deshmukh’s wish, his body was donated to AIIMS for medical research.

Source : PTI

Crisis in our backyard - Secularism, the way it was, the way it is...

2010-01-17T13:14:00.003+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

Secularity as practice and Secular being in approach has ancient linkages to our glorious past where the concept of “Sarv Dharam Sambhav” has been enshrined in the sociological fabric of our nation. The term “secular” was incorporated in our Constitution to effectively weave this fabric closer and achieve plurality in our new system which would form the foundation of our governance, with boundaries only set in from geographical perspective. Self engineering of this concept however now sadly reflects just a symbolic expression in the Constitution. The warmth of this spirit of secularity in Bhartiye background is missing. It doesn’t lead our nation of multiple diversity to achieve its place in the new millennia. The society and polity is shattered with a dichotomy of principles suiting individual interest and definition of secularism has been distorted. The important issues which succumb immediately at the altar are religion, policies emanating from religious practices, professing faith. It has also divided politics on the basis of majority & minority. The function of the state to maintain its neutrality is compromised when the governance policies midwife the decisions to breach the sanctity of constitutional norms, and its Secular credentials.

Such a distortion in the field of politics influences the policy formation process. This process does not take into account the fact that Bhartiye nation and society a great civilizational past which is embedded in “Sarv Dharm Sambhavah”. The holier than thou attitude of the policy makers looks down upon the matters of faith, religious convictions. The policies tend to push the people to a corner as if, practicing their own believes is anti-secular and it tends to tilt the balance of democracy on the count of majority, minority differences. The tenants of coexistence are solidarity, reciprocity and respect towards and between religious communities however when the sole intention of democratic might rests in achieving the capture of policy formation, the power to rule and effect, it ruptures this togetherness of the system. Resultantly the grave aspect of divisive polices is carried under the umbrella of secularity and in being seen and called as Secular. This being the issue, maters of faith is compromised in favour of one section of the society and derives a dubious connotation with regard to fearness of the policies. This is when “special temporary status” accorded to Jammu & Kashmir, based on ethnicity, linguistics and demography as a result of political brow beating by a section of society is atrocious when it is justified in the name of secularism and is unheard not traded back by more than 250 year in the past history.

The charade of the symbolism of “secular” identity as a cap has been worn so many times by various political parties that it now has lost its shape happened with regard to egalitarian concept of Socialism. And it has been carried as a fruitless appendage all these years of our nation’s existence. The socialism propounded by Nehru and according temporary status to the State of Jammu & Kashmir, under Article 370 has had its own momentum. Even until last week we had the far outcry of providing “autonomy” to the State. Left to bleed, an entire population separated on religious basis though dubbed as majority in the country, the Hindu Kashmiri’s trying to find their own place under the sovereignty of the constitution have been forced to demand the homeland for themselves within their own country.

This philosophy carried by the largest tenure rule of the Congress led government has inflicted wounds on the basis of discrimination, appeasement, and policies favouring one over the other. Irony is that such discriminatory politics has the sanction of secular stamping though this smacks of sharply divisive methodology. The governments led by other political parties with an eye on minority votes have followed suit. This has generated a psychology of statelessness in the majority community.

Anything which supposedly hurts the sentiments of the minority community has been pushed aside, looked away and ignored, even if the constitutional obligation is being compromised. The state is willing to accept back the bravery medals awarded to the security personnel who defended the terrorist attack on the parliament shamelessly, yet is not willing to hang Afzal Guru who has been strictured by the Hon. Supreme Court under a death sentence. The ruling coalition thinks that by moving ahead with Afzal’s execution, they might lose the minority votes. In the other monumental case of Mumbai 26/11 some 35 Crores of tax payers largesse has been spent to in name of “protecting” single evidence of Pakistan’s role in this terrorist attack and is well kept after, whereas Sadhvi Pragya Thakur had to conduct a fast unto death to allow her to practice her religion and maintain her dignity. She was offered ‘omlette’ for breakfast and was refused food sance onions and garlics. This type of Secularity has come to bred contempt on the basic fundamental laws of the constitution and just tends to over ride on shallow assumptions.

So much so that drawn solely on aspect of singularity, a Uniform Civil Code is not acceptable; neither is the law applicable to every citizen, since they tend to interfere in the religious practice and is superseded by the supreme law, with its own independent interpretation and boundaries. Hon Supreme Court had to intervene and advise the coalition government bringing its attention to parallel Sharia Courts which are running in states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The government under the pressure of All India Muslim Personal Law Board has not even responded to these observations buckling again as was the case when the Hon Supreme Court had passed judgement in the noted Shah Bano Case.

Religious tolerance is only implied if you could share your aspect of religious chauvinism and surrender or abjure your belief for the good of the other but reciprocity of that, or even demanding the similar response in return is being dubbed as communal.

On such a sensitive issue like Shri Ram Janm Bhoomi / Babri structure truth has been sacrificed at the altar of distorted secularism. Even the Union Governments, Archaeological surveys have proved that there was indeed a temple beneath over which Babri structure was built. But despite such concrete evidences this issue is being used to exploit the secular / communal sensitivities. If the archaeological evidences were the basic requirement for solving Shri Ram Janm Bhoomi or more such issues then in Kashi (Varanasi) anybody can see the evidence on the walls of Gyanvapi Masjid today which speaks volumes of destruction of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir in the Mughal period. The Nandi of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir is facing Grabh Griha of Gyanvapi Masjid. Had the intention of the political class being honest on the issue of “Sarv Dharam Sambhavah / Secularism, Kashi Vishwanath issue could have been solved just after independence like Somnath.

Even on Shri Ram Setu, the government shamelessly had to beat a hasty embarrassing retreat in front of Hon. Supreme Court by having filed a affidavit mentioning Shri Ram’s existence as a simple mythological character. This same government came to the rescue of Muslim sentiments when the Danish Cartoon fiasco erupted in the country. This is a follow on scores of such instances stored in the recent past including Taslima Nasrin, banning of book by Salman Rushdie and preferential treatment to M.F.Hussain in the defence of Secularism.

The fact that there are more than 2 Crores of Bangladeshi infiltrators enjoying the rights of Citizenship in Bharat and ever continuing change in demographic profile of the border States has been addressed by the political class which reminds of Ostrich like stance ignoring the impending danger to sovernieghty of the country. Governments have feigned ignorance about huge amount of money being spent in proselytisation. Skewed arrangement of subsides for pilgrimage has been favoured by other minority communities as well. The demands of special status and powers to be accorded, self rule demands are constantly changing the paradigm of the country. The secular constitution was supposed to essentially protect the rights of the citizen and their equality and respect without any discrimination based either on religious, linguistic, regional or caste-creed basis.

The nation and its citizens have come closer to being concerned about the nefarious game played to suit perverted interest of this formation. Nations Youth especially today believes in finding its own ground and temperament which resonate with the ecology, temperament of the Nation and its Nationalism. It today implies to have its moorings in the glorious past of our cultural social diversity yet keeping itself high with blend of true “secularity” of absorbing, other faiths and practices and to be called as its own. This to mean, ethos’s which do not suite the tenants of our governance, policies or socio-political themes would necessary need to be changed or found alternatives. It has come to fore that all the political parties do not have the will to effect these socio-economical-cultural change. A New breed of volunteers need to come forward. Realizing the true aspect of our nationalism, with spring of enthusiasm to ensure no one is discriminated against any basis of caste, creed or religion. But to realize the vision with Nationalism at its core with an objective to stitch this shattered fabric of “secularity” in its truest sense and Bhartiye form.

The problem of national integration, social cohesiveness has been universal problem and flash points of tensions in many parts of the world. The democratic set up of America has its own share of problems, so France as well, Germany is no exception where infiltrators of Turkey are playing havoc with social harmony of Germans Society. At one time melting part theory was promoted as a way out for social integration of African-American and Hispanic, Asian communities along with Anglo-Saxon majority. This theory did not pay results, American establishment has now formulated a salad bowl theory for social integration. In this theory the different section are expected to have their separate identities intact but will share a common vision of America which would be essentially Anglo-Saxon.

In Bharat the responsibility of Youth is to forge the society in which thousands of years of historical past, pains and pleasures are shared by the entirety of the population. A common aspiration of strengthening Bhartiye brand of secularism is the challenge before the youth in which the history doesn’t stop in the past of 2000 years but pierces deep into the civilizational shared heritage of more than 10,000 years. The common bond of identity with the past transcending the mode of worship is the desired direction for stable cohesive, integrated Bhartiye society.

Crisis in our backyard - "Shantham prati Shanthayam"

2009-11-27T01:55:00.015+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi:

Ideological upbringings have one favour to afford to the other. You could just stare at other’s logic without having to count your own since the difference itself is negated with an expression of the other being wrong. That becomes the doctrine, and deeds, actions are all counter to what has been taught and preached as a reflex. So whatever is being said, to prove a counter point simply pick up holes and present the opposite with counting your instances of your expressions, nay, ideology. This is what is being pushed hard as defensive and counter defensive and the feeble voice of justice, reason and existence is all need to pick their sides if need to be heard. If you do not have an ideology of your own, shut up.

Results - recently launched Para military offensive as Operation Green Hunt” in the Dandakarnaya region in addition to already existing ‘Purification hunt’ (Salwa Judam, in local gondi dialect) and associations for collective remonstration suppressed with their voices to even to come closer to the democratic right of participating against the state apparatus. There are no sides of oppression, exploitation, displacement and misery. The only side which is not seen is being lumped together with an ideology to suit pervert interests. Its easy to stake a claim from the central podium, specially when you have the right to get the “home” in order by asking not to support this perpetrated violence on the people but what bleeds contempt for any normal concerned citizen is even trying to get them to address the “collateral damage’’ this would expose the entire populace in effect to. The justice, equality, fraternity is to be meant in actions and not laid bare to a military offensive dubbed as war to be fought within with all might of one lop sided sinister methodology. In effect as reported by Hindustan Times, few weeks back by not less than the rank of a senior bureaucrat of this “Green Hunt” to be the biggest land grab of the world, if followed in toto by the script. Development at the cost of displacement.

No one is supporting violence. No one is a brown cheeked guy, sitting in the warm confines of the their living rooms and reading classics on class struggle and romanticizing the adventure of being donning the other side of the military uniform, so no one needs to be told as well to “support someone else war”. If there are stories of one side of violence, equally thick dossier is being carried by them as well to swell their ranks of battle gear and caught in the slugfest is the truth behind these circumstances.

"Shantham prati Shanthayam" or Tit for Tat policy would breed more violence. The wide gap in governance all these years has bred the black head of insurgency to rise to this level. You can not sow new seeds unless you have harvested your crop. We are harvesting what had been sown 63 years back; we would for sure reap what we choose to sow now.

Yet time to pick options.

Crisis in our backyard - The "simmering" dissent

2009-09-13T19:35:00.015+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

“Spring thunder has begun” boomed Peking radio and with this announcement the nation begun to experience its “tryst with destiny” announced some two decades under the unfurling of the tri-colour. The above 1967, the violent uprising of peasants at Districts of Darjeeling, including Naxalbari from which it derived the ideological impression of “ism” – Naxalism & the latter off course known fully. Infact, even when this tryst of destiny was being frivolously sent across as a new beginning for national upheaval as an independent state by clock striking midnight, a year before than that “Tebhaga” lit. (Sharing by thirds) was concluded by an armed peasant community again in North Bengal, asking their rightful gain from the exploiters of their labour, the landlords. Ironically, when this “tryst” was being celebrated across the nation, some few thousand kilometres away the peasants and farmers were left unamused, revolting against the Nizam and feudal landlords. The Hyderabad state was yet to be part of The newly found nation, until 1948 and governance to have actually realized by its people, and thus the reason of this being carried out for another five years, only to be emphatically “acknowledged” by equal armed proposition in 1951. What followed it immediately as similar ideological upheaval of the peasants and marginalized farmers was Srikakulam in 1961.

Historically, perhaps we are done with counting instances of these upheavals as convoluted rebellions, skirmishes against misconceptions propagated by anti national elements and not having the full realization in democracy and its pillars of Legislature, Executive & Judiciary. This met with resistance socially as well, “why pick a fight with our own people, we are independent now, the feudal imperialism has mets its fate in its coffers, shrug this and look up, for our democratic nation, would now lead us to where we would not have to search for our sustenance, there would be sufficient opportunities for all of us, we would have the right of being called a citizen, a constitution which would protect our rights and collective plurastic antagonism to collective egalitarianism, we would be all equal now, you see”. This could have an intellectual giving perhaps his share of verbosity to his understanding compared and vetted out by his socialistic temperament and new found assimilation of others in that society as citizen of the country. I can today best assume this would have met up with a bewildered expression on this peasant’s face, mixing awe and respect, frustration of being socially chastised if he does not agree what is being told and pressing his understanding of this issue further to simply comprehend that now he could perhaps ask the feudal landlord for an extra kg of wheat for his son too after days work, for him not to go hungry every time or perhaps extra 50 anna’s for him to get the roof repaired for the family of six not to take turns in night to keep it holding it together to not to fall away. These were times of dream’s woven on the fabric of democratic institutions and were sold marvellously well to some 53% of the population then with sterling efforts aiding the expression for him to constantly look up. “He is still looking up,” you see, I wish, I could now have my turn to poke this intellectual in 2009.

Pasupati to Tirupati, everyone was supposed to continue to look up, not for divine intervention but with its search for the constitutional tenants of democracy simplistically for the peasants, daily wage earners, the forest dwellers – the proletariat, as a function of “state to protect those, who can not protect themselves. This covering the constitutionally ruled democratic states of borders of Nepal, Bihar,Bengal, Orissa, Chattisgarh, South Eastern Madhya Pradesh, Eastern Karnataka with spill over in Maharashtra and continue to grow in other parts of the country, including nearest to the throne of this democratic symbol, in neighbourhood Harayana. This is where we have the new found metaphor of rebellion or revolution, the present day Mao-Se Tung inspired ideology of Naxalism being present. The uprising, class annihilation ferment, insurrection or terrorism, what ever we might to call it depending on our intellect, understanding of these issues or vehement opposition and belief in our own pseudo comprehension of half baked –half known wisdom of countries ecological social political system of governance. The debate could be easily settled by differentiating the issue and dividing it into its own classism argument of subject and its context, perhaps better explained as “Vishye” aur “Sandarbh”. If we continue to prod ourselves on the subject, the “vishye” then we in our best’est of wisdom would abhor & denounce any sort of violence which could be perpetrated with impunity on anyone regardless of any class composition of Marxian ideology of “bourgeoisie, petit bourgeoisie or proletariat” and turn ourselves saying “NO”. That’s true for all of us. Violence begets violence and this armed insurrection, not matter how rebellious or revolutionary and faith in its ideology would shift away from the line which separates it from terrorism.

The approach of close ended questions of these sought are a simple “Yes or No, which actually takes us away from understanding these issues in its actual context, “sandarbh”. We are aware of the gross disparities our governance structures have got us in, we are aware of the social anomalies which are plagued by the factor of developmental benefits touching only few of our lives, we have perhaps even without being classified have found an avid inspiration of capitalism and its consumption factors, according our own manifestation of “standard of living” and we have an inherent empathy with these issues, despite being caught perhaps right in the middle of it. It would be difficult to comprehend or is not known to us, would be a thought anomaly in itself which most of the nation would not like to acknowledge.

The understanding of the context would lead us to awareness of the issues which have actually given birth to these gaps and leaving the space wide open for any ideology to come and fight for their own behalf, except them. The collective inspiration is seen that what could not be demanded of the rotten system could be at best extracted with might. The results of the former are all known, with implied patience, be it fundamental rights of sustenance, food, shelter, health and civic facilities to law and order, would come or the instant element of this being provided by just exercising a little pressure with arms in hand and the same system responds with such speed that one wonders, whether that could have sustained itself if not been factually a system. This leaves the proletariat to announce a class struggle, imbibing the ideology and its discipline as that left on the mercy for once to announce that what is ours would be snatched if not given. The root of this is not ideology. The reason is socio-politico-economic grievances of the people. The faith that was once to be livid has forced with pressure its departure from the very moorings. This related to Poverty, Land reforms, Unemployment, Corruption, Aboriginals right, Tribal rights, Forest dwellers right, Education, Civic and Health benefits and last Governance. The feeling of helplessness, alienation and powerlessness – the absence of individual assertiveness is diluted a collective assertiveness is implied with these convoluted ideologies.

This when the central planned allocation for anti-poverty programmes have seen a 15 fold increase in last 15 years from 7,500 Crs in 1993-94 to well over 120,000 Crs in 2008-09, these in addition to 70,000 Crs of farmer loan waivers, simply having no inter relation between outlay and outcomes. The situation gets accentuated more when we look at the sheer statistics of this greatest deprivation of rightful fundamentals that people in rural “habitations” the villages where people have seen there income rise from Rs. 8.99 per day to Rs.9.01 per day, the “plimsoll line” widening the gap of beneficiaries from BPL (Below the poverty line) to Non – BPL entity, after all these outlays in last upwards of dozen years. This interplay of deprivation as perhaps was waiting for even this partition to lay claim on the frugal benefit of governance. Situation likes these, where in states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh & Rural Orissa with significant tribal population, 99.8 percent of there families are not able to cover one basic meal in any given month of the year. Policies have been just formed to allow a glimpse of governance without taking heed of the bio-diversities, livelihood patterns, living habits and even philosophical understanding. This again, when the tribal areas are rich in mineral wealth & yet, tragically half than more tribal population is deprived of the means to approach towards sustainable right of living. This proves that they have if all just mildly responded to this system of governance and perhaps a approach needs to be brought to get them first to develop a response and then perhaps seek their assimilation in the main stream. No wonder that Naxalism, finds them taking succour and has seen spread itself where governance exist simply on papers with appalling poverty remaining endemic, to remote regions where again the tribals, rural proletariat has been systematically displaced from their natural habitat. Deprivation & Exploitation have left them to find mertis of their existence in this ideology shift and a detailed planning of years of exploitation matched with years of persistent efforts are needed to ensure that the first steps “spring” are sown in their hearts.

These are indeed are own people, they are not fighting for a separate land or a separate country, all perhaps they fight most genuinely and some perhaps in the grab of it is for justice to ensure they are collectively understood, assimilated and are not left behind in this momentum of growth at dawn of this millennium. If this correction is achieved and responds even with slightest of gesture, would soothe the wounds which have been inflicted over all these years. Mere announcing more troops and taking note of growing influence of Naxals in states and threat to Indian sovereignty, as early as two weeks back is all but a ploy of not knowing at instance what would have caused these situations and further not acknowledging that the situation ever exists.

Flagships programmes of assured 100 days of work are just but adding to the insult when these people had their own lands to till, their own culture, who are now being displaced and now on mercy of working on developmental plans of the government, on their land for 100 days. For sure more could be done and more needs to be done. Until then, I think both the state apparatus and naxals equally would continue to justify their own stand, as a 3rd class grader to the masses at large of “we never started it first”. These high internal conflicts would continue to be fought for the masses, on their own bodies, some 7500 already, both sides and no recourse could justify any of its existence, ideology of the state vs. ideology of the proletariat. It seems everyone has a role to play to justify their existence so long as it is left simmering. This dissent left with the people who value it most would have a larger effect on the national strife of our existence. We can shrug it off, so longer it does not effect but not for long, am convinced. Until then we continue to treat it as a menace and further contain ourselves to fight for the “subject” and they making it us believe for its “context”. You see..!

Crisis in our backyard - ecological disaster, Ganga Expressway

2009-07-19T21:30:00.006+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

Development, high speed connectivity and expressway. These words are not borrowed from a IT tele co advertisements but were brought to fore by the Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati Government when the “Ganga Expressway” project was launched served enthusiastically by jubilant government machinery to the people of the state on the pseudo plank of development in 2007. The project ensures a construction of 1047 kms of 8 lane expressway on left bank of river Ganga connecting eastern and western boundaries of the state from Greater Noida to Ballia. The expressway shall also impregnate other developments initiative along side with development of new townships, industries and urban colonies, golf courses attracting dense urbanization of the project creating or equalling “world class” infrastructure. Yes, the only victim in the process the already exploited and abused “silent” river bed of river Ganga. Costs, just some 31,000 Crores.

The proponents of developmental lapped this announcement, crediting the government with being at least serious to prop up the once “bimaru” image of the state. Not every where.

Silently working to challenge this project announcement a group of voluntary organizations, Ganga Mahasabha and the like were busy preparing the arguments of the environmental catastrophe this would cause on the ecology of the river and habitants living next to the river bank. The right side, already urbanized with cities grappling with its own issues and the impact it has on the river and its flow was perhaps getting prepared to be squeezed both sides for it no longer be called a river an turning the “national river” to a stinking nala. Not to have seen this happening, they filed a PIL ( a public interest litigation) in Hon. Allahabad High Court.

Excerpts of the PIL as pleaded by the petitioners:

There is no river in the world which has influenced humanity or contributed to the growth of material civilization, or of special ethics to such an extent as the Holy River Ganga. The mighty river which has silently worked through ages in an unceasing process of regeneration of the soil, spreading life and sustenance of humanity, is today struggling to survive from uncontrolled and unabated pollution of its waters caused by sewage discharge from towns, cities including discharge of effluents from industries, tanneries and mills situated on its banks. Through these two writ petitions, entertained as Public Interest Litigation, the petitioners have come to challenge the project and grant of environmental clearance dated 23.08.2007 for construction of 8 lane expressway spread over an area of 12,000 hectares of fertile land.

The environmental side effect has been pleaded as the main reason for opposing the construction of Ganga expressway and cited references were Apex court judgment two decades ago title M.C Mehta vs the Union of India reported in (1987) 4 S.C.C 463. The petitioners state that construction of Ganga expressway shall cause immense ecological disturbance in the present Ganga eco-system. They also pleaded that 64,000 hectares of most fertile land in various districts would be acquired on which land farmers are growing good crop even without irrigation.
The cultural aspect to include, River Ganga treated as “Mother” divine and very large population uses the river water for drinking and people have great faith in its divinity by taking holy dip depleting this through river water pollution and further eroding the river flow by swelling of river water bed with construction aided pollution, converting the river to go dry in not so distant future.

Article 48-A of the Constitution has been inserted in the Constitution by Constitution (Forty second amendment) Act 1976 under part IV of the Constitution “Directive Principals of State Policy reading following effect:

48-A. Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forest and wild life – The state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country

Article 48-A castes an obligation and duty on the state to protect and improve the ecology of the environment, to be read in conjunction with Article 51-A

The petitioners further pleaded the case to the Hon. High Court citing various earlier references and drawing attentions to the award of the contract by the incumbent state government on its nebulous speed of having given and accorded in principle approval of the project by citing declarations of having obtained necessary clearance for the project both state and central clearance authorities and hence rightfully to commence its construction. This when the incumbent Chief Minister is already under Apex Court strictures and federal inquiry for allowing construction of a “Upscale swanky shopping mall” on the river bed of Yamuna behind the “Taj Mahal” for commercial purpose with embezzlement of funds and seeking personal financial gratifications for awarding the contract.

The pleaders cited numerous violations for evaluation of this project and requested the Hon High Court to quash the project clearance until a full assessment of the environmental impact is studied and clearance obtained thereof ( which perhaps would never come through)

The court entertaining the arguments and listening to both Union of India, represented by the State Government, impact study until present, ecological consideration of the Ganga River reserved its judgement on 01.04.2009.

On 29.05.2009, the Hon High Court declaring the judgement concluded that the entire process of obtaining the environmental clearance has been flagrant violation of statutory provisions of Environmental Clearance Regulation 2006. The Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, Rules and Regulations framed there under imposes statutory on UP Pollution Control Board, State level appraisal committee who in principle are watch dogs for protection and improvement of the environment have violated the provisions and have shown scant respect to law. They all acted ion arbitrary manner and undue haste to get the environmental clearance to the project (perhaps vindicates the personal financial gratification involved) without addressing the serios environmental issues involved in the case
In view, the Hon High Court “quashed” the entire process of obtaining necessary approvals and directed the respondents to not proceed with Ganga Expressway construction until prior environmental clearance is obtained in accordance with law and provisions of ECA, 1986.

This verdict reposing the faith on the rule of law, its judiciary by the pleaders and the judgement was much celebrated as a encouragement to countless various organizations who have taken the voluntary responsibility of vindicating themselves on these issues served ready on the plank of development. When would we realize that instant gratification of having development without eco sustainability, without maintaining the equilibrium of development with natural eco-system would not allow us a cohesive existence. It’s a paradox of having known that we can develop at the cost of nature, the people who inhabit that nature. The fragility to be shattered by just one wrong decision perhaps would wipe the entire effort of our generations of not having to know the blunders we would have committed by pushing our own agenda for development, urbanized world.

Ganga River one of them.

About time, we revisit our observations and decide not to exploit or abuse what we have or our future generations would regret our existence.

Ps: pls drop me comment if the full copy of the judgment be needed.

Crisis in our backyard - The disappearing Ganga

2009-07-19T14:19:00.007+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi:

Circa 1839. Professor V.T Kautle, Secretary to the imperial British government decided to conduct a study and survey of the river Ganga to harness the captive energy of the river water by making recommendations of construction of the 1st dam under Ganga Canal Project. The survey and study got concluded in 1854 and lower Ganga developmental project commenced.

In 1914 under the leadership of Pt. Madan Mohan Malviye (Mahamana) Hindu organizations convened at Haridwar to lodge their unequivocal protest against any activity which could possibly disturb the free flow of Holy Ganga as revered by thousands of its devotee’s and to whom Ganga is no less ordinary river, considered as mother being part of their entrenched religious faith. Due to this overwhelming protest the British government brokered peace and a treaty to this effect was jointly signed by Mahamana & then United Provinces, provincial Secretary, Lt. Governor Maston in 1914.

Under this Ganga Treaty the imperial government agreed the free flow of river Ganga would not be checked by any construction which comprises the sanctity of the river water and its free natural flow and breaches the faith of thousands of Hindu’s through any material construction activity. It also agreed that if any future developmental activity is planned, it would not be carried unless the Hindu organizations, associations are prior consulted by the Govt.

Circa 2009. An agreement which knuckled down the British government by Mahamana to protect the living symbol of Indian civilization, a rich heritage and handed down through ages having found numerous mention in our Veda’s and religious scriptures, a river which has an indispensable portion of its presence for umpteen devotee’s, a must in ritual ceremonies from “upnayan to dah sanskar”, has been forgotten by none other than our own Indian government and its “Indian” rulers. A treaty which drew respect from the imperial rulers has been trashed perhaps drowned in their own personal salvation of greed, money, allurement of comprising the faith of tens of crores of Hindu’s over millennia by ignoring the facts of ecological sustenance or cultural heritage.

The controversial Tehri dam which itself had seen significant protest in the past, saw the judiciary intervening to clear the project in 2002, being commissioned in 2005 continues to remain controversial by the captive hydro electric generation projections under the planned Mw of electricity Vs actual generated electricity. The desire to be a surplus electric state, interfering with the ecological sustenance of the river basin (one of the most highly fertile basins in the world) is being compromised. Close to 20 different constructions of dams of medium capacity 1 Mw to 500 Mw projects are various planning stages (saving technical details)

The stretch of Ganga from her origin in Gaumukh, reaching Gangotri & finally to Uttarkashi is the perhaps most important stretch of the river as it’s the region of her origin and hence any ecological tampering would ripple this effect to the entire river and its flow right to the ocean. From Gangotri to Uttarkashi where the river should be left free to maintain its natural flow and where the river is utmost sensitive over just 14 kms of stretch following projects are under planning:

: Bharion Ghati 1 & 2, temporarily suspended
: Lohari Nag Pala (was under construction, now temporarily suspended due to various social agitations lead by Sh. K. N Govindacharya and fast unto death by noted environmentalist septuagenarian, Sh. G.D. Agarwal) last year
: Pala Maneri, temporarily suspended (included twp projects which got suspended as result of above mentioned agitations
: Maneri Bhala 1 - Constructed in 1960’s
: Maneri Bhala 2 – Finished in 2008

Being consecutive in nature, Ganga is forced through tunnels from bhairon ghati onwards causing disappearance of the river from its original course. Since this actually would link the mega power project of Tehri Dam, due to continuously being forced in & out of the tunnels not withstanding the dry parched original course, lost flora & fauna, environmental pollution, since the debris is again thrown back alongside the river water bed resulting in river pollution has resulted in Ganga not even present from Gangotri to Rishikesh denying the religious rights of countless of devotee’s as well in the process to not worship the holy river.

Environmental or cultural, the agitational reason could be different but the resultative impact remains the same, Ganga ji is disappearing fast right from its origin and on its way. The environmental impact is such steep that the sensitive Gangotri valley is now prone to land slides due to heavy constructions and disturbance of the ecology by virtual making of man made disasters a reality of having seen major debris blocking the course of the river with tons of debris being absorbed by the river bed and settling. The self purification process of the Ganga river water through self purifying microbes are being destroyed in the process as well, a fact which has been scientifically proven and an ability of the water to remain purified through long time of preservation.

The ecological and environmental impact is more severe due to loss of farmer produce alongside its banks by river now in tunnels and actual course being dry have resulted in loss of profession for most of the farmers, this when they once were the proud owners of tillable land alongside world’s most fertile basin. Not to be left behind adding their irony the constant fear of cracks being developed in their homes due to blasts for aiding construction, fear of landslides due to rains, debris being strewn in open due to heavy construction, specially in Lohari Nag Pala project as begin observed recently. The region not to mention is in seismic zone -5 making it one of the most risky areas with high possibilities of earthquakes, hence making this all seem unviable in comparison of the cost of generating and being called electric surplus state.

The villages have seen dry spell of thirst due to continuous depletion of ground water and felling of tree’s right staying next on the banks of the river for potable drinking water..!!!!!!!

Last but not the least, one of the fastest retreating glaciers in the world is again the Gangotri glacier as confirmed by various environmental experts and glaciologist.

Where are we now, if someone ask despite 2 major projects being temporarily suspended and the river being declared as our “National River” (if you were not aware..!!) by Hon, Prime Minister last year.

We are where we were at the start of 1914. The characters have replaced Mahamana but the struggle has not. Prof. G. D Agarwal had since then been on fast again to writ submit his petition of no action to be seen from the govt against his & other associations, namely Ganga Mahasabha, Matu Sangthan, Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan demands to maintain the free flow of the river at the stretch. Prof. G. D Agarwal, a septuagenarian would again be in a fast unto death in August 1st week this year to press for all of their demands to restore the ecological, cultural heritage of River Ganga to its original form.

All for people like you & me, for our generations to hold the river water & in our palms, pray “sur-sari” Ganga mayya to bless us by allowing us to take dip in its waters the most pious dip of all to wash away our sins by counting on the blessings on us and our families.

Only, if it continues to flow by then.

Ps: pls drop me a comment, if more information be needed to understand the brevity of this issue or spread the word.

सवालों के घेरे में ईवीएम मशीन

2009-07-08T14:50:00.002+05:30

By Himanshu Shekhar :

पंद्रहवीं लोकसभा के चुनाव में कांग्रेस को मिली सफलता के शोर में कई अहम बातें दब कर रह गईं। ये ऐसी बातें हैं जिन पर एक लोकतांत्रिक समाज में बहस होनी चाहिए। जरूरत पड़ने पर उनकी जांच भी होनी चाहिए। दिल्ली के पूर्व मुख्य सचिव और आईआईटी स्नातक ओमेश सहगल ने इलैक्टोनिक वोटिंग मशीन यानी ईवीएम के प्रोग्रामिंग पर सवालिया निशान लगा दिया है। उनका दावा है कि देश में प्रयोग किए जा रहे ईवीएम में एक खास कोड डाल देने भर से किसी खास उम्मीदवार के पक्ष में हर पांचवां वोट चला जाता है। उन्होंने अपनी शिकायत चुनाव आयोग के समक्ष दर्ज करा दी है।

चुनाव आयुक्त एसवाई कुरैशी ने भी यह कह दिया है कि इस शिकायत की जांच आयोग कर रहा है और इसकी जिम्मेवारी आयोग के ही एक अधिकारी को दी गई है। कहा तो यह भी जा रहा है जल्द ही आयोग सहगल को ईवीएम में कैसे छेड़छाड़ संभव है, इसे प्रमाणित करने के लिए बुला सकती है। विपक्ष के नेता लालकृष्ण आडवाणी भी ईवीएम पर सवालिया निशान लगा रहे हैं। वे तो यहां तक कह रहें है कि एक बार फिर से बैलेट पेपर के जरिए चुनाव करवाया जाना चाहिए। जब बात हर तरफ से उठ रही हो तो ऐसे मामले की पड़ताल बेहद जरूरी हो जाती है।

वैसे, ईवीएम पर इससे पहले भी सवाल खड़े किए गए हैं। चुनाव परिणाम आने के बाद तमिलनाडु में पी.एम.के. के सर्वेसर्वा सीनियर रामदौस ने प्रेस कांफ्रेस करके कहा कि इलैक्ट्रोनिक वोटिंग मशीन के जरिए चुनाव में गड़बड़ी की गई। उन्होंने यह भी आरोप लगाया कि इलैक्ट्रोनिक वोटिंग मशीन यानी ईवीएम की प्रोग्रामिंग इस तरह से की गई कि किसी भी निशान पर बटन दबाने के बावजूद डीएमके के चुनाव चिह्न पर ही वोट पड़ रहे थे।

ऐसे ही आरोप पिछले साल मध्य प्रदेश विधान सभा चुनाव के बाद भी सामने आए थे। वहां एक उम्मीदवार ने कहा था कि उनसे ईवीएम के जरिए वोट मैनेज करने के लिए पैसे मांगे गए। उस उम्मीदवार ने इसकी शिकायत राज्यपाल से भी की। उस शिकायत पर क्या कार्रवाई हुई, यह अभी तक पता नहीं चल पाया है। इसका सीधा सा मतलब यह है कि उस शिकायत पर कोई कार्रवाई नहीं हुई।

ऐसा नहीं है कि ईवीएम में व्याप्त खामियों के मामले पहली बार सामने आ रहे हैं। अब तक कई चुनावों में अलग-अलग राज्यों से ईवीएम के जरिए होने वाले मतदान में गड़बड़ी की शिकायतें आई हैं। वोटिंग के दौरान प्रशासन के द्वारा कई मतदान केंद्रों पर ईवीएम बदलने के मामले भी सामने आए हैं। इनमें से ज्यादातर मामलों में यह बात सामने आई है कि किसी भी चुनाव चिह्न पर बटन दबाने के बावजूद वोट किसी खास चुनाव चिह्न पर जा रहे थे। यानी उसी चुनाव चिह्न के सामने वाली बत्ती जल रही थी।

कंप्यूटर प्रोग्रामिंग करने वाले एक इंजीनियर ने बताया कि ईवीएम में तकनीकी छेड़छाड़ के जरिए यह तो किया ही जा सकता है कि बटन कोई भी दबाया जाए लेकिन वोट एक ही जगह पड़ेगा। इस इंजीनियर ने यह भी दावा किया कि अगर उसे कुछ घंटे के लिए ईवीएम दे दिया जाए तो वह ऐसा करके दिखा सकता है।

दुनिया के कई देशों के अनुभव से यह प्रमाणित हो गया है कि ईवीएम मतदान का बिल्कुल पाक साफ माध्यम नहीं है। आयरलैंड के उदाहरण के जरिए यह बात और ज्यादा साफ होगी। आयरलैंड में 2006 से ईवीएम के जरिए मतदान शुरू हुआ। ईवीएम के जरिए मतदान की व्यवस्था लागू करने के लिए वहां की सरकार ने तीन साल में पांच करोड़ यूरो से ज्यादा खर्च किए।

इस मद में सरकार की योजना और तीन करोड़ यूरो खर्च करने की थी। पर वहां के लोगों ने ईवीएम को खारिज कर दिया और आयरलैंड सरकार ने ईवीएम के जरिए मतदान करवाने की योजना को समाप्त कर दिया। यानी आयरलैंड में अब चुनाव पुराने तरीके से होंगे। वहां के लोगों का कहना था कि वोट डालते समय बस एक आवाज आती है और उनके वोट का कोई प्रामाणिक रिकार्ड नहीं रहता इसलिए इस व्यवस्था पर भरोसा नहीं किया जा सकता है।

कहना न होगा कि आयरलैंड के लोग भारत के लोगों के मुकाबले ज्यादा कंप्यूटर फ्रेंडली हैं और उन्हें पता है कि कंप्यूटर के साथ किस-किस स्तर पर गड़बड़ी की जा सकती है। इसलिए वहां के लोगों ने इसके खिलाफ आवाज उठाई। पर भारत में इस मामले में कंप्यूटर की चाल-ढाल को जानने वाले भी चुप हैं। वैसे ईवीएम का विरोध सिर्फ आयरलैंड में ही नहीं हुआ बल्कि और भी कई देशों में ईवीएम का विरोध जारी है। मिसाल के तौर पर जर्मनी को लिया जा सकता है।

वहां की सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने इसी मार्च में ईवीएम के जरिए वोटिंग करवाने को असंवैधानिक करार दिया। कोर्ट ने कहा कि ईवीएम के जरिए वोट को रिकार्ड करने और वोटों की गणना की प्रक्रिया में पारदर्शिता की कमी होने की वजह से आम लोगों का इस पर भरोसा नहीं है। इसलिए इसके जरिए वोटिंग करवाया जाना असंवैधानिक है।

जर्मनी में तकनीक के जानकारों ने यह प्रमाणित किया कि वहां वोटिंग के लिए इस्तेमाल किए जा रहे ईवीएम मोबाइल से भी कम सुरक्षित हैं। यानी उनसे बेहद आसानी से छेड़छाड़ की जा सकती है। नीदरलैंड में भी ऐसा ही हुआ। वहां तो एक जनसंगठन ने बाकायदा ईवीएम के खिलाफ अभियान ही चला दिया। वहां के एक जनसंगठन के एक वीडियो तैयार किया। इस वीडियो में यह दिखाया गया कि किस तरह से और कितने समय में एक ईवीएम को हैक किया जा सकता है।

इस वीडियो से यह पता चला कि ईवीएम को पांच मिनट के अंदर हैक किया जा सकता है और यह बेहद आसान है। इस वीडियो को वहां के प्रमुख टेलीविजन चैनल पर प्रसारित कर दिया गया। यह घटना 2006 के अक्टूबर की है। इस वीडियो के प्रसारण के बाद वहां ईवीएम पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया गया। इसके अलावा और भी कई देशों में ईवीएम को लेकर विरोध के स्वर उठते रहे हैं।

इन तथ्यों से एक बात तो साफ है कि इलैक्ट्रोनिक वोटिंग मशीन से छेड़छाड़ बहुत आसानी से की जा सकती है। भारत में इससे छेड़छाड़ की संभावना और भी अधिक बढ़ जाती है। पहली बात तो यह कि देश की राजनीति का चरित्र इस तरह का हो गया है कि आज हर दल को किसी भी कीमत पर चुनावी जीत चाहिए। इसलिए ईवीएम से छेड़छाड़ के जरिए अगर नेताओं को जीत की संभावना दिखती हो तो ऐसा करवाने में उन्हें तनिक भी संकोच नहीं होगा। इस चुनाव में पी चिदंबरम समेत कुछ बड़े नेता हारते- हारते चुनाव जीत गए।

इससे एक सवाल तो उठता ही है कि कहीं यह ईवीएम का ही कमाल तो नहीं है? संयोग से चिदंबरम उसी राज्य यानी तमिलनाडु से चुनाव जीते हैं जहां के रामदौस ने ईवीएम में गड़बड़ी का आरोप लगाया है। बहरहाल, ईवीएम के जरिए होने वाले मतदान में कहीं कोई रिकार्ड नहीं होता कि किसने किसे वोट दिया। बैलेट पेपर पर होने वाले मतदान में कम से कम पूरा रिकार्ड तो रहता है। इसलिए कई देशों में यह बात चल रही है कि ईवीएम के जरिए अगर मतदान करवाना ही है तो इसके जरिए दर्ज हो रहे मतदान का एक प्रिंटेड स्टेटमेंट भी हो जो रिकार्ड का काम करे और लोग इस पर भरोसा कर सकें।

कंप्यूटर में सुरक्षा के नाम पर चाहे जितने भी एंटी वायरस डाल लिये जाएं लेकिन हर रोज नए वायरस विकसित कर लिए जा रहे हैं और सुरक्षा कवच को भेद दिया जा रहा है। कंप्यूटर की दुनिया में लड़ाई कंप्यूटर की भाषा में ही लड़ी जाती है। इस लड़ाई के कई चेहरे हो सकते हैं। दुनिया की कई बड़ी कंपनियां हैकरों के हत्थे चढ़ चुकी हैं। यहां तक ही हैकरों ने न ही अमेरिका के पेंटागन को छोड़ा और न ही भारत के विदेश मंत्रालय को।

अब तो ऐसे भी वायरस विकसित हो गए हैं जिनके जरिए किसी कंप्यूटर का सारा डाटा मेल के जरिए वायरस बनाने वाले के पास पहुंच जाता है। इसलिए ईवीएम के वास्तविक डाटा को किसी खास प्रोगामिंग के जरिए अपनी इच्छा के अनुसार परिणाम देने वाले डाटा में परिवर्तित कर देना बहुत मुश्किल नहीं है।

अब अगर ऐसी संभावना है तो इस बात को भारत में आखिर गंभीरता से क्यों नहीं लिया जा रहा है? इस मसले पर मुख्य धारा की मीडिया भी पूरी तरह चुप्पी साधे हुए है। यह समझ से परे है कि आखिर ऐसा क्यों किया जा रहा है? आखिर एक लोकतांत्रिक समाज में एक अहम मसले पर बहस क्यों नहीं चल रही है? इन सवालों पर बातचीत और बहस जरूर होनी चाहिए। कांग्रेसी जीत के शोर में इन सवालों का दब जाना दुनिया के सबसे बड़े लोकतंत्र की सेहत के लिए सही नहीं है।

Crisis in our backyard - Weaver issues of Varanasi

2009-05-07T12:13:00.013+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

“This one is a original banarasi sari”, my mother wore it on her wedding, I wore it on mine and am preserving it for my daughter-in-law” quipped my friends wife, with a delight of a li’l munchkin found her toy and having lost all hope of seeing it back. She took pains to open the family chest to lay bare the traditional treasure on me having asked, whether she still has a banarasi sari. What further intrigued me was the comment and emphasis laid on the “original” aspect of it.

She would know. There are no longer original banarasi sari’s churned by the weavers of Varanasi. With qualitative restrictions abolished and duties reduced on the cheap import yarn, the exclusive silk which since ages has been Varanasi’s bastion has lost its turf to cheap imitation of a sari which has countless families still protecting the assault through secure chest to gracefully pass on the tradition to next generation.

Varanasi or "kashi" as it is revered as pious city, the cradle of ancient civilization has seen the world come around to evolve around her. The oldest living cities in the world, kashi has seen the religion embedded into its lifestyle. The puja ceremonies, the ghats, one of the param teerths for being blessed by god themselves by just a visit and a holy dip. The Vedic chants on the ghats and temples which have resonated since countless centuries, the hermits, the sadhu’s now all stand lost, buried deep inside the pious spirit of the city which has seen close to 190 people commit suicide over the last decade and further risking survival of another half a million weavers.

The bridal pride, considered the finest of the lot as a banarasi sari, with rich embroidery and studded with excellent fine art craft has since centuries been adorned by royalties and paupers alike. A sari could be for anyone, depending on the grandeur and expectation of equality. Such is the craft and it social connotations that a wedding must got inter woven as a ritual, as part of the tradition. Made with equal immense pride this has been an art mastered and passed on to the next generation of weaver’s community. Woven intricately on handloom, most of the times by the entire family, a typical Banarsi sari takes 10-12 days to be completed. Generation after generation since past 700 years has seen this trade being undertaken to sustain the livelihood of the entire community.

The elusive originality lost its artisan sheen since early 1990’s. The economic liberalization took its first victim right in the center of this ancient cultural city with an impact which has not allowed it to raise itself even now. With shifting consumer preference, cheap polyester yarn and much cheaper dumping of fake Chinese silk found its way in the market creating a trade imbalance forcefully to depart ancient hand woven craft to a industrious power loom industry. It just takes 2-3 days to make a cheap imitation of a Banarasi Sari, for the uninitiated. Almost 60% of the handlooms have closed down in Varanasi. The government policies did not allow it to sustain either and though relative short term dumping restrictions were forced, it found barter for another market to flourish to source silk procurement from down south. High dependability of the trade on middle men, the “seths” who fronted the sales had plagued the weavers since long but this allowed to exploit the artisans with impunity. High cost of pure silk, widened the gap further and allowed more subsititues to enter the fray destroying the already diminishing demand of this traditional fabric forcing the entire community of weavers already deprived of education, health, pay and sundry benefits accorded to other textile industries to scout for alternative source of employment leaving this tradition to die its own natural death and carrying it with them, the death of the artisans themselves in form of suicides.

Women and children who were linked as non wage labours as part of trade were the severest hit due to synthetic substitutes and non availability of demand for the hand loom fabric. Whatever little demand could have been generated was subdued by the policies, intermittent government rescue missions letting them fall again on traders to plead credit for raw material sourcing, its unavailability due to shrinking profit and high rate of interest charged as surrogate greed by the trader implied on the weaver. The frontal payment is released only when the sale has happened for the fabric and while the bread earner succumbed to this frustrative dynamics of trade the women folk lay exposed to further exploitation to sustain the remaining family.

The economic hardships in form of debt repayment, family strife not able to find buyers for their talent and no application of skills other than weaving due to opening of the markets in form of liberalization, left these weavers to take the final step of as one of their last decisions. Some who could not perhaps muster the courage resigned to their fate and continue to dabble between begging or as non skilled labourers without being aware of the next meal availability. Appalling poverty conditions have left the children to be malnourished, with multiple starvation deaths being reported and glorious past of Varanasi was put to immense shame when children were reported to be sold for 3 months of food supplies.

Numerous initiatives have been announced by the government and support agencies to revive the fading art not most have received the desired expectations. Support has come through non governmental aids and associations but unless the governance supplements these efforts it shall continue to remain as a paradox for looking towards grants and seed help for the weavers and limping them back by not owing the moral responsibility of ensuring the craft lives it’s age. The sops offering, input for handloom credit, even creating a “handloom mark-up brand” and cross subsides of waiving the industrial charges would not support the deprivation unless the self sustenance model of development with integrated approach is deployed. Impact of WTO round of negotiations to allow cross subsidies on handloom textiles and opening of markets needs to be balanced with protectionism strategy as well.

Proponents of “swadesi” have been maliciously criticized and considered as a hurdle for globalized growth but indigenous industries need measures of protectionism. Availability of input could not assist much for long term unless the demand for these products is created, alternative markets are identified or parallel occupational livelihood opportunities are created and centuries old small industries are looked upon with respect by preserving the glorious tradition.

Substitutes within trade could not be disdained but hallowed populist measures should also not be adopted either. The art and craft are intricately woven over generations and form part of our rich culture heritage and needs acute changes to ensure people are not forced to make way for the economic growth. Proletariat involved in securing this tradition needs encouragement and not bemused in the global market trade alignment of opening ourselves to the world at cost of severity of livelihood, deprivation, starvation and suicides in our own backyard.

Until then what essentially seems as a state function remains protected in treasured chest of selective families as rare belonging to be kept alive for the next generation.

Once in a 5 year moment & says it all !!

2009-05-04T13:56:00.006+05:30

DMK Candidate campaigning in T.Nadu.

(source : Economic Times : 4th May-09)

Crisis in our backyard - Vidarbha farmer issues

2009-05-01T12:19:00.014+05:30

Farmer's suicide in Vidarbha region. Is it a myth or a reality..?
Attached link to a comprehensively conducted research report on Vidarbha Farmer Suicides, its reasons and suggestive recommendation by Shri. PB Behere & Shri. AP Behere, Department of Psychiatry, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram, Distt. Wardha, Maharashtra.

Abstract:

Incidence of farmers ending their lives in Vidarbha region had hit epidemic proportions recently. We adopted the psychological autopsy approach to offer some insight into the reason why these individuals resorted to such a drastic step. Suicide in farmers is public health problem and we suggested some immediate and serious interventions to prevent suicide.

http://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/text.asp?2008/50/2/124/42401

Development - Illusion..?? (II)

2009-04-25T17:34:00.007+05:30

Continuing from my last post. We need not to define these parameters again, our internal system has been traditionally inward looking and the development thereto linked to its achievements. Deviation corrected, flaws amended and systematic adage of prudence passed on from generations to generations. At the village level.

The vision of "gram swarajya" where unless the bottom most person of the societal hierarchy is revitalized, the holistic development and dream of an egalitarian society would continue to meet each other at crossroads. The grass root democratic participation of decision and sustainable empowerment could add tangible inputs. By having:

Consistent focus at grass root level to seek and develop agriculture inputs as according to the need, temperament and sustenance of ecology for the people and not on a central policy basis of subsidies and their relative interdependent plans. We still are an agrarian economy, to remember
Land Improvement and support where the class, caste and displacement of people are ill effected and major development projects co-exist supplementing efforts of each other with each having its sphere of influence then forcing a option of for “either this or that system”
Focus on integrated educational development which assures the right of employment then right of knowledge and its use in the developing world
GDP measurement to include ancillary services which do not connote a commercial value yet still are a national component e.g. the labour barter which could be seen every season across the agrarian community of farmers pooling and taking turns to till fields for saving the spend on outsourced labour and retaining their cultural bonhomie, the very backbone of the system or perhaps challenge the GDP factor itself to define a new (GPF) Gross Prosperity Factor
Developing comprehensive agenda towards maintaining the intricate balance of the fragile eco-system of people and their livelihood resources including water & irrigation, land & forests, cattle & livestock and indigenous cultural knowledge heritage
Approach to seek active involvement and virtual democratic participation in governance and administration. Reforms should not be skewed as a secondary choice for an already defunct system, as add on. If it needs a complete transformation, the will should be able to support these actions with sole aim of efficient governance as its objective

Some would argue the thematic nature of these suggestive parameters as being basic. That’s the anomaly; the basics need to be revisited.

The present agitational reflex of continuously questioning the existence and relative outburst for demanding these basic rights at slightest provocation by mass at large somehow does not matches with the theme of cohesive development. The farmers fighting for their rights to co-exist in western part of the country, cooperatives being formed for the displaced people for gainfully seeking livelihood opportunities against integrated development of industrial zones, lack of constitutional empowerment to question these policies (never mind even if a basic right has to be made a act to “rightfully” ask what ideally should be due by itself) and continuous rupture of faith on executive, legislative and judiciary functions have all contributed negatively to not to believe there is development all around.

Singular attempts would not form a collective disposition and could not be an alibi for development. The aggression of polity with policy should match the pace at equal levels of societal execution. When we stop measuring the average rate of deaths on a per day per week basis due to hunger, starvation, displacement, incorrect policies and their long term impact (several of these) even despite of not being able to proudly acclaim the developmental fact, opt it as a plank to launch ourselves with every opportunity, we would surely be matured to fall out of this illusion and face the reality of being called as developed.

Development - Illusion..??

2009-04-19T19:01:00.011+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi:

In today’s developmental context what stands out as a forlorn conclusion is the pace and beneficiaries of this plank. The speed of execution coupled with larger masses of people who are receiving it. Measuring in absolute terms from a GDP factor to the amount of FDI money which it attracts, governance desk of this country has this calling card for everyone to see.

We have seen rapid development. Implementation of national infrastructural schemes, flyovers, urbane development, malls with decked up global brands sitting on the shelves with high propensity of consumption from the great middle class parivars. Globalized models straight leaf out of developed economic countries linking our fate with them and feel urbane of we having been arrived.

Is this true. I do not know. I think if this actual development would have happened, we would have not seen unabated stories of 175,000 farmers committing suicide in a decade. We yet would have not had close to greater than a quarter of the country population referred by the card. The great Below the Pyramid Card (sorry, I need to take this one later) Below Poverty Line Card. Our leading developing states should have not seen being compared with Uganda, Congo, and Chad on Human Development Index. Optimism is to be corroborated with evidence and unfortunately less than 100 kms from the capital it is not to be seen. Governance and distribution system anomalies, continuous waiver of loans for the masses without any probable recourse of implementing it right with determined efficiency is what has eluded the bottom most people. Endless debates on the actual percentage of developmental policies however limitless option to sustain or to succumb at the bottom.

Accentuates this further is the glaring insensitivity to these matters in media, public discourses, policy formulation and election manifesto’s. If all but less than to eradicate the reasons but continue to support the extension of offering sops to maintain the level of poverty and ensure it remains that way. Agrarian dependent economy caught in the muddle of global trade negotiations of subsidies and self pat on back to have made noises at trade forums is yet not heard in our own backyards by virtue of yet being dependent on ensuring the fair market price of the produce is afforded as MSP for the crop. It looks upon the governance desks and legislative authorities for pre harvest and post harvest support policies supporting this mass based dependency is another spoke in the wheel. Starvation deaths and malnourished children, unfortunately getting lesser attention in public views and media than the conflicts, disasters and political opera’s are contrary to the fact of we assume to continuously moving ahead with development.

What perhaps is needed is a concerted effort to force the policy formulation through active public intervention. The question of faith has not diluted albeit we have created an illusion and happy to not look outside of it. Poverty classification has re divided itself as Rural and Urbane poverty and reasoning and rationale for each none to his own ears is what the sound is all about. Interplay of deprivation is perhaps the last of the definitions we needed. Elusive in all this is the main beneficiary for whom this interplay has been created. Development index needs to be inward looking for us to actually relate to it on certain parameters and tested to its utmost strength.

I put forward these parameters in my next post.

Charity begins at home..!!

2009-04-17T13:31:00.005+05:30

By Abhishek Joshi :

The world seemingly now is seen divided not on the basis of the geographic differentiation or Continents or the eulogised economic consideration of GDP growth factors as “developed” or “non developed” but simply in terms of the “have’s & have not’s.” This divide is more evident than before and liking it or not, pouring over cup of coffee, having meals over the table is the most discussed consideration world over regardless of the economic indicators. An attempt to knock of the burden of truth by pitting one against the other as “fortunate” Vs “the unfortunate”. Quite ironical the statement may seem, as if the fate surprisingly simply choose to bless those who decided to do the former whilst leaving the later all on the mercy of the above. It is just such not bad to at least give it a thought since a thought is the basic inspiration to challenge this divide within the society and ensure a collective action is followed to bridge this gap with all our available resources.

There are numerous organizations working across the globe even whilst we read this to shape up policies, measures, action plans, projects to reengineer this socialistic-economic gap and lending their bit to pull both parts together.A world organization has seen itself shaping up solely to work on this theme and efforts are laudable to the extremes for the immense contribution it has provided and still continues to provide. This is a macro framework & its best to leave the statistics for a budding new aspirant of economics to decipher on whether the initiative has yet borne fruit despite the comment above or yet still a lot needs to be achieved. Lets try and relate to our everyday life’s as a individual and run a check and measure ourselves on a pluralistic platform of our little bit of making this world a better place.Yes, we all would have our lists handy to boast of the governmental agencies, preferred charities, and cause of our choosing with whom we work or have worked. Few “fortunate” one’s would better still come up with a marked “contribution” they have made to over the period of time to a particular cause or even better have floated independent entities themselves to contribute directly to rationalize their collective force of action inspired by a thought. No denying of the fact these actions would have left a indelible mark on a particular cause no matter what they would seem. However at a individualistic turf the question to be asked is whether that bit of contribution is an “actual” contribution or just a garb of charity to square off our inability of investing ourselves for furthering the cause.

A ‘contribution” loosely becomes a “donation” and then a “charity” & we all take succour to the fact that our bit has been done, managed better by others who have taken this responsibility and we are happy to support them from a distance always counting on our bit, best done. What bit is that donation for a cause or actual involvement and investment for the cause. This question would perhaps worry them the most who have the list ready and a little less who are more involved. “Donation” is a “contribution”, some would justify.

History records the valour of Maharana Pratap, who ceaselessly defended his people from the barbaric atrocities of the invaders yet the same history also pays respect to the wealthy friend and staunch nationalist “Bhamashah” who assisted Maharana in his crises by his contribution for him to yet again assemble his army and getting him back on the saddle for the battle of his life to be fought. That was not a donation it was a contribution, recorded by history.What differentiates the two analogous words above is the involvement and respect for a cause. The worthiness of the battle being fought not for own good but for good of the society and involvement at a individual level, never mind then if the responsibility of action happen to lie in someone else’ valour who is much better prepared to prudently guide the contribution to actual word of action. So donation can be a contribution so long as the above merit is justified and a simple charity if the motive is just to lease ones self of having just gone ahead & ‘contributed” to do our “bit” for the cause and for the society. This would call for a genuineness of the purpose without any self less craving for return and without the botheration of list to be kept maintained, for it to be shown next time, even if needed.

There are numerous organizations, countless people, non govt. agencies, societies, trusts, associations working together and in isolation to bridge this divide. They are the one’s who have taken the thought and never left it behind, translating every action every single resource possibilities to ensure that an individual action is met with the same passions and truthfulness of involvement as they would have started. Truth is, it is not the thought which fails to meet the virtues of nobility but the distance we keep to maintain from ourselves as “individual resources” in the form of donation. It is true, as being said above organizations outnumbering perhaps the population of a smallest country in the world are there to implement these actions but they are just left there since they have the cause, perhaps even budgets yet not resources to lend their shoulder to the wheel.Are we really willing to invest ourselves and do our “main” bit for the cause dear to our hearts. Are we really willing to be a “doer” to help in diluting this divide of have’s & have not’s with actions and not by plain simple thoughts.

Are we willing to be a “bhamashah” to our bit for the country and for our own people who need us in this hour of crisis and support with whatever best we think we can honestly offer - let that then be in any form as it may be called by any name. Are we willing to sincerely commit ourselves, invest fully and volunteer our time and resources at our disposal to implement this across the society? Are we willing to put the number of hours behind the cheque leaf we sign as our contribution showing our commitment. Are we ready to trade off our contribution in number of hours for someone else, if perhaps our cause has satisfied the needed requirement. Are we ready to make a difference to ourselves first & then for the society.Let’s not be bogged down by any constraints whatsoever our life throws up for us as a challenge. We might have money to spare but no time, we might have time but not our money, what is needed is the spirit of involvement, a selfless action without any credit to be accounted for whatsoever, in this or another life. It could be small or large, for a small cause or for a larger one, as an individual, as an association, at your village, for state or for your country, never mind, make an attempt, give it a push, start.

Let’s not have the pride of having done, being associated, glory of having made a contribution or organizational control of running an association come in your way. Let’s get involved. Let’s get committed. Let’s contribute.So next time a ‘donation’ is called for ponder for a while if a “contribution” could be made instead After all Charity does begins at home….. !!!

published in bhartiya paksha : May 2008 http://www.bhartiyapaksha.com/

Meaning of antyoday

2009-04-16T18:07:00.016+05:30

“Its been a while have been searching for a perfect word, expressive by its own merit for me to name this writing space and I hope eventually for others on issues, with a common denominator of discussing, raising if necessary concerns revolving larger proletariat. The simpleton soul of the country who constitutes the major populace and on whom minor time is spent.

It took me three weeks but pleased as I could have not found a more, wholesome and better word then "antyoday - welfare of the last person, to come first”

The simpleton to whom matters of food, water, shelter, education, civic and human rights, health, security, social deprivation – class, caste, gender, sustainability of basic livelihood are more important than falsified governance programs, global meltdown, G-20 summits, fiscal policies, polity initiatives and now off course, IPL (political or premier, less mentioned the better) league.

This social ladder on which he continues to struggle to lay a claim, if all it is, “antyoday” would be the means to express this responsibly by putting them first here, through reports, through shared articles, through invite of subject authors, through interaction amongst all of us and would make an attempt to do our bit to sensitise others. Yes ~ as we see them, understand them and relate to them.

Happy reading..!!