Moving Towards An Inclusive Society
Shoba(name changed) is not any other 20-year old. She lacks the two things that make people ‘normal’ in our society. She is not gifted with eyesight. To add to it, she lacks the financial resources. She is studying in a reputed college in Delhi (makes her one of the ‘lucky’, I learnt!). But she has one thing that not all of us can claim to have- the habit of not complaining. This, I’ve always felt, is imbibed in her socialization. Shoba, rarely, if ever, asks for things even meant for her.
The reason for this, according to me, is the nature of politics in India. Unfortunately the differently abled population- which form, according to 2001 census, 2-3% of our population and unofficial figures are said to be 60-70million- is not considered to be a vibrant vote bank, as a result successive governments have done little for the amelioration of this section.
People with special abilities are made to believe that they are fortunate to have gotten what ever they have! Of course, I say. Why not! Two out of 7000 Delhi Transport Corporation buses are disable friendly, to find buildings with ramps (to help the physically challenged) would be an achievement in itself. Not even government buildings have these facilities. Education and employment levels, of this chunk of population, are abysmally low. The psychological trauma they undergo is another heartrending issue all together.
The differently abled people contribute to just 0.52% of the total number of people employed in government jobs, infrastructure facilities are very hostile for them hence mobility becomes a problem. This certainly adds a feather to the government’s cap, doesn’t it?
While it is fair to criticize the government, it must be considered that the private sector has done little to help those with disabilities. In the Private sector mere 0.28% of its total employed is disabled. Worse, it is only 0.05% in MNCs. The ‘growth’ of the economy is doing little for those who live in the peripheries.
Social activist Mr. Abidi alleged that Mc Donalds and other transnational companies, which are governed by strict laws, show double standards when they come to India. They have ramps and other facilities provided at their centers in the west, they happen to ignore the law when it comes to India. The indifference of these companies is questionable. The companies, however, argue that there is a case against philanthropy and that they look at each individual as a consumer. Well, a nice way of giving back to the society what you’ve got from it!
There are also complaints about the agenda of the disabled women being sidelined by feminist movements. Well, women are fighting for themselves!
I’ve personally been touched by a few accounts of the less fortunate. I have been writing exams for the visually challenged, every time I write, I’m saddened by lack of opportunities ‘they’ have, in terms of jobs or otherwise. Stories about these are all over the place.
Wonder where the media has been? I have no problems with their extensive coverage of all the ‘Page3 parties’ as they are called (there is a huge chunk of passive audience out there, who is being fed rubbish and they are taking it with relish!). But, until a few years ago, the media was the only institution with a conscience.
Most of the coverage that the media gives to this issue is around the 1st week of December, when the world disability day happens to be. How many ‘responsible’ newspapers or TV channels include stories on these issues on a regular basis? Only regular coverage can keep the issue alive. But why will the media bring up issues if the politicians do not want them in the fore? After all, it’s the world of give and take. And the specially abled have to take only what they are given!
There is only one TV sign language news bulletin per week by Prasar Bharti. Dissemination of information in formats accessible to people with sensory impairments is restricted.
Let’s for a moment introspect. There is an inadvertent attempt to alienate the less privileged, whether we want it or not. ‘They’ are looked at with sympathy by the rest of the population that almost vanishes the next moment due to an overload of preoccupations. It is sad, but what can we do about it?
The situation is different only when we encounter physically and mentally challenged people at close quarters- either a family member of a close friend.
The government, largely, depends on the voluntary sector for help (at least in India). Even the public consciousness and awareness campaigns by voluntary organizations can be called a ‘recent phenomenon’. We can at least talk of the employment of the employable physically disabled, the state of the unemployable and mentally challenged is worse due to lack of social security measures. Can these be a ray of hope? But wait. We have told the specially abled not to be hopeful at all.
The day we change our outlook towards this problem, we would truly be moving towards an inclusive society. I’m forced to ask, with great pain, is the idea of an inclusive society Utopian?
Raksha Kumar
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Friday, April 07, 2006
Freedom from Shackles
Freedom?
Often what is told to us is not the complete picture. In schools we are taught about the greatness of India’s political and economic freedom. We are taught about the kind of rights we possess and are often made to fell privileged as there are millions who are not half as free as we, Indians, are.
While trying not to be cynical, I’ll try to comment on this concept of “freedom in India.”
‘Who decides what freedom and liberty are?’ Is a clichéd question but a relevant one. If reduction of state control in our lives is the definition of freedom then we are freer in this country since 1991 than we were since 1947! I doubt if that is true. So, what is freedom?
If we earned freedom in 1947 then why is a huge chunk of the population still suffering from deprivation of the essentials? We acquired only political freedom from the British (few dispute this as well). And since 1947 we are being ruled by some men who do not recognize the ground realities or do not want to do anything to change it.
In the light of the above statements can we really say that we are a free nation with equal opportunities? Are these too many confusing questions? Consider this. Every woman in India has the right to live fearlessly, while all of us know that most women are bound to their homes after dark, they are exploited in their own homes and very few raise their voices. Importantly, few are given the freedom to voice their concerns.
Similarly, every child has a right to education. Very few children are aware of this right and fewer have the means to take advantage of this right.
At every step in life we face constraints imposed on us by those who promise freedom. Army’s atrocities in the north east and Kashmir are well documented. Ironically, they who promise free and secure lives resort to crimes.
The notion of freedom, it is said, began in the west –inner freedom- mainly as a revolt to the church. It was later strengthened due to the necessary revolt against colonialism-this was political freedom. The concept of freedom gained strength by the American values of individualism and a free society. This developed into a demand for economic freedom in the 1970s, which was put forth by neo-colonialist struggles.
In India we gave the concept of liberty (our adaptation of its meaning) equal rights as equality, justice and sovereign.
Our preamble reads “We the people of India ……..secure to all its citizens………..liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.”
Deep rooted caste system, religious violence, religious segregation and vote gathering based on religion certainly negates this provision in our constitution.
It is disturbing that India has hid its inability to provide liberty to its people under the garb of democracy and constitutional law. It is questionable whether it is enough to have a written constitution and well laid down laws. The implementation of it in a diverse country becomes the key.
It is an evident contradiction that India tries to champion the cause of democracy all over the world and does not allow suitable conditions for the democratic rights to reach the people of India.
I say this keeping in mind that India houses an independent judiciary and an active press.
But, the questions within these spheres itself are also many. How will I fight for my rights if my case is fought in the courts for 10 years and why will I turn to the press if I know that all it wants is juicy stories and profit?
Forgive my blanket statements. Our democratic institutions are not fundamentally flawed. Certain radical policy decisions have to be taken in order to save us from this web of interconnected problems.
Society has not evolved overnight and hence it will take time to change, but change has to come from accepting the flaw.
Situation in our country, it must be admitted, is not grave.
Our country certainly knows how to accommodate dissenting voices and divergent views. But, time has come –after 58 years- to retain our virtues and tackle drawbacks which have invariably seeped into our polity.
At least questions of freedom, justice and, these days, even sovereignty, must be raised a lot more by the Indian media.
While it is true that man is a social being and cannot frame rules for himself and be completely “free”, we certainly have our constitutional rights on paper and thereby we can demand for it.
Raksha Kumar
Often what is told to us is not the complete picture. In schools we are taught about the greatness of India’s political and economic freedom. We are taught about the kind of rights we possess and are often made to fell privileged as there are millions who are not half as free as we, Indians, are.
While trying not to be cynical, I’ll try to comment on this concept of “freedom in India.”
‘Who decides what freedom and liberty are?’ Is a clichéd question but a relevant one. If reduction of state control in our lives is the definition of freedom then we are freer in this country since 1991 than we were since 1947! I doubt if that is true. So, what is freedom?
If we earned freedom in 1947 then why is a huge chunk of the population still suffering from deprivation of the essentials? We acquired only political freedom from the British (few dispute this as well). And since 1947 we are being ruled by some men who do not recognize the ground realities or do not want to do anything to change it.
In the light of the above statements can we really say that we are a free nation with equal opportunities? Are these too many confusing questions? Consider this. Every woman in India has the right to live fearlessly, while all of us know that most women are bound to their homes after dark, they are exploited in their own homes and very few raise their voices. Importantly, few are given the freedom to voice their concerns.
Similarly, every child has a right to education. Very few children are aware of this right and fewer have the means to take advantage of this right.
At every step in life we face constraints imposed on us by those who promise freedom. Army’s atrocities in the north east and Kashmir are well documented. Ironically, they who promise free and secure lives resort to crimes.
The notion of freedom, it is said, began in the west –inner freedom- mainly as a revolt to the church. It was later strengthened due to the necessary revolt against colonialism-this was political freedom. The concept of freedom gained strength by the American values of individualism and a free society. This developed into a demand for economic freedom in the 1970s, which was put forth by neo-colonialist struggles.
In India we gave the concept of liberty (our adaptation of its meaning) equal rights as equality, justice and sovereign.
Our preamble reads “We the people of India ……..secure to all its citizens………..liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.”
Deep rooted caste system, religious violence, religious segregation and vote gathering based on religion certainly negates this provision in our constitution.
It is disturbing that India has hid its inability to provide liberty to its people under the garb of democracy and constitutional law. It is questionable whether it is enough to have a written constitution and well laid down laws. The implementation of it in a diverse country becomes the key.
It is an evident contradiction that India tries to champion the cause of democracy all over the world and does not allow suitable conditions for the democratic rights to reach the people of India.
I say this keeping in mind that India houses an independent judiciary and an active press.
But, the questions within these spheres itself are also many. How will I fight for my rights if my case is fought in the courts for 10 years and why will I turn to the press if I know that all it wants is juicy stories and profit?
Forgive my blanket statements. Our democratic institutions are not fundamentally flawed. Certain radical policy decisions have to be taken in order to save us from this web of interconnected problems.
Society has not evolved overnight and hence it will take time to change, but change has to come from accepting the flaw.
Situation in our country, it must be admitted, is not grave.
Our country certainly knows how to accommodate dissenting voices and divergent views. But, time has come –after 58 years- to retain our virtues and tackle drawbacks which have invariably seeped into our polity.
At least questions of freedom, justice and, these days, even sovereignty, must be raised a lot more by the Indian media.
While it is true that man is a social being and cannot frame rules for himself and be completely “free”, we certainly have our constitutional rights on paper and thereby we can demand for it.
Raksha Kumar
Cricket for all.
Commercialization of cricket
It’s no longer just the galleries, the stadium, the pitch and the players that are essential for a cricket match. Samsung, Pepsi, TATA Indicom and MRF are equally necessary –almost indispensable.
Some say, this crass commercialization is the reason for the game to be as popular as it is today. It would be no exaggeration if I say that especially in India you’d find sponsors for even a tennis ball match played on the streets.
But a deeper look into it might show different signs. How many players of yester years
endorsed products? Very few. Commercialization of this gentleman’s game is a relatively recent phenomenon. It started mainly because two important developments that took place in the 1980s and 90s in our country- introduction of colour TV and reduction of state control in the corporate sector. This is when big companies decided to take advantage of the situation.
India already had put cricket on a pedestal, thanks to the British legacy. Also, cricket is played at least for a day and is perfect for advertisers who would want to appear regularly on the screen, for better impact. They take extra interest as they want to succeed in a human resource rich country like ours. Thus money running into millions is poured into cricket. This consequently increased the media’s interest.
These days even a Kenya v/s Holland match will gain more coverage than the hockey world cup. However, last year by this time, Indian media announced the (re)emergence of new sports like Tennis and Racing –attributed to the successes of Sania Mirza and Narian Karthikeyan. Now they seem to be retreating and concentrating more on cricket due to the dawn of the new cricket season.
Its effects are many. At the grass root level, many cricket-training camps have sprung up which charge exorbitant sums and promises to make every BOY Sachin Tendulkar. These camps are clearly out of reach for kids whose parents don’t earn six-figure salaries.
Cricket has always been a gentleman’s game but for some time it seemed like women’s cricket did gain some support. Sadly, it didn’t last long. Excessive attention to men’s cricket has stolen focus from women’s cricket. Women’s world cup cricket does not get half the coverage an Irani trophy match would.
It is common knowledge that fans can enjoy seeing Saurav and Rahul on TV even when they are not playing cricket. Is it wrong to say that enormous sums of money the big stars gain out of endorsements, take away the incentive of giving their 100% on field? I don’t know. There have been controversies where players have put money over the game.
India’s failure in sports is usually attributed to substandard conditions our sports persons are provided with, even at the highest levels. Budget allocation towards sports is considered to be a waste by our leaders. Surely, sports that have enough cash inflow can do something. Consider the amount of money flowing in to cricket, the cricketing fraternity could have done a lot to encourage young sports persons (even those who cannot afford expensive camps). The few benefit matches and charity auctions apart, neither the board nor the fraternity are doing much.
Seldom is there a place on the cricket field and on the players where a brand is not advertised. Hence, the game has ceased to be what it was. Whether you can see the teams in the stadium or not the entire team will be present on one or the other cola ads.
Merchandising is another new concept that is gaining ground. This will ensure more money into the sport.
Only if this was spent efficiently….
Raksha kumar
It’s no longer just the galleries, the stadium, the pitch and the players that are essential for a cricket match. Samsung, Pepsi, TATA Indicom and MRF are equally necessary –almost indispensable.
Some say, this crass commercialization is the reason for the game to be as popular as it is today. It would be no exaggeration if I say that especially in India you’d find sponsors for even a tennis ball match played on the streets.
But a deeper look into it might show different signs. How many players of yester years
endorsed products? Very few. Commercialization of this gentleman’s game is a relatively recent phenomenon. It started mainly because two important developments that took place in the 1980s and 90s in our country- introduction of colour TV and reduction of state control in the corporate sector. This is when big companies decided to take advantage of the situation.
India already had put cricket on a pedestal, thanks to the British legacy. Also, cricket is played at least for a day and is perfect for advertisers who would want to appear regularly on the screen, for better impact. They take extra interest as they want to succeed in a human resource rich country like ours. Thus money running into millions is poured into cricket. This consequently increased the media’s interest.
These days even a Kenya v/s Holland match will gain more coverage than the hockey world cup. However, last year by this time, Indian media announced the (re)emergence of new sports like Tennis and Racing –attributed to the successes of Sania Mirza and Narian Karthikeyan. Now they seem to be retreating and concentrating more on cricket due to the dawn of the new cricket season.
Its effects are many. At the grass root level, many cricket-training camps have sprung up which charge exorbitant sums and promises to make every BOY Sachin Tendulkar. These camps are clearly out of reach for kids whose parents don’t earn six-figure salaries.
Cricket has always been a gentleman’s game but for some time it seemed like women’s cricket did gain some support. Sadly, it didn’t last long. Excessive attention to men’s cricket has stolen focus from women’s cricket. Women’s world cup cricket does not get half the coverage an Irani trophy match would.
It is common knowledge that fans can enjoy seeing Saurav and Rahul on TV even when they are not playing cricket. Is it wrong to say that enormous sums of money the big stars gain out of endorsements, take away the incentive of giving their 100% on field? I don’t know. There have been controversies where players have put money over the game.
India’s failure in sports is usually attributed to substandard conditions our sports persons are provided with, even at the highest levels. Budget allocation towards sports is considered to be a waste by our leaders. Surely, sports that have enough cash inflow can do something. Consider the amount of money flowing in to cricket, the cricketing fraternity could have done a lot to encourage young sports persons (even those who cannot afford expensive camps). The few benefit matches and charity auctions apart, neither the board nor the fraternity are doing much.
Seldom is there a place on the cricket field and on the players where a brand is not advertised. Hence, the game has ceased to be what it was. Whether you can see the teams in the stadium or not the entire team will be present on one or the other cola ads.
Merchandising is another new concept that is gaining ground. This will ensure more money into the sport.
Only if this was spent efficiently….
Raksha kumar
Media Matters
Is it time for the media to be a ‘public institution’?
Unlike a few other countries, Indian journalists do not enjoy any special professional rights apart from the rights they enjoy as the citizens of India.
The media, however, is expected to perform many important functions: it is the source of information, it forms a forum of discussion, it brings out ‘truth’ and it entertains. These functions automatically put the media on a pedestal; the media is required to work for the larger public good. While the duties are immense the rights are limited. This is like swimming in deep waters with hands tied.
Many public institutions demand additional rights to discharge their duties efficiently. The notable ones are the Judiciary with Contempt Laws, the Parliament claims certain privileges while it protects itself through the laws of secrecy (RTI will change this, but corruption largely remains). We allow the Police and tax officials to intrude the privacy of individuals on the claims of larger public good.
Why not give the media certain privileges?
A deeper look into the situation will show various complexities: when we say the media should get the rights enjoyed by other “public institutions”, is it because it’s expected of the media to work for the public good? Or is it important for the institution to be owned publicly, to be called a “public institution”?
Currently, the media is largely owned by a few private individuals. Therefore, many feel that if the media get privileges it would be like giving special rights to a few individuals just because they claim to do public good. Thus we should keep in mind the above argument and put certain checks in place and then talk of rights to the journalists.
Especially with the onset of electronic media in the last decade of the previous century, it is time the laws pertaining to the media were changed. Freedom should be coupled with mechanisms to ensure accountability. First of all, the Press Council of India should be brought to life and must be revamped to suit the changing times. It should be made autonomous in practice and its jurisdiction should extend to the electronic media.
Importantly, the audience should consciously reject the sleaze offered by some media in the name of “popular demand”.
If these and more regulations were put in place, it would be easier to ‘trust’ the media. Since journalism is becoming more professional by the day, time has come to reconsider the professional rights for journalists. This becomes twice as important in a world where communication technologies are easily available and accessible by all. The journalists should be given some separate rights from that of other citizens so that it can help in providing accurate and reliable information to counter the messages emanating from any source that may not always be true.
With rights come duties and responsibilities, hence the media should recognize the responsibilities.
Raksha Kumar
Unlike a few other countries, Indian journalists do not enjoy any special professional rights apart from the rights they enjoy as the citizens of India.
The media, however, is expected to perform many important functions: it is the source of information, it forms a forum of discussion, it brings out ‘truth’ and it entertains. These functions automatically put the media on a pedestal; the media is required to work for the larger public good. While the duties are immense the rights are limited. This is like swimming in deep waters with hands tied.
Many public institutions demand additional rights to discharge their duties efficiently. The notable ones are the Judiciary with Contempt Laws, the Parliament claims certain privileges while it protects itself through the laws of secrecy (RTI will change this, but corruption largely remains). We allow the Police and tax officials to intrude the privacy of individuals on the claims of larger public good.
Why not give the media certain privileges?
A deeper look into the situation will show various complexities: when we say the media should get the rights enjoyed by other “public institutions”, is it because it’s expected of the media to work for the public good? Or is it important for the institution to be owned publicly, to be called a “public institution”?
Currently, the media is largely owned by a few private individuals. Therefore, many feel that if the media get privileges it would be like giving special rights to a few individuals just because they claim to do public good. Thus we should keep in mind the above argument and put certain checks in place and then talk of rights to the journalists.
Especially with the onset of electronic media in the last decade of the previous century, it is time the laws pertaining to the media were changed. Freedom should be coupled with mechanisms to ensure accountability. First of all, the Press Council of India should be brought to life and must be revamped to suit the changing times. It should be made autonomous in practice and its jurisdiction should extend to the electronic media.
Importantly, the audience should consciously reject the sleaze offered by some media in the name of “popular demand”.
If these and more regulations were put in place, it would be easier to ‘trust’ the media. Since journalism is becoming more professional by the day, time has come to reconsider the professional rights for journalists. This becomes twice as important in a world where communication technologies are easily available and accessible by all. The journalists should be given some separate rights from that of other citizens so that it can help in providing accurate and reliable information to counter the messages emanating from any source that may not always be true.
With rights come duties and responsibilities, hence the media should recognize the responsibilities.
Raksha Kumar
Is this how it is?
A lifetime experience
Try and picture this: a tattered nine seater, with plastic sheets to cover its top. 23 souls packed into the jeep, travelling at great speeds.
I was one of them!!
As we ended our journey of the magnificent Fatehpur and Sikri we were in for a shock. “there are no more buses back to Agra,” we were told “ you’ll have to take a jeep.”
We were literally invited by the driver of the jeep. Apparently, another jeep wouldn’t be taken unless one is full and has departed.
We were shown a seat fit for a 4 year old and two fully grown adults had to fit into it! Five minutes into the journey and the kid next to me threw up( I presume it was because of the claustrophobic and suffocating set up).
Since I was brought up in a huge metropolitan and I’m currently living in another I’m just not familiar with such situations (which, I was told later, are very common occurrences). This got me wondering about how ignorant city dwellers could be about the daily problems of the rural India.
There were four people to the driver’s left and one to his right. The very sight of a person driving with people pushing him around was scary. The speedometer didn’t work but even a person who’d seen a jeep for the first time would know that the speed was well above 100kmph.
Thankfully, the road was in a reasonably good state, not a common sight in our country.
To add to my fears, it stared drizzling. To my utmost dismay, I realized that our jeep was without wipers!
Oh! God, why was I sitting in a could-be broken down-anytime jeep with almost two dozen people hanging onto all the rods the jeep had, moving fast without wipers and one light?
But a serious thought to the situation would throw up different questions. People there risk their lives every day, both the commuters and the drivers, to make ends meet. Is it fair for us to crib about car break downs or traffic jams?
A middle aged person in front of me was reading a book in that chaos. This is the kind of peace of mind they are able to attain which, I might say, is absent in the cities.
While I agree that the government should provide the basic necessities to all we should also realize that we are a lucky lot.
There are people who are less privileged than we are.
So the next time we don’t have a new dress for a party, lets spare a thought for those who don’t get new clothes for years. The next time we curse when there is a power failure lets think of millions of houses which have never seen electricity. And the next time we talk of larger numbers in the classroom let’s remember the hundreds of children who’ve never seen a school.
If not anything, this will bring us great comfort and satisfaction.
Raksha Kumar
Try and picture this: a tattered nine seater, with plastic sheets to cover its top. 23 souls packed into the jeep, travelling at great speeds.
I was one of them!!
As we ended our journey of the magnificent Fatehpur and Sikri we were in for a shock. “there are no more buses back to Agra,” we were told “ you’ll have to take a jeep.”
We were literally invited by the driver of the jeep. Apparently, another jeep wouldn’t be taken unless one is full and has departed.
We were shown a seat fit for a 4 year old and two fully grown adults had to fit into it! Five minutes into the journey and the kid next to me threw up( I presume it was because of the claustrophobic and suffocating set up).
Since I was brought up in a huge metropolitan and I’m currently living in another I’m just not familiar with such situations (which, I was told later, are very common occurrences). This got me wondering about how ignorant city dwellers could be about the daily problems of the rural India.
There were four people to the driver’s left and one to his right. The very sight of a person driving with people pushing him around was scary. The speedometer didn’t work but even a person who’d seen a jeep for the first time would know that the speed was well above 100kmph.
Thankfully, the road was in a reasonably good state, not a common sight in our country.
To add to my fears, it stared drizzling. To my utmost dismay, I realized that our jeep was without wipers!
Oh! God, why was I sitting in a could-be broken down-anytime jeep with almost two dozen people hanging onto all the rods the jeep had, moving fast without wipers and one light?
But a serious thought to the situation would throw up different questions. People there risk their lives every day, both the commuters and the drivers, to make ends meet. Is it fair for us to crib about car break downs or traffic jams?
A middle aged person in front of me was reading a book in that chaos. This is the kind of peace of mind they are able to attain which, I might say, is absent in the cities.
While I agree that the government should provide the basic necessities to all we should also realize that we are a lucky lot.
There are people who are less privileged than we are.
So the next time we don’t have a new dress for a party, lets spare a thought for those who don’t get new clothes for years. The next time we curse when there is a power failure lets think of millions of houses which have never seen electricity. And the next time we talk of larger numbers in the classroom let’s remember the hundreds of children who’ve never seen a school.
If not anything, this will bring us great comfort and satisfaction.
Raksha Kumar
We have to stop this from happening again.
BHOPAL’ – BEYOND THE APPEARENCE
Would a child born in Delhi or any other part of the country be the same as a child born in Bhopal post1984? The answer is obvious, NO. He/she will face troubles socially, physically, mentally and psychologically. Thus it becomes important for us to look at the ’84 tragedy beyond the gas leak and the number of deaths.
In the wake of thousands of people marching from Bhopal to Delhi in protest, it is time for us to take another look at the issue. It raises questions about the government’s accountability to its people, transparency in government contracts, the social and psychological impacts of the leak on millions of people, at the national level. And the indifference shown by MultiNational Corporations (MNCs) towards the third world countries, the flaws in the environmental laws, and the unquestioned role of developed nations in environment degradation and so on at the international level.
I have tried to address a few of these questions in this write-up. As long as we see the Bhopal tragedy as an aberration, as an incident we lose out the larger picture of why it happened and what were the conditions leading to it. We will only be looking at that fateful night as ‘the gas leaked, engulfing the entire vicinity because water entered the tank where about 40 cubic meters of Methyl Isocynate(MIC) was stored. When water and MIC mixed an exothermic chemical reaction started, producing a lot of heat. As a result safety valve of the tank burst because of the increase in pressure.’ But the people of Bhopal are yet to get answers as to why the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) set up an outdated plant in Bhopal when they had already developed an advanced computerized safety system for their West Virginia plant in the US. The refrigeration system was faulty; the valve lines and vent lines in the Bhopal plant were old and worn out. Parts that should have been replaced had not been changed for more than two years.
A similar plant to be set up in the US, for example, would require a lot of formalities and approvals, the company would have to abide by certain laws, safety etc. This is clear indication that in this globalizing world the third world is considered to be a dumping ground for all hazardous industries and toxic manufacturing: a place where MNCs/TNCs can get around with the laws and the political establishment.Since we do not see the world getting any less globalising and since people are out there to create more demand/profits, we can conclude that there are many more ‘Bhopals’ in our backyard.
In India, however, the union and state governments had no knowledge about the hazardous nature of MIC (or there were vested interests) and thus UCC was allowed to store large quantities of lethal chemicals where as the west Virginia plant did not store huge quantities of MIC. At the time of the leak, more than 30000 gallons of MIC had been stored. In contrast, the storage capacity in the West Virginia plant was no more than 5000 gallons. Few would disagree if we blame the callous nature of the government for the disaster and, since we have evidence of the government not having woken up, many more disasters are in the making.Transparency and accountability by the government are the foremost needs of the hour. Also, a lot depends upon the kind of economic decisions the establishments take for the country because that can determine the direction our economy will take. Populist measures of the government should not be encouraged.
In the municipal elections in Bhopal in 2004 there was not even a mention of gas leak by either of the two major political parties. After 20 years, the city has come in to terms with the devastation and so our ‘leaders’ have forgotten about it. This is not the case with Babri Masjid issue, though! On the other hand, the media in our country has also not lived up to the expectations. An American journalist, speaking about the Bhopal disaster, once said “had it been in the US, the media would have spoken about it for months together, mobilizing the people and forcing the government to act.” Despite what the media has done to bring Bhopal to the fore and keep it in focus, I think it should have done more. Two to three days around the second or third of December the media is reminded of Bhopal and there are series of reports on the victims of industrial hazards. But, what about the rest of the year? That the public memory is short, could be a good excuse. Unless the media is persistent, the government will not be on its feet. After all this is the job of the media, apart from, of course, expanding the existing multi-crore media industry. There should be regular reporting and exposes on companies/ factories that violate laws. The regional media should take on more responsibility in this respect.
In a democracy, the role of pressure groups becomes necessary to keep the government alert. Though many groups were founded after the disaster, a hand full of them has been effective. Most Non Government Organizations (NGOs) which get funds from outside the country have their own reservations about raising voices against MNCs. If they do so, raising resources becomes a problem for these organizations. Sub division and fragmentation can also be problems they face. In case a few organizations manage to make inroads or succeed, the government or other powerful groups snub them. Therefore it would not be wrong to say that if we were to see more ‘Bhopals’ tomorrow then media and the (relatively toothless) pressure groups will also have to share some of the responsibility. The magnitude of suffering of the Bhopal victims has alerted us, possibly for the first time in our history to the dangers of chemical pollution.
Yet, if another Bhopal were to happen today we may not respond any differently in spite of considerable information that we have gathered since then. In 2004 alone, there was an explosion in Shar complex of Sriharikota which killed 36 people; a toxic gas leak in a transport company in Delhi; in Eloor a fire at an endosulfan plant broke out; a leak in a chlorine plant near Mettur Dam near Tamil Nadu; a scrap factory exploded in Shahidabad,Uttar Pradesh killing 10. There are ticking bombs in various parts of India: Gujrat’s Valsad-Vapi region is considered to have disastrous environmental impact, the chemical industrial estates in Cuddolore which are regarded as the ‘smelliest parts of Tamil Nadu’, Jharkand’s Roro hills where asbestos wastes are left in the abandoned mines. Thus we urgently need a matrix of environmental governance laws which can internalize environmental considerations in the development strategy, which can provide a responsive legal system, also get industry to seek cleaner and well tested technologies and adopt best practices and also have well knit networks that ensure efficient dissemination of information right down to the last person. The MNCs and TNCs set up industries in the developing countries because of easy accessibility to cheap labour, relatively inefficient implementation of laws and set up costs are low.
Also, if you look beyond what is apparent, you find that there is a vested interest of the developed world to allow a certain amount of development in the third world. If poor countries do not show any signs of development, it will be difficult for the first world to dump its products in our markets. This is their policy of ‘expansion of markets’ and ‘world markets’. Thus if they set up industries they are ensured both short term and long term benefits. As long as it suits them they will set up industries and will show negligent conduct. They will be hence responsible for many more industrial hazards.
Ecological degradation is not a result of just development but a certain kind of development and it is no secret that ecological degradation will have adverse effects on human life. Modern day market dynamics compel us to use heavy technology, advanced machinery. The more man depends on mechanization the more he antagonizes nature. When Bhopal happened the impacts were instant. Millions of people killed, many more injured, 20 years later situation remains unchanged and so on. But, industries (both indigenous and foreign) are also killing people on an every day basis. The dumping of atomic and industrial waste on the coasts of Maharastra ,Gujrat and Orissa; tones of industrial waste being channalised into our rivers, which are our lifelines; ever increasing pollution of air; soil, which is the source of nutrients to our trees, being polluted and global warming. surely, this is slow poison but it has as disastrous effects as the gas leak in Bhopal. Such exploitation should not be tolerated. A few experts say an international law on environment will do a lot of damage control, while there are skeptics who say that the developed countries will find there way around as well. One of the other serious concerns of many is/ was the compensation for the Bhopal victims. Cot between UCC and the Indian government, are the victims who were hoping for rehabilitation twenty years later had to settle with meager compensation. This is blatant injustice. The victims should be rehabilitated and given suitable work that ensures stable income along with monetary compensation. Of the 800000 people living in Bhopal 2000 died immediately, during the gas leak, and 30000injured. 1000 animals killed and 7000 injured. The survivors are suffering from partial or complete blindness, gastrointestinal disorders, weak immune systems, post traumatic stress disorders and menstrual problem in women. A rise in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and off spring with genetic defects was also noted.
One must remember that our country is not short of resources. Good governance and efficient implementation of rules and laws are lacking. It is very important for us to strengthen our democratic institutions. We can surely prevent another ‘Hiroshima of chemical industry’ from occurring. Calling all responsible institutions in the country and abroad.
Anyone listening?
Raksha Kumar
Would a child born in Delhi or any other part of the country be the same as a child born in Bhopal post1984? The answer is obvious, NO. He/she will face troubles socially, physically, mentally and psychologically. Thus it becomes important for us to look at the ’84 tragedy beyond the gas leak and the number of deaths.
In the wake of thousands of people marching from Bhopal to Delhi in protest, it is time for us to take another look at the issue. It raises questions about the government’s accountability to its people, transparency in government contracts, the social and psychological impacts of the leak on millions of people, at the national level. And the indifference shown by MultiNational Corporations (MNCs) towards the third world countries, the flaws in the environmental laws, and the unquestioned role of developed nations in environment degradation and so on at the international level.
I have tried to address a few of these questions in this write-up. As long as we see the Bhopal tragedy as an aberration, as an incident we lose out the larger picture of why it happened and what were the conditions leading to it. We will only be looking at that fateful night as ‘the gas leaked, engulfing the entire vicinity because water entered the tank where about 40 cubic meters of Methyl Isocynate(MIC) was stored. When water and MIC mixed an exothermic chemical reaction started, producing a lot of heat. As a result safety valve of the tank burst because of the increase in pressure.’ But the people of Bhopal are yet to get answers as to why the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) set up an outdated plant in Bhopal when they had already developed an advanced computerized safety system for their West Virginia plant in the US. The refrigeration system was faulty; the valve lines and vent lines in the Bhopal plant were old and worn out. Parts that should have been replaced had not been changed for more than two years.
A similar plant to be set up in the US, for example, would require a lot of formalities and approvals, the company would have to abide by certain laws, safety etc. This is clear indication that in this globalizing world the third world is considered to be a dumping ground for all hazardous industries and toxic manufacturing: a place where MNCs/TNCs can get around with the laws and the political establishment.Since we do not see the world getting any less globalising and since people are out there to create more demand/profits, we can conclude that there are many more ‘Bhopals’ in our backyard.
In India, however, the union and state governments had no knowledge about the hazardous nature of MIC (or there were vested interests) and thus UCC was allowed to store large quantities of lethal chemicals where as the west Virginia plant did not store huge quantities of MIC. At the time of the leak, more than 30000 gallons of MIC had been stored. In contrast, the storage capacity in the West Virginia plant was no more than 5000 gallons. Few would disagree if we blame the callous nature of the government for the disaster and, since we have evidence of the government not having woken up, many more disasters are in the making.Transparency and accountability by the government are the foremost needs of the hour. Also, a lot depends upon the kind of economic decisions the establishments take for the country because that can determine the direction our economy will take. Populist measures of the government should not be encouraged.
In the municipal elections in Bhopal in 2004 there was not even a mention of gas leak by either of the two major political parties. After 20 years, the city has come in to terms with the devastation and so our ‘leaders’ have forgotten about it. This is not the case with Babri Masjid issue, though! On the other hand, the media in our country has also not lived up to the expectations. An American journalist, speaking about the Bhopal disaster, once said “had it been in the US, the media would have spoken about it for months together, mobilizing the people and forcing the government to act.” Despite what the media has done to bring Bhopal to the fore and keep it in focus, I think it should have done more. Two to three days around the second or third of December the media is reminded of Bhopal and there are series of reports on the victims of industrial hazards. But, what about the rest of the year? That the public memory is short, could be a good excuse. Unless the media is persistent, the government will not be on its feet. After all this is the job of the media, apart from, of course, expanding the existing multi-crore media industry. There should be regular reporting and exposes on companies/ factories that violate laws. The regional media should take on more responsibility in this respect.
In a democracy, the role of pressure groups becomes necessary to keep the government alert. Though many groups were founded after the disaster, a hand full of them has been effective. Most Non Government Organizations (NGOs) which get funds from outside the country have their own reservations about raising voices against MNCs. If they do so, raising resources becomes a problem for these organizations. Sub division and fragmentation can also be problems they face. In case a few organizations manage to make inroads or succeed, the government or other powerful groups snub them. Therefore it would not be wrong to say that if we were to see more ‘Bhopals’ tomorrow then media and the (relatively toothless) pressure groups will also have to share some of the responsibility. The magnitude of suffering of the Bhopal victims has alerted us, possibly for the first time in our history to the dangers of chemical pollution.
Yet, if another Bhopal were to happen today we may not respond any differently in spite of considerable information that we have gathered since then. In 2004 alone, there was an explosion in Shar complex of Sriharikota which killed 36 people; a toxic gas leak in a transport company in Delhi; in Eloor a fire at an endosulfan plant broke out; a leak in a chlorine plant near Mettur Dam near Tamil Nadu; a scrap factory exploded in Shahidabad,Uttar Pradesh killing 10. There are ticking bombs in various parts of India: Gujrat’s Valsad-Vapi region is considered to have disastrous environmental impact, the chemical industrial estates in Cuddolore which are regarded as the ‘smelliest parts of Tamil Nadu’, Jharkand’s Roro hills where asbestos wastes are left in the abandoned mines. Thus we urgently need a matrix of environmental governance laws which can internalize environmental considerations in the development strategy, which can provide a responsive legal system, also get industry to seek cleaner and well tested technologies and adopt best practices and also have well knit networks that ensure efficient dissemination of information right down to the last person. The MNCs and TNCs set up industries in the developing countries because of easy accessibility to cheap labour, relatively inefficient implementation of laws and set up costs are low.
Also, if you look beyond what is apparent, you find that there is a vested interest of the developed world to allow a certain amount of development in the third world. If poor countries do not show any signs of development, it will be difficult for the first world to dump its products in our markets. This is their policy of ‘expansion of markets’ and ‘world markets’. Thus if they set up industries they are ensured both short term and long term benefits. As long as it suits them they will set up industries and will show negligent conduct. They will be hence responsible for many more industrial hazards.
Ecological degradation is not a result of just development but a certain kind of development and it is no secret that ecological degradation will have adverse effects on human life. Modern day market dynamics compel us to use heavy technology, advanced machinery. The more man depends on mechanization the more he antagonizes nature. When Bhopal happened the impacts were instant. Millions of people killed, many more injured, 20 years later situation remains unchanged and so on. But, industries (both indigenous and foreign) are also killing people on an every day basis. The dumping of atomic and industrial waste on the coasts of Maharastra ,Gujrat and Orissa; tones of industrial waste being channalised into our rivers, which are our lifelines; ever increasing pollution of air; soil, which is the source of nutrients to our trees, being polluted and global warming. surely, this is slow poison but it has as disastrous effects as the gas leak in Bhopal. Such exploitation should not be tolerated. A few experts say an international law on environment will do a lot of damage control, while there are skeptics who say that the developed countries will find there way around as well. One of the other serious concerns of many is/ was the compensation for the Bhopal victims. Cot between UCC and the Indian government, are the victims who were hoping for rehabilitation twenty years later had to settle with meager compensation. This is blatant injustice. The victims should be rehabilitated and given suitable work that ensures stable income along with monetary compensation. Of the 800000 people living in Bhopal 2000 died immediately, during the gas leak, and 30000injured. 1000 animals killed and 7000 injured. The survivors are suffering from partial or complete blindness, gastrointestinal disorders, weak immune systems, post traumatic stress disorders and menstrual problem in women. A rise in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and off spring with genetic defects was also noted.
One must remember that our country is not short of resources. Good governance and efficient implementation of rules and laws are lacking. It is very important for us to strengthen our democratic institutions. We can surely prevent another ‘Hiroshima of chemical industry’ from occurring. Calling all responsible institutions in the country and abroad.
Anyone listening?
Raksha Kumar
Ha that train ride!!
On the tracks...
When I had to make a 2000 km long journey alone in a train-which many claim is unsafe- it raised many an eyebrow. But, my experience in the national carrier has always been pleasant.
You get a sense of India’s diversity when on a train-I learnt a lot about the kind of society we live in, more than I’d learnt in any classroom.
My journey began from New Delhi railway station and I was scheduled to reach Bangalore in a matter of less than two days.
I sat quite while the two people next to me struggled to start a conversation.
A gentleman with a strong Punjabi accent asked “aap kahan jaaoge?” to an elderly person next to him. The immediate reply was “kai?” (Marathi word for “what?”)
The TC, I thought, must know at least a hundred languages to converse with all the people he’d encounter. The lady next to me, clad in a traditional sari, was (I later learnt) a Gujarati brought up in Bangalore. The other two men in our compartment were students from DU but originally from Bhopal and Guntakal.
Even for someone like me, who is not unfamiliar with the composite culture, it was astonishing to see the ease with which the six of us got along – we dined together (despite the fact that two of us were vegetarians) and chatted away until late into the night.
The topics of discussion ranged from “Agre ka petha” to Indo-Pak Agra summit, from Sachin Tendulkar to speed breakers. It was evident that if something holds this country together, it is not the institutional structure or common history. It simply is politics, cricket and Bollywood.
However, there were hundreds of disruptions to our dialogue that spanned almost 20 hours - the tea vendors, the pantry staff, and the beggars (also picturing another reality of India). But the talk was too interesting to divert our attention.
There were disagreements on almost every issue, however, it all ended with somebody buying coffee for the rest. Trains provide an excellent platform for expression of one’s opinions. With long distances to travel and nothing to do it is natural for anybody to strike a conversation.
What ever the British did, railways are certainly a gift they gave us. Traveling by train doesn’t have an artificial sophistication. I can say this because at the end of the journey, none of us remembered each others’ names but were more than familiar with everybody’s views on politics, economics and sports.
I haven’t seen many countries to say that ‘it happens only in India’. But such peaceful co-existence despite vast diversity is certainly India’s specialty. It should be preserved.
Raksha Kumar
When I had to make a 2000 km long journey alone in a train-which many claim is unsafe- it raised many an eyebrow. But, my experience in the national carrier has always been pleasant.
You get a sense of India’s diversity when on a train-I learnt a lot about the kind of society we live in, more than I’d learnt in any classroom.
My journey began from New Delhi railway station and I was scheduled to reach Bangalore in a matter of less than two days.
I sat quite while the two people next to me struggled to start a conversation.
A gentleman with a strong Punjabi accent asked “aap kahan jaaoge?” to an elderly person next to him. The immediate reply was “kai?” (Marathi word for “what?”)
The TC, I thought, must know at least a hundred languages to converse with all the people he’d encounter. The lady next to me, clad in a traditional sari, was (I later learnt) a Gujarati brought up in Bangalore. The other two men in our compartment were students from DU but originally from Bhopal and Guntakal.
Even for someone like me, who is not unfamiliar with the composite culture, it was astonishing to see the ease with which the six of us got along – we dined together (despite the fact that two of us were vegetarians) and chatted away until late into the night.
The topics of discussion ranged from “Agre ka petha” to Indo-Pak Agra summit, from Sachin Tendulkar to speed breakers. It was evident that if something holds this country together, it is not the institutional structure or common history. It simply is politics, cricket and Bollywood.
However, there were hundreds of disruptions to our dialogue that spanned almost 20 hours - the tea vendors, the pantry staff, and the beggars (also picturing another reality of India). But the talk was too interesting to divert our attention.
There were disagreements on almost every issue, however, it all ended with somebody buying coffee for the rest. Trains provide an excellent platform for expression of one’s opinions. With long distances to travel and nothing to do it is natural for anybody to strike a conversation.
What ever the British did, railways are certainly a gift they gave us. Traveling by train doesn’t have an artificial sophistication. I can say this because at the end of the journey, none of us remembered each others’ names but were more than familiar with everybody’s views on politics, economics and sports.
I haven’t seen many countries to say that ‘it happens only in India’. But such peaceful co-existence despite vast diversity is certainly India’s specialty. It should be preserved.
Raksha Kumar
My experiments with TV!
To be a Poonam Saxena…
It was a Sunday. Again. If I have to be a Poonam Saxena or a Shailaja Bajpai, the first thing I have to do is watch TV, I thought. Therefore I decided to spend the whole day watching TV! Armed with two bottles of water and some snacks, I positioned myself in front of the TV. Within 10 minutes I’d surfed the entire set of channels and had found nothing interesting. I wouldn’t give up. Not so early.
For the first time I realized that there were more than five full-time sports channels! Except that when I as watching three of them showed cricket. If you don’t like cricket….too bad…well, you could watch the music channels.
However, you need to like Indi-pop or the latest Bollywood music to watch them. The next ten minutes that I spent watching music channels, I found that only five to six songs were being repeated in all the channels. Thus, if you like any other form of music (jazz, classical, old songs) …again, bad luck, you should try out the ‘family’ channels.
They have only two options- either watch soap operas or reality shows. Since these get the highest TRPs, I thought, I should watch them for a while. Question: why are they called reality shows when, clearly, they are staged? I reminded myself to check the dictionary for ‘reality’. I was beginning to realize how difficult the job of the people who review television is.
Then, of course, my remote took me to ‘devotional’ channels. Everything, including the sets, looks the same. Saffron-clad men and women perched on a pedestal, some flowers around them and a few audiences from all ages (very important!). There is no point talking about what they said because I found it incomprehensible.
If religious and spiritual discourse is not your cup of tea…Hmm…try the news channels.
News channels. Now that sounds interesting, I thought. While surfing I lost count of how many there were. At first I wondered if all were owned by the same person or if it is the same channel with different anchors. Not only was the news item same but event the words used by the anchors were also similar (much like the newspapers that use agency copies).
After spending a few minutes expressing disgust over the anchors’ choice of clothes, I moved on. But where to? I’d pretty much exhausted all options on TV.
That Sunday morning I learnt one important lesson. The profile of an average urban TV viewer is of one who likes cricket (no matter how old the match is!), Himesh Reshamya, K-serials (as they are popularly called), staged reality shows and news channels with good looking anchors who have horrible dress sense.
If that is not what the average viewer is like than he’s forced to like it. There is no option.
One thing that was common to all the channels was advertisements. Millions of them.
In mere two hours, I’d come to the conclusion that TV viewing is a different ball game altogether. I would spend my Sundays as always: reading a book and lazing around.
Raksha Kumar.
It was a Sunday. Again. If I have to be a Poonam Saxena or a Shailaja Bajpai, the first thing I have to do is watch TV, I thought. Therefore I decided to spend the whole day watching TV! Armed with two bottles of water and some snacks, I positioned myself in front of the TV. Within 10 minutes I’d surfed the entire set of channels and had found nothing interesting. I wouldn’t give up. Not so early.
For the first time I realized that there were more than five full-time sports channels! Except that when I as watching three of them showed cricket. If you don’t like cricket….too bad…well, you could watch the music channels.
However, you need to like Indi-pop or the latest Bollywood music to watch them. The next ten minutes that I spent watching music channels, I found that only five to six songs were being repeated in all the channels. Thus, if you like any other form of music (jazz, classical, old songs) …again, bad luck, you should try out the ‘family’ channels.
They have only two options- either watch soap operas or reality shows. Since these get the highest TRPs, I thought, I should watch them for a while. Question: why are they called reality shows when, clearly, they are staged? I reminded myself to check the dictionary for ‘reality’. I was beginning to realize how difficult the job of the people who review television is.
Then, of course, my remote took me to ‘devotional’ channels. Everything, including the sets, looks the same. Saffron-clad men and women perched on a pedestal, some flowers around them and a few audiences from all ages (very important!). There is no point talking about what they said because I found it incomprehensible.
If religious and spiritual discourse is not your cup of tea…Hmm…try the news channels.
News channels. Now that sounds interesting, I thought. While surfing I lost count of how many there were. At first I wondered if all were owned by the same person or if it is the same channel with different anchors. Not only was the news item same but event the words used by the anchors were also similar (much like the newspapers that use agency copies).
After spending a few minutes expressing disgust over the anchors’ choice of clothes, I moved on. But where to? I’d pretty much exhausted all options on TV.
That Sunday morning I learnt one important lesson. The profile of an average urban TV viewer is of one who likes cricket (no matter how old the match is!), Himesh Reshamya, K-serials (as they are popularly called), staged reality shows and news channels with good looking anchors who have horrible dress sense.
If that is not what the average viewer is like than he’s forced to like it. There is no option.
One thing that was common to all the channels was advertisements. Millions of them.
In mere two hours, I’d come to the conclusion that TV viewing is a different ball game altogether. I would spend my Sundays as always: reading a book and lazing around.
Raksha Kumar.
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