Making India a better place: Education

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has drafted a definition of literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society''

Literacy is a right. It is implicit in the right to education and mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education to the children of 6-14 years age group a right to education. In India it is a key for socio-economic progress. If somebody asks me to pick the most important precondition to enhance nation’s potential and prospect, it would be literacy. India has made a considerable progress in this sector and with all the efforts the literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from meagre 12% in 1947. But it is still well below the world average literacy rate of 84%. Of all nations, India currently has the largest illiterate population. Literacy is the basic requirement of economic development that has been recognized throughout the world and hence literacy has reached around 99% in countries of Japan, South Korea, USA, UK, Germany, France etc. There a considerable gap between male (82.14%) and female (65.46%) literacy rates in India. When a girl or a woman is not educated, it is not only she who suffers but the entire family has to bear the consequences of her illiteracy. Poverty being the root cause of many problems in India also causes low female literacy rate. Parents do not consider girls as earning members of their family therefore spending on their education is just considered as wastage of money. The low female literacy rate has had a dramatically negative impact on family planning & population stabilization efforts in India.

The rationale for recognizing literacy as a right is the set of benefits it confers on individuals, families, communities and nation. Also it is widely recognized that, in modern societies, literacy skills are fundamental to informed decision-making, personal empowerment, active and passive participation in nation building. Along with making positive impact on self-esteem, it empowers learners especially women to take individual, workplace and household decisions.

Given the argument that Institutional qualification is different from political wisdom, there is no need for a legislature to be literate but by making himself aware of the background and other related aspects of the candidate, a literate voter can choose his representative wisely. The relationship between education and political participation and thus contribution to democracy is well established. Literate people are less likely to get deceived by false poll promises and other lucrative offers by the contestants during elections because they can check facts by various means.

A well informed and literate atmosphere shall enable one to browse investment options, business interests, and one can acquire important new skills for making himself self-sufficient for present and future needs. Having been aware of the usage of computer and other digital methods one can also utilize on line means for availing the government services. It shall save him/her from bribing government officials or touts and things will get done transparently.

Moreover, the effects of literacy often extend beyond personal benefits. Educated mass can understand the importance of preserving environment and cultural heritage, cleaning & sanitation, health & wellness, importance of nutrition, good quality water, knowledge & prevention of communicable diseases, maternal & infant care (low infant mortality rate) and many more. Government can effectively communicate its objectives/programs and involvement of people required for achieving the same. Be it digital media or paper media a literate person can understand the content easily. Giving a thought on the execution part is a secondary thing that depends upon so many other factors like infrastructure, legislation, law & order and most importantly attitude of the common people towards the issue.

It has been estimated that at the current rate of progress, India will attain 100% literacy only until 2060. With the much coveted right to education and related education programs like Srava Siksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan it just need people’s participation to achieve the targets in less time. They have to understand that education is a weapon in the hands of the restless poor and it is education that can free them from vicious cycle of poverty. Midday meal program in schools have been other measures adopted by the government to bring kids from poor families to school.

Illiteracy is a scar in our national context. Millions of people in our country are still in the darkness of illiteracy and ignorance. They are deceived in every walk of life. Lack of literacy is a hurdle for overall development and well-being of this country. It weakens the backbone of our country. It is with the educated and enlightened people alone that the country can progress in all directions. So, let’s adopt the phrase 'each one teach one' because it’s not just the responsibility of government, it’s us who should come forward for making India a better place for all its citizens.

The Begging Bowl

As for the legal definition of a beggar, let’s have a glimpse to the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959 which defines this as anyone “having no visible means of subsistence, and wandering about or remaining in any public place in such condition or manner, as makes it likely that the person doing so exists by soliciting or receiving alms”. Besides, the definition of Begging under the 1959 Act includes “soliciting or receiving alms in a public place, whether or not under any pretence of singing, dancing, fortune-telling, performing or offering any article for sale”.

India is home to half a million of beggars and if we also add up those who occasionally beg, the number would swell to few millions. At signals, bus stops, railway stations, at every nook and corner of city, town and village, they are ubiquitous. The notified reasons of high begging population are the poverty in the country, deep seated religious superstitions and unwillingness of people to earn their bread by hard work. Many a times, Inspite of showing any concern on the pathetic condition of the beggars, people give them money in order to get rid of them. However some are actually in such a pitiable state that evokes sympathy and compassion and makes us to give them alms. Some people with religious superstitions looking for short cuts to heaven by giving ‘daana' to accumulate 'punya' find it reasonable to feed them. When young and stout people are getting food, clothes and money without doing anything, they starts developing reluctance in doing even small work. Begging for them is not necessity rather it becomes their profession (they can be easily spotted near temples ☺).

It is very difficult to generalise how and where panhandling begins in the life of a beggar. Some inherited it from their ancestors, other starts begging upon evacuation from their place due to war, riots or natural calamity. While elderly, disabled, unemployed, homeless form one part of the begging population, unfortunate children and women victimised by Organised Begging Mafia are another part this community. Organized begging is one of the most visible forms of human trafficking—and it's largely financed and assisted by good-hearted people who just want to help. By doing so we are not only making the children beggars for life but also lending a helping hand to these flourishing begging mafia. This money goes to the masters of these gangs and cycle of crime keep going. If we look at the official statistics, roughly 60,000 children disappear each year in India. While Slumdog Millionaire, the upbeat award-winning film about impoverished children has won international acclaim, the reality of disappeared youngsters in real life is grim. Human Commission of India in 2002-2003, presented a report on Trafficking of Women and Children in India. As abstracted from the report, stolen children are used for “Working as cheap forced labour in illegal factories, establishments, homes, exploited as child beggars (sometimes accompanied with amputation of limbs) in begging rackets, as victims of illegal adoptions or forced marriages, or perhaps, worse than any of these, as victims of organ trade and even grotesque cannibalism”. Evidently when trafficked children get too old to beg effectively, they often graduate into forced prostitution, the black-market organ trade, or other gruesome fates. In Delhi itself, an estimation of child beggars roaming on the streets of different areas is approx 30,000, and most targeted age group is between 3 to 8 years. So when we, well-intentioned people, give money directly to child beggars, there’s a decent chance we’re actually lining the pockets of criminals who will turn around and use that money to abduct, enslave, rape, torture, and maim even more kids.

Helping Hands for the betterment and rehabilitation of beggars:

The Constitution of India guarantees citizens fundamental rights to life, dignity, speech & expression, education and information, all that applies to beggars as well. As beggars are government’s responsibility, The Prevention of Beggary Act, 1945 is provided for detention and employment of beggars and their dependents in work-houses or special homes, and for their custody, trial and punishment. Since the 1945 Act was focused solely on eradication, in 1964 it was amended to introduce a rehabilitation clause. In June, 1971, the government introduced a scheme to remove beggars from the social fabric and provide means to rehabilitate them. A beggar rehabilitation fund was started, which mopped up a decent Rs 1.09 crore. The Juvenile Aid Police (JAP) Unit has also been rescuing children wandering in public places and rehabilitating them. The JAP has been in place since 1960 and has been rescuing children and reuniting them with their families.

Even if many non-government organisations and social welfare schemes aim to eradicate begging, begging for professional beggars and child beggars is like ‘old habits die hard’. Many times the child beggars taken to govt. facilities, to break the curse through education, sold all their books, uniform, pencils etc. and found back on the same streets. Things can be looked after in different way for those who are hard to crack eggs. As for the children, education is the key. If they prefer doing something with their hands rather than to study, they must be encouraged in finding out their interests and building their vocation. Above all, they must be provided with good food, clothes, hygienic and friendly environment that would cater to their mental and overall growth. Some NGOs are also working on the concept of Child Care (Bachpan Bachao).

Find an inventive, responsible way to be kind:
Don't encourage giving alms to the stout and able bodied beggars. It encourages idleness, inactivity, produces parasites and wastes a sizeable amount of human power. Also avoid giving money to the children rather find an inventive and responsible way if you genuinely wants to help. Teach them some skill like braiding with colourful ribbon, applying Henna or tattoos. Teaching them reading and writing would be an excellent way of helping out those unprivileged children. If you are a doctor or have excess to the medical facilities, providing them medical help like vaccination, dressing their wounds, mineral deficiency treatments (iron, calcium) would be a great and required act to show kindness. Don't give direct monetary help to the children, always route it through one of the many social welfare organisation like Mother Teresa Home. Its better to make them do some work and then give them reward. Instead of money flow towards temples and Babas you can give 50 rupees to a beggar to clean the stairs of that temple or clean the street near the temple where people throw a lot of garbage. If nothing is possible from your end, just try to speak to them as kindly as possible, explain them the value of education, good sanitary practices, and how they can make their life better. Lookout for government programmes, NGOs in these areas, helpline numbers and all related information, educate yourself and others. That shall help the unfortunate beggars to look at a life away from begging

Under Corporate Social Responsibilities, major corporate houses of India can take the lead in collaboration with institutions like Missionaries of Charity. Upon identification and sorting of beggars on the bases of health and age per district/area, they can be given permanent shelter, health care facilities and food. Nothing is valued given free so provide them vocational training on weaving clothes on loom, art, crafts, and handicrafts and so on with the help of mechanizsssed / semi-mechanized machines and indulge them in production of value products. Now come the responsibility of government in promotion of their services like these products can be duty free, help in easing their export, promotion can be done through stalls at gatherings (of International delegates), trade fares and govt. outlets and in many more ways.


So, can begging be ever eradicated? Let us look at it this way. The fight against corruption goes on at multiple levels and with varied intensities although it continues to survive. If the Executive has the will, it can definitely find a way to deal with beggary. All we have to do is to perform our bit of responsibility towards making India a proud land. After all, beggars are a shame to any cultured society that has pretensions to modernity.

The Dirty Gentleman: A proud Indian

Tell an Indian that you and your country are dirty, and he is going to kill you, no matter if at that point he was urinating at a roadside. Being a gentlemen but keeping the country dirty is an undying habit and attitude of our civilised society.
The pathetic condition of civic standards we Indians have is a matter of great concern. One can frequently witness the apathetic behaviour of large parts of our society when it comes to keeping the surrounding areas rubbish-free and enjoyable. Talk about the heap of garbage, road littered with junk, filth in the streets, empty packets of eatables, polythene and anything that is no longer needful are dumped on the streets. At some parts of the city especially in the dark narrow streets, we have to watch where we step; we can never take our eye off the road. The parks meant for kids to play and elders to relax and to do part of their exercise regime are found to be heavily littered with empty beer bottles, glasses, packets of eatables and what not. These public properties are meant for the good of public itself then why don’t we just accept it as ours! Why can’t we keep our garbage in our pockets until we find a garbage bin! Why don’t we bring a spade and use it to dig some soil to cover the feces of pets while taking them for a walk? why is the Right To Litter a fundamental right in India?

It is pretty clear that inherently we Indian are not clean, it seems bizarre but it is true. Indian system is sheer dirty starting from our streets, roads, parks, trains, buses, toilets, govt. offices, buildings, hospitals, eateries, religious places, rivers, canals, fields, environment, air, railway stations, bus stops or whatever you can think.
It is a big shame every of our neighboring countries which are much lower in economic standards like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan have much better sanitation records than us.
Spitting Paan and Guthka in the corners of building (public or private), on the name of inherent spitting habit is very pleasing habit for many of us!  Open defecation and urination in public around at the walls of parks, pavements and at any abandoned corner does not cost (literally) anything to anybody. Data says that still 60% of Indian population defecates in open and only 30% has access to improved sanitation. Of the 2.5 Billion people in the world that defecate in open, some 665 million live in India. This is of greater concern as 88% of deaths from diarrhoea occur because of unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. One intellectual minister in UPA govt. Mr. Jairam Ramesh remarked that “India is world’s largest open toilet.” And he was very much correct in saying that “India needs more toilets than temples.”

Coming to two major rivers, the holy ones, Ganges and Yamuna; it was estimated that only 27% of India's wastewater was being treated, with the remainder flowing into rivers, canals, groundwater or the sea. Another reason for their filthy condition is the dumpings in the name of religious offerings which adds mercury, lead, paints polythene and other chemicals in the water.
The sacred Ganges is infested with diseases and in some places it has becomes black and septic. Corpses, of semi-cremated adults or enshrouded babies drift slowly by. NewsWeek describes Delhi's sacred Yamuna River as "a putrid ribbon of black sludge" where the concentration of fecal bacteria is 10,000 times the recommended safe maximum despite a 15-year program to address the problem. Cholera epidemics are not unknown. This is the major reason for a huge number of diarrhoea and cholera related new born deaths in India.

Enough is not just to take daily bath and cleaning inside of our house on the name of hygiene. Maintenance of aesthetics of the surrounding are not taught in any school, many uneducated people maintaining cleanliness can be seen and many high profile working class pee at the corners and throw empty bottles out the window of their cars. Even in the colleges the walls and floor are found to be covered with multilayer of the advertising pamphlets. The amount of garbage placed inside the garbage bin is always less than what is littered around in the college canteen. The newly painted walls and doors are found full with useless writings by the future of India going to the colleges. In hot humid summer nothing is better than a bottle of chilled water or an ice cream, but littering the same after use is the most frequent scene. So you can’t just blame uneducated mass and poverty responsible for this dirty filthy nuisance.

This shows how habitual we are to live in denial. Whenever a slap of reality hits upon us, we just start running like a mad bunch of filthy hypocrite donkeys. We can tolerate the filth but we can’t hear the truth about that filth. And that we start putting our hopes and faith to a God- man or Godfather that some PM or minister will come and clean and change everything just by a swing of some magic wand. No PM or minister will stop you from urinating on the roadside, no one will catch your hand while throwing a bottle on the road, no one will send officials to clean up your temples, and no one even will clean your rivers. E.g. the second most important factor polluting GANGA and Yamuna are the religious offerings or dumping. If government will even put a question over such offerings, we citizens will be first one to call the government anti- secular, blasphemous, as hurting Hindu sentiments and that govt. or minister will have to pack their bag. And why should we put our hopes on some government and NGO’s. Both of these are corrupt money making machines. They don’t care about the urine smell or Garbage. They have a huge pile of money to breathe on.

Is it only because we Indian pee-ple are just too dirty and we don’t have any regard for cleanliness? We are impatient too and have also adopted the “chalta hai” attitude. If anyhow we relieve in a neat public toilet we won’t bother to leave it as clean as they have received it. The condition is even not so good with toilets at work place of many of us which are even used by limited number of people. The metro toilets where people are been hired for cleaning the toilets and we are even being charged for using them are really in a condition many of us should better hold till we arrive at our place.
What we are doing? Insulting the nation? See it with the eye of a tourist from a developed country. I really don’t care if they get Delhi belly or they don’t like their stay amid the filth full streets and ‘paan’ stained historical building they visit. What concern me the most are their remarks they make through the pictures or blogs they post. And when other people get the idea that we do not know how to keep clean and need to be taught.

Coming to the pathetic sanitary condition of the Indian Railways, Be it inside the coaches or the within the station premise, the condition of sanitation in railways is pathetic. It is given almost last priority to sanitation in entire development of railways. The toilets even in ‘Rajdhani’ and ‘Shatabdi’ trains start smelling just after passing few stations. Hawkers at the station selling eatables can be seen standing with their stalls next to a stinking public toilet. Person having good sense of aesthetics can’t keep standing on the filthy stations watching the scenes of overflowing dustbins, open drain near platform, open defecation on the track and near station, solid waste on the track and spitting on platform.
For Indian Railways travelers it should be clearly understood that unless passengers share equal responsibility with the administration the goal of achieving complete sanitation in railways is hard to achieve. For legislation and policy makers things are needed to better look into engineering improvements where necessary. Besides, publicity campaigns and hygienic& cleanliness awareness are needed to be strengthened in the railways.

Trash-laden streets are not just the by-product of poor policy and legislation; they are largely a result of local attitudes and behaviors towards waste management. The underlying solution is simple – Behaviors and attitudes can be changed. What if we put the garbage only in the garbage bins and not around that? What if we lessen the dependency on MCD van to arrive and take away the garbage rotting for more than a week? And these efforts take little to no monetary investment; it may just take 2 hours of your weekend.
There are some group of people like ‘The Ugly Indian’ and ‘Kaam Admi Party’ who are doing an excellent job of cleaning the dump of garbage from streets  and making the filth ridden spaces accessible to walk on or plant trees or put a bench to sit on. The message is loud and clear - it can be done!

Policy makers have started many schemes like National Urban Sanitation Policy, Nirmal Bharat Abiyan, School Sanitation and Hygiene Education Program but these can only be successful if we want them to be successful and play a proactive role as we are cleaning our home.
We have celebrated ‘2008’ as ‘International Year of Sanitation’. Similarly, one of the targets set for the millennium development goal (MDG) by the members of United Nations is to ‘halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population spending their lives with basic sanitation. In view of this target, we can contribute our big share by just changing our attitude of not tolerating the filth or by educating people who are less aware of the things they needed to know. Where the things are too disgusting to start off, why not put your criminals to work. There is provision of punishments in many countries where people are sentenced to community service if they litter or do not leave toilets clean. Let’s all join, raise our concerns about our country! Let’s collectively design the India we all want! The change has to start from our self, from our homes for our and future generations.

There is no more time to put our hopes on government and NGO’s and foreign funds. Who else will clean your house if you yourself can’t.? it is time for introspection, for changing the attitude and it is time to pick up the broom for a clean and healthy India if you want your children to breathe in fresh and healthy country.