The dictionary defines prevention as avoidance, deterrence, and anticipation, whereas restraint means self-control, moderation, self-discipline. We, in India, especially those who have the joystick of this country in their hands, understand “prevention” in all critical spheres as obstacle, hindrance, impediment for their personal growth and the growth of the “haves” of society. When we talk of restraint, it is obvious that we are probably the most indisciplined bunch of people globally.
There are enough situations to prove that we specialize as firefighters and crisis managers in every walk of life. We wait for a disaster to happen before we lengthen the runway for aircrafts to land safely, we wait for the “rebel Maoists” to kill numerous innocent citizens and hold States to ransom before accepting that the problem is serious enough to call in the armed forces (despite crores of rupees being spent on our intelligence infrastructure), we wait to be recognized as the diabetic capital of the world before we think of how to educate the masses about prevention of non-communicable diseases, we even wait to win a bid for events such as the Commonwealth Games before realizing we need to improve our infrastructure and put our capital city on a par with those of other countries and that our citizens deserve better. Many of us remember that the last big boom in infrastructure was for the Asian Games many moons ago.
How much more will we wait to realize that 63 years have passed since we won independence but we are still globally ranked 114th of 134 countries measured in the global gender gap report 2009 of the World Economic Forum. We have stayed at that position more or less since 2006. Women’s welfare is in a pathetic state with women having to give birth on the streets due to lack of basic healthcare. As for infant mortality rate, we stand 53rd in the world with 49.13 deaths for every 1000 live births. More than 40 per cent of our population is still illiterate. The employment rate is 10 per cent, which ranks us 115th globally.
Coming to some fundamental standards, we still cannot get one quality and standard across India for even our road signs. Take a look around Delhi, we still cannot meet international standards on many fronts like quality of bus stops and their correct locations. We still have a sign on NH8 that says “emergency phone” but there’s no phone in the vicinity. Exceptions are still made for VIPs when it comes to paying toll, to stopping traffic, to facing six-hour power cuts. When will we be able to prevent such sub-standard work and such complete neglect in the little we do? When will we realize that the citizen comes first?
When and where is there not a crisis? It rains in Jodhpur and the city gets flooded. Mumbai is waiting with fingers crossed as yet again the BMC is not ready for the rains. Old buildings across India will collapse with one jolt of an earthquake or heavy rains, killing hundreds at times. Roads get blocked every year, due to rains, snow or landslides. When will we find a solution? Something is nauseatingly amiss somewhere. Perhaps the people need to rise and shine as reliance on those who govern us has proved futile.
We do not endorse a comparison with China, but let’s accept that they are way ahead of us and the majority of citizens there is a happier lot due to systems that work and a better quality of life. Let’s look closer home. Are we a patch on even Singapore? Our powers that are need to do some soul searching and realize that only a food Bill, or women’s reservation Bill will not change India. Sonia Gandhi means well, at least she is thinking of the poor and weaker sections, but can she prevent corruption and lack of implementation, can she make the system accountable? Can the media use restraint in reporting and be more realistic? Do they not realize the damage they do every day just for TRPs. The people of India want answers to these questions.
Going by our track record, there seems to be a deep-seated desire among those who run our systems to ensure we remain at certain levels and standards of living and growth. We do not take any serious action to improve education for the masses since education means the people can make an informed choice – and that could be disastrous at election time. There is little point in making much of growth indices for industrial growth and the GDP holding out, or of how robust our economy has been despite the global meltdown when the stark reality is that 70 per cent of our citizens still live in rural environments in some of the worst circumstances. Nothing has changed for them and nothing may for the next decade.
Our political system has chosen to play big brother to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal, pumping in millions of rupees to tackle disaster and debt when their citizens and migrants are stealing the bread and butter of some of the weakest sections of our society by depriving them of jobs even though those jobs may be menial. They are also adding colourful figures to the crime index, making life impossible for our already “run down” police force. The icing on the cake is that to date we do not have an extradition treaty with countries like Nepal when their people commit crimes in India and return to their country, making them beyond our reach. I speak from personal experience on this matter. It makes my blood boil.
Why are we unable to prevent this exodus of humanity slipping into India? Don’t we have enough of our own to deal with? The reasons are clear if only we have the moral fibre to accept them: these refugees and migrant workforce do wonders for vote banks so why would any political party want to take action and send them back to their country? For a few lakh rupees, a few pre- election non-vegetarian meals with liquor thrown in, they can make a huge variation in the final vote count. Once again, a sheer lack of will to prevent.
One cannot but wonder if Nandan Nilekani and his enterprise will exclude or include this migrant workforce. If he includes them, then the damage would have been done for ever to our community. If he does not, then your guess is as good as mine on whether heads will roll. Can this be prevented?
We also need to ask ourselves where our society is headed, where the good old values of our forefathers have gone, why we are today rushing to make the wrong “statements” when TV advertisements exhort us to make a “statement” by buying a fridge worth Rs 1.5 lakh – a sum on which an entire family can live for two years in some parts of India. Are we able to prevent the gross damage and influence that the market and the companies that benefit are doing? Can we restrain the kind of advertisement messaging that is going out or the 3G facility which will open a Pandora’s box in the hands of the common man, with mobile companies offering free downloads of wallpapers of “hot babes”? The National Women’s Commission is obviously not doing enough to prevent exploitation of women.
With only 29 per cent of our population living in urban areas and with a 2.4 per cent annual urbanization rate of change, where are we going? How can we prevent our “real” population from being left out of the “shining India”? It is time for some real soul searching and profound thinking not only by the politicians of this country but also each and every literate citizen who today lives only for himself or herself and for the immediate family. We need to take people of every walk along for “inclusive growth” – yet another buzz word today with the CII and FICCI.
Perhaps, if each urban household adopts one individual and supports and guides that person to build a life of quality through honesty and hard work, India will change overnight. Otherwise, we will be left with a wider gap between the segments of society – more gaping than what was left behind by the Raj.
True, there are several who are doing their little tasks that make a big difference in the lives of many. There are many such unsung heroes in our society and they will keep striving endlessly and hopefully.
But then this is not about them, this sharing of heart and thought is to make the leaders and drivers in the seats of power change, stop and think, “Have we truly got ‘India first’ in our hearts and minds?”
