Afterthoughts

Probably I can write a blog every day at 9.35 am since this is the time I am flushed with all sorts of emotions - anger, rage, sadness, helplessness and a desire to turn all of them productive. 

                                                          

Ms Poonam Kalra had told us the first day, how this paper - Indian Economic Development since 1947 is a very pessimistic paper. It loads you with all the data and gruesome figures and facts about what all is wrong with Indian economy. Unfortunately, it does not provide any solutions, because YOU are expected to look for the solutions.

Solutions, I don’t have to even attempt to start thinking of them – I’m taught in a way that rouses the rebel in me…and solutions have to be crafted by none other than the youth.

This morning’s lecture was about comparative growth and development analysis of states within India. We set out to identify the reasons why Kerala and a state like Himachal Pradesh outperformed every other state. Two reasons that stood out apart from education was provision of PUBLIC UTILITIES and PUBLIC ACTION as an essential democratic process. Democracy, as I see, is not only about going to Ramlila Grounds and protesting with the crowd. There is much more relevance at the individual rather than collective level. How an individual deals with corruption at his level, when HE is faced with a bribing officer is the real test. Does he protest, does he raise his voice, does he use the public facilities, does he report, does he complain to the police, does he sting the scene or does he passively acquiesce and pay the bribe as a one-time quick fix solution?

What lacks in most states is this ability to protest.

I remember how heavenly excited I was when Mam Kochhar, my political science teacher had introduced in those powerful, soul-stirring words the chapter on RIGHTS in the constitution.

‘I have a RIGHT to something!’ and she had banged the desk and enunciated in a very demanding tone– I had never encountered such a bold description of the Articles 19 to 22.

The fact that people are not aware what to do, when they are faced with injustice lies at the core! The complexity of the procedures, the multiple levels of hierarchy end up making ‘justice seeking’ a time consuming and inefficient process.