Love: Do You Know What It Is?

I often wonder what love actually is. Is it what binds my mother and me together or is it something that keeps me awake all night waiting for someone’s text? Perception of Love is relative, with time and type of the relationship. Someone may be of utmost importance but with passage of time he may become insignificant, may what reason be. It may be his deeds, our understanding, or simply someone else replaces him. Our blood relations also do not guarantee the eternal love. Is Love what I feel when I walk alone in the rain? I don’t know what I think or feel but it makes me feel beautiful and beautifies the things around. Is love when I can smell my mom when I miss her while in the hostel?

Is love when I call some old friend just out of the blue because I felt I was needed? We meet so many people everyday but there is just one we fall in love with, the same qualities we have seen before but this time we fell for them. Suddenly our whole world revolves around that one single person, who out of nowhere becomes everything for us, to the point that we can leave the world and its bonds for them. Love is the coming together of two minds, who, fit in like a puzzle, complimenting the other side of each other. It doesn’t necessarily have to end in marriage or eternity or some other definition. It is far more superior and deep than these worldly needs.

With the bond comes the sacrifice. Sacrifice of certain expectations, sacrifice of some moments, sacrifice that go unnoticed, all in the name of love. A wife cooks, cleans, toils everyday and is only appreciated either on her birthday or the anniversary. I don’t know how to feel about it. It is happy to see that she is satisfied with her life. But it makes me sad to put myself in her shoes and let my efforts unnoticed. Maybe this is what love is, selfless and self-appreciating. We always say that love just happens, it’s not pre-decided; then, when did my grandparents, who met for the first time at their marriage venue, fell in love? Before they could know each other, they were told they were made for each other. An arranged love but still with the same intensity as those who took years of togetherness to know and decide. With each new birth comes a new definition of love. I guess, love can never be explained or maybe it doesn’t need to be. Each has his own way of exchanging love. What I may see as lonesomeness may be peace for you. What I may take as quickness maybe eternity for you.

Indian Universities: Are They Not Good Enough?

Development is an ongoing process. Ever since the dawn of time man has been incessantly striving to do something better, to discover something new. In keeping with this it is no surprise that educational institutions do everything in their power to be better every year so as to churn out the brightest minds of the world. Indian institutes in particular are getting more competitive by each day. Lakhs of students compete to get into an IIT or an IIM.

However, the 21st century has seen the world getting smaller. Nothing is isolated to a country anymore. The whole world is the platform where standards are set and success is achieved. Every year, universities from around the world are put to the test based on different categories and a list of the best 200 of the lot is recognized. The categories include teaching quality, graduate employability, international outlook and research quality.

Topping the list is predictably Harvard University, followed by California Institute of Technology, MIT, Stanford and Princeton. The top ten include 7 from the US alone and 3 from the UK. In the top 200, 75 universities are from the US, 32 from the UK, 12 apiece from Germany and Netherlands and 9 from Canada. The list also includes Asian universities from Taiwan, China and Singapore.

Surprisingly, IITs and IIMs do not make the cut. When it is widely regarded that an IIT is one of the best places in the world to study engineering, why did it not get recognized as one of the top 200? The highest ranked Indian university is IIT Bombay which comes in the 300-350 range.

The ranking of any university depends on the amount of its cooperation. But the universities from India have been ranked well before (2 IITs were featured on the list in 2009), so it could not be the lack of cooperation that explains the poor performance.

Developing the education system does not only require a high financial input, it also requires faculty of excellent quality and good infrastructure among others. While our universities are growing at a steady pace, the rest of the world is speeding up. This wouldn’t do if we want our education system to be of world class quality.

Dr. Narayan Murthy-CEO of Infosys recently said that 80% of IIT graduates are unemployable. While debates are raging on the matter, Dr. Murthy’s comments are not far from reality. With the explosive success of coaching centres that teach students how to crack various entrance examinations, students aren’t really learning what is in the books. They get to see how to solve a particular problem but they do not necessarily see the logic behind the solution. Students follow the same method every time a question arises. There is no room for innovation anymore.

The representation of international faculty and the number of international students are important aspects but Indian universities lack in that portion.

As for the research quality, research being conducted in higher education systems—while taking away no value from them—is considerably of a lower quality when compared to the world. It doesn’t matter anymore if it is the best in the country. Not just the quality, but also the quantity of research is lacking in India. A country which gave the world people like Aryabhatta and Sir C. V. Raman should not struggle when it comes to finding geniuses.

So what could be done to ensure our universities can edge out foreign competition? What could be done to improve the quality of research, the quality of the graduates that Indian universities produce each year?

For one, a better academic infrastructure is needed. Most laboratories and libraries in Indian universities are outdated. They need to catch up with the 21st century. The examination process of admitting students could be re-evaluated. Instead of letting students in just on the basis of their marks—which are at times not a good judge of how smart they are in a particular subject—an all round evaluation can be performed—a more elaborate process.

Innovation must be appreciated and encouraged. Today when achieving ‘just ok’grades are the norm, people must step up and strive to achieve the best in whatever field that suits them.

Your Waste Is Someone’s Means Of Living: Rag Pickers In India

Sarasa has no last name and no formal education. She lives in the slum in Delhi with her husband and three children. Each morning she begins her day by collecting garbage and she ends her day either vomiting or if all goes well then just disinclined to eat for a few hours, until the stench has receded from her nostrils and her fingernails have been scrubbed clean.

She is a secret environmentalist. She may not be aware of it or may not even understand the term, but she is one of 300,000 little-seen workers who perform a vital role for the city; they rifle the detritus of modern life, recycle anything of worth and carefully dispose the rest. Waste collectors like her are discriminated against, regularly harassed and possess few economic and social rights, but they provide a valuable service. By collecting household garbage they reduce the city’s solid waste management costs, provide a recycling system where none would exist otherwise and reduce the amount of waste which ends up in landfills. They should be referred to as “invisible environmentalists.”

More than 90 percent of India doesn’t have a proper waste disposal system, so the whole responsibility of the garbage dumping relies on the shoulders of rag pickers – one of India’s poorest and most marginalized groups. They are not paid by the state; they rely on meager salaries received from the communities they serve and on meager profits from the sale of discarded items.

India’s garbage generation stands at 0.5 to 0.8 kilogram of garbage per head per day. And we already know that land in India is scarce. India’s per capita waste generation is also very high, that it is a big trouble if a garbage collector doesn’t visit a neighborhood for a couple of days. Then the normal practice is to instruct the household help or maid to take the bags, walk a few yards away – probably towards the end of the lane – and dump the bags there. Slowly and gradually that dump start troubles for the residents and they approach the welfare associations and demand the same to be removed. Only then do we realize the importance of our regular waste collector. Most of the time people don’t even let them enter our houses and many people don’t even let them touch any buckets in their homes. Also, this problem draws on the caste system in our country. Most of these workers are Dalits – the lowest rung of Hindu society who are forced to face discrimination and prejudice.

It is also a common practice in India to not to separate the waste. Battery containing mercury, broken glasses, used medicine bottles or syringe and vegetable peels are often thrown in the same bins. It is considered to be the responsibility of a waste collector to pick up trash by hand, separate them manually without gloves, mask or proper cleaning facilities. Social isolation and unsanitary work conditions lead to illness, injuries, and serious infections. They work a minimum of 10-12 hours every day and are paid meagerly, their monthly income never crossing 3000-3500 rupees.

These workers are also affected by serious problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence and illiteracy. There’s an urgent need for municipal corporations to help them with peer counseling projects, to check child labour and get the rescued children admission in schools. Also it is imperative for them to separate biodegradable from non-biodegradable waste. Non-biodegradable wastes then further should be categorized on the basis of their toxicity. They should provide workers with proper masks, uniforms and gloves. Also, there’s a need to demand a hike in the waste disposal budget from the state. The government needs to invest in new waste disposing technologies so that this issue can be deal with efficiently.

As individuals, we need to make sure that we minimize our waste and use color-coded waste bins — green for biodegradable, white for recyclable wastes and black for other wastes. We should prohibit littering on the street. We should respect everyone in our community and should say a firm no to discrimination. Disposing waste is not a wasteful business.

Education and Rural Women

India dreams of becoming a superpower by 2020, but quite ironical is the fact that the country whose population has crossed one billion mark, has literacy rates quite comparable with the underdeveloped countries (and in some cases even less than these countries). The literacy rates for male and female (according to 2001 census) stands at 75.85 percent and 54.16 percent respectively. Various programs initiated by the state like Total Literacy Campaign, the District Primary Education Program and National Program of Nutritional Support to Primary Education have done little to attain the goal. Further, the gap between the rural and urban areas and that between female and their male counterpart is quite substantial.

While the male literacy rate in urban areas is about 86 percent, rural female literacy rate is just 46 percent (2001 census). Several plausible reasons explain this difference. The first and foremost of course, is the way the parents perceive the female education. Since the very beginning the role of female is confined to domestic work and looking after children. The tradition of settling at husband’s place after marriage, does not offer enough incentive to parents for spending on girls’ education. A boy’s education is far more important as it enhances the chances of his being employed. Another reason is the prevalent trend of early marriage in rural areas. In most villages, girls’ education, rather than being seen as an incentive is seen as a liability. It is difficult to find a groom for an educated girl.

These are not the only reasons responsible for the low level of female education. Though one cannot deny that gender inequality is, by and large, responsible for the situation, but several other factors also work in this direction. Very often, the parents who are willing to educate their daughters are discouraged by the absence of school within the surrounding area and it is not considered safe to send girls to another village to study. However, this is not true for most of the villages now. But even in villages where there are schools, the standard of infrastructure is abysmally low, be it management of classes, student-teacher ratio, availability of text books, or even furniture, these schools lack in every sense. This discourages the parents to get their children enrolled in these schools. There are incidences of under qualified staff being employed in educational institutions. The meager salaries that are offered by the government do not provide enough incentive to attract the talent to these schools for employment. Grimmer is the condition of scheduled caste female education. The recent figures show that the scheduled caste female literacy rate is dismal 19 percent (2001 census). This shows that the age old discrimination based on caste is still prevalent. This is really disheartening and shows that in spite of numerous schemes being launched by the government, the downtrodden classes still face social stigma and there is a lot to be done for the upliftment of these classes.

However, talking of female literacy, one cannot ignore the achievement of southern states in terms of female education. The states’ performance in terms of social indicators is often proportional to economic growth. But in India’s case rich states like Punjab and Haryana have lower literacy rates as compared to Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kerala has performed really well since 1990s in fields of health and education, mainly due to the matriarchal pattern of their society. Himachal Pradesh has also managed to do significantly better than other states in relatively shorter span of time. Major credit for this goes to the political action in the state. The success of government’s initiatives often depends on the cooperative action of the community. The illiterate people are often unable to put pressure on the state governments and school authorities, and so, they can easily get away with the blame. Huge amount provided in the budget for expenditure on education does not reach to the grass root level due to the endemic corruption. Thus lack of accountability is often responsible for ramshackle infrastructure of government schools.

Education, under nutrition, and gender discrimination are all interrelated. For example, infant’s health depends on the care taken by mother during pregnancy which in turn depends on her education and also the education in the community. Further, an educated mother is better equipped to help her children in studies. So, there is a need for change in the social attitude of rural people towards women. Also, the standard of government schools’ infrastructure needs to be raised. The salaries of staff should also be raised to make them more committed. Other states should learn from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu so that the goal of achieving universal education does not remain a distant dream.

Role of Youth In Indian Politics

Democracy is the buzz word for our political system. But is it really so? Is it democracy that a nation where a majority of population is below 40 elects a majority of people above 60 to power? Are we really satisfied with the way our country is being governed? Should it not bother us that at the age people generally take retirement and rest, our politicians actually become eligible to be at the helm of affairs? Why is it so that people below 50 years are considered as political ‘kids’? 

 The country desperately needs some young leaders who personify energy, enthusiasm, morality, and diligence. No doubt we have progressed a lot in the last 63 years but the development pace would have been completely different had some young torchbearers led this process of development.

At the time of independence, Gandhi called upon the youth to participate actively in the freedom movement. Young leaders likes Nehru came to his reckoning and led the movement. But this is not the case now. Nowadays we have only a handful of young leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Varun Gandhi etc, but they are in the political scenario because they belong to influential political families. It is next to impossible to find a young leader with no political family background in the furor of politics .

There can be two reasons for this deplorable scene of Indian politics. One may be that the youth today are not interested in actively participating in the political field. They are content with what they are doing and how the country is being governed. But this reason seems to hold no ground seeing the discontent shown by the youngsters towards cases like reservation, Jessica Lal murder case etc. The youth of modern India are aware of the problems facing our country and the world at large. Given a chance they would be ready to change the political condition of the country for better.

Second reason may be that young people are not given opportunities to prove themselves claiming that they are not equipped with experience to participate actively in the governance of the country. This reason seems to be more logical seeing the monopoly of old leaders in almost all the major political parties of the country. Old people should realize that proper development can take place only when they make way for younger people to take control of the activities.

There are few things which need to be clarified. One that youngsters do not mean people who are 20 years old with no experience at all. Youth in this context is meant to refer people in their 30’s or early 40’s with a good mix of energy and experience. Two, it is not intended to mean that old people should leave the political scene and rest. What is wanted is that they should be there but for guidance because they are treasures of invaluable experience.

There are a few things which I would like to suggest. There should be a retirement age for politicians as well which may be around 65 years. There should also be some educational qualification for politicians. How can we give those illiterates the key to our country whom we can not give the key to our house? People with serious criminal background should not be allowed to contest elections.

 As for the youth of our country, they can contribute in more ways than just contesting elections. Much can be done in areas like educating people, raising awareness about various social ills, and many other areas.

We can just wish that the next time we go to vote we find more names of youngsters who can make our country a better place to live in.

Women and Media

The last few decades have seen tremendous changes in the lifestyles of men and women across all over the globe and particularly so in our own country. Globalization, market economics and above all, fast strides in technology have affected virtually all facets of life be it religion or education , politics or employment, fashion or health care. With the advent of computers and telecommunications, media has also undergone a sea of change. Media in India, which until a few years back used to comprise of the morning newspaper, the radio broadcasts and the sole television network screen images of “doordarshan”, comprises today of a dazzling and at times mind boggling array of communication devices. The media, which was earlier merely a reporting device, is today a vibrant means of shaping, molding and influencing public opinion.

However, in spite of all these changes, the media has not managed to overcome the typical stereotypes that are associated with women in India. While there are certain departures from this, the fact remains that by and large, there is a huge potential for better and a more realistic projection of women. It does not require any detailed analysis to conclude that the media is in a state of confusion and are perhaps unsure of the way they want to see women. On the one hand they still have this eternal image of a woman who is confined to the boundaries, duties and responsibilities of her home and her family.

Even a contemporary TV advertisement, like that of “Moov” is based on the same philosophy. The lady in this advertisement is shown as the single person doing all the housework, and attending to the whims and fancies of all her family members, from her husband to kids, to mother and father-in-law, and simply everybody. She is allowed a break from her work only when she cries out in pain from a backache. And then the family decides to recognize her presence by passing a tube on ointment around, and the husband offering to apply the ointment for her. But those moments of respite are few, as she is back on her feet the moment the pain recedes, and the bombardment of orders and requests begin again. The docile, subservient nature of the woman is apparent, although not meant to be so perhaps!!

Another image of women in India that has grown in the recent years is the one that we have aped from the west and which gradually is gaining momentum. This is the portrayal of the woman as a showpiece or an icon of glamour. We hardly come across an advertisement these days where we don’t see a pretty model beaming at us, be it the advertisement of a new model car or that of a cold drink. We see the advertisement of the new “Maruti Zen” where the tiger stalks a young woman in a dark alley. The advertisement had to be withdrawn due to public pressure.

In other words, the portrayal of women in the Indian media oscillates between these two extremes: the “mother India” and the “glamour girl” image.

What the media does not see and project is the image of a woman as a serious partner in decision-making, a serious contender as a professional: doctor, engineer, teacher or a computer specialist, a serious politician or leader. This is so in spite of the fact that we have today a large number of working women, and there is hardly any field that does not have women representatives. We have women administrators, entrepreneurs, doctors, police women, computer specialists, politicians and most surprising the entire media business is full of women practically performing all types of activities.

It is indeed a very sad phenomenon. For example, companies like Wipro, Infosys, IBM, Microsoft etc employ almost equal number of men and women. But when it comes to a TV advertisement regarding computers, we always find that it is the projection of a man behind the monitor!! The woman has to use ‘fair & lovely’ and wear a pink dress to become a cricket commentator.

There is no end to such examples and though “India is shining” and we have progressed by leaps and bounds, the fact remains that the usage of women as perceived in our country oscillates between these two extreme stereo types.

Women Reservation Bill

Women Reservation Bill seems to be one of the cardinal achievements of our central government.  A sizable majority of Indians are immensely appreciative of the terms of this bill. Yet, how many of us have actually looked into what this Bill intends to do and how its numerous attributes will set out in achieving their goals. As an ordinary citizen, the Bill may seem inconsequential to me and many may say that the Bill in no way influences me; yet this issue has been very close to my heart and I have longed for the opportunity to voice what I think this much celebrated Bill will do.

First, the Bill introduces 33% reservation for women in the central and state legislatures. Well, we may call it a way of empowering women today; but how many women will actually benefit from this Bill? How many women even know of any such Bill? A very small number indeed. It’s lamentable the way we look at the highest law-making organs in our country. The central and state legislatures are those bodies which play a huge role in all our lives. They are responsible to form policies, make laws, and assign finances to various sectors etcetera. Yet, what we are doing here is letting gender precede merit. If a male candidate is more efficient and competent than his female counterpart then is it fair in any way that the female candidate is given preference only because she is a woman? In bodies such as the central and state legislatures the country is in dire need of people who are able and proficient; we cannot at any cost compromise on the premise of ability.

The Bill seems to be flawed in its method of implementation. The idea of rotation of constituencies will lead to manipulation of these seats by political parties, ultimately beguiling the people under the garb of capacitating women. Take Rahul Gandhi for instance, he has been representing Amethi (his constituency) for quite some time. The people have elected him as their representative election after election. Now, when it will be Amethi’s turn to send a woman to parliament, an absolutely new candidate will be representing the people of Amethi, whether they like it or not. They won’t be left with much of a choice it seems. Where then are our democratic principals? Why should any Indian citizen be deprived of exercising his/her franchise in a way he/she deems fit?

The most erroneous part of the Bill is that it does not have any provision of sub-quotas. How then are we going to prevent it from being misused? Mr. Manmohan Singh, when asked in Parliament regarding the problem of sub-quotas replied by saying that, the various political parties should field women candidates from backward classes. This sounds ridiculous when argued that if parties had political maturity enough to field candidates from backward classes in the name of women emancipation then why is there a need for such a Bill at all? Parties ought to field adequate women candidates only in the first place. What this loop-hole will do is rather predictable. Wives, sisters, daughters and nieces of powerful politicians and civil servants will be occupying these reserved seats, whereas behind them the male politicians will be calling the shots. Thereby, making a mockery of the entire system of electoral representation.

Last but not the least, the founding fathers of our constitution provided for reservation as a temporary prerequisite of governance. This has not only been procrastinated for 6 decades, but also this provision has invaded every sphere of our nation. Women don’t need hand-outs! It’s high time we realize what is really required to empower women. It is education, for men and women alike. Primary, secular, unbiased, ethical and uncorrupted education. Education is crucial in crafting our country and people. We have to stop looking at reservations as the panacea to all our problems. Sheer equality can only be achieved if all are able to compete as equals. Lofty as it may sound, yet this is the need of the hour. It is indeed lugubrious that our politicians don’t ever understand that.