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Room for suspicion &
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Death on the television screen |
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PRIME MINISTER’S AFRICAN SAFARI
On the record
PROFILE
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Room for suspicion & concern
India
has a proud history of uninterrupted decennial censuses ever since
1881. It is worth recalling that census data have determined the
destiny of the Indian sub-continent in many ways. The partition of India was based on census data on religion. The re-organisation of States in 1957 on a linguistic basis used census data on languages (mother-tongue). The delimitation of electoral constituencies ever since India held the first general election in 1952 is based on census data. The constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) as per the Constitution of India are also based on census data. The Finance Commission, appointed every five years under the Constitution which recommends allocation of resources between the Centre and States takes into account the population factor. So does the Planning Commission while preparing five year plans. What is not so well known is the importance of census data in formulating population policies. For example, in 1977 the Population Policy announced by the Emergency Government froze the number of seats in Parliament and State Assemblies as per 1971 census data for the next three decades. This was done to meet the demand from southern States to freeze the seats in Parliament. Otherwise, the representation of these States would have been reduced in Parliament. The comparative success of the southern states in controlling population growth and the failure of the northern states to do so has resulted in this imbalance. This had to be corrected, otherwise the number of MPs in the northern states would have gone up at the cost of the southern states. This would have meant rewarding states which failed to curb population growth. In 2000, a National Population Policy was announced by the Government, which extended this freeze by another 25 years, i.e. up to 2026. This was given effect through a subsequent amendment to the Constitution by Parliament.
Presentation of census data The customary way of presentation of Census data is to put all states in alphabetical order and then put the Union Territories (UTs) in alphabetical order. Later this was changed to listing states according to geographical zones like north India, north-west India and so on. Both these methods are not reader-friendly. If we are told that the decadal population growth rate of Dadra & Nagar Haveli is the highest, namely, 55.5 per cent without telling the reader at the same time that this tiny UT accounts for only 0.03 per cent of India's population, our analysis will go haywire. In terms of size of population, there is a world of difference ranging from about 200 million (20 crores) persons in Uttar Pradesh to only 64,429 persons in Lakshadweep Islands. As we have stated earlier, mixing up all the 35 administrative units (states and UTs) regardless of their population size is misleading. We have therefore classified these 35 units into three categories as follows:
n Bigger states : population more than 10 million (1
crore), n Smaller states/UTs: population between 1 and 10 million (10 lakh to 1
crore) n Smallest states/UTs: population less than 1 million (10 lakhs). The summary table is given in Table no 1
Worsening Child Sex Ratio The most disturbing aspect of 2011 census data released so far is the growing imbalance between the sexes in the youngest age group (0-6) which is indicative of female foeticide. In short, the girl child is not wanted and therefore not allowed to be born, thanks to the use of modern medical technology. It is interesting to note that in order to calculate the literacy rates, the age group 0-6 is excluded for obvious reasons: children don't get literate from birth. Since all Census tables give figures for total population and also separately for male and female population, the 0-6 child group figures presented data for boys and girls separately. From this one can calculate the child sex ratio or the number of girls per 1000 boys in the age group 0-6 years. I believe that the child sex ratio (CSR) for the age group 0-6 is not the best way of finding what is happening to the girl child. A better method will be to calculate the number of girls per 1000 boys at birth. But this assumes a good system of registration of births and deaths. In spite of the legal provision for compulsory registration of births, very few people care to register births of children, especially the girl children. This is because some people think that if there is a government record of their sons, whatever the property the man has will be in government records which he can pass on to his sons, which is a mistaken notion. The CSR has continuously declined from 976 in 1961 to 914 in 2011. It should certainly be a cause for concern to our leaders of society and the government (see Table 2 and bar chart). The figures for variation in CSR are very perplexing. Out of the 20 bigger states, only in 4 states the CSR has increased. The greatest surprise is the jump by 48 points in Punjab and 11 points in Haryana, states which are notorious for female foeticide. This calls for evaluation of census data and also field work in Punjab and Haryana in particular. My field work in these states does not confirm that the rise in CSR is real. I hope some interested readers of The Tribune will take up this work and throw light on the accuracy of census data. In Tamil Nadu the increase in CSR is by 4 points and in Gujarat by 3 points. In the remaining states there is a decline ranging from 82 points in Jammu & Kashmir to just 1 point in Kerala. I would not accept J&K figures as reliable in view of the disturbed condition there. It is significant that in the urbanised state of Maharashtra the decline in CSR is of the order of 30 points. Has the urban middle class taken to family planning? On the other hand, in the predominantly rural state of Rajasthan, the decline is high: 26 points. It seems that the rural masses do not want girls. So we have an odd situation where the urban middle class does not want daughters and the rural masses also do not want daughters. I have an explanation for this which is bound to be controversial. Nevertheless let me put forward my viewpoint. We have had over 50 years of government propaganda about the need for a small family. This has certainly raised the awareness about the small family norm all over India. By small family, earlier one meant 2 or 3 children but over the years the acceptable number came down to 2 children. For parents there are 3 possibilities: (i) 2 sons only, (ii) 2 daughters and (iii) only 1 son and 1 daughter. The second scenario is the worst. The cost of dowry and marriage has gone up. We are becoming increasingly a consumerist society. Greed has overtaken need. One cannot order a small family with only 2 sons or for that matter, 1 son and 1 daughter, unless one takes recourse to medical intervention or in simple language, finding out the sex of the unborn child and taking to abortion if it is a female child. The government enacted the PCPNDT Act quite sometime back, which prohibits such medical intervention but it is well known that its implementation is very poor. Will the CSR go down further in next census of 2021?
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Death on the television screen Sky TV had shown an assisted suicide in a film called ‘Right to Die’ in 2008. In 1998 Robert Winston’s BBC documentary, ‘The Human Body’, dealt with the final moments of an elderly German called Herbie. A documentary on Alzheimer’s made by Terry Pratchett and due to be screened later this year also shows an assisted suicide at a clinic in Switzerland.
Having had a preview of ‘Inside the Human Body’, however, I am left with the feeling that I would rather not have witnessed the death of 84-year-old Gerald. It was a very good documentary. But my unease starts from the fact that for most of the audience this will be the first time they have been in the presence of death. For death has been institutionalised. Most people die in hospitals, or in hospices - as Gerald does in the programme. What was once experienced in our homes, and all could gather round, has gradually been taken away from our midst. An obvious reason is the desire to benefit from medical advances that are best delivered in a hospital setting or from the palliative care that hospices provide. In which case we may be living in a very strange world in which medical advances remove the death of family members from our bedrooms while, at the same time, television brings back death into our living rooms - only what we see on screen are the final moments of people we don’t even know. I found myself watching ‘Inside the Human Body’ with a censor’s eyes. So I first considered the notion of harm. Had this been an assisted suicide, for instance, then I would have been concerned whether the documentary showed any imitable techniques. Could you learn how to commit suicide with a minimum of pain by watching it? However, in this case, as we are dealing with a natural death, the notion of harm refers only to making an assessment of the programme’s likely impact on young viewers. I do have a sliver of concern that some young minds might find it difficult to process what they see. The documentary starts with a water birth, shot in slow motion. It then describes some of the countless small miracles that keep us alive. It shows how, for example, in the case of firefighters, it is copious sweating as well as protective clothing that enables them to bear intense heat. But the story naturally finishes with the progressive failure of important functions. Gerald has ended up with diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and anaemia. His death is the inevitable final chapter.
’Inside the Human Body’ is a lyrical celebration of the body’s ingenuity. It is pervaded by a sense of wonder and punctuated by startling facts. It is also helped by Gerald’s cheerful disposition. He says he is grateful for each day that comes and admits to a blind trust that he “won’t” completely disappear. In the documentary,however, the episode is portrayed as unremarkable as if it were a bus going along the street outside. Gerald has passed by and gone. And yet those who have witnessed death will tell you that it is not like that at all. A nurse said that when somebody died on her ward, it is always an event, not just an incident needing to be logged. The emotions generated by the moment of death are powerful. One person told me that she had felt it was a privilege to be present at her grandmother’s death, to have been there when she “slipped away”. The documentary fails to capture the nature of the final moment when a human being, often much loved, disappears. It is a sacred event. The Independent |
PRIME MINISTER’S AFRICAN SAFARI
The task is far from easy. China’s shadow already looms large over the vast continent even as India pulls out all the stops to make the second India-Africa summit a truly memorable event. With 54 independent nations that constitute more than a quarter of the membership of the United Nations, Africa collectively will have more clout and gradually emerge as an important voice on crucial global issues. However, the Indian presence in a friendly Africa is not only of great importance to India’s security, but is also a strategic necessity for the Indian Ocean nations. Such a strategic relationship cannot be developed if India continues to consider Africa solely as a great potential market for Indian businesses and a source of natural resources. One area where India can make substantial contributions to a large number of African nations’ long-term well-being is in the agricultural sector. The envoys of some African countries, including Tanzania and Uganda, have in recent years encouraged farmers from Punjab to till the land in their countries. China’s foray into Africa is driven by its growing appetite for resources and oil to feed its booming economy while India has chosen to focus on capacity building as the defining template of its engagement with the continent. While China is engaged in unconcealed, neo-colonial resource extraction from Africa, which has already produced a backlash, India wishes to be – and has to be – gentler in its engagement with the continent because of its own democracy and historical good relations with the African leadership. The first India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi in April 2008 produced a ‘Framework of Cooperation’. However, bureaucratic procedures in the African Union and in India slowed down the momentum. It took the two sides two years to finalise the joint ‘Plan of Action,’ overshooting the deadline by a year. But thereafter, more concerted efforts have been evident. Throughout 2010, New Delhi played host to Presidents and Prime Ministers from Africa. India’s Vice-President as well as key ministers also travelled to several African capitals. India’s biggest strength, which it often underestimates while ‘overvaluing China’s dictatorial approach, is its democracy, and this is the commodity it must primarily export to Africa. India enjoys a far better image in Africa, thanks to Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru’s contributions to the continent’s anti-colonial struggles. With Africa’s rise no longer in doubt, India would do well to solely concentrate on building partnerships at bilateral, regional and continental levels and not seek a role in internal affairs of African states or intra-African conflicts. It treaded cautiously during the recent troubles in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and the Ivory Coast. New Delhi should stay the course.
A PARTNERSHIP IN PROGRESS
n The PM will attend the 2nd Africa-India Forum Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 24-25. It will be preceded by a ministerial meeting in which the Indian side will be led by Anand Sharma, Minister for Commerce & Industry. n
Africa is host to 90% of world’s Cobalt, 50% of Gold, 98% of Chromium, 64% of Manganese & 34% of Uranium. n
Trade between India and Africa crossed US $ 46 billion last year and is expected to reach US $ 70 billion by 2015. n
Indian private sector entrepreneurs have already made investments in excess of US $ 25 billion in a wide range of sectors from telecom, automobiles, IT, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. n
Bharti’s $ 8.5 billion acquisition of Zain in Africa is one of the largest outbound investments by India. According to a FICCI study, Africa is on the brink of an economic take off. n
At present India’s OFDI is the 9th largest source of FDI into Africa. Among the Indian groups that have substantial presence in Africa include Bharti Airtel, Karuturi Global, the world’s largest producer of cut-roses, Tata Africa Holdings also has a strong presence in over 10 African countries with investments exceeding US$ 100 million. Mahindra & Mahindra, Essar which has steel, oil and gas and telecom assets in across Africa. The other players include Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Shapoorji Pallonji in construction. n
China’s official trade statistics reveal that total trade with Africa crossed US$ 100 billion in 2009. n
In most of the sectors China has flown in Chinese labourers instead of employing local Africans, hence Africa could not benefit from transfer of skills and employment generation. Also, the informal sector has been overtaken by Chinese products at very low prices, affecting Africa’s share in its domestic as well as international market. |
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On the record
Colonel Deepak Berry is a reputed sailor in the Army’s Corps of Engineers. His major sailing expeditions include CME Golden Jubilee Expedition from Mumbai to Kavaratti in 1993, Trishna Goodwill Expedition covering Mumbai-Dubai-Muscat-Mahe-Male-Mumbai in 1996, Golden Palm Tri Medium Expedition from Chennai to Vizag and back in 2010 and Trishna All Arms Blue Water Expedition from Mumbai to Colombo and back, also in 2010. Col Berry, who recently led a five-member team aboard a yacht to the Andaman Islands from Chennai on a nine day voyage across the Bay of Bengal, shared his experience with The Tribune. Tell us something about your latest expedition. How did it marterialise ? Such expeditions are organised from time to time by the armed forces in keeping with the spirit of adventure that is an integral part of any military formation. The J-24 yacht used by us was brought to Chennai by a team of the Indian Navy who sailed to Chennai from the Andaman Islands. We took up the second leg of the expedition. How was the crew selected ? Well, I am a veteran, having already taken part in a number of expeditions. Other crew members also had experience of sailing in the sea. Two of the crew members had taken part in expeditions from Chennai to Rameswaram and Chennai What about the distance you covered and the duration of the voyage ? We covered 800 nautical miles each way. We started from Chennai on April 4 and reached the Andaman on April 13. The first leg of the journey, which took off from the Andaman on March 23, also lasted for about nine days before they could reach Chennai. There was no motor in our boat and we had to depend entirely on the wind to push our sails. We did not get a fair wind and had to move laterally at times. If we had got a favourable wind, the duration of the voyage would have been shorter. What did you eat during the voyage and what did you guys do about the toilet ? We carried dry rations like rice, dal, etc which we cooked. The cooking was always in a pressure cooker so that the waves hitting the boat did not spoil our dish! We also carried instant noodle and canned food. We also had a fishing line. Though I am a vegetarian, other crew members ate the fish that were caught in the fishing line. We used small gas cylinders for cooking our food. There was no toilet aboard the yacht. There was a small cabin with two bunks where crew members slept by turn. For toilet, one had to harness himself on one corner of the boat, hold on to the ropes for balance and relieve himself into the sea. To avoid embarrassment we used to finish this business before sunrise. There was also no chance of taking a bath during the course of the voyage. What kind of marine life you saw during your voyage ? We saw dolphins and they were very friendly. We carried shark repellents with us but fortunately we did not come across any shark. We did not see any whale either. I had spotted at least three whales during an earlier voyage. Were you covered by any ship for safety reasons ? No. We were not covered by any ship. However, we carried a satellite phone with us so that we could ask for help in case of emergency. We faced a squall near the coast of the Andaman Islands on April 10. However, we could handle it and it was not necessary to call for help. What do you like about these voyages ? A. Besides enjoying the spirit of adventure, I like to stare at the night sky from the deck of the boat when we are in the high seas and are absolutely enveloped by darkness and there is no light except for the twinkling of the stars. I like the feeling that is aroused inside me in such moments. "Khamosh tum
bhi, Aur mere honth bhi the band Phir itni der woh kaun tha Jo bolta
raha" ( Our lips were locked but yet who kept speaking so long ) |
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PROFILE The hall at the Jaipur Literary Festival was packed to capacity as a poet from Jodhpur held forth. The next speaker being Salman Rushdie, it came as no surprise that the audience would come early and occupy vantage positions. The real surprise was when many of them walked out after the session. As one of them explained, “ After such poetry, there is no appetite for Rushdie’s prose”. “ I was told that man’s identity lay in his work and his name hardly had any bearing,” he explained to an interviewer when asked why he did not write under his own name, Shiv Kishan ( Shiv Kumar Bissa according to some). Born into a Brahmin family, he had studied Sanskrit but he had also learnt Persian and grew up listening to the Sufi songs of Kabir, Surdas and Meera. He was equally at home with Amir Khusro. Nizam is of course one of the many illustrious poets like Gulzar, Pavan Varma, Jayant Parmar and others who wrote and thrived in Urdu although their mother tongues were different. But when the Madhya Pradesh government honoured him with the ‘Iqbal Samman’ in 2007, the decision drew a chorus of protests with critics alleging that he was given the award for being a non-Muslim and because of his proximity to the BJP. The tirade prompted several comments from Pakistan in cyberspace and one of them put it in perspective and wrote, “ Whatever be his politics, his poetry is divine”. Nizam himself takes criticism philosophically. “ A living man always invites criticism and praise is usually heaped on departed souls…Man has to tread his path undeterred by opposition.” Now in his late sixties, he has portrayed pain and loneliness with rare sensitivity when he wrote : Teri aankhon se ashkon ki barsaat hogi Agar Zindagi se mulaquat hogi… Musafir hain lekin nahin koi manzil, Jahan din dhalega , wahin raat hogi Another of his acclaimed couplets reads : Musafir ki nazren bulandi pe theen Magar raste sab dhalanon ke they (The traveller eyed the skies
But the paths all went downhill) In his eventful career, he has switched jobs as many as 18 times, he notes as an aside. “ I am now enjoying a retired life and loneliness is my eternal companion”. To another interviewer he said, “my life is marked by struggle but which is not something extraordinary as everyone confronts problems and has to find a way of surmounting it… I am an ordinary man and have to grapple with the vicissitudes of life. But I don’t believe in narrating a detailed list of harrowing experience as I don’t want to enlist anyone’s sympathy”. The only child of his parents, Ganesh Das and Gauri, he studied at Jalore and Jodhpur in a school where his maternal uncle and aunt were teachers. Passing out of high school with Science and Mathematics, he joined an engineering college but dropped out to pursue his first love, Urdu poetry. Besides Urdu, he knows Rajasthani, English and Hindi. He also learnt Persian from Hakim Moinuddin Ahmed. Author of a dozen books including four books of criticism, he remains a prolific writer and has participated in many international seminars and poetic symposiums in the US, UK France, Pakistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. His admirers believe his body of work is impressive enough to be nominated for the Nobel in Literature. Among his much applauded work are Lamhon Kee Saleeb, Dasht Mein Dariya, Naad, Saya Koi Lamba na Tha, Bayazein Kho Gayi Hai and many other collections and anthologies. He has edited many Devnagari volumes of poets besides editing Deewan-e-Ghalib and Dewwan-e-Mir. He has been honoured with many prizes including the Iqbal Samman, Bhasha Bharti Samman, the Urdu Akademi Award and the Begum Akhtar award. |
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What is clear to New Delhi is that historically the Indian presence in Africa — the British colonial rulers shipped Indians to Africa to act as a barrier between themselves and the black Africans and to carry out tasks on the colonialists’ behalf — did not endear Indians to the Africans. In the post-colonial period also, domiciled Indians, much wealthier than average Africans and living mostly in urban areas, sided with the new regimes, often repressive. India-Africa relations, therefore, cannot be built on that historic connection. 
The poet , who that day drew people from as far as Udaipur and Jodhpur, was Sheen Kaaf Nizam, recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his collection of Urdu poems, Ghumshuda Dair Ki Ghantiyan (Ringing bells of a temple lost).