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God’s lesser children
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WIT
OF THE
WEEK
Urdu must be given its rightful place On Record Pitfalls of ‘Stop TB’
strategy
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God’s lesser children
MILLIONS of children go to school everyday. But for 10 million street children, there is no school and no home. They are either rag pickers or engaged in other hazardous jobs. Who cares for the ban on child labour? This is wake-up call for all stakeholders to assess and review the children’s status in terms of survival, development and protection. True, efforts have been made and improvement in many areas is visible — hospitals, schools, vocational training centres, colleges, universities, multi-specialty and super specialty hospitals, better roads, transport system, robust economy, rising per capita income, better job opportunities and over 250 laws pertaining to children. In past five years, progressive legislations like the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 and subsequent amendment in 2006, Children’s Charter and the Commission for Protection of Rights of the Children have been enacted. The National Plan of Action for Children 2005 released early this year is another landmark. The picture, however, is not rosy in the context of gender disparity despite numerous laws. Caste and class system still rules the roost. Can a poor child have easy access to even an ordinary government school or to health services? In all, 80-100 million children are out of school. They need protection from exploitation, sexual abuse, drugs and trafficking. The demand for children in various professions also has resulted in trafficking in women and children. They are purchased and sold in the sex trade for prostitution, marriage, sports, begging, etc. There is need to take stringent measures to stop this human trade. This is a blot on society where children are sold and purchased as commodities. The younger the girl, the higher the price for she could be profitable in the sex trade. These children, besides being exploited, are also at risk of HIV/AIDS. Childhood of these children, who should have been in school, has been snatched away by poverty and destitution and perhaps an indifferent attitude of the civil society. Add to this the problem of working children. They have been pushed to work at a tender age because of poverty, parents’ inability to work arising out of illness, drug addiction, alcoholism etc. These children work overtime for a paltry sum. There are children working as domestic help in dhabas and and hotels. In Himachal, tourism has increased the demand for small children to work in dhabas. In Punjab, about 2 lakh children work as domestic help. The same is the case in Haryana. We should direct our efforts to find a home for destitute children though they are attached to institutions as working or street children. Our slogan has to be ‘A home for each child’. Some can be given for adoption within the guidelines of the Supreme Court, the government, or under the Juvenile Justice Act. Alternatively, place them with foster families till the child is adequately rehabilitated. The government alone cannot shoulder total responsibility. The civil society, industry, corporate houses and NGOs have a role to play. Children can be sponsored to help them pursue studies or can be compensated for the loss of wages to support their parents who, for some reason, are incapacitated to work. Apprenticeship within the industry for older children is another idea. Vocational and counselling centres can play a lead role in bringing them back to the mainstream. It is an affirmative step to ban child labour and motivate children to join schools. Plans for rehabilitation are needed for its success. Destitute children have to be deinstitutionalised. Each child needs a home; the home can give the child emotional and social security necessary for his growth and development. The recent amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 has further facilitated and expanded the scope of adoption. It may not be possible to completely do away with the institutions. Childhood diseases like measles, polio, tetanus, whopping cough and others have been contained. Diarrhoea, pneumonia and other respiratory infections take toll of many children under five years. Awareness coupled with safe drinking water and sanitation will help control these diseases and check infant mortality rate. India’s infant mortality rate is still higher at 60 deaths per 1000 live births which imply 1.6 million deaths a year. India accounts for almost a quarter of the global child deaths. Rajasthan, UP, Bihar, MP and Orissa contribute 60 per cent of the 1.6 million infant deaths in the country. In its recent report, the National Family Health Survey 2005-2006 says that infant mortality rate in Punjab has come down from 54 in 1992-93 to 47 in 2006. These figures are lower than the national average but are still much higher than that of Kerala (16 per 1000 live births). Under the National Rural Health Mission, about 3,00,000 accredited social health activities are being deployed in villages. Home and community-based new-born and child health packages would be delivered by them. Utility in terms of delivery of services cannot be assessed at present. However, the rural communities would do well to avail themselves of this opportunity. As for education, even though the target has not been met, the percentage of literacy has increased. Gender disparity remains and most children’s access to education remains a dream. Alarmingly, 300 million people, two-thirds of who are women, cannot read or write. Millions of children, after spending five to eight years in schools, cannot read and write. The quality of education leaves much to be desired. Teacher-student ratio, absenteeism amongst teachers, poor infrastructure, lack of drinking water and sanitation, limited choice of subjects in rural schools, unbecoming behaviour of some teachers, inadequate supervision also contribute to the failure of the school system. With increasing cases of depression, suicide, violence, aggression and drug abuse, suitable measures for mental health, particularly at the primary and secondary stage, have become necessary. The decline in the sex ratio needs continued attention. Casual approach should give way to regular and planned programme to tackle the problem of foeticide. How to reach the disadvantaged, poor and needy, the malnourished and the illiterate should engage the attention of the government and all others. One effective way is by strengthening the community-based services and entrusting the responsibility to the panchayats after adequate training. |
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Profile
YEARS of studies undertaken by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the data compiled by it has revealed the dreadful truth that the incidence of breast cancer is high among Indians. It is estimated that one in 22 Indian females is likely to develop breast cancer during her life span in contrast to one in eight in the United States. Breast cancer has been rising among women in India by about two per cent every year. Cancer specialists claim that if detected early, it could be successfully treated even though the immunity system of surviving patients become too weak and vulnerable. It has now been conclusively proved that the immunity system improves significantly after regular practice of what has come to be known as “Iyengar form of Yoga”. Creator of this system, well known Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, popularly called as ‘Guruji’, is now 89 years old. He teaches yoga in a unique way and has become a living legend in his lifetime. His style of teaching is called worldwide as “Iyengar Yoga”. With his intellectual and spiritual practices, Iyengar has masterminded the techniques which can be used by all practitioners of yoga. “Research based experience” and “experience based research” has helped him in evolving this technique which has made it possible for ordinary men and women to experience the wisdom of yoga sutras. Iyengar Yoga is meant for all and is a way of life. The use of props, designed by Guruji, such as wooden gadgets, belts, ropes help practitioners achieve perfection in any asana. It is claimed that the practice of Iyengar yoga integrates the body, mind and emotions. For almost seven decades, he used his own body as a living laboratory to explore how different yoga postures — asanas — can alleviate health problems. Use of props helped even elderly, weak, and inflexible experience yoga’s therapeutic effect. In his latest book, Light on Life, he says: “The practice of yogasana for the sake of health, to keep fit, or to maintain flexibility is the external practice of Yoga”. While this is a legitimate place to begin, it is not the end. “Even in simple asanas, one is experiencing the three levels of quest: the external quest, which brings firmness of the body; the internal quest, which brings steadiness of intelligence; and the innermost quest, which brings benevolence of spirit”. When a raw beginner experiences this state of wellbeing, it is not merely the external or anatomical effect of yoga. It is also about the internal physiological and psychological effect of the practice. From a frail sickly child, born in a poor family in Karnataka’s Belur, to be listed by Time as world’s one of the 100 most influential people, has been a long journey for Iyengar. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan in 2002. The future Yoga Guru had a difficult childhood. His village, Belur, was in the grip of the influenza epidemic at the time of his birth, leaving him sickly and weak. His father died when he was nine years old, and he continued to suffer from malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid and general malnutrition. At the age of 15, Iyengar went to live with his brother-in-law, a well-known yogi, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharaya in Mysore. In Iyengar’s words: “My poor health was matched, as it often is when one is sick, by my poor moods. A deep melancholy often overtook me and, at times, I asked myself whether life is worth the trouble of living. Seeing that the general state of my health was so poor, my brother-in-law recommended a stiff regime of yoga practice to knock me into shape and strengthen me up to face life’s trials and challenges as I approached adulthood”. Thus began his tryst with yoga. In 1937, he moved to Pune and joined the Deccan Gymkhana Club as a Yoga instructor. In spite of facing immense financial hardship, he left the security of a job and started his own private teaching centre. Soon, his reputation grew, attracting leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Achyut Pathwardhan and Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh. The turning point came in 1952 when celebrated artist Yehudi Menuhin, on a visit to India, called on the Yoga Guru. So impressed was the violinist with his healing powers that he decided to introduce him to the world. Menuhin persuaded him to teach yoga in London, Switzerland, Paris and elsewhere. Thus, for the first time, many westerners were exposed to yoga. The practice gradually became quite popular globally, specially in the west. From mid-fifties, Guru Iyengar has made innumerable trips around the world, popularising the philosophy of yoga. His first book, considered the Bible of Yoga, sold over a million copies in 14 languages. |
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Wit of the week — Foreign
Secretary Shivshankar Menon When the committee feels a channel is bad, it is bad. If the committee feels it is not bad, it is not bad. — I&B Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi’s definition of “good taste and decency” — Victor Lyons, Yolkshire’s mental health and IT specialist, who wants to make one million rural Indian women literate in five years — Author Kurt Vonnegut
who passed away People respect you if you “walk the talk” and empathise with them and respect them for their abilities. To be successful you have to be ambitious, have great staying power, risk-taking ability, combined with good organising and management skills. — Neelam
Dhawan, MD, Microsoft India — Actor Rani Mukherji Tailpiece: ...What we have achieved has been phenomenal. An amazing group of people has come out and performed so well — it’s been an amazing summer and an amazing World Cup campaign. — Australia batsman Adam Gilchrist |
Urdu must be given its rightful place WHEN India became independent in 1947, Urdu was at its peak. More people could write in Nastaliq (Persian script) than in Devnagri script. Several works of Hindi literature were written in Persian script. Swami Dayanand Saraswati penned Satyarth Prakash in Persian script which was later transcribed into Devnagri. Dr Naresh, Chairman, Chandigarh Sahitya Academy, has stressed the need to locate pieces of Hindi literature written in Persian during 19th century and to transcribe them to Devnagri and preserve them for posterity (The Tribune, March 20, 2007). Urdu was the main language in several Hindi-speaking states and an additional language in many other states. Mughals brought Arabic, Persian and Turkish languages to India. Gradually, Arabic and Persian languages merged with Hindi and a new language emerged — Urdu. About 4000 Arabic and Persian words got absorbed into 60,000 to 70,000 Hindi words and became a part of Hindi. Today for words like aasman, bagh, garam, sard, aadmi, aurat, hisaab, kitaab… it is impossible to imagine that these do not belong to Hindi. Arabic, Persian-speaking Muslims in India accepted thousands of Hindi words, phrases, idioms, proverbs and even Hindi grammar. Similarly, Hindus accepted thousands of Arabic Persian-speaking words which became a part of Hindi language. It is this mix of languages merged that came to be known as Urdu. The word “Urdu” meant army in Shahjahan’s time. The Mughal army was called urdu-e-moalla or great army. Urdu, therefore, basically is mixed Hindi. Gradually, Urdu got shaped and sculpted into what was polite, velvety, sweet and tender to speak as well as hear. Urdu poetry filled the lives of people with emotions of love and pain, experience of life and existence, philosophy and diplomacy, human fallings and ambitions and so on. It reflected the culture and civilisation of its times. It was the language of the people woven into their hearts and minds echoing their sentiments and thoughts. Urdu language was used at home and in business, education, administration, conversation between Hindus and Muslims and so on. Urdu flourished in Delhi and spread to other cities. It developed in the homes and hearts of the educated and cultured families. Speaking good Urdu became a social value indicative of one’s educational and cultural status. It depicted a style, a way of expression and communication that was soft, elegant and aesthetically appealing. Communication in Urdu acquired an artistic style and educated Hindu and Muslim families emphasised on its aesthetics, refining and polishing it further. After Aurangzeb, Urdu shaped itself into poetry and spread to towns. Recitation and listening to Urdu poetry in mushairas acquired its own special style and rules. There was a way of appreciation (daad dena), of pointing mistakes, expressing wit, humour, use of words appropriate for the occasion; expressing criticism, question-answer etc. which added tremendous charm and beauty to it. Words were chosen with such finesse that the sounds would not hurt even the ear drums. Urdu’s beauty could be appreciated by those who knew the language. In the last 300 years, Urdu has been a bridge between Hindus and Muslims. It contributed to religious tolerance and brotherhood. Urdu poetry brought to the fore human failings, weaknesses and conflicts, contributing to genuineness, social acceptance and sympathy for humans, thus, freeing the conscience from the burden of feelings of sin or guilt induced by society or religion. Emotion of love was placed at a very high pedestal breaking all barriers of age, religion, social class. Urdu became people’s language, expressed common man’s psychological dilemmas and became a voice against the social ills. Thus, Urdu poetry and literature contributed to the development of social, civil and political viewpoint and improved the moral fabric of society. Urdu served the country with its secular, humanistic, egalitarian framework. Inqilaab Zindabad echoed in the country during the freedom struggle. With globalisation, Hindi-Urdu got mixed with English and English is dominating over regional languages in India. Being the official language, English is getting imbibed into other languages to the extent that communication in any one pure language appears unnatural. After Hindi was adopted as the official language, Urdu was banished from education and administration. It gradually started dying though it is alive in people’s hearts and minds. It was not necessary to banish Urdu as it was secular and apolitical. As Urdu flourished in Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh, people felt deprived and hurt about the loss of their language. Urdu poetry and literature became meaningless to their subsequent generations, thus chopping off a slice of their history and culture. Rather than being a perceived threat to the social, political and religious fabric of India, Urdu was an integrative and binding element, an embodiment of tolerance, acceptance, secularism, patriotism and love. Death of Urdu would mean death of a part of culture, or our heritage and of a period in Indian history that was rich in philosophy and literature. The patriotism of Urdu-speaking Indians and of Urdu literature was undoubted. On hindsight, the decision to banish Urdu could at best be seen as emotional. Having been born and nurtured in India, having grown and matured in the hearts and minds of people, Urdu today deserves to be alive, treasured like any other historical monument of the pre-Independence era. In all fairness, Urdu needs to be revived for its people and posterity. The writer is Professor of Psychiatry, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh |
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On Record
SENDING a strong signal to separatists in Jammu and Kashmir to attend the roundtable meetings convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir’s former President and Prime Minister Mohammad Abdul Qayyum Khan had a series of high-level interactions in the Capital during his visit to attend the intra-Kashmir talks. Mr Qayyum, the supremo of the ruling Muslim Conference in PoK, met the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Involved in the tribal incursions in Kashmir in 1947, Mr Qayyum has reoriented his policies according to the times. Excerpts: Q: How do you see the Indo-Pak peace process? A: The peace process is moving in the right direction, albeit slowly. They have drawn the outlines but the pace is slow. Lest it becomes redundant and people lose interest in it, the process needs to be stepped up. I have been insisting on concentrating on the process and making it successful. That will automatically lead to a decision. Q: How can we step up the peace process? A: Leaders of India and Pakistan would have discussed the measures. For instance, there are so many restrictions for people wanting to travel by the bus between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad that it is easier to get passport than meet those requirements. The pre-1956 system of moving across two parts of Kashmir should be revived. Promote bilateral trade. Q: Why are there hurdles when leaders talk about easing travel curbs across LoC? A: There are governments within governments. Nobody knows really how many agencies are at work. That is why things take so much time. Something which can be done in 10 minutes takes a year. Q: Do you think a solution will emerge by making the borders irrelevant? A: Yes, it is a way to a solution. That might become an interim solution. Anything done at this time will be interim. It will depend on the mutual trust and confidence. Once this is restored, it will resolve many problems between India and Pakistan. Q: How do you see the reported criticism of your remarks on safe passage by some
militant groups? A: I said safe passage was under discussion at various levels and I supported the idea. I say what I feel is in the best interest of the Kashmiris. Q: How do you see Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’sfour-point proposal? A: Unless there is a better counter-suggestion, this should be taken as a way forward. The proposals are a starting point, not the final word. For example, self-rule has never been defined. Anything can be self-rule. Similarly, demilitarisation has also not been defined. Q: India has ruled out redrawing of boundaries. A: We have not discussed boundaries at all. Kashmir has no boundaries but control line that is taken as boundary. Q: India is concerned about cross-border terrorism. A: There is no such thing as terrorists. These people were considered to be freedom fighters before 9/11 but that day changed the complexion entirely throughout the world for any movement, individual or collective. This went to the benefit of Indian authorities and politicians. Camps in Pakistan were closed before 9/11. Similarly, other training camps comprising Kashmiris were also curtailed because the movement had achieved the purpose of highlighting the Kashmir issue. The presence (of militants) is now limited to volunteers who were already inside Kashmir on the Indian side and did not return. Q: How do you look at suggestions for converting the entire Jammu and Kashmir into
a free trade zone? A: This ought to have been done long ago. I had offered to the then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 1971 for visits on both sides and opening trade routes. Q: What is the best way to end violence in the state? A: Let the people believe that meaningful peace process is afoot. Ninety nine per cent people carrying weapons will automatically drop them if there is no problem. You need to give a substitute. The simple thing is that the peace process should be stepped up and once trade and exchange of people takes place openly, I think there will be no cause for any militant activity. Q: Is it time for ceasefire in the state? A: Yes, there should be a ceasefire. |
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Pitfalls of
‘Stop TB’ strategy
A much larger TB drug resistance problem exists than researchers previously thought. New global data on TB, published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), highlight serious weaknesses in many national TB programmes, increasing the potential for widespread TB drug resistance. How did we reach this precarious state? WHO experts assert that increasing levels of TB drug resistance reflect a failure to implement the WHO Stop TB Strategy. The strategy hopefully maps out the steps that national TB control programmes need to take. By all accounts then, our national TB programmes are failing us. Poor patient drug adherence, or the use of too few drugs leads — the story goes — to various forms of drug resistant TB. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a specific type that does not respond to the two most powerful anti-TB drugs. Latest estimates are that MDR-TB makes up about 4 per cent of all new and previously-treated TB globally. Apparently, our antiquated TB drugs are failing us too. No progress can be made if the TB clinics are there but the patients are not. Today’s standard test for TB relies on a technique (sputum microscopy) invented over a hundred years ago. It provides no information about drug resistance. Apparently, TB diagnosis is also failing us. Too many weak points to deal with? A further litany of vital TB programme components has also been ignored for years, in favour of a single jewel in the TB strategy’s crown: directly-observed treatment short course, or DOTS. In many places, a consistent lack of focus and investment has led to: Chronically weak TB diagnostic and laboratory services; infrequent and incomplete TB drug resistance surveillance; inadequate management of individual drug resistant TB cases; and paltry TB infection control measures, including in health care settings. Predictably, many TB-endemic countries have indeed failed to meet the exacting standards of the WHO strategy. Given the circumstances in many countries where TB is rife, what is surprising is that they should be asked to pursue such a pipedream. DOTS was supposed to stem TB drug resistance. Because of sloppy and unimaginative implementation, it is evidently failing us. As the full extent of TB drug resistance comes to light, prioritising TB drug delivery above all other areas of TB diagnosis and care looks increasingly like WHO has been building a house, just without foundations. Promoting policy frameworks is no replacement for working together to achieve what needs to be done to address TB. The Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015), launched by the Stop TB Partnership just over a year ago, is a road map for such a coordinated action. WHO urgently needs to look beyond ‘their’ Stop TB Strategy to help promote and coordinate the comprehensive range of actions set out in the Plan and to recognise the track record of over 500 global partners. |
Ishwara is glad when you gladden the heart of a human being, when you feed the hungry, when you help the afflicted and lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful and remove the wrongs done to the injured. The whole world is subject to coming and going. The Lord of Mercy alone is permanent. We have all been created in the image of God to love and to be loved. Education in the understanding of citizenship is a short-term affair if we are honest and earnest. Truth is one; only it is called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to climate, temperament and name. |
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For every Indian diplomat, there are four Brazilian and seven Chinese diplomats. In the last 10 years, the strength of the Ministry has actually come down from 4,866 to 4,746…But we have a decision in principle, by the Government at the highest level that we will increase the size of our cadre.
The “Tara Akshar” system teaches village women to read and write Hindi in less than 30 days with a 90 per cent success rate. I was wandering around Punjab wondering what it would take to get people to use toilets and clean water so that you could reduce high child mortality rates. But I realised that you have to start with literacy.
Short stories are a bunch of Buddhist cat-naps. A story is, in essence, a meditation. Novels are definitely not cat-naps. A novel is so long, reading one is like being married to somebody no one else knows or cares about.
Cinema wasn’t on my career agenda at all. If the movies hadn’t happened, I would have been a jewellery, fashion or interior designer. Whatever I’ve achieved is because of my hard work and my parents’ support.
