The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

ARTICLE

Public discourse at its nadir
Remedial action imperative
Inder Malhotra

IS there going to be no limit to the unending degeneration of public discourse in this country which may be a young nation-state but is an ancient civilisation? One had thought that the nadir had been reached during the recent election campaign, unquestionably the nastiest we have ever had. But a C-grade actor from Tollywood, that is to Kolkata what Bollywood is to Mumbai on a grander scale, Tapas Pal, who is also a Trinamool Congress member of the Lok Sabha, has demonstrated that there is still more than ample scope for a spurt in filth and vulgarity in Indian polity. Nor is it impossible that some others might yet outdo him.

People burn an effigy of Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal during a protest over his controversial remarks in Kolkata. PTI

Just to point to the admirably high standards from which we have fallen to the present disgusting state, let me cite only two of countless instances. The first was a titanic clash, soon after the first general election, between Jawaharlal Nehru and Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Jan Sangh, which later morphed into the Bharatiya Janata Party. Arguably, he also was the greatest parliamentarian this country has seen so far. Relations between the Congress and the JS were very strained because in the midst of fiercely fought municipal elections in Delhi the two parties had also got involved in a riot over an inter-communal marriage. Speaking in the Lok Sabha Mookerjee accused the Congress of using wine and money to win the local poll. Perhaps assuming that the Jan Sangh leader had employed the usual phrase “wine and women”, Nehru sprang to his feet and protested vehemently. Mookerjee coolly advised him to check with the official note takers what exactly he had said. Realising his mistake, Nehru "apologised" to his opponent graciously.

The second event, in 1954, was no less significant. Purushottam Das Tandon, a respected but highly conservative member of the Congress party, launched a blistering attack on Maulana Azad, the second most important minister after Nehru holding charge of Education, alleging that the Maulana was deliberately neglecting Hindi. Other Hindi zealots joined him. The Maulana listened to them patiently, and then hit back, speaking, as always, in elegant Urdu. At one stage he argued that through Tandonji's oratory there lay a "purfraib takhkhyul". Since the word fraib means deception the Hindi phalanx screamed that the Maulana must apologise for his "insult" to Tandon or they won't allow him to proceed. Order was restored only after several impartial and Urdu-knowing members convinced the protesters that the Maulana’s beautiful expression only meant "meretricious thought”.

Those halcyon days are now history and will not return. But can this country afford to let things be as they are except at its peril? Sadly, it seems that the Indian political class has neither the will nor the skill to take the necessary remedial action. What better proof in support of this pessimism can there be than the manner in which the Trinamool Congress' supreme leader and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Bannerjee, has dealt with this despicable affair? At first she maintained her customary silence. But eventually, in response to the fast mounting public outrage, she made a critical statement that was a signal to the culprit to tender an “unconditional apology”. Thereafter she let him off with a mild slap on the wrist, angrily asking the media she hates: “Should I kill him?”

In accordance with her unchanging style and temper Ms Banerjee overdoes whatever she has to do. But her resolute defence of her loyal followers, no matter how abominable the loyalists’ behaviour, is exactly the policy of the “supremo” of every other political party, as was established during the election campaign. For example, a senior minister in Uttar Pradesh’s Samajwadi Party government, Azam Khan, made a most vicious statement, not about any political rival but about the Army that could have "communalised" India's most integrated and secular armed force. For, he thundered that “no Hindu but only those shouting Allah-ho-Akbar had won back the hills of Kargil from Pakistan". Gen (retired) V. P. Malik and other military leaders appealed to SP supreme leader and former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to discipline Mr Khan and ask him to withdraw his absurd remarks. Not only Mr Yadav didn't do this but also made his "boys-will-be-boys" speech, virtually in defence of rape - a cult that has since spread.

Then there is the infamous prescription of the BJP's Giriraj Singh that whoever voted against Narendra Modi “had no place in India and must go to Pakistan”. Like Ms Banerjee now, Rajnath Singh then “entirely disassociated” his party with Mr Singh's statement and that was the end of the matter. For its part the Congress party also had merely “disapproved” of the threat by one of its candidates in UP to “cut to pieces” Mr Modi, while Rahul Gandhi went on canvassing for him. Bihar’s Mr Singh had a Muslim opposite number in Maharashtra who cried himself hoarse that any Muslim who did not vote for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was “not a real Muslim” and had to be subjected to a “DNA test”. Such egregious examples can be multiplied ad nauseam but need not be.

Ironically, TV talk shows, instead of shaming the errant political parties end up encouraging them by enabling their spokespersons to defend the indefensible with such fury that all arguments are lost in the resultant hysteria.

The key question is whether we should throw up our hands in despair or do something about the relentless erosion of democracy and its decencies at the hands of democratically elected politicians themselves? Immediate action at two levels is imperative. As some have already demanded, Parliament should expel any of its members who acts as Mr Pal did. (This might explain why he has got himself admitted to a hospital.) Secondly, activists must use the next five years to educate the masses to vote out the wrongdoers whose number is large and performance egregious.

MIDDLE

Wedding reception of grocer's son
Sukhdarshan Likhi

In the pre-mall, pre-departmental store era of the early 1970s in Chandigarh, well-stocked grocery stores in some of the posh sectors were convergence spots for residents as much for buying grocery items as for social tete-a-tete, sharing mutual concerns, information about forthcoming marriages, baby births and even about a threatened exit from life by some senior citizen. The overly consumer friendly owners of such stores, who were on a sensible social-networking strategy, kept tab on the original owners of the house, the size of their families, their tenants, their families and even domestic servants. The system worked well for all in an atmosphere of informality and conviviality. Proprietor of one such monopoly store broke tradition by inviting all his customers and their tenants with families to the wedding reception of one of his sons. Some of the invitees entertained the uncharitable thought that since the grocer had made money from them all these years, they would make to the occasion to enjoy his lavish hospitality to their fill. A few others believed that this gesture deserved to be treated in the traditional Indian way by blessing the couple with a token “shagun”. So they all came in an unending stream from all conceivable directions, men, women, their children even grand-children and, to the surprise of many even guests, overstaying for the night. So it became a gala occasion, the number of guests for exceeding the number of invitation cards issued.

As the bride and the bridgegroom came out of the house they were greeted with thunder from the overcast sky, followed first by lightning and then by a light drizzle which soon turned into a heavy downpour. Most of the male guests shifted to a space near the heavily festooned poles to save the “shamiana” from falling, as also to avoid water drops dripping from the “shamiana”. Similar was the scene near the table on which a big wedding reception cake was kept. Much to the delight of many, the canopy bulging with water touched solovas to kiss the cream lettering topping the cake, taking impressions of the words “welcome” and “Happy wedding” on it.

As the rain lessened and finally stopped after a few minutes, most of the guests swarmed the verandah and also the rooms of the hosts’ house. They made sure that they enjoyed the eats, rain soaked or otherwise. While the party was on, an elderly lady from Punjab hinterland told within the earshot of all those present that the rain gods on such occasions bless those grooms who have gorged themselves with bottom scrapings (“khurchan”) of the cooking pots in their growing-up years. All those listening to this had a hearty laugh. The entire evening passed off despite hurdles created by the foul weather with all the mirth and merriment.

All the goodwill accumulated by the grocer and his family with their fair dealings and sociability proliferated over the years and so did their profits. Eventually their grocery store became a departmental store. But the invitation to the wedding reception of his other sons was never issued to the customers. Business dealings became impersonal and devoid of any social links, almost tempting any one to conclude that this was one of the features of the modern-day bland market-driven culture.

OPED SOCIETY

Caring for the elderly, the give and take
Geriatric care has been looked at from a single perspective in India, thereby undermining the complexity of the issue. Global studies suggest, the elderly too need to show empathy towards the caregiver
Rajesh Gill

The world over, the percentage of population of the old is growing. India is no exception. With the substantial rise in life expectancy since 1951, when it was 40 years, to 64 years now; the evening of the average life span is extended by over two decades. Although an increased life expectancy is considered as an indicator of human development, it puts forth several challenges in countries like India, with enormous poverty, skewed distribution of resources, the transformed family structure and an ineffective social support system for the aged. The West started growing old much earlier and hence the World Assembly on Ageing was held by the U.N. in 1982 in which an International Plan of Action on Ageing was adopted. With the demographic tilt towards an ageing population in the recent decades, now India too has started experiencing the problems relating to the aged.

A heterogeneous category

The aged or elderly cannot be clubbed as a single uniform category. Aged in the rural areas have different problems as compared to those in cities; the ones retired from salaried jobs are very different from those in unorganised sector, who never retire. Aged women have altogether different problems in comparison to men; aged in upper income brackets are very different from those in the middle and lower income groups, and so on. Ageing itself tends to vary along gender and socio-economic status, so that a poor man or woman has to remain active in workforce till death because for them it is a question of survival. It is a fact that among the poorest of the poor households, women have to struggle hard to sustain themselves as well as their families while men generally are alcoholics, who kill their time gambling or drinking. Ageing for such women is not the same as for women from relatively well-off families. Similarly, occupation may be another very important variable affecting the elderly abuse. For example, among agriculturists and businessmen, since landed property/assets are generally in the name of the elderly male, the likelihood of elderly abuse by their children would be less. Health of the elderly is also an important intervening variable. The elderly who are physically dependent on children are more likely to suffer abuse. Hence it is important that any policy measure or a strategy to address the problems of aged recognises this heterogeneity.

Lack of awareness of welfare schemes
Awareness of concessions and benefits remains low among BPL families due to illiteracy. Schemes, such as the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) and the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) are known among a few, awareness of the Annapurna Scheme is limited. The awareness level is about 10 per cent higher among men than women for the IGNOAPS and the Annapurna schemes. More than 85 per cent of the elderly in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, and Odisha are aware of the IGNOAPS, while awareness level is lowest in West Bengal at only 58 per cent.
The utilisation of all three schemes is abysmally low among the target group of those belonging to BPL households. Only around 18 per cent of elderly belonging to BPL households are beneficiaries of IGNOAPS, while only 3.5 per cent utilise the Annapurna scheme and a quarter of elderly widowed women utilise the IGNWPS.

Ageing, a problem?

Statistics show that aged, defined as 60 plus in India, have been increasingly abused physically, financially and even sexually. Studies also indicate that the most severe problem afflicting the aged is the psychological abuse, experienced through isolation and neglect. Ironically, parents take pride when their children go abroad to advance their career. Earlier, children used to migrate for better employment, but of late there has been a craze among parents to send their children abroad for higher education immediately after schooling, as a status symbol. The same parents, then oblivious of their approaching old age, undergo pangs of isolation and neglect when in their twilight years, there is nobody to take care of them. Their children, who by then have settled in life with their own families and children, can only send money to their parents.

The blurred boundaries

It is true that in a number of cases, the elderly have been found to be chained, battered, beaten up and exploited by their own children. According to the Help Age India Report 2012, 31 per cent of the aged are abused in India, out of whom 56 per cent are abused by their sons and 23 per cent by the daughters-in-law. NCR Delhi witnessed a spurt in such abuse within a year where by 29.82 per cent reported violence against 12 per cent the previous year. 81 per cent of the abused in this study were residing with their families.

There have been many cases where children have fraudulently grabbed the savings and property of their parents and dumped them. It is wrong to assume that all the children are abusers and the elderly abused. Case studies do not confirm such a simplistic one to one equation. Empirical studies both in the West and in India have highlighted the vulnerable role played by caregivers. In one such study by Suzanne Steinmetz, 1988, the author cited cases in which daughters, themselves aged 55-60 years, narrated how the over demanding and nagging parents made life hell for them. Such accounts gain special significance in view of the increasing number of daughters coming to the rescue of old parents as care givers. Studies also indicate that sibling rivalries, at times, increase the vulnerability of elderly parents. In one study, conducted by the author herself, a son, after migrating to another country along with his family, left his own family there to look after the frail, ailing father in India. While he has been performing his caregiving role religiously for last many years, he has rarely found his father feel obliged or even appreciative of the sacrifice he has made.

No country for poor and old
* Following the principles outlined in Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, India has to focus on an increasingly elderly population.
* About 60 per cent of elderly households surveyed for a study conducted by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2011 reported that piped water was the main source of drinking water, 38 per cent of the elderly depend on public piped water supply as against only 22 per cent having piped water in their household premises.
* Toilet facilities are not available to 48 per cent of the households of the elderly in rural areas and 12 per cent in urban areas.
* More than half of the surveyed households use wood as cooking fuel. About two-fifth of the households have a below poverty line (BPL) card.
* Over one-third of the elderly households have a monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) below Rs. 1,000 and only 17 per cent have an MPCE more than Rs. 2,500.
* The lack of care and medical facilities for the elderly are expected to pose multifaceted developmental challenges in India.

There are several reported cases in which daughters, themselves nearing 60, for the last many years, despite being employed, have been looking after their aged parents. However, due to the persistent nagging and demanding (some of them called it emotional blackmailing) attitude of the elderly parents, these caregivers reported that their own families started crumbling down, which had no bearing on their parents. Such cases dispel the myth of the aged alone being vulnerable.

Caregiving is subjective

There is no doubt that elderly abuse is on the rise but the phenomenon has so far been viewed generally from one angle only, i.e. from the perspective of the elderly. It needs to be understood from the perspective of the caregiver too. There have been enormous changes in the social fabric during the last few decades, giving an altogether different texture to the composition and functions of family as well as parenting. A careful study of the phenomenon reflects that the effects of ageing are experienced very subjectively. For instance, a man when aged is looked after among others by his own wife, who gives him persistent care; little does he realize that she too has grown elderly. Interestingly, then, the elderly woman continues to be a caregiver till either her death or she herself gets bedridden. Similarly, an aged woman in conditions of extreme poverty continues to work and remains a care-giver for her family till her death, while her husband receives care as an elderly. In the 2012 study conducted by Help Age India in 20 Indian cities, 80 per cent of the elderly respondents said that lack of adjustment was the primary cause of their abuse.

The taxing role

Studies show that middle-aged women having their own children, with employment, are the most stressed out as care-givers to their parents. The multiple roles at times get too demanding with damaging effects on the health of these caregivers. This stress has been found to be influenced by factors such as the relationship with the parent, the social support the caregiver has, her coping skills and her self-image. In one such study, the author M.H.Brackley, 1994 quoted a daughter as a care-giver, “When I was young my mother manipulated me until I could get away from her. To have to take responsibility for her now is quite distressing. Everyone thinks she’s “cute” or “quite a character”, but don’t understand that these qualities are not endearing on a lifetime basis. In fact, they are outright distressing when they seem to take over your life. I am trapped in a circle of anger and guilt, guilt and anger, with a smattering of denial and grief”. Problems in caregiving arise from factors such as, the strain of responsibility for direct personal care of the elderly; caregivers’ own current personal and health problems; role strain from the demands of other work and need for leisure; inter-sibling problems and strained family relationships and arranging outside help (Susan Hillier and Georgia Barrow 2011). These authors write that although helping parents can be rewarding for many adults, it can be accompanied with enormous burdens, both financial and emotional. Particularly, for the middle- aged women, who are pulled in many directions by the enormous demands at home and work.

Preparing to grow old

Contemporary society places too much premium on youth; with the media targeting youth, and market making huge profits in the name of selling youthfulness, one begins to dread old age. Women and now men too, spend a sizeable portion of their incomes on products that make them retain youthfulness. Does our society at any point of time prepare us for old age? The fact that elderly today face loneliness as the single most important problem is partly due to the fact that we are never taught to enjoy being ‘alone’ without feeling ‘lonely’. With more and more women going to work, more out of compulsion, our elderly today find themselves alone at home and hence lonely. While a child is more than prepared to step into youth, with huge aspirations, it is strange that he/she remains psychologically unprepared to step into old age, which itself carries a number of privileges too.

Taking the first grey hair as a death knell or a sign of maturity depends on one’s mind-set whereas studies show that women, having occupied subordinate positions first in their parental and then in marital homes, start enjoying authority as they age and thus gain visibility in the old age. But commercialisation has prioritised youth to such an extent that people, both men and women are prepared to go to any extent to retain youth and postpone getting aged.

Taking it in stride

Old age homes notwithstanding, the society must evolve mechanisms whereby individuals learn to take old age naturally and gracefully. Legal strictures, our past experience has shown, fail to transform people. Right from the childhood, an individual must be made to internalise the values of respect, care, patience and adjustment, irrespective of age. Both the elderly as well as care givers have to realise that they are bound to perform these roles sometime in their lives. However, in the extremely stressful life today, where care- giving itself is tremendously challenging, the elderly too need to adapt, keeping their sense of humour intact, to the survival strategies of their caregivers, who themselves are attempting a tight rope walk.

The writer is Professor, Department of Sociology, Panjab University.