A Child used to Eat Once in a Week as She Could not Access Toilet

Recently I attended training for the creation of access auditors at New Delhi. It was organized by CBM and Samarthyam, the National Centre for Accessible Environments.

It was during the break, I happened to talk to Anjlee Agarwal, the Executive Director & Access Consultant, Smarthyam. My intention was to know more about the possibilities of making public transport system including the trains universally accessible. Gradually the conversation led to her experience and finally to an awful story of a child with disability from one of the villages of Jharkhand.

I would like to share the incident that Anjlee narrated to me. It was during the workshop for Persons with Disabilities from the remote village of Jharkahnd. During the lunch break all the participants were moving to the dining hall and Anjlee found Shalu (name changed) sitting idle in the training hall. When she approached to know why Shalu did not join, she tried to escape from being asked about. Finally Shalu told, she did not want to have lunch, the further enquiry led to the revelation that she did not eat always. The conversation led to the fact that she ate rarely at home. Anjlee thought she did not get food due to poverty. But the further conversation led to the shocking reality. 

Shalu told her that she ate food once in a week and the reason was she could go to toilet once in week. Shalu, suffering from loco motor disability was bedridden and her mother too was suffering from several ailments. Her mother could not lift her or do anything for supporting her to clear her stomach. There was neither an accessible toilet nor someone to support her to access toilet (there was no such thing at her home). The only option was not to go toilet, and for that she should not eat. Once in a week, her mother helped her to release the human waste keeping some newspaper under her body. Thus she had to undergo the dreadful experience and she controlled it herself by abstaining from eating.

Being a committed person working for the basic rights of every person, Anjlee made some arrangements for Shalu to access toilet with the available materials in the village. When she narrated the experience, her eyes were brimming with tears and I listened to her words with a heavy heart. 

I had heard, read, and seen malnutrition, poverty and hunger for various reasons. But it was shocking to hear the story of a girl starving for days as toilet was inaccessible to her which is a basic need of every human being. This led me to think about millions of aged, Persons with Disabilities, pregnant women (especially in the rural areas where there is no toilet) who might be controlling themselves, experiencing harsh realities as accessing toilet is a distant reality. I have seen women, children and now the Persons with Disability, while travelling by train controlling themselves during the journey without drinking water even if they are thirsty and limiting food even if they are hungry to avoid going to unhygienic toilet in the trains (which is inaccessible for Persons with Disabilities, children, pregnant women and people with reduced mobility).

The next day there was a demonstration to show how Persons with Disability find it difficult to access toilet, transfer from wheel chair to the water closet and the struggle to sit back on the wheel chair during the workshop. It was an eye opening session for me to see what I had not been sensitive about till then.

Finally my thoughts went on…I am growing old……or who knows one day my mobility would not be obstructed? Just a fall is enough to happen so.

Ecological Literacy to Learn Nature’s Lessons of Sustainability

In the era of globalization we are connected to the nook and corner of the world with the backing of sophisticated technology. Information technology has revolutionized the ways and means of communication, formation of associations and transactions in all spheres of life. However vast majority of the population is disconnected with the nature to learn valuable lessons of sustainability and network. We often forget the fact that nature is not only to extract resources but to learn lessons of sustainability too.

We tend to forget the fact that despite all globalised phenomenon, we are at first connected with the atmosphere (soil, air, water and ecosystem at large that includes living and nonliving things) where our real life rests up on.  It is true that there are voluntary and involuntary activities in our life. Unfortunately the vital transactions that should have been performed with our conscious mind have become involuntary in our fast life. That is why we are least bothered about the valuable resources of life. The Latin root of the word ‘resource’ is ‘to rise again’. But for us nature is measured as a collection of resources to be extracted, not as a mentor to support throughout our life. The origin of man made disaster is our failure to understand nature and its role in our life. We have no time to understand the technology of resources of earth; instead we are eager to become masters to challenge nature and its own unique technology. The biotechnology has grown to make genetic modification but fails to recognize how much irrevocable damage it can cause to the whole ecosystem. The common man, on the other hand are destined to follow the corporate organization’s formula in life. Farmers believe Genetically Modified seeds and chemical farming would solve all the issues and bring food security. There are organizations that work to convince the people of the disastrous impact of such actions. The fact remains that till now the damage of green revolution has not been accepted by the state. Our political system does not want to accept such harsh realities and question the legacy of the revolution that ‘ended’ famine and decreased poverty.

It is essential for every member of the society to become ‘ecologically literate’. In the coming decades the survival of the humanity will depend on ecological literacy-our ability to understand the basic principles of ecology and to live accordingly. It should be an essential ingredient of education at all levels. Thus lessons from nature should be practiced by people from every sphere of life; politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists, businessmen, architects, scientists and in all other sectors, principles of nature should be the principal force of thought and action.

A generation that is uprooted from soil is doomed to end up in disaster. It is vital to know/experience the nature around us. The rhythm of nature, the changes that occurs in its course, the lessons to be learnt from nature, to consider nature as our mentor not human being as masters and ultimately to be connected with nature has increasingly become the need of the hour.  The water we drink, the food we eat and air we breathe in should be renewable with our constructive act for the sake of generations to come. It is not only the job of the farmers to work in the field and few environmentalists and organizations to conserve nature. From the status of consumers we must transform ourselves to the agents of conservationists for the sustainable development of our society. Urban-rural dichotomy does not need to be considered for its inhabitants’ constructive response towards such an objective. This response can range from planting a tree, using water carefully, and disposing waste in the proper way and to mobilizing community to transform an arid land to a fertile area for local cultivation through organic farming. Whatever vocation you pursue, there is time and space for action that can contribute for the sustainable utilization of the natural resources. When you are connected with nature, spend time with its web of life, our life becomes robust with joy and creativity. Thus deprivations end and abundance become a social reality. No other development can offer us well-being unless we have organic soil, pure water, clean air and uncontaminated food.

How to Attract the Human Resource for the Rural Development

It is a well-known fact that development of rural areas remains to be a dead lock for the state government and the central government for several reasons, many of which are complex in nature that require relentless effort from various sections. One among them is the lack of sufficient human resource to serve for the rural development. Among the negative stories, absenteeism of the government employees, their noncooperation, indifference towards critical issues, corruption and noncompliance with the government rules are some of the prominent issues that have become a routine part of news.

Two important areas that need critical attention for rural development are education and health.  To fulfill that doctors and teachers are essential, otherwise quality education and healthy living remain to be a distant dream. When the availability of teachers and doctors are taken into account, their absenteeism or their post remaining to be vacant are highlighted as two prominent matter of concern. The fact remains that most of them are transferred from urban areas. The question remains why doctors and teachers who are appointed in the rural areas have an aversion towards their job location? Recently doctors in Kerala had a protest against the government decision to engage the MBBS students in rural areas for two years after internships. Why even doctors who take Hippocratic Oath to take care of the patients as their paramount duty are reluctant and even protest against their appointment in rural areas for two years? Why teachers do not accept their transfer to rural areas or remains to be absent from their duty till they get appointment in urban location? Why Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and National Rural Health Mission fail to achieve the goals due to lack of staff?

We need to examine if we could put the whole blame on the teachers and doctors alone for their apathy towards rural development and accept their absence as an inevitable part of existing reality. Should we wait for the committed and dedicated doctors and teachers voluntarily spend some part of their life in rural areas? Or should we find practical solution for the issue? And if we want to find an amicable solution, we must analyse the issue to the core. 

There are two aspects that we must take into consideration; one regarding the attitude of the government employees and the other the reality of rural life. Let’s take the latter first and examine it briefly with a view of a person from urban middle class. Indian rural area is known for poor infrastructure that makes travelling and communication difficult, lack of good schools, shopping centers, electricity, entertainment opportunities and many other attractions of a bright city life that makes life in the rural area monotonous and tedious for an urban migrant. Along with that the cultural and attitudinal difference, conventional life style, unchanged value system and over all the unexciting living conditions of rural life take away the interest of the urban middle class to work in the remote areas. In order to justify this reason it is worth examining why the educated youth from the rural areas do not wish to work in their own village. Most of them do not want to come back to their village after spending few years in the city as part of their studies. Now the attitude of the employees that could have inspired them to work against all odds too is alien, expect in the few. The question remains, can we expect the youth living in the midst of cut throat competition and infinite desire for material wellbeing to work in adverse circumstances with a drive to indulge in national development? Did the education system impart values and principles to inspire them to be part of a broader part of humanity? Did anyone, including their parents, inspire them to see success in life lies beyond the material advancement and accumulation of wealth? Did they ever get a chance to realize life is not an isolated course of journey that everyone is interdependent? Did their teachers talked about matters more important or equally important than limiting life on personal gains and satisfaction? The absence of such noble values is an indisputable fact today.

If it is so, the next step is how we can overcome this vicious cycle. Our education system has to be segregated from other commercial enterprises and quality education should be made available to everyone at affordable cost. Higher education should be separated from privatization and government should invest to prepare the young minds to spend their service for the upliftment of the underdeveloped sections without hesitation. Education that needs huge individual investment, values imparted from institutions that are established for profit and students who do not learn the philosophy of service cannot be expected to address the issues of rural development.

Along with that it is essential to ensure the comfort of the human resource assigned for rural development at the best possible extent by the government, not just basic needs, and some incentive to motivate them and sustain their interest in working for the deprived sections of the society. It is absurd to expect everyone to sacrifice their aspirations for social development and accept inhospitable realities with open hands. At the same time considering their needs, aspirations and making arrangements for their comfort will have mutual benefit for the society as well as the employees. For example it would be practical to accept the need of internet accessibility, facility to travel or get electricity important for a doctor or a teacher working in the rural area instead of neglecting it as high expectation of an urban middle class for a luxurious life and asking them to adjust to the hardships until they complete their service. It is necessary to realise that the sudden absence of comforts of city life may not be easily digestible for an urban migrant and it is quiet natural to feel discomfort about it. It is also very necessary for the local people to understand the people from outside come from a very different experience and they should support them in all the possible ways along with the government. If there is a constructive attitude from both sections, the urban middle class may show interest to serve the rural population and stay longer without compulsions. It may sound compromising but a practical solution.

Living Between Eating and Wasting Food

Today’s newspaper brought a ‘shocking’ news: India home to a quarter of world’s hungry population. The news further goes as the number of hungry people in the world was estimated at 842 million in 2011-13 in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) released recently even as world cereal production was estimated at a near record level of 2,489 million metric tons a few days ago. Quite often we come to know about the malnourished, undernourished, high mortality rate of children and starvation death in general. We are also aware of the poverty eradication programmes, and development projects prevailing prominently in the mainstream discussion and debate. We also hear about right based approach, empowerment of the vulnerable and sustainable development. ‘Teach to catch fish and make the hungry independent’ is the most proclaimed theory accepted across the world in the context of poverty eradication. 

There were two different moments I had recently that reminded me of the value of food and how we should avoid wastage of food. It is worth mentioning the news that struck me on 12^th of September. One third of the food produced worldwide is wasted, costing the global economy around US$750 billion a year, report by the UN food agency. The Food and Agriculture Organization said some 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted every year when 870 million people go hungry every day. 

It was the wee hours of a Saturday. I was walking through the road and it was an industrial area. Suddenly I heard the sound of a vessel falling on the road and I turned back. I found a man struck on the middle of the road beside his lunch scattered on the road. He must be going to work in one of the factories in the area. His lunch box had slipped from the career of his bicycle. I could feel the tormenting pain of the strange person as he was embarrassed, shocked and stuck for a long time in front of his lost lunch. Finally he could regain himself and began to ride forward carrying his empty lunch box.

It was a coincidence to witness another incident related to the value/ deprivation of food the next Saturday. I was standing beside a tea shop( tappri in local language) while a young man in shabby dress came towards the shop. He begged for something to eat desperately for some time (but he did not snatch the snacks displayed barely in front of him). I could hear him mumbling to himself in great hopelessness as the shop keeper ignored him. No sooner did his eyes stuck on two sammoosa laying under the table he had grabbed both and began to eat. He also took a piece of some snack on the road.  Meanwhile the shopkeeper watched it with a sense of relief.

Donating food is not a perpetual solution for poverty and also one part of the population should not be living for the mercy and charity of the well off. At the same time it is a crime to waste food, at least morally wrong, being insensitive and indifferent to the starving population across the world and to the people who are just able to earn for their daily bread. 

It is undeniable that capitalism has given new dimension, meaning (meaningless?) to life and all its transactions. It has created a new sense to every aspect of our life. Thus the food is not a stuff for your healthy existence. Shelter is not a place to accommodate you with safety and security. Your clothes are not just for protecting your body. All these are beyond basic needs and are an expression of your status, celebration and luxury of life. The principles of commerce, marketing, profit making and completion have penetrated to the very existence of human being.  The theory of market forces does not encourage you to be concerned about the other part of the unfortunate population. In such a society food is wasted in five star parties of the elite class and in marriage party of a middle class family. It is wasted every day at home as well.

But we have to face the reality. We can’t deteriorate beyond an extent. Each member of the ‘civilized’ society must face several tough questions. Am I eating for a healthy life? Am I aware of the right quantity and quality of my food? How much food I waste food every day? Do I remember the value and significance of food in life? Shouldn’t justice prevail for the millions of starving population?

Poverty eradication is not just the responsibility of the state, NGOs or generous individuals. It is the collective responsibility of the civilized society that realizes the true civilized life begins with realization that each individual has greater role in creating a better world to live in where justice, peace, love, cooperation and interdependence prevails. For such response for a great cause one should be conscious of his/her action. Such awareness will emerge with the questions mentioned in the previous paragraph.  

Let’s not forget India is a country of its population suffering from malnutrition and over nutrition as well.

Why not the Right to sleep and shelter?

It is the age of right based schemes and development approach. We have Right to Education, Right to Food, Right to Information and Forest Rights etc. for the emergence of a just society. Why can’t we have the Right to sleep or Right to shelter? Those who have experienced sleepless nights at any circumstances must be aware of how horrendous it is to be awake when people around them are fast asleep. One may go annoyed and even wild when one is unable to sleep at midnight. People suffering from illness, having night shift duty, those who happened to be at emergency situations and those who could not obtain confirmed train tickets and many other people in various situations in life are destined to go through the awful experience of sleeplessness. Besides that there are millions of people who are homeless across the world for whom every night is an excruciatingly dreadful experience. It is irrational to find one section of the society having shelter, safety and security and the other section wandering on the street with uncertainty and fear. It is true that the history and the research have dug deep into the issue and provided with statistics and analytical perceptive for such unjust imbalances.

I happened to witness a police man dealing in a horrifying way with two people sleeping at the Lucknow railway station at 12.30 am. The first scene was the police man on duty slapping on a man’s face while a boy who seems to be his son watching the event with helplessness and fear. I could not find a reason for such a coldhearted action from the circumstances. It all happened in front of the gate to the platform.  Without any resistance or aggression the man left the platform silently holding the boy’s hand. I was just watching the policeman’s next move. Then he stepped ahead and struck a young man sleeping next to an old woman with his boot. The boy got up and the policeman asked something. Before the boy could reply anything, the policeman slapped thrice on the boy’s face. Then he held the boys hair and swirled around and slapped once again. Then he told him something and moved forward. The boy woke the woman up and both of them left the place immediately. The policeman had a good reason to say. “These people sleep here to loot the passengers. They are rich beggars.” I was not surprised. I happened to hear the logic of humiliation towards the vulnerable sections of the society on several occasions. The marginalized are stereotyped, humiliated and crushed by the logic of main stream society as well as the law enforcement agencies. I recollected a warning by Kerala Police displayed on the bus stand. It was asking the passengers to beware of Tamil women who may steal jewelry and money while travelling in the city and while waiting at the bus stand. I also read how ‘Thug’ community in the north India was considered as the community of crime and how they were arrested and punished for every crime in and around their locality by the British and the police of the independent India.

Some irrelevant questions: Why some people sleep on the street? Don’t they deserve fair treatment if they happen to sleep on a plat form? What about the justice when the law is enforced? Don’t the homeless have the right to sleep somewhere?

Epilogue: The next to the boy and the old woman were sleeping many other people well dressed. They were not questioned or disturbed. ‘Appearance is deceptive’, is an old saying.

After two hours I got the mid night edition of the newspaper. The leading news was ‘Lalu convicted in fodder scam.’  The photograph given was of Lalu Prasad Yadav moving to the court with high security. He might enjoy the VVIP status even behind bars.