We Need to Teach Our Kids to Feel Responsible, Not

Proud, as Indians - Kiran Kumbhar

Am I proud to be an Indian? The fact is that neither I nor any other Indian can
take personal credit for having been born here. After all, nationality is
essentially accidental. Nevertheless, as we grew up we were instructed to feel
proud to be Indians. We were also told to feel proud of India, the civilisation
which ‘gifted’ complex mathematics to the world and knew plastic surgery
even before the world knew plastic. But do we have any right to feel proud for
what our ancestors did centuries back when we have squandered our
inheritance?

When I went to the United States for higher studies, I wasn’t sure what effect
the crossover would have on my outlook towards India, especially since the
national pride I had passively absorbed since childhood had been tempered by
the maturity of my mid-20s. But I was aware that for many in the Indian
diaspora, living outside India reinforces such pride. Some begin sprinkling
random ‘facts’ about the ‘greatness’ of India in conversations with non-
Indians. Some even start looking down upon the culture and people of the
nation where they were welcomed (quite like the good old bauji from DDLJ).
But though I was uncertain what effect America would have on my
Indianness, I knew I was eager to just talk about ‘my country’ with anyone
curious.

During such conversations with non-Indian students, I became aware of how

national pride makes one almost blind to the deficiencies of the nation, and
makes one almost always exaggerate its strengths. For example many
Americans ask their Indian friends about ‘the caste system’, and I realised I
could either give the stock ‘proud Indian’ response of ‘there is no caste in
“modern” India’, or could honestly convey how caste remains a strong social
and political phenomenon in much of India despite some partly successful
efforts to make it less relevant. I feel happy to report I went with the latter
option. Whether conversations with non-Indians focused on Kashmir or the
Buddha or ancient Indian eroticism, I made sure to choose my words well,
preface responses with caveats, provide as balanced a perspective as I could,
and request them to also talk to more Indians and South Asians.
In other words, as I let go of national pride, its place came to be filled by a
sense of responsibility. I realized that the accident of being born in India has
conferred on me a crucial responsibility, that of being an inheritor of
everything the idea of India encompasses, and of being an honest transmitter
of that idea. I began feeling responsible, rather than proud, as an Indian. And
responsibility meant a willingness to acknowledge the negative aspects of my
history and culture, and to address the the current shortcomings of India.

The other day a friend who works abroad told me he felt sympathetic to
demands for banning beef in India since “we Indians consider cows as gods”.
I told him that there are many Muslims, Christians, adivasis and Hindus too
who do not in fact believe the cow to be divine and who consume beef. I
asked him why he was not including those millions of Indians in his definition
of India and Indians but he would not budge. It is not a coincidence that
“proud” Indians tend to have a very narrow understanding of India, one that is
restricted to the small part of India that they grew up seeing and feeling
attached to. But when one feels responsible as an Indian, one tends to be more
inclusive and tolerant of the country’s multiple cultures and peoples.

While some may argue that it is possible to be ‘proud and responsible at the
same time’, pride is too personal and egoistical to allow for the nuance that
responsible citizenship entails. Besides, when we teach kids or convince
ourselves to feel proud of India and its ancient ‘glorious’ past, we sow the
seeds of complacency. It makes one so obsessed with past ‘greatness’ that
current dismal failures are forgotten or ignored. A tragic example is of five-
time Gorakhpur MP Adityanath, who is unwilling to take responsibility for the
condition of his constituency and its health issues, but is ever ready to take
pride in India’s so-called glorious Hindu past which he wishes to resurrect and
impose on everyone.

This Independence Day, then, let us teach our kids to feel responsible, not
proud, as Indians. Let us kindle within young Indians a strong desire to work
for a better present and future, as against the ‘proud Indian’ who merely
dreams of resurrecting some vague ‘golden age’ from the past.

Kiran Kumbhar is a physician and health policy graduate engaged in public

health awareness through writing.
 Idea of democracy
The word democracy comes from the Greek words "demos", meaning people, and
"kratos" meaning power; so democracy can be thought of as "power of the people": a
way of governing which depends on the will of the people.

Features of Democracy

1. In a democracy, the final decision making power must rest with those elected by the
people (E.g. Pakistan elects national and provincial assemblies, but the real power rests
with the military, hence it cannot be called as a people's rule)
2. A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power
have a fair chance of losing
3. In a democracy, every adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one
value. i.e. Universal Adult Franchise (principle of political equality)
4. A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens'
rights
5. State should respect basic rights of its citizens
6. Democratic theory holds that power should be vested in institutions and exercised
according to procedures

Outcomes of Democracy

1. It produces government that is accountable to the citizens, and responsive to the needs
and expectations of the citizens
2. Democratic decisions are both more acceptable to the people and more effective
3. Transparent and legitimate government
4. Political equality
5. Democracy accommodates social diversity
6. Democracy in India has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and
discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity
7. A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of
democratic project

Essential elements of democracy

 Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms

 Freedom of association
 Freedom of expression and opinion
 Access to power and its exercise in accordance with the rule of law
 The holding of periodic free and fair elections by universal suffrage and by secret
ballot as the expression of the will of the people. Free and fair elections are based on
the three pillars - Transparency, Verifiability and Secrecy
 A pluralistic system of political parties and organizations
 The separation of powers
 The independence of the judiciary
 Transparency and accountability in public administration
 Free, independent and pluralistic media

Arguments in favor of democracy

 Democracy is better than any other form of government in responding to the needs of
the people.
 It is more accountable form of government
 It enables peaceful transfer of power through free and fair elections
 Discussion and consultation improves the quality of decision making.
 Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts.
 Democracy is the best form of governance because it enhances the dignity of citizens.
 Democracy allows us to correct its own mistakes
 It promotes equality among citizens

Arguments against democracy

 Leaders keep changing in a democracy, this leads to instability

 Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for
morality
 So many people have to be consulted in democracy. This leads to delay in decision
making
 Elected leaders do not know the best interests of the people. It leads to bad decisions
 Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition
 Ordinary people don't know what is good for them; they should not decide anything

Interesting thoughts on democracy

 Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor

 Democracy consists of choosing your dictators after they've told you what you think it
is you want to hear
 Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to justice
makes democracy necessary
 Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve
 All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy.
 Dissent is the safety valve of democracy.
 In his famous Gettysburg address, Abraham Lincoln described good governance as "of
the people, by the people and for the people". Centuries later, we do understand the
"of", and are willing to tolerate the "by" but unfortunately we keep forgetting the "for".
 Lincoln defined democracy as the Rule of the people, by the people and for the
people.. But now the definition is getting replaced by : Democracy is off the
people, far (from) the people and (where they) buy the people!

Conclusion

 Clearly, democracy is not a magical solution for all the problems. Democracy as a
form of government only ensures that people are empowered to take their own
decisions
 When a society adopts democracy as its form of governance, it presumes the beginning
of a social transformation.
 Poverty
What is poverty?

Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial

resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living. Poverty means that the
income level from employment is so low that basic human needs can't be met. Poverty
is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.

Data/Statistics

8.8% of the population lives in severe multidimensional poverty (Multidimensional

Poverty Index, 2018)

In India, 21.9% of the population lives below the national poverty line in 2011.

Global Hunger Index (GHI) report for 2020 ranks India at 94 out of 107 countries

Types of Poverty

Absolute Poverty - Absolute poverty refers to when a person or household does not
have the minimum amount of income needed to meet the minimum living
requirements

Relative Poverty - It is a measure of income inequality. It is related to living standard

of a person/family compared to the living standards of population in surroundings. Eg.
In a surrounding where everyone has 4 cars, a person with 2 cars might be called as in
relative poverty.

How poverty is measured?

The poverty in India is measured on the basis of poverty line quantified in terms of per
capita consumption expenditure

Data is obtained from the large sample survey of consumer expenditure data of the
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

Households with consumption expenditures below the poverty line are said to be
“Below the Poverty Line (BPL)” and deemed to be poor.
 INDIA: A push to vaccinate every child,
everywhere, ended polio in India
India rolled out the Pulse Polio Immunization Programme on 2 October 1994,
when the country accounted for around 60% of the global polio cases. Within two
decades, India received ‘Polio-free certification’ from World Health Organization
on the 27 March 2014, with the last polio case being reported in Howrah in West
Bengal on 13 January 2011.

Ensuring equitable access to vaccines to everyone, including the most

marginalized and vulnerable groups living in the remotest parts of the country,
made eradication possible. A high commitment at every level led to policy
makers, health workers, frontline workers, partners and community volunteers,
working in tandem to deliver life-saving polio drops to every child wherever they
were, be it at home, in school, or in transit.

Apart from equitable access to vaccines, the government simultaneously

addressed social and cultural concerns to remove vaccine hesitancy in less
developed areas with poor health systems, and among marginalised communities
and vulnerable groups by involving with communities and local leaders for
micro-level communication and community mobilization.

This was done by working with volunteers from local communities in the
microplanning of Supplementary Immunization Activities and engaging with
community and religious leaders to identify and address concerns so that
coverage could be increased in less visible clusters of unimmunized children.

Addressing and overcoming religious and cultural resistance and rumours was
essential in the road to eradication as the persistence of even low levels of wild
polio virus in the environment can lead to clusters and outbreaks, particularly
among unvaccinated children living in densely populated settlements with poor
hygiene.

The efforts to keep the country polio free continue, with the first Polio National
Immunisation Day (NID) for 2021 on January 31. More than 159 million children
have been vaccinated against polio since the January this year. The polio
vaccination coverage at the end of round one is more than 97% against a target of
165 million children, according to WHO data for tracking the quality of
immunization.
Vaccinations were conducted in close to 700 000 booths staffed with around 1.2
million vaccinators and 180 000 supervisors on Polio Ravivar (Polio Sunday) this
year, who worked with the support from partners and volunteers from WHO,
UNICEF, Rotary and other civil society organizations.

Children were also vaccinated in transit at bus terminals, railway stations,

airports and ferry crossing while following COVID-19 appropriate behaviours,
such as preventing overcrowding at booths, maintaining physical distance of 2
metres, wearing masks, washing hands and administering polio drops in well
ventilated-settings.

India continues to hold one NID and two Sub-National Immunization Days for
polio every year to maintain population immunity against wild poliovirus and to
sustain its polio free status. To provide additional protection, the Government of
India has introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine into its routine
immunization programme. 

Polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under 5 years of age, with 1 in 200
infections leading to irreversible paralysis. Among those paralysed, nearly 5% die
when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

Wild polio virus cases continue to be reported in neighboring Pakistan and

Afghanistan. As long one child remains infected, children in all countries remain
at risk of contracting polio.

Floods in Bangladesh and India Affect Millions

People in Bangladesh and India are struggling as they face serious flooding
caused by early heavy rains. The floods have covered roads, bridges, and entire
villages. Millions of people have been left isolated by the flood waters.

Heavy rains and thunderstorms in recent weeks have led to widespread flooding
in northeast India and Bangladesh. At least 60 people have died as a result of the
extreme weather, which has brought flooding, landslides, and lightning strikes.

Bangladesh

The flooding in Bangladesh is the worst in nearly 20 years. The United Nations
(UN) says that the flooding has affected at least 4 million people in Bangladesh.
The floods have hit the districts of Sylhet and Sunamganj especially hard. In these
areas, roughly 2 million people were left cut off from surrounding areas.

The flooding was caused by heavy rains, and made far worse when rivers
overflowed. Two rivers that run near Bangladesh’s border with India, the Surma
and the Kushiara, hit the highest water levels ever recorded.

The rivers were fed by flood waters coming from India, where one of the world’s
biggest rivers, the Brahmaputra river, overflowed earlier in May.

In Bangladesh, the floods have covered hundreds of villages, along with roads and
power stations. Farms have been wiped out. Hundreds of thousands of people
have been left with little food or drinking water.

The government has closed almost 600 schools. Some are closed because of
flooding. Others have been turned into emergency shelters. The UN says that
children are among those hit the hardest by the floods. The floods make it more
likely that children may not get enough to eat, could get sick, or could drown.

India

In India, the state of Assam in the northeast has been hit the hardest. The flooding
has touched the lives of 850,000 people in over 3,000 villages. Farms have been
flooded, and transportation has been hit hard, with roads, railroads, and bridges
underwater.
India’s army and air force have been working to help get thousands of people out
of flooded areas. In some areas, helicopters are dropping supplies to people who
are trapped. At least 90,000 people are living in emergency shelters.

Climate Plays a Part

Bangladesh is a low-lying country, and often has floods. The same is true for parts
of India. But normally, most flooding happens later in the year,
during monsoon season.

But scientists say that because of the climate crisis,  extreme weather is becoming
far more common. That includes heat waves, severe storms, heavy rains, and
flooding.

This is especially true for places like Bangladesh and India, which are near large
bodies of water, and are close to sea level.

Both countries have had high temperatures recently. Currently, parts of India
are dealing with a record-setting heat wave. As temperatures increase, the warm
air is able to hold more water, which it later releases as heavy rains.