By Campus Watch:

Ever since BJP's massive loss in the Bihar elections, a concern has arisen as to whether the party is slowly losing its hold across the country. While many factors were responsible for BJP's loss, it is difficult to look at the larger picture and guess beforehand whether Bihar is the mirror to BJP's failure in the national elections in the future. We asked the youth for their opinion on why they think BJP lost in the Bihar election and whether it will impact the nation in the future:

1. Abhishek Jha, B.Tech Chemical Engineering, IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand

[envoke_twitter_link]There was no anti-incumbency feeling towards Nitish Kumar and it was unlikely for him to be voted out[/envoke_twitter_link] unless BJP gave the electorate a better vision. Given the BJP's record in its one year of rule at the centre, few people would have found their promises trustworthy. Also, Lalu Yadav posed greater political questions to the BJP than anybody has in the recent times, with a call to action for a renewed subaltern politics, which sabotaged BJP's polarising campaign.

The national impact visible currently is the willingness of people- even those inside the BJP- to speak out against the Prime Minister. The Indian National Congress (INC) may try to gain from the results but I don't see it succeeding unless they are in a partnership with someone like Lalu or Mayawati. Their kind of campaign is perhaps the only anti-dote in regions where BJP might hope to win.

2. Himani Dhiravani, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Bhuj, Gujarat

According to me, it is quite prevalent in news and articles that [envoke_twitter_link]Mohan Bhagwat's remarks for the reservation went against the favour of the BJP[/envoke_twitter_link]. Also, Bhagwat made a statement 'arakshan ki sameeksha karenge' (we will revise the reservation policy), which was neither a proper statement, nor came at a proper time. Lalu elevated this remark in his favour, provoking Bihar's backward people to vote for him. And moreover, Lalu-Nitish seemed to be a strong pair and additionally Congress came out to be the icing on the cake. And BJP, instead of taking a lesson from the Delhi defeat, made only mistakes out of over-confidence. Also Modi's (extra) frequent visits across the globe left his picture as someone who was ignorant and complacent about India's development.

3. Flavy Sen Sharma, MSc. Global Politics, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), United Kingdom

The reversal of the Modi juggernaut by the Grand Alliance in the recent Bihar elections may have come as a surprise to many, considering the historic mandate that the BJP won in the national elections of 2014, but to a large extent this defeat was inevitable. First, BJP's 'Modi-centric' campaigning which capitalised on the Modi's aura of invincibility may have underplayed the importance of local leaders. The current political scenario is a completely different picture from what is was at the time of the national elections. Modi as the selling point of BJP is no longer a viable strategy.

[caption id="attachment_58309" align="alignleft" width="415"] Image source: WordPress[/caption]

Second, [envoke_twitter_link]BJP failed to contextualise its manifesto to suit Bihar[/envoke_twitter_link]. The agenda of social justice presented by the Grand Alliance captured the minds of the voters as opposed to the vague idea of development put forth by the BJP. Third, the BJP grossly undermined the role of caste in the electoral politics. Bihar still remains a conservative bastion on the caste front and while the Grand Alliance portrayed itself as the champion of the backward classes, the BJP struggled to shed its image as a party for the upper caste. Lastly, the political equation in Bihar is complex. [envoke_twitter_link]Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav share a connection with the people of Bihar[/envoke_twitter_link] which the BJP failed to establish. The Bihar elections, dubbed as the 'mother of all elections' by the Chief Election Commissioner is in many ways a referendum of the people on the performance of the ruling NDA government. The BJP has to prove itself by making good on its promises made during the national elections. Given the overwhelming support it received, it is yet to inspire the confidence of the electorate.

4. Shivanshi Khanna, B.A Journalism (Hons.), Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi

The reason I think why BJP lost the Bihar Election is probably due to the fact that Bihar's people have realised that before maintaining a strong relation elsewhere in the world, one needs to look into the intricate problems of its own citizens.

5. Tabu Agarwal, M.A Mass Communication, Symbiosis Institute of Management and Communication, Pune, Maharashtra

According to me, one of the major factors responsible for Mahagathbandhan's victory was the people's trust in the ruling power of Nitish Kumar as a good administrator. There were many developments brought in by Nitish Kumar like improvement in literacy rate, building of roads, schools, medical improvements, introduction of various schemes, etc. that gave him an upper hand in this election. [envoke_twitter_link]Narendra Modi's streak of promises did not translate into votes[/envoke_twitter_link] and inflation of items like 'dal' moreover irked the common masses.

Secondly, not learning from the defeat in Delhi elections, the BJP continued to play dirty politics where they engaged in continuous name calling and taking pot shots at the opposition party. Whereas, Nitish Kumar's main agenda during political campaigning was to focus on the development of Bihar. Lastly, with the entire beef controversy and the outlandish statements made by BJP party in the aftermath of it did not suit the voter's interests. Also, the side-lining of major senior BJP leaders who had a strong foothold in Bihar, and side lining throughout the campaign was another issue. So much so, that the 'Bihari- Babu' leader Shatrughan Sinha showed his displeasure on Twitter and said, "Not a question of Bihari vs. Bihari. But of how your own Bihari (Babu) has been treated by own people for no fault..." According to me, these were some of the factors responsible for BJP's defeat in the Bihar Assembly Election, 2015. With regards to national impact, I believe that apart from having an impact on Narendra Modi's persona, on whom the entire campaign was solely riding, another impact could be Modi losing his magic wave of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Because, the BJP party did not project a leader for the Bihar elections, it was a direct face-off between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi. Therefore, a new leader in the form of Nitish Kumar might emerge who could challenge Modi.

With the common man rejecting BJP's politics of polarisation, the Rajya Sabha will also take a new direction with the BJP finding it difficult to run the parliament now. They might have to form a consensus on issues like of environment, labour laws, land and GST.

6. Kritica Sinha, B.A English (Hons.), Zakir Hussain College (Evening), New Delhi

One of the most important reasons for BJP's loss was the absence of any strong local face for the post of CM. People need to know the name of their leader. However, when it comes down to elect someone as their leader, people of Bihar would have chosen Nitish Kumar because of the good changes he brought about in Bihar during his reign. Whereas, people in Bihar are not aware or familiar with BJP's reign that well. Hence, they would not want to let go someone like Nitish for a leader whose face was not even known during the election period. I strongly believe when it comes down to electing our leaders, people tend to look at their leader's contributions to the development. Common people always would want to play safe and that's what they did. As far as the question arises of our nation being affected by BJP's loss, then technically it might because after their loss it will get difficult for them to get their bills passed in Rajya Sabha specially important bills like GST (goods and service tax) that will affect the country. However, In the end the only focus for our politicians should be how to make India a better country by developing it to the core, for which I have always been skeptical.

7. Sakshi Jain, B.A Journalism (Hons.), Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi

New trends are bound to surface in every election. However, in Bihar, the trend of politics being intensely governed by the caste factors has been rigid throughout. The casting of votes solely rests on the caste based agendas of the political leaders. This rigid trend of Bihar politics is a major reason for the victory of Grand Alliance who by increasing the share of OBC MLAs has managed to seek the votes of OBCs of Bihar who constitute 51% of Bihar’s population. This obviously would imply a downfall for BJP which has majorly been the voice of Hindu upper caste. Moreover, if we go by the arithmetic of vote shares, any third party in Bihar is bound to lose when the parties like JDU and RJD having strong base in Bihar form an alliance. BJP or any other party would be in a position to lose when it comes to independent vote share Vs combined vote share. Another probable reason could be the indecisiveness of BJP regarding the Chief Ministerial candidate in Bihar and the Prime Minister being the face of the party. [envoke_twitter_link]The loss of BJP was a predictable outcome[/envoke_twitter_link] considering the above factors. However, the result of Bihar election having a nation level impact seems to be unpredictable.

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The post What Do The Youth Think About BJP Losing Bihar Elections? Will It Have A National Impact? appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz.

By Bareen Gundroo:

To prepare for this piece, which attempts to throw light on the beef ban and its overall impact on Jammu and Kashmir, I decided to do a little reading, research - whatever you may call it, to make sure I did not miss any key details. What caught my eye were not the key details in those articles I read, but the comments of my fellow Indians that interested me more, and put things into perspective.

What I read explained the impact of the 'beef ban' around me. From my experience, the Internet can be harsh and judgemental if you are not clear on what you stand for. We tend to look at what the eye shows us. Rarely do we look beyond that. Rarely do we comprehend. Hence I will clearly be taking a stand on the beef issue.

[caption id="attachment_58395" align="aligncenter" width="759"] A Kashmiri demonstrator throws a stone towards Indian police during a protest after Eid al-Adha prayers in Srinagar, September 25, 2015. Hundreds of demonstrators protested after the beef ban order by a state court in Kashmir. REUTERS/Danish Ismail[/caption]

Before I put forth my viewpoint, I would want to be clear on the fact that I do not belong to any party, faction or side. I am what you would call a mute spectator who happened to find a medium to share what she observes. I happen to be tolerant to all, neutral even. A viewpoint. That is what this is. You can take the liberty to call this a disclaimer.

[envoke_twitter_link]As a Kashmiri, I do have an opinion on the beef ban[/envoke_twitter_link], as it has affected my state more than anyone else's for over half a century.

The beef ban is an 83-year-old law, brought into force by the Dogra Maharaja in the then princely state of Jammu & Kashmir, banning the slaughter and sale of bovine animals. You and I both will agree that J&K is way past the Dogra era, landing into a state of eternal dispute.

Before I proceed to the subject of Jammu & Kashmir, I would like to make a generic reasoning about the issue.

For a moment let us assume there is no disputed J&K. India boasts of being a country which hosts diverse cultures, beliefs, religions, creeds, castes etc. There is diversity in every facet of life. Keeping this in mind, I put forward to a well-educated mind like yours some food for thought:

• Can a country with a national heritage like that afford to attack one religion and preserve another?
• Don't such actions directly contradict the concept of national integration?
• Is it not the responsibility of the carriers of such a nation to find ways and means that suit every facet of its diversity?
• Can India alienate one essential facet of its diversity and still hold the title of being 'Incredible India'?

I took the liberty to raise these questions with an assumption. If you remove the assumption of an undisputed J&K and come back to reality, here is what you need to consider:

Before considering any facet of this event, you cannot ignore the fact that this is Jammu and Kashmir, a declared disputed territory that has been the centre-stage for a tug of war between two countries. Every action here has an equal and opposite reaction.

An ordinary Kashmiri youth already has a sense of alienation from the rest of India and events like these do nothing but widen this gap by leaps. Kashmir is a state where majority of the population is Muslim, then how do you rationally proceed with a subject, which directly challenges their religion, their faith, their way of life?

I do not advocate nor disdain any action, however, I do question the rationality and reason with which such actions are conducted. How can you stop someone from following what has been prescribed in his/her religion? Moreover, if allowing one means disrespecting the other, you ought to be smart enough to figure out a way for both, rather than out rightly attacking one and that too in a state plagued by an anti-India sentiment.

I have no interest in what politics lurk underneath this controversy. Some consider it a part of a bigger plan, a 'Hinduvta 2.0' of some sort. [envoke_twitter_link]Why give a culturally rich concept a tag of dirty politics[/envoke_twitter_link], is another one of the many things I can't seem to fathom. What concerns and bothers me is the complete lack of reason and rationality in the carriers of justice, in our nation.

During this beef ban strike we got to re-visit history again and have a Qazi Nisar moment. In 1986, when Governor Jagmohan imposed a ban on consumption of meat based on the demand of some Hindu extremist groups, Qazi Nisar, an unknown cleric from Anantnag slaughtered two sheep to defy the order. His defiance brought him into the limelight and a year later, he became one of the main architects of the Muslim United Front. Now, Nisar's son Qazi Yasir, the incumbent Mirwaiz of south Kashmir, has taken up the fight against the beef ban. After he had announced that he planned a repeat of the 1986 moment, Yasir was arrested by the police in a late night raid on that Thursday, 10th September, 2015. Another incident of defiance was by a local party head who slaughtered a cow on Eid.

For 83 years, the beef ban was kept somewhat in the shadows, apart from some isolated cases of protest. There was no implementation of this ban on a public scale as it is being done now. No one was fully aware, I for one didn't even know that it existed.

Why the noise now? Now 83 years later, if you decide to uphold or implement this law for a noble intention, do you not need to proceed with a little caution or do we just shove it in front of a majority Muslim state, and that too a disputed one, where every action results in some sort of a disaster?

My whole argument is entirely based on reason, not bias. Had the government had a certain sense to proceed sensitively and logically, we could have been spared an unnecessary revival of history. I personally could have had a few more productive days at my college.

Leaving all of this apart, all I intend to convey and ask you a very simple question:

Where is the rationality in us? Why is this nation slipping into a society of what I call "padhe likhey anpad"?

For a Muslim its halaal. For a Non- Muslim it's the opposite. Apparently, our country nurtures both.

Is it irony?

I call it an impasse.

Regards,

An ordinary Kashmiri.

The post A Kashmiri Explains Why The Beef Ban Is A Bad Idea For A State Already In Turmoil appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz.

By Vani Nijhawan:

It was end of my graduation. A stage where every youngster steps into the next level of their lives, which is to start working and earning.

But for me it was a little different, as I had started working along with my college. I had seen a few people in my locality working in night shifts at call centers/BPO for easy money and that convinced me to do the same during my college days.

During my freshmen year, I started working in the night shift of a BPO.

This went on for three years and luckily I did well at work. It was 2014 and also my last year of graduation, and I decided that I would not be working any more after this year of college. During this time, I made a lot of friends. One of them was Kunal (name changed), who was working in the same company as me. He became a very close friend, he was all that a person would want a friend to be like. He treated me with a lot of care, respect and love.

He was elder to me, I was then 20 years of age and he was 26.

He had been in this industry for almost 6 years whereas I was in this industry for only 3 years. But now that we were professionals at what we were doing, we thought, why not to make it our main thing in life?

It had been a year since I had known him, I trusted him completely, even he trusted me blindly. As I was about complete my graduation as well, we decided that by May 2015 we would set up our own software company.

One of my very good friends, Neeyam (name changed) also showed interest and wanted to invest, so he convinced us to start our own business wherein he would be the investor and we two would be the main people handling it, and gradually things started. It was a new thing in my life and I was too convinced then that I would like to pursue my career in the BPO industry. It was all going very well, Kunal, Neeyam and I shared a good bond and the company was getting good profits too.

As Neeyam had other work to handle and I was a bit young to handle accounts, all the responsibility was given to Kunal, from handling our financial records to our accounts and we trusted him with whatever he said and never cross-checked the files. After almost two months we were about to get our first profit from the company of almost 4 lakh rupees. At least this is was what Kunal announced to us. Everything was going perfectly fine, but just a day before the payment had to be transferred, Kunal informed us that he would be out for some work so it should be an off day for the company. Neeyam and I agreed, and though he sounded a bit weird over the phone, I preferred not talking about it and thought I'll meet him and ask if something was wrong.

An hour later, Kunal informed me that he had to meet his friends as he had some work and would return late at night. At 6 in the morning, I suddenly got a call from Kunal where he informed me that he is in a big mess and might not ever return. Saying this, he disconnected the call.

I was blank, I tried calling him, but his phone was switched off. I went to his place, but it was locked. I decided to check the office premises and when I reached there, I saw that there were no laptops, office equipments, internet dongles, anything. The office was emptied of everything.

Everything was gone. I then recollected that the payment we were about to get which was received by him was also gone. He came out to be a fraud. I was speechless, I informed Neeyam, he too went through shock. We could have never expected him to do this, was all the friendship and trust we had between us fake?

Is it so easy in this world to fake love and friendship? Maybe it was, for him. We held ourselves up and went to a nearby police station to lodge an FIR. Now, after writing a complaint at the police station, we expected them to be active enough to work upon the FIR, but the police were busy giggling over the fact that we were in such a situation. It took them 48 hours to file an FIR and then they asked questions, like what does your father do? What is his monthly income? And when I told them in a rude tone to not ask me a question unrelated to the matter at hand, they told me something that left me in shock. Madam, khali pet kaam nahi hota humse (we don't work on an empty stomach). Indirectly, they wanted to be bribed, which I never was in favour of. I mean, are these policemen stupid? We came to them to file a complaint that we have been robbed and they wanted to rob us off our money again to fill their stomach?

Kunal ran away on 13th October, 2015 and on 15th October, 2015 we filled an FIR. Following that, every day for the next five days we kept visiting the police station and every time they used to ignore the case and in some or the other way talk about bribing them.

Neeyam and I tried tracking Kunal through his email and Facebook account, but we failed every time.

We are in such a loss that we can't even think of bribing the police as [envoke_twitter_link]we desperately just want justice[/envoke_twitter_link].

Frauds like Kunal do anything they wish to in our country just with the thought that our country's police is least bothered to even look at such criminals.

Today, I am fighting for justice and the police is least bothered. I am not a daughter of some neta (politician), neither do I belong to a filthy rich family. I am a citizen of this country, don't I deserve justice? I have tried my level best to get justice, since I was born I was told that the police is like a parent, given to every city, town and village, to protect people and give them justice when they are wronged.

But it turns out that these policemen are just hungry souls, hungry for money.

Today it has been more than a month and policemen are least bothered, they are way too busy with their nuisance of filling their stomach. I am still denied justice, Kunal is still missing. I am helpless and I hope that no one ever suffers like I did by putting my trust into someone who didn't deserve it in the first place.

The post Want To Start A Company With Your Best Friend? Vani’s Story May Change Your Mind appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz.

By Agniva Banerjee:

Competition and technological advancement has transformed the education scenario of India today. Every child is now expected to perform well to shine brightly in their own career. These days even premier educational institutes fail to give individual care and attention to the students. Hence, I believe that there is growing need for private education. Private tuitions, mainly home tutoring bring along benefits galore to facilitate quality education in the comfort of your home. It ensures quality time for one-to-one interaction between students and teachers that might be difficult in schools and educational institutes. However, this process of studying that is happening both in school and home can leave a student exhausted as they have to do a major exercise of their brains that makes them susceptible to stress. I believe that careful planning and following a properly organized routine can help a child imbibe the best of both, extracting the maximum from the benefits of home tutoring.

Some Benefits Of Home Tutoring:

1. Review and revisit lesson plans that are taught in schools for better retention and understanding: Studies have revealed that students without notes can retain 10% of the lessons taught in the classroom. Periodic repetition and revision with a teacher at home can help boost memory, and the individual will be able to remember more than 80% of the lessons. This will help them in strengthening their understanding of the lessons, tweak their basic concepts and enhance their sense of application. It will make their foundation about a particular concept stronger.

Educators also help explain to students the fundamentals in a simple and a faster way than teachers in the classroom, because the focus is on only one individual. Their attention stays on one child, clearly explaining every intricate detail of a lesson. For instance, after reaching home if you are doing the same sum or reading the same chapter once again then you tend to better remember and grasp the idea.

2. Motivating students and assisting them with their homework: Students dread homework and loathe doing it. From my experience, I have seen that home tutors make their work interesting by spending time with them and helping them in every step, especially where assistance is required. It helps them concentrate for an extended period of time. Students can ditch their shyness to ask questions freely and clear their doubts with their home tutor. They help them assimilate their thoughts and condense their understanding by breaking down the complex problems into a series of simpler ones that are easily comprehensible by the students. Home tutoring facilitates on-time completion of high-quality assignments.

For instance, after reaching home the students might not feel interested in doing their History homework. A home tutor can explain the concepts and the ideas through a tale that would be more interesting to them and not make the subject boring. That said, it all depends on quality of home tutors, who will be able to implement such methods to enhance the learning of the children.

3. Opportunities for pre-learning a concept: When you walk into the classroom already aware of the topic and its concepts, it infuses a confidence within you. I believe that a student can get this opportunity from a home tutor. The school and study room then aid in revising the topic.

Learning a complex subject and concept becomes easy with this model of home tutoring. The greatest advantage of this form of learning is that it creates a good image within a peer group and among teachers because the student is usually updated with school work. A student can easily have command over a new language through this process of learning that ultimately increases efficiency.

Image source: REUTERS/Juan Medina

4. Students are equipped with profound home tasks: We know that practice makes everyone perfect in their job. The same is applicable to students. Thus, home tutoring aids in the same by assigning exhaustive problems of myriad types to whet the knowledge of the students, which they might not be able to do just within their school hours.

Schools do have their limitations and not every time can the teacher be aware of the strength and flaws of the student. The home tutor knows the strength and flaws of the students and sets homework accordingly. Being the private educators they have the scope of selecting homework problems from myriad sources, not just school textbooks, to help students understand and gain insight on a diverse range of topics where they need improvement.

For example, if you are weak in Grammar then your home educator will make you practice more of the grammatical concepts to prevent you from making errors.

5. Detailed constructive feedback: Learning to write a proper answer also needs guidance. A correct answer has many aspects to it. A school teacher may miss out the various subtleties that makes for the best answer and also might not be able to sit with the child over the faulty areas.

Home tuitions help in analyzing, enquiring and correcting answers at every step. It gives a detailed feedback to the students that motivate them to improve and do better.

6. Students are provided self-study and referential tools for efficient learning: I believe that home tutors take extra care in delivering quality education. I have seen that apart from reviewing answers and revising lessons, they also equip students with revision schedules and timetables, tips and tricks to do well in the examination and general learning, check their notebooks daily, offer easy ways of taking notes, devise strategies for reading and many more.

Home tutoring gives a respite from the classroom distractions: A classroom consists of numerous minds some are focused in studies while some are mischievous and the distractors. Studying amidst the distractions might lead to half-hearted learning.

Hence, tuitions at home help gaining proper knowledge in the calm and peaceful environment of the home.

I believe that home tutoring is a great way to provide education at home where they will be under the supervision of their parents and guardians. This is also a great way to save time for both child and the parents. There are plenty of opportunities for home tutors as it can be a part-time endeavour and source of extra income for many. But it does have its limitations. Not every system is perfect, and it is up to us to follow a good schedule so that children are not burdened from extensive study at home and in school.

The post 6 Reasons Why I Think Home Tutoring Can Be A Good Alternative To Classroom Education appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Shruthi Venukumar:

The Happy to Bleed campaign has brought into the mainstream discussion something that has long lived behind the rag, cushioned in layers of euphemism. It comes less than a year since the Elone-inspired campaign kicked off in India where students wrote feminist messages on sanitary napkins. It all started when the chief of an Indian temple said that women shall be allowed in the temple only after a machine is invented which can screen them for ‘that time of the month’.

Image source: Mukti Sadhna/Facebook

The struggle against patriarchy continues! In the few days since the launch of the Happy to Bleed campaign, my social media feed has come out colourful with creative one-liners on a woman’s most taboo ‘chums’. Crisp, amusing and to the point, they couldn’t have gone further in painting the delightful message that a conversation is brewing. I also came across some that led to some rumination about the kind of parallels they drew. Here are some which I found problematic.

“If women are screened for menstrual blood, men should be screened for ejaculated semen.”

This one here conflates menstrual blood with semen, giving it sexual tones. While there is no reason to stigmatise the natural sexual processes of the male body, it would not be correct to link a process linked to male sexual arousal to an involuntary act of the female body. This takes me back to a conversation I once had about breast-feeding in public places. A woman held, and rightly so, that it is unfair that she has to breast-feed in the toilet/washroom because that was like saying that it is all right for a baby to have its food in the toilet. Someone replied by saying that breast-feeding in public is like making people watch fellatio being performed in public. The message in quotes seems innocuous enough, and probably the writer did not intend to draw such parallels. However, the message it drives under the subconscious mind does not serve the cause of the movement.

“If sweating men can be allowed entry in a temple, why not a bleeding woman.”

Here again, the intent is perhaps to call the temple authorities (and society at large) on their double standards. However, comparing menstrual blood to sweat again paints it as something dirty and thus ‘polluting’ to what is held sacred by religion. ‘Dirty’ is precisely the stereotype that menstrual blood has to break out of. There is no science to suggest that menstrual blood is any more unclean than ‘normal’ blood. (Side note: Given the long hours one has to wait and the arduous journey one has to undertake for the ‘darshan’ at the temple, nothing smells of true toil and devotion more than sweat.)

The raison d’etre for including semen and sweat in messages on the absurdity of the taboo on menstrual blood is the need to dispel myths surrounding the latter using tangible examples. That goes out further in engaging people than stubbornly taking a side, however legitimate, without stating reasons. However, logic should be examined for flaws.

A country that gushes about its freedom of religion can do so rightfully only when that right is extended to all the sexes regardless of age. It is heart-warming to see both men and women come out and question social taboos. Critically examining the voices that are on the progressive side of the struggle can only strengthen the movement.

Happy to Bleed!

The post Of Sweat, Semen And Menstruation: The Problematic Support For #HappyToBleed appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Aarya Hallikeri:

Today’s world needs youths who are willing to strive, think out of the box and create a homogeneous environment with fun, smart work and have great enthusiasm towards making people become socially responsible. A program called LEAD provides such opportunities to students by igniting in them the spark to come up with creative solutions. It is like an incubator where it provides nurturing to a student with innovation where implementation is required, along with knowledge and experience on social issues, with solutions and efforts that can create a larger impact. I came across the story of a student as part of the LEAD project that I found extremely interesting.

One of the students of LEAD is Mr. Santosh Patil who gives credit for his success to his illiterate father who supported him and his siblings during their youth so that they could lead a comfortable life. When he came across this programme, he took it up in great spirit and kept up his father’s well wishes by inventing many strong and innovative ideas which are a basic necessity in villages and other surroundings for the entire society. At first he thought of an idea where plant wastes from the field could be converted into usable fuel so that the use of pesticides can be avoided. He also transferred knowledge to 100+ farmers about the importance of Organic Farming and the negative effects of pesticides, which influenced him to complete 26 other projects. He was also recognized as the Master Leader and then promoted to a LEAD Ambassador. These small initiatives and promotions motivated him to develop more ideas like providing the government schools in his village cleaner kitchens and proper food facilities. He and his team succeeded in renovating the entire infrastructure of the same.

Apart from all these inventions, he ideated more solutions as part of the LEAD project, like attaching radium and brakes to bullock carts to prevent accidents at night. It was cost effective for the farmers and avoided them from getting into the potholes as well. Since there is phosphor as a substance in radium, it radiates visible light at night that persists for a long time and helps the farmer’s visibility.

Our country is in dire need of solutions, and youngsters mostly prefer to move to Tier 1 cities after they get a job. Very few engage themselves with ground work. People like Santosh are an example for many others. Santosh’s innovative policies have helped many. There is a need to create awareness in the youth about such programmes, which help them discover another side to their interests. Santosh shares his experience through this video:

The post Watch What Happened When A Young Man Applied Radium To A Bullock Cart appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Pinjra Tod:

On 22nd Nov 2015, a student broke her arm due to an accidental fall in Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University (RMLNLU) campus. When taken back to the Girls’ Hostel, she reached at 10:15 pm and was made to write multiple entries in the register and an application for why she was late. She was informed that the hostel timings had been decreased from 10:00 pm to 9:30 pm, that night itself (during the exams so students would be at the backfoot due to inability to rebel). After doing so, she was disallowed entry into the hostel and made to sit outside the gate, weeping in pain and demanding why this was being done. The guards claimed that the matron had taken the keys with her to make a routine walk around campus to ensure that all girls had been herded in by 9:30 pm.

Image source: Pinjra Tod/Facebook

The Assistant Warden was standing down the road, on whose instructions the keys had been retained. She had been approached at 10:40 pm by another student who had also been made to wait outside. She had to plead to the assistant warden to be let in, to study for an exam the next day, before the Assistant Warden permitted the guard to open the gates. The students had been locked outside the gate which meant that they missed dinner which is removed from the mess at 10 pm.

The injured woman student has been admitted in the hospital, with multiple fractures and had to undergo a minor surgery due to a delay in first aid and has a rod inserted in her arm. She has been served an expulsion notice from the Girls’ Hostel for not following Hostel Rules (by being late for a glaringly legitimate reason but has been dismissed by the administration as an ‘excuse’) and ‘misbehaving’ with the guards and matrons.

A few other girls who went to protest against this decision were informed by the Warden of Girls Hostel, that “you are victims of nature and need to be put inside” and sent away as this was “no cause for (their) concern.”

On the night of 24 November, girls and boys flooded the library and left at 10:00 pm which is the time the library closes, reached the hostel by 10:15 and made entries to prove that the decrease in timings are arbitrary and unreasonable. Moreover, the gym timings for girls is 5:30 am and the hostel timings for the morning are 6:30 am.

Image source: Pinjra Tod/Facebook

The reason for the decrease in timings, according to the the administration is because ‘bad things’ happen after 9:30 pm on the campus. Over the last three months, security cameras with night vision have been installed at every 20 metres in the university campus, twice the number of guards are found patrolling the campus and yet women students are imprisoned in their hostels under the garb of ‘security’ when it’s apparent that this is nothing short of moral policing. The boys on the other hand are allowed to roam freely in and outside campus and walk out at 3 am in the night.

Image source: Pinjra Tod/Facebook

Guards when patrolling at night, treat the women like criminals, making uncalled for comments if they are found walking around with friends of the opposite gender. Other such instances of chauvinism and unreasonable behaviour are abundant, which include the Chief Security Officer, who happens to be a retired Army Officer shockingly telling a girl who was waiting with a male friend inside campus at 10:30 for her cab to arrive as she had to leave for a competition, to “go outside the main gates and wait there for the cab if you’ve ordered one” and her friend was sent away.

Women students are hence protesting against the entire idea behind why they must be subjected to this inhuman and discriminatory treatment on the grounds of violation of their fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 14, 21, 19 (1)(d), 21A; 38. Moreover, the right to freedom of speech and expression (Art 19(1)(a)) is also being curtailed. The Assistant Warden has threatened women protesting this gross injustice and told them that their marks will be affected – a standard intimidation tactic adopted by administrations across institutions when women raise their voices against institutional patriarchy.

The RMLNLU women students are going to be sitting in non violent protest till 10:30 pm every night, increasing their protest timing by 15 minutes every night till the Vice Chancellor, comes and speaks to them directly and grants their demands.

The facts of this case could not be independently verified.

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The post ‘Victims Of Nature’ Who Need To Be ‘Put Inside’: What Girls Were Told In This Law College appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Professor MS Rao:

Is All Not Well In India?

The attacks this year on rationalists by fundamentalist groups and right-wing religious groups are highly deplorable. All patriotic citizens must condemn such attacks. It is obvious that all is not well in India. An example can be the visit of Shimon Peres, the former President of Israel to India and India’s red carpet welcome to him which was not appreciated by some section of Indian Muslims. And there are many more. Something is wrong, and it is clearly evident where the wrong is. But firstly, we need to analyse the several reasons for the current climate of intolerance in the country.

PM Modi’s aggressive approach to economic development and prosperity has become a thorn for opposition parties in India. Some of the politicians within his own Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are envious of his growing international image and popularity. Additionally, some non-state actors and vested interests are creating the confusion in India, as to what is intolerant, who is intolerant and why.

Here’s my analysis to understand why we need dissenting elements like intellectuals in the country and why the government should rise up to the challenge.

Authors Are Literary Soldiers

As blood is important to flow in arteries for humans, ink is important to flow in pens for authors. Lack of freedom of expression stifles creativity. Authors are the soldiers of the literary world. As soldiers fight to defend and protect the country from external forces, authors are soldiers who fight for the protection of their freedom of expression from internal forces who endeavor to create a climate of terror and distrust in the society. Additionally, literature is the mirror of the society and writers are the soldiers. As the uniformed soldiers protect national boundaries the literary soldiers protect the internal system by voicing their views and opinions.

Rabindranath Tagore returned the knighthood to the British government in the wake of Jallianwalabagh massacre as a mark of protest. Hence, protests create awareness in the society and correct the leaders to govern well as per the aspirations and expectations of the people. We must respect protests as they raise the irregularities in the democratic system. We must remember that it is not evil that causes destruction, but it is the tolerance towards evil that is the real culprit. Albert Einstein has rightly remarked, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

Hence, authors, intellectuals, and philosophers must not remain as mute spectators to irregularities as they are the source of ideas and insights in any society. They play a crucial and constructive role to keep the societies in order. They are the bridge between the government and the people. They are the brain behind several revolutions in the history who provided direction to the rulers during crises. Because of these reasons, the intellectuals, philosophers and authors are included as advisories and consultants for various organizations and boards. The government also takes their services as advisories as and when required.

The onus lies with the government to ensure freedom of expression and the right to dissent which are the hallmarks of democracy. It must not treat the present protest as a manufactured dissent. It must not suppress the views of people as they provide the right feedback to the government, not the political parties in opposition. Since the opposition parties have a political agenda and strategies to pull down the government, given the fact that they too want to come to power in the next election, the parties in power must listen to the pulse of the people and make decisions accordingly to ensure a vibrant democracy.

Image source: Wikipedia

Modi Must Rise To The Challenge

Modi must not remain a mute spectator to the unprecedented protests and dissents in India. He must rise to the challenge to crush the forces of intolerance. He must reinvent his image from a Hindu leader to a people’s leader. People trusted him and gave him spectacular mandate which he must respect. He must walk his talk, which Mann Ki Baat just can’t do. He should not become a puppet in the hands of his own party members and dance to the tunes of the fundamentalist forces from RSS. If the present climate of intolerance goes unchecked, it will become a major problem for him and the Indian democracy. He must rise above petty party politics to send a stern message to the intolerant religious forces in the country. He must condemn attacks immediately. He must lead a hard path to set the house in order. He must implore the intellectuals and authors to take back their awards to create a climate of tolerance in India. He needs to speak out.

Conclusion

Indian culture teaches tolerance, preaches tolerance and practices tolerance. There are only a few disgruntled politicians and people with religious connections who are creating havoc in India currently. The leaders at the top must send their stern message to these disgruntled elements whenever any atrocities occur without any fear or favour. It helps check the climate of intolerance in the bud, and we can avoid the present spiraling of returning of awards by authors and intellectuals.

Indian religious leaders must avoid their irresponsible utterances to create a climate of tolerance and goodwill. In a democracy, all citizens have the right to express their opinions, but not to indulge in violence. India’s greatest strength is to absorb criticism and evolve accordingly.

To summarize, Indian democracy is very strong as it weathered several storms including the Emergency during Indira Gandhi era, riots on Sikhs in 1984, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid. India is a symbol of aspirations of more than a billion people and their aspirations can be accomplished only in a democratic society by celebrating diversity. Hence, all stakeholders must work hard to create a climate of tolerance to build a healthy democratic society and a strong nation. Jai Hind!

“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.” — Max de Pree

The post ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Won’t Crush Intolerance. Why I Think Modi Needs To Speak Out appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Kathryn Lum for The Conversation:

Source: REUTERS/Amit Dave

In July last year I was in Gandhinagar, the capital of the Indian state of Gujarat, at the monthly meeting of a credit cooperative. It has 1,300 members, all drawn from Dalit families at the bottom of India’s caste hierarchy. It’s the kind of organisation where you might expect to see a host of entrepreneurs and business people in charge, but of the nine board members sitting around the table, just one was a businessperson.

Most are serving or retired civil servants, and the pooled resources of the credit society are used principally for loans for marriage, housing, and higher education. When I asked why there were so few active entrepreneurs, there was an uncomfortable silence, before a torrent of comments revealed the widespread discrimination Dalits face in being able to access credit from both public and private banks. This is casted capitalism at work, or rather, failing to work.

Caste Of thousands

The credit cooperative in Gandhinagar is part of a broader Dalit cooperative movement, but it hasn’t solved problems of access to capital, and the realities of business life for Dalits are still harsh. While all sectors are difficult for Dalits to enter into, some are almost completely closed to them, such as owning a restaurant in a non-Dalit area or opening a dairy business, where according to numerous Dalit sources in Gujarat, the dominant caste Patels are preferred.

This discrimination extends into other areas as well, such as medicine, with openly Dalit doctors receiving fewer upper-caste patients. The lone businessman in the group said he did not face problems as a share broker, but it quickly emerged that he dealt with the stigma by adopting the surname Mehta, linked to the well-respected and highly educated professional community in India, the Jains. That way, he explained, clients are automatically more at ease.

In fact, it appears that the price of business success often hinges on staying firmly inside the ‘Dalit closet’. The sole woman in the group had also encouraged her son to change his surname. If you have a Dalit surname such as Rani, this is not an uncommon scenario.

Hiding from view. Dalits choose pragmatism over pride. nevil zaveri/Flickr CC BY

Other Side Of The Fence

A short distance north of Gandhinagar, in the city of Ahmedabad, I witnessed a similar scene, but this time among the dominant caste Patels. They were meeting, not in a credit cooperative but, in one of their village or ‘gam’ associations. The Patels are dominant politically and economically in Gujarat. Traditionally peasant farmers, they have experienced great social and economic mobility, and are now associated with business sectors such as textiles and diamonds. While the gams predominantly function as sub-caste marriage circles, they also serve as informal business networking associations.

The Kadva Patel gam members stress their internal solidarity and ethos of mutual self-help. Here, young men entering business for the first time can turn to fellow gam members for low-interest loans, as well as mentorship and contacts. While a Dalit surname is a potential obstacle in establishing oneself as an entrepreneur, a Patel surname opens doors and indeed is a mark of pride for those who bear it.

There have been success stories for Dalits, and prominent ones at that. Soon after the liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991, articles began appearing in the Indian and foreign press describing rags to riches stories of Dalits, who against all odds had transformed themselves into wealthy businessmen (and sometimes businesswomen), from very humble beginnings. The tone is often triumphant, alluding to how the free market is liberating Dalits from centuries of oppression, accomplishing in a short period of time what the Indian government failed to achieve through quota systems in the public sector.

Credit: Ashish/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

This assumption of an inherent meritocracy and ‘caste blindless’ in the free market led some Dalit leaders to argue that capitalism will sound the death knell for the caste system. Some also assert that Dalit entrepreneurship will lead to greater social acceptance as they start to ascend the economic ladder.

This is comforting, but entirely false. The opening of the Indian economy has enabled a small number of Dalit entrepreneurs to make it to the top, but the majority continue to encounter institutional and social discrimination that translates into a share of business ownership that is not proportionate to their population. The 2005 Economic Census shows that Dalits in India own just 9.8% of enterprises despite constituting 16.4% of the population. And the vast majority of these are small single-person businesses.

Free And Fair Markets

Speaking with dominant business people in Gujarat, it becomes clear that Dalits are seen as untrustworthy, synonymous with government benefits, rather than seen as serious business partners. While it is common in business for caste groups to mistrust each other, Dalits will often not even be considered as potential business partners.

Free financial markets are presumed by some to be great levellers, where ambition and hard work clear away obstacles, but just like all other areas of social life in India, capitalism is profoundly casted. Young Dalit men I spoke with said that many Dalit youth do not even aspire to be entrepreneurs due to a lack of role models in their communities.

Relatively new Dalit organisations, such as the Dalit Chamber of Commerce and Industry, need to be strengthened so that there are more active branches across the country. Ultimately, building the social and economic capital of Dalits across India is a long-term process that needs dedicated government support and deeper grassroots initiatives that provide networking opportunities and financial support.

Promoting Dalit pride is another important long-term strategy, so that a new generation can visualise a future in which setting up a business does not mean turning their backs on their communities. The idea that the free market will act as an antidote to the caste system is wildly optimistic; it is time to recognise that the market economy’s dominance by upper and locally dominant castes makes business a terrain in which the majority of Dalits struggle to gain a foothold.

This article is part of The Conversation’s Business + Economy series.

Kathryn Lum is a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Read the original article.

The post Why Are There So Few Dalit Entrepreneurs? The Problem Of India’s Casted Capitalism appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Rajesh Sampath, Brandeis University:

Systems of oppression have much in common. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, CC BY

Comparisons can be risky, but not impossible.

Consider for a moment India’s Dalits, or “untouchables,” and African Americans.

Racial inequality in America has its parallel in caste inequality in India even though by definition, race and caste are not the same thing. The story of one struggle for social justice can illuminate the pitfalls and prospects of success of another.

As a researcher in applied ethics, human rights and global development studies, I am leading an ongoing research effort that will compare and contrast the nature of exclusion and marginalization faced by African Americans and Dalit Indians in their respective historical and contemporary contexts.

The Dalit Story

Although the Indian constitution bans discrimination on the basis of caste, the social, religious and cultural practice of “untouchability” continues unabated.

Formerly known as “untouchables,” Dalits are excluded from social and public spaces, prevented from drawing water from public facilities and segregated in schools.

Since the caste system was formed over 2,000 years ago, a noticeable percentage of the 200 million ‘Dalits’ have been thrust into the lowest occupations of society, such as scavengers and sanitation cleaners, with little upward mobility.

While there has been some progress since India’s independence from the British Empire, the pace of economic growth in mitigating social inequality has been uneven.

So, in an Indian nation that is rapidly modernizing and urbanizing, opportunities for the Dalits still remain limited. The degradation and the health risks of performing menial tasks are substantial.

Furthermore, with the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in national politics, the continuous expansion of liberty and equality of opportunity is by no means a foregone conclusion.

Discrimination, Exclusion, Privilege

One can draw parallels in different systems of oppression.

Despite 50 years having passed since the Civil Rights movement, the condition of the majority of poor, urban African Americans is dire, and chances for survival are diminishing over time while the prison pipeline is increasing.

Let’s look at how both caste and racial discrimination perpetuate hierarchy, privilege, discrimination, marginalization and exclusion.

Data from the last few years show 27% of African Americans at the poverty line, which is much higher than other groups. In India, the condition of Dalits has been extremely dire for centuries.

Several African American economists in the US have looked at structural and institutional forms of racial exclusion in terms of wealth and poverty. They have also opened a dialogue with economists in South Asia, where exclusion and inequality relate to caste.

Although some progress was made in the 20th century that allowed greater inclusivity and equity – particularly in higher education – many issues remain despite constitutional bans on caste discrimination.

Dalits in India still struggle for their rights. ActionAid India – Campaigns, CC BY-NC-ND

In America, cultural and political segregation of the public space continues to occur despite anti-segregation laws.

For example, there are concerns among some Supreme Court justices that redistricting of voting districts can lead to further racial inequality.

In India, Dalits in rural villages are forbidden near Hindu temples or disallowed with their shoes on in higher-caste neighbourhoods. Mob violence is committed against them with impunity, and a disproportionate number of rapes are committed against Dalit women.

In comparison, post-Civil War white mob violence against blacks has morphed into what one could describe as the state-condoned violence of homicides of African Americans by police today. As of June, out of 467 Americans nationwide who had been killed by cops since the beginning of 2015, 136 were African American.

How Race And Caste Work

Looking at exclusion in America forces us to grapple with issues of violence against African Americans, racial inequality and racial injustice at a time that is often deemed “post-racial,” namely, five decades after the Civil Rights movement.

We see a similar pattern in India, wherein the Dalits are asked to believe that the Indian constitution bans discrimination, even though it does not abolish the caste system itself.

Racial tensions continue in America. Stephen Melkisethian, CC BY-NC-ND

It is after the successes of the African American Civil Rights movement that we have witnessed the birth of the school-to-prison pipeline, state violence against a disproportionate number of African American men in police killings, and the turning back of affirmative action at public universities in some states’ constitutional amendments, such as Michigan.

Meanwhile, with right wing conservative political power in India, caste discrimination is intensifying.

For example, Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims are not eligible for reservations, or what we in the US would call affirmative action benefits at universities, because technically ‘untouchability’ exists only in Hinduism, when in social reality it occurs across religions in India.

Historically, both race and caste have been used to divide society in many ways to the unfair advantage of certain groups over others. Again, there are similarities in the construction of how people have been forced into these categories.

Here in America, people are born into a “race,” and America uses race as a defining demographic category in its census. Biological race by nature, for now, is inescapable, even though some would say that “race” is an artificial category that is socially constructed.

Dalits, too, are born into a caste, which is unalterable, as they are told, and it is due to the sins of a previous life that they are paying the price in their current life. Hinduism believes in the transmigration of the soul, in which the soul enters a new body after death. The caste that one enters into depends upon the actions of a previous life.

The Two Democracies Should Learn From Each Other

So how can the US and India learn from each other in order to solve some of the most pressing problems for the world’s two largest democracies, both of which consider themselves secular and free?

If nations can cooperate on trade and development, there is no reason that they cannot participate in a global dialogue on minority rights through the lens of their religious, cultural and social heritages.

They must learn to come to grips with the fact that the mere assertion of a democratic society does not necessarily translate into a free and equal one.

Modern democratic superpowers with sizable national wealth, such as the US and India, also have a dark side, involving what some would consider gross human rights violations.

My work will set out to explore how different democracies can promote tolerance, inclusion and pluralism while combating various forms of discrimination and exclusion based on race and caste.

The question will be how to evaluate the claim that both societies make, as the two largest, most “peaceful and successful” democracies in the world.

This article is part of The Conversation’s Politics + Society series.

Rajesh Sampath is Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Justice, Rights and Social Change and Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Sustainable International Development, Brandeis University.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Read the original article.

The post Racial And Caste Oppression Have Many Similarities appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Neha Karnik:

The overused adage – “History is written by the winners,” is extremely valid in the Indian context. Unfortunately, despite winning our independence, we still suffer nationally from ‘the Stockholm Syndrome’. To this day, we accept the erstwhile conquerors’ narrative of us to be the truth. This video is an attempt to open our eyes to our civilizational greatness and invaluable contributions to humanity.

As a land, India has been through several phases, issues that this generation is unaware of. And with Republic Day 2016 still fresh in our minds, Groot Films in association with SpoonFeed has initiated a web video series. It is our endeavour to try and create a cogent story of our India while taking into consideration the latest insights and discoveries brought to light by technology and modern research. We’ll follow this up with more interesting videos in order to keep the effort going.

Watch the video here and let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

The post Watch As These Guys Explain Why We Need To Revise Notions About India’s Past And Present appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By J Jaykris Gurucharan:

Source: Twitter

India’s journey to become one of the best functioning democracies and its signs of rapid economic growth has made it the center of attention with both ambitions and speculations crafting contrasting narratives. The steady rise of the BJP and its new policy initiatives has created several groups opposed to each other. Some hope for a modern digitized nation while others have developed the habit of displaying hardcore resentment to any constructive change with the hidden agenda of sheer political opportunism. The recent Digital India initiative, the first of its kind to strive for the much sought after digital connectivity, by permitting fast track flow of information to achieve transparent and effective governance, continues to face stiff challenges. Political quarrels between the government and the opposition have benefited none. There is an urgent need to evaluate the Digital India initiative, free from politics, to remain objective and to do justice to society by enhancing its overall well-being.

It is clear that information is the currency of the forthcoming centuries and our persistent denial of maintaining adequate transparency has resulted in evils like corruption and red-tapism which creep into our society and traumatize the lives of the poor and the ignorant many who are already too fragile to bear life’s challenges. Some critics have pointed out that there is a massive digital divide, which is definitely a genuine concern. But what stops us from viewing challenges as opportunities and imparting digital literacy to achieve better efficiency and the greater goals of gradually phasing out corruption and achieving our cherished long-term goals of transparent and effective administration?

There is also widespread criticism of excess corporatisation of the Digital India initiative. Of late, there has been a multitude of letters to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) concerning Facebook’s Free Basics campaign on ‘free basics’, differential pricing and net neutrality. This concern is however largely justified because a level playing field will remain a distant possibility otherwise. But should we abandon this entire initiative because of such resentment to these big players, or constructively create a competitive environment for smaller firms which will force them to innovate after being liberated from the shackles of protectionism they have been bound with for decades. It would be highly appreciated if the government works to minimize these anxieties by incorporating friendly schemes for the smaller players to gain confidence. The government can support them by rewarding innovations, conducting frequent skill upgradation workshops, providing marketing and financial assistance until they are able to become competent enough in the market. One might complain that it would add to significant training and development costs. But many have stopped viewing this as a fixed investment in enhancing the skills of our labour force and, in turn, realize that it would benefit us immensely in the long run to counter international competition while enabling us to improve transparency in the public sector which is showing signs of revival after decades.

Thus, this new initiative offers us a plethora of complimentary threats and opportunities which can be scripted to suit our narrative of better governance and skill development which would certainly be the pillars of our economy if implemented with caution and in the best possible and inclusive manner. There is nothing wrong with aspiring for change and breaking the jinx of backwardness and, most importantly, in undertaking well thought out initiatives to convert our weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities in the long run.

The post Why I Believe ‘Digital India’ Holds The Potential To Make The Govt. More Transparent appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Rangashree Thirumalai and Devanshi Saxena:

The recent debate on the entry of women (especially of menstruating age) into temples, holy shrines, churches and durgahs has revived a long-standing debate about the ‘purity’ and ‘impurity’ of women. As women and as students of law, it pains us to see the discriminatory practices hailed as ‘integral’ to faith.

We are afraid this is utterly flawed and unacceptable at many levels. At the outset, we would like to clarify that we have been raised in the Hindu faith and continue to follow the same.

Firstly, at a time when we have begun celebrating a ‘Constitution Day’, it is unbecoming of us to say that gendered rituals supersede the fundamental tenets of equality, civil liberties such as freedom of speech and expression and the right to religion. It’s unlikely that the Supreme Court would uphold unjust and discriminatory practices in a country governed by the Rule of Law.

Secondly, regarding faith and gender at the micro-level, one’s relationship with the Lord is simply one’s own. No amount of social boycott and ostracisation will let her down. In fact, we have met many men in our circles who have been exceptionally open about menstruating women, whether it is entering temples, celebrating religious functions at home or simply lighting the lamp daily. Not all households impose such harsh preconditions on women.

Women are biologically different from men, and that does not make them inferior. God did not make only one gender, and there’s no record of the superiority of the male gender in religion, especially not in Hinduism, which is replete with stories of powerful goddesses. Those who believe that women are somehow inferior, and those prohibit them from public places of worship, try to illustrate that women enjoy a lesser right to God. They are mistaken. My God does not treat me any less because I’m a woman. My faith is as valuable and as important as yours. Nobody can take that away. Centuries of subjugation and ill-treatment towards a menstruating woman need to be overturned and must pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable society.

Moving beyond the legal arguments, what enrages us are the arguments against letting women enter temples. A survey of popular posts on the issue and the comments on them brought cases to light which reconfirm that this is nothing but a misunderstanding of menstruation and vaginal health. Well, you can call it pure sexism. Had the people making these arguments checked their facts, they would have known how ridiculous they sound. Some of the arguments stated are as follows:

1. Temples, Shani Shingnapur in particular, require devotees to be dripping with water before they touch the stone. Menstruating women and women suffering from candidiasis (a yeast infection in the vagina) would create hygiene issues while performing such practices.
2. A woman is dirty when she’s menstruating. (Let me point out that there isn’t a way to determine how many times a man has bathed before entering a temple. Those who say this are apparently referring to women being inherently dirty or “doshi.”)
3. That certain Gods are celibate and women should not be touching them. (Then why do male priests tend to idols of goddesses, if I may ask.)
4. Tradition. (Traditions have been questioned and updated time and again. Some examples are abolition of sati and widow remarriage.)
5. That the menstrual cycle of a woman signifies a sin and her bleeding is repentance for it.
6. That these bans are restricted to certain temples and certain Gods. They advise women to have their own temples and pray in them all day.
7. That sexism and gender-specific ritual practices should not be confused.

There are articles and comments, talking against denial of equal treatment. Women raising their voice against discriminatory practices are termed as “cultural terrorists” and “faux feminists.” This is an appeal to pause and understand that demand for equal rights is not an assault on Hinduism or any other religion for that matter. It is the reverse. Gone are the days when men had dominion over the definitions of religion. To anyone who is used to a position of privilege, a demand for equality will look unwanted. In our view, none of the objections to the entry of any gender in places of worship hold water. It is the lack of awareness and apathy about ‘women’s issues’ which has made people treat a sanitary napkin as a forbidden object and has forced women to wrap it in black plastic while returning from the store.

The ones who go far to respect their deity should first recognise that the deity’s creations are equal. Everybody is born equal and deserves to be treated that way. Much like how we do not need religion-inspired stories about the holiness of hijras to respect transgenders!

We are all equal. Period.

The post ‘My God Does Not Treat Me Any Less Because I’m A Woman, So Why Should You?’ appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By J Jaykris Gurucharan:

The protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have, by far, been the most misunderstood. Of late, it has captured the limelight on several social media platforms. There are a few elements one has to necessarily examine before any conclusive judgment is given or stand taken on this controversy which has so greatly agitated people.

The primary aspect that needs to be examined is our fascination with ideals like ‘nationalism’ which have, of late, been misused and misrepresented by several governments to impose their will on the citizens. Nationalism is a virtue that, ironically, remains forgotten and props up only when there is scope for political opportunism. By far, sedition clauses have been the most misused sections by any government so far.

No one denies that nationalism is the force that binds us Indians, including most Kashmiris who still haven’t lost their faith in the Indian state. Not every Kashmiri is a separatist. But the level of faith and goodwill shown by Kashmiris depends on how successful the Indian state is in integrating the various factions in the valley and in working for the welfare of the masses. It’s not important to merely govern Kashmir. Rather, it is more important to do justice to Kashmiris who are now being viewed with suspicion across the country.

No Indian state so far has been able to justify the atrocities committed in Kashmir under the AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act). Which is why Kashmiris trust the Indian state despite the hostile circumstances they live under. We must be proud of that. This, however, doesn’t mean that we should be intolerant to any faction that is fighting for greater autonomy. It is, at times, quite natural for people who have been subjected to injustice to stand up for freedom. Several intellectuals who believe that Jammu and Kashmir has been passing through difficult times and deserves autonomy should also be tolerated. It is quite common for people to have different perspectives.

The state can’t prevent the various factions from asserting themselves. Not unless it is convinced that it has meticulously catered to the needs of all the factions in the border state. Thus, the uproar over the JNU protests and its relation to Afzal Guru’s hanging is quite surprising. It can by no means amount to sedition for a number of reasons apart from the one discussed above. Firstly, it has not led to any violence. Secondly, there are sources which claim that the slogans were raised by a group of separatists who had come to witness the cultural event and weren’t proven to be JNU students. Besides, there are parts in the Afzal Guru judgement that point to the fact that there was “no direct evidence…amounting to criminal conspiracy.”

There has, of late, been heavy police presence in the JNU campus. The identities of students are frequently being verified which is causing inconvenience for many. Furthermore, the government being harsh on protesters is going to have a negative political impact because the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) government in Kashmir, with whom it is in coalition in the state, had also expressed its concerns over Afzal Guru’s hanging.

Thus, there is an air of political opportunism that surrounds this entire controversy. The government should be cautious enough not to get itself entangled in the situation given the lack of conclusive evidence, the inconvenience caused to the JNU students and faculty due to excess scrutiny. Also, the geopolitical realities in the Kashmir valley and lack of adequate confidence in the government should make the government even more cautious.

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The post Why I Think A Sedition Charge Over The Recent Events At JNU Is Absurd appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Atharva Pandit and Gargi Kowli: 

“That girl in the red salwar kameez, she is my gf,” Siddhesh meant girlfriend, but he was, he told us, too shy to say it. Siddhesh is a talkative guy, and he answers even when he is not asked a question, or when the question is not directed at him. He likes to talk, and he likes to tell stories, mostly about himself.

This was one such instance where, bunking lectures, we had turned up at the Self Vision Center (SVC) with a friend who had some work there. We waited outside, and began to converse with Siddhesh who, in no time, started to tell us about his life, the Center, and, of course, about his ‘gf’. “You can ask me anything and I’ll answer. I like to talk. You are my friend. And I like to talk to my friends.” Siddhesh is visually challenged but his life is, perhaps, more colourful than ours. And he, like almost all others we met over a course of time at the SVC, is never shy to accept his reality and even crack jokes about it.

That was when we decided to return to the SVC and talk to these students. We never really intended to write about them, or film them, but their stories are way too fascinating not to be told. For some they might be inspirational, the lives these students lead. But, for them, it is their daily routine, much like ours is. And that life is, as we found out, often marked by music – almost every student here has been learning some instrument, or to sing for a long time now. It’s a way for them to express their joy, their anger, their concerns. And it’s beautiful how for them music is never mere entertainment or a hobby – it is their way of identifying with the world.

We interviewed and spoke to several students over the course of two months, and not necessarily for the video in question every single time. I phoned them on New Year’s Eve only to find them busy, partying with their friends. They phoned me before their exams, telling me about how unprepared they were. I think that in this process, we have created a bond, and that, I think, is the biggest achievement of this video.

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The post Watch 3 Brilliant Visually Impaired Artists Talk About Their College Life And Passions appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Nishant Rao:

I am not even remotely involved with the Indian startup ecosystem. But unfortunately, I read a lot and try to make sense of it in equal measures. And from whatever I have been reading and observing regarding the Indian startup story, especially in the last 12 months, I feel something is not right. Let me cut to the chase right away. Here’s what I think:

1. Where Is India’s Google et al?

Google, Amazon etc were born out of the first internet wave in the US during the 90s. A decade or so later, China built its own Google named Baidu, and practically drove Google out, which otherwise, has a global search engine market share of roughly 80%. Further, the rise of Alibaba displaced Amazon. Circa 2015, if India has indeed become the third largest startup ecosystem, then where is India’s Google? Facebook? Or Twitter? Or such meta-level startups.

What’s wrong then? With due respect to the Indian innovators, IMHO (in my humble opinion), most Indian startups aim to be rent-seekers and not wealth creators in the true sense. They are not interested in the bigger picture, in solving genuine problems, creating new categories or trying to become leaders in the existing ones.

Without generalizing, I want to say that most Indian startups by and large look to copy an existing model, and fine tune it to serve the local need. There’s Ola for Uber, Gaana for Spotify, the N number of food delivery startups, and their extended versions delivering just about anything under the sun. InMobi is the only Indian startup that comes to my mind, which carved out a niche for itself. Again, I may not know enough names, but I hope I have driven home my point.

2. The Zuckerberg Syndrome

This is my biggest pain. Ever since Mark Zuckerberg created the behemoth that is Facebook, every 22-year-old graduating kid wants to become a CEO. The little things called experience and expertise be damned. And sugar-coated, half-told success stories floating on the Internet haven’t helped either.

What these young graduates often forget is that people like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos or the latest poster boy Elon Musk slogged for years, writing codes in anonymity, sharpening their skills to the point of perfection before jumping onto their grand idea. To put things in perspective, Elon Musk took many years to self-learn the nuts and bolts of rocket science and electric automobiles, literally. But all we want to see is the end product — SpaceX and Tesla.

This is where the latest breed of Indian founders falter. They do not want to wait. They have been overfed the idea that an ‘IDEA’ is all you need and you need to move fast, unless someone else beats you. Misinterpreting the overnight success of new-age startups like Pinterest, Instagram etc, they do not want to invest in honing their skills or gaining perspective about the sectors they wish to dive in.

The immediate tag of a CEO, CTO, COO (CXO) is way too enticing to let them go through the grind.

They should ask themselves — where is innovation in selling baby diapers online? Or loaning bean bags on rent for parties? Or delivering food from the local chicken-shawarma joint? Creating the most attractive and seamless website/app and hooking up with a local delivery service, while piggy-banking on investor money is NOT innovation. It is not sustainable and definitely not long term. It might be better to call it a normal business instead.

3. The Dichotomy Of Venture Capital And Angel Funds

It is interesting to note that most of the first generation startups in the US and also in China were bootstrapped. That played a huge role in their successes. Why? Because it is human nature which drives us that extra bit when our own money is involved.

However, the Indian startup scene right from the beginning is heavily marinated with huge Venture Capital and Angel funds. However ironic it may sound, this is what I feel is rotting the entire system. Young, creative, enthusiastic professionals leaving their jobs, higher education etc, drawn by the charm of easy investor money and an imaginary million dollar idea. Well, any idea would seem like a million dollar shot when funding is a non-issue.

Add this to what I discussed above and you can see a reasonable argument in why this generation of Indian innovators do not want to wait. The grand vision gets restricted to building a workable model of any existing idea, get funded and then hope for a million dollar exit. This is the purported life-cycle of most Indian startups.

To an outsider like me, the Indian startup ecosystem resembles a large casino where Mc-Daddy VCs come to play their bets.

4. Forcing Western Models In Indian Markets

Image source: REUTERS/Charles Platiau

Let me explain by quoting an example — online grocery delivery makes sense in the US, where the nearest Walmart or Kroger might be miles away. Secondly, most food items there are frozen with a longer shelf life. Thirdly, from personal experience I have observed, a US family has a more or less fixed weekly or bi-weekly grocery list with strong brand loyalties.

The Indian system is as opposite as it can get. There’s a Kirana (mom and pop) store at every nook and corner, complemented by the rapidly expanding supermarket chains like Food Bazaar, Big Apple to name a few. But even more important is that we Indians largely consume fresh food — vegetables, milk, fruits etc. Many Indian mothers might not be able to cook in peace until and unless they’ve handpicked their vegetables.

Thus, the Indian market for online grocery shopping gets restricted to the young and working population in urban centres, who are anyhow increasingly eating in office or outside. My point is that there are many such startups in India, trying to fit a western model into Indian markets without fully working out the ground level movements. That’s why they hit a roadblock when it comes to scaling, and end up being the proverbial frog in their respective wells.

5. The Mind Numbing Valuations

I am old school. Hence, I believe that profit is the main driving force behind any venture. And that any venture should be valued according to how profitable it is presently, or might be in the definite future. But when a startup with no profit to show in the near future, and a multi-million cash burn rate, get valued in billions, a layman like me fails to understand the equation being worked out, even after factoring the much talked about cost of customer acquisition. To be fair, this is a more global phenomenon and not just specific to Indian startups.
It almost sounds obscene when Uber is valued at $60 billion. That might be more than the GDP of some countries.

The problem is exacerbated in case of India because nascent startups lose the plot in the glitz of inflated valuations, even before they get a hang of their basic modalities. VC firms often end up sucking out a major portion of total equity in the bargain, leaving very little for the original founders to play around with. Except for the paper tag of being freshly made millionaires, if not more.

6. The Talent, Or The Lack Of It

I wanted to keep this point for the end, because it might surprise a few. Dare I say this — I feel the potential of Indian graduates is being oversold. We are relying on the past laurels of the IIT-IIM system, when it used to be relevant.

With the mushrooming of sub-standard engineering colleges, a major chunk of the talent pool of freshly graduating students is barely employable, let alone equipped with the powers to create a truly disruptive startup. It is no secret that the Indian education system lays little emphasis on practical training. Thus, what we end up doing is building poor products by copying existing codes/tools available on Google. In defense of early stage startups, they just don’t have the resources and time to train an employee whose sole aim might be to make a quick stopover, while on his way to greener shores.

I want to conclude by accepting that it is easier to rant and pick up faults. The likes of Google or Amazon had the first mover’s advantage, backed by strong and developed national economies. In comparison, the task is cut out for anyone starting now. The world order is far from just, and the bigger players do every bit by arm twisting developing countries to their advantage. The Indian startup ecosystem faces somewhat similar problems in its limited domain. Having said that, I do wish to see Indian startups someday working on truly cutting-edge technologies in areas like defense, space, automobiles and opening new vistas, not just for India, but the entire world.

The post The Indian Startup Ecosystem — Something Isn’t Right appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

विनयना खुराना:

Translated from English to Hindi by Sidharth Bhatt.

जब भी मेरे माता-पिता मुझे कॉलेज तक छोड़ जाते हैं, तो मुझे बेहद तस्सली मिलती है। ऑटो रिक्शा लेकर कहीं जाने जैसे साधारण से काम के बारे में सोच कर भी मुझे डर लगने लगता है। मैं कभी-कभी सोचती हूँ की क्या मैं कभी भी अपने शहर दिल्ली में खुद से अकेले सफर कर पाऊँगी? हमारे देश की राजधानी में मेरे जैसे लोगों के लिए ना तो आम सुविधाओं तक पहुँच आसान है और ना ही इसे लेकर अन्य लोगों में संवेदनशीलता है। एक ओर जहाँ मैं अपनी शारीरिक सीमितताओं से बंधी हूँ, वहीं दूसरी ओर मेरा संघर्ष उन लोगों के साथ है जो ये नहीं समझते कि मेरी शारीरिक सीमितता केवल शारीरिक है। मुझे सेरिब्रल पैल्सि (मानसिक पक्षाघात) है। यह एक ऐसी शारीरिक अवस्था है जिसमें, इससे प्रभावित व्यक्ति अपनी मांसपेशियों को सामान्य और सुचारु रूप से प्रयोग नहीं कर सकता। यह मुझे सीमित कर सकता है पर रोक नहीं सकता।

इस अवस्था से लड़ने की इच्छाशक्ति को मैंने, अपने पहले स्कूल और दूसरे घर- ए.ए.डी.आई. (एक्शन फॉर एबिलिटी डेवेलपमेंट एंड इन्क्लूजन) में आत्मसात किया। ये वो जगह थी जहां मैंने जिंदगी की छोटी-छोटी और साधारण चीजें सीखी। जैसे किसी से हाथ मिलाने के लिए हाथ कैसे बढ़ाना है, ये ऐसी चीजें हैं जो कोई स्कूल हमें नहीं सिखाता। यहाँ अध्यापक हमारी सीमितताओं को समझते हैं, लेकिन वो जानते हैं कि हमारी कोई सीमायें नहीं हैं।

यहाँ आकर मैंने सीखा कि, मैं खुद आत्मनिर्भर बन सकती हूँ, शारीरिक रूप से ना सही तो मानसिक रूप से तो मैं अन्य बच्चों से प्रतिस्पर्धा कर ही सकती हूँ। ए.ए.डी.आई. ने मुझमे आत्मविश्वास का संचार किया, मेरे ऊपर मुझ से भी अधिक विश्वास जताया। गाना हो, अभिनय हो या मंच पर आकर सम्बोधित करना मैंने यह सब इस स्कूल में ही किया, और मुझे मंच पर अपना शानदार प्रदर्शन अब भी याद है। उनके सहयोग से मुझे सेंट मैरी नामक एक दूसरे स्कूल में जाने का मौका मिला जहाँ (सामान्य बच्चों के साथ)सम्मिलित शिक्षा दी जाती है।

सेंट मैरी स्कूल का अनुभव बिलकुल अलग था। यहाँ मुझे अपने हमउम्र कई अन्य बच्चों से मिलने और उनसे बातें करने का मौका मिला, जिसने मुझे अपनी क्षमताओं को और विकसित करने के लिए प्रेरित किया। सेंट मैरी के मेरे दस सालों के अनुभवों ने मेरे आज के व्यक्तित्व को ढाला है। एक ऐसी साहसी युवा लड़की जो अपने आस-पास के लोगों के सामने अपने विचारों की अभिव्यक्ति से नहीं घबराती।

जब भी मैं कॉलेज के गेट पर होती हूँ तो मुझे मेरे ‘अंदर‘ और ‘बाहर‘ की दुनिया का फर्क साफ़-साफ़ समझ आता है। एक ऐसी दुनिया जो मुझे
जानती है, मेरी कमजोरियों के साथ-साथ मेरी मजबूतियों को भी समझती है, वो समझती है कि मैं सक्षम हूँ। लेकिन बाहर की उस दूसरी दुनिया के लिए मैं कुछ भी नहीं हूँ, और मुझे आश्चर्य होता है कि यह बाहर की दुनिया क्यों फिक्र नहीं करती? क्यों यह मेरे दोस्त, परिवार, स्कूल और कॉलेज से बनी मेरी इस अंदरूनी दुनिया की तरह संवेदनशील और विश्वास बढ़ाने वाली नहीं है?

विवेकानंद कॉलेज के मेरे दोस्त एक वरदान कि तरह हैं, वो मुझे एक क्लास से दूसरी क्लास तक जाने में, कैंटीन जाने में या मुझे जहाँ भी जाना होता है, में मदद करते हैं। मेरी शारीरिक सीमाओं के बावजूद ऐसा कभी नहीं हुआ कि उन्होंने कभी भी मुझे साथ ले जाने में कोई संकोच किया हो। पहले मैं व्हीलचेयर का इस्तेमाल करती थी, और कॉलेज में बेहतर रैंप और लिफ्ट की सुविधा होने पर भी मेरे दोस्तों के लिए एक भारी व्हीलचेयर को खींचना काफी मुश्किल होता था। इसको देखते हुए मैंने खुद से चलने का फैसला किया हालांकि ये काफी मुश्किल था।

मेरे कॉलेज के अध्यापकों ने भी मुझे एक क्लास से दूसरी क्लास तक जाने में काफी मदद की, और अगर मेरी क्लास भूतल पर ना हो तो उन्होंने मेरे लिए प्रयास भी किये। मेरे लिए मेरे अध्यापक ख़ास हैं। शुरुवात में उन्हें मुझे समझने में दिक्कतें आ रही थी, लेकिन उन्होंने मुझे जानने के लिए और अधिक प्रयास किये। मुझे ये बताते हुए बेहद ख़ुशी होती है कि मेरे अध्यापक अधिक समय लेने पर भी मेरे विचारों को सुनते हैं।

जब भी मैं बाहरी दुनिया के बारे में सोचती हूँ तो मेरा मन बैठ जाता है। बहुत सारे सार्वजानिक स्थलों पर रैंप की सुविधा नहीं हैं, और जहां है वहां उनकी हालत ठीक नहीं है। इसी का एक उदाहरण देते हुए बताना चाहूंगी कि एक दिन मैं कुछ दोस्तों के साथ जब बाहर गयी तो ऐसे ही एक रैंप के अंत में एक बड़ा कचरे का डब्बा रखा था, जिसकी वजह से मेरी व्हीलचेयर को वहां से लेकर जाना संभव नहीं हो पाया। एक और जगह पर रैंप तो अच्छा बना था लेकिन उसके एक किनारे पर बनी काफी सारी छोटी-छोटी दुकानों ने एक बड़ा हिस्सा घेर लिया था।

रैंप तो बनाए जाते हैं लेकिन इस समस्या के समाधान के लिए इतना ही काफी नहीं है। कभी-कभी कुछ जगहों पर व्हीलचेयर के लिए लिफ्ट तो होती हैं पर लिफ्ट तक पहुँचने के लिए भी चार सीढ़ियां पार कर के जाना होता है। इस स्थिति में एक व्हीलचेयर का प्रयोग करने वाला कैसे लिफ्ट तक बिना रैंप के पहुंच सकता है? इन परेशानियों और आम सुविधाओं-सेवाओं कि अप्राप्यता के कारण बहुत सारे ऐसे मौके आते हैं जब मैं अपने दोस्तों के साथ नहीं जा पाती हूँ।

आपको जरूर ऐसा लगता होगा कि व्हीलचेयर से मॉल में एक जगह से दूसरी जगह जाना आसान होता होगा, क्यूंकि इनका निर्माण सभी के बारे में सोचकर किया जाता है, एक हद तक यह बात सही भी है। इसके बावजूद मुझे एक दिन लिफ्ट में जाने के लिए एक घंटे तक इंतज़ार करना पड़ा क्यूंकि अन्य लोग लिफ्ट में आते रहे ऐसे में मेरी व्हीलचेयर का लिफ्ट में जाना संभव ही नहीं था।

जहाँ रैंप और लिफ्ट एक जरुरी आधारभूत सुविधा है वहीं लोगों को और अधिक संवेदनशील बनाने की भी जरुरत है। मेरे दोस्त, मेरे स्कूल और कॉलेज के साथी और वो सभी लोग जो मुझसे जुड़े हैं, मेरी वजह से उनकी संवेदनशीलता बढ़ी है और वे मानते हैं कि “देश के हर कोने में मुझ जैसे लोगों समेत सभी को आम सुविधाओं-सेवाओं की प्राप्यता होनी चाहिए।”

मैं दिल्ली में ही पैदा हुई और यहीं पली बढ़ी हूँ, मुझे यह देख कर बेहद तकलीफ होती है कि मेरे शहर के विकास में मुझे और मेरी जरूरतों को नज़रअंदाज़ किया जा रहा है। लेकिन मेरी दिली इच्छा है कि एक दिन दिल्ली देश का पहला ऐसा शहर बने जहां आम सेवाओं-सुविधाओं तक सभी की पहुँच हो। मुझे उम्मीद है कि एक दिन मैं बेफिक्र होकर अपने दोस्तों के साथ फिल्म देखने या खरीददारी के लिए जा पाउंगी।

मेरे और भी कई सपने है। मैं एक लेखक और कवि बनना चाहती हूँ। मैं खुद अपने बूते पर इस पूरी दुनिया को देखना चाहती हूँ। मेरा एक और सपना है, वापस मंच पर प्रदर्शन करने का। मैं और भी नृत्य करना चाहती हूँ क्यूंकि इससे मुझे ख़ुशी मिलती है, नृत्य करते हुए हर पल मुझे लगता है कि जैसे मैं शारीरिक, सामाजिक और मानसिक सभी बंधनों से आजाद हो चुकी हूँ। मेरे सभी संघर्षों के बावजूद मैं ये कहना चाहती हूँ कि मेरी जिंदगी मेरे लिए एक राग कि तरह है जो मैं हर दिन प्रसन्नता से गाती हूँ।

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अमोल रंजन:

दो महीने के लगातार क्रिकेट के बाद आई.पी.एल. के नवें संस्करण के विजेता कप्तान डेविड वार्नर फाइनल में रॉयल चैलेंजर बैंगलोरके खिलाफ जीत दर्ज करने के २४ घंटे के भीतर ऑस्ट्रेलिया के वेस्ट इंडीज दौरे के लिए रवाना हो गए। मैं नहीं जानता कि उनकी अपनी मर्ज़ी क्या रही होगी, पर इतना तो पता चलता है कि इस बीच उनको अपनी टीम सनराइज़र्स हैदराबाद के साथ उनकी पहली आई.पी.एल. जीत के बाद जश्न मनाने का ज्यादा मौका नहीं मिला होगा। अंतर्राष्टीय क्रिकेट की ये रफ़्तार हमेशा से नहीं थी। क्रिकेट के किताबों के अध्ययन से पता चलता है कि ५ दिनों का टेस्ट क्रिकेट इस खेल का पहला अधिकारिक स्वरुप था, जिसको ब्रिटेन ने अपने औपनिवेशिक साम्राज्य के दौरान कई देशों में फैलाया था। भारत में भी क्रिकेट काफी लोकप्रिय हुआ और रेडियो के द्वारा इसका फैलाव होने लगा।

क्रिकेट के स्वरुप में एक और क्रांतिकारी बदलाव आया। १९७७ में ऑस्ट्रेलिया क्रिकेट बोर्ड ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया की एक प्राइवेट टीवी कंपनी के चैनल नाइन को वहाँ के पब्लिक ब्रोडकास्टर ऑस्ट्रेलिया ब्राडकास्टिंग कंपनी से ज्यादा पैसा ऑफर करने के बावजूद वहाँ खेले जाने वाले अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मैचों का प्रसारण अधिकार नहीं दिया। चैनल नाइन के मालिक और ऑस्ट्रेलिया के बड़े व्यापारी कैरी पैकर ने तब, उस समय के बड़े अंतराष्टीय क्रिकेटर जैसे डेनिस लिलि, विवियन रिचर्ड्स, ग्रेग चैपल, माइकल होल्डिंग, इमरान खान इत्यादि और ऑस्ट्रेलिया के कुछ स्टेडियमों को भाड़े पर लेकर वर्ल्ड सीरीज की शुरुआत कर दी। काम के बाद लौट रहे दर्शकों को लुभाने के लिए पहली बार रंगीन कपड़ों में फ्लड लाइट के तले दिन-रात के मैच आयोजित होने लगे जो टी.वी. पर देखने वाले दर्शकों को भी पसंद आया और विज्ञापनकर्ताओं को भी।

ढाई साल बाद ऑस्ट्रेलिया क्रिकेट बोर्ड को फिर मजबूरन चैनल नाइन के साथ हाथ मिलाना पड़ा क्यूंकि कई सारे प्रमुख ऑस्ट्रेलियाई खिलाडी अपने देश की टीम को छोड़ पैकर की श्रृंखला में खेल रहे थे। उधर भारत में भी रंगीन टीवी आ चुका था और भारत १९८३ में कपिल देव की कप्तानी में पहली बार क्रिकेट का विश्व कप भी जीत गया था। एक दिवसीय अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट अपनी नयी ऊँचाइयों को छूने लगा जब १९८७ में भारत में पहला विश्व कप खेला गया। तब धीरु भाई अम्बानी की कंपनी रिलायंस विश्व कप की प्रमुख प्रायोजक थी।

लेकिन तब भी क्रिकेट को उस तरह की गति नहीं मिली जैसी उसको १९९५ के बाद मिली। १९९१ के बाद भारत सरकार की उदारीकरण नीतियों ने कई चीजों को जन्म दिया; उसमें विदेशी सेटेलाइट कम्पनियों का भारत में आना भी शामिल था। स्टार, सोनी, एमटीवी जैसे नेटवर्क भारतीय उपभोक्ताओं का मनोरंजन करने बाज़ार में उतर चुके थे। १९९५ में सुप्रीम कोर्ट का बी.सी.सी.आई. और दूरदर्शन के बीच चल रहे प्रसारण अधिकारपर चल रहे विवाद के सिलसिले में एक फैसला आया, जिसमें कहा गया कि चुने गए प्रसारक द्वारा क्रिकेट का सीधा प्रसारण आर्टिकल १९(a) के मूलभूत अधिकार और अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता के अधिकार के अंदर आता है। दूरदर्शन जो १९९२ तक टीवी पर क्रिकेट मैच दिखाने के लिए बी.सी.सी.आई. से पैसे मांगती थी उनसे बी.सी.सी.आई. ने सन् २००० से २००४ तक के भारत में होने वाले मैचों के लिए २४० करोड़ रूपए वसूल किये।

क्रिकेट स्कोलर बोरिया मजुमदार ने इसके बारे में आउटलुक मैगज़ीन में एक विस्तार से एक लेख ‘हाउ क्रिकेट वाज़ सोल्ड इन इंडिया’ लिखा है, आप उसे जरूर पढियेगा। आर्थिक उदारीकरण के कारण उस समय एक नया मध्यम वर्ग उभर रहा था। उसको आकर्षित करने के लिए भारत में आये नए विदेशी ब्रांड्स जैसे पेस्पी, कोकाकोला, रीबॉक, एडिडास इत्यादि ने लोकप्रिय हो रहे एक दिवसीय क्रिकेट को खूब भुनाया। हर ओवर के बीच में होने वाला समय एक और मौका था उनके अपने उत्पाद बेचने का। ऐसे में ना सिर्फ क्रिकेट मैचों की संख्या काफी बढ़ी, बल्कि सचिन के शतक भी बढे, और क्रिकेटरों के ब्रांड अम्बेसेडर बनने से लेकर उनके करोड़पति बनने की कहानी भी। इन सब के बीच बी.सी.सी.आई. क्रिकेट के जगत का राजा कब बना किसी को पता भी नहीं चला।

पर जैसे आर्थिक मंदी का दौर चलता है, वैसे ही क्रिकेट की मंदी का भी दौर चला। २००३ में इंग्लैंड क्रिकेट बोर्ड ने क्रिकेट की गिरती लोकप्रियता को बढाने, प्रायोजकों की निराशा को दूर करने और नयी पीढ़ी को अपनी ओर आकर्षित करने के लिए २०-२० ओवर के फॉर्मेट को अपने घरेलु क्रिकेट में आजमाया। उनका यह प्रयोग काफी सफल रहा। कुछ देशों ने इस नए फॉर्मेट में अंतर्राष्टीय मैच भी खेले। पर २०-२० फॉर्मेट आवश्यकता तब बनी जब वेस्ट इंडीज में खेला गया विश्व कप मुनाफे के हिसाब से फ्लॉप साबित हुआ। इसके तुरंत बाद ही २००७ में दक्षिण अफ्रीका में पहला २०-२० का विश्व कप हुआ, जिसे भारत ने महेंद्र सिंह धोनी की कप्तानी में जीता। वह क्षण आज के क्रिकेट के लिए हमेशा महत्वपूर्ण माना जायेगा क्योंकि फिर क्रिकेट आयोजकों ने २०-२० क्रिकेट को नए आयाम देने की ठान ली। आई.सी.एल. (इंडियन क्रिकेट लीग) और आई.पी.एल.(इंडियन प्रीमियर लीग) को यूरोप में खेले जाने वाले इंग्लिश प्रीमियर लीग और अमेरिका में खेले जाने वाली एन.एफ.एल. ( अमेरिकन फुटबॉल ) की तर्ज़ पर भारत के दर्शकों को पेश करने की कोशिश की गयी।

जी नेटवर्क का आई.सी.एल. जल्द ही बी.सी.सी.आई. द्वारा प्रायोजित सोनी नेटवर्क के आई.पी.एल. से हार गया और आई.पी.एल. क्रिकेट को एक नयी परिभाषा देने लगा।बी.सी.सी.आई. ने स्टार नेटवर्क को भारत २०१२ से २०१८ में खेले जाने मैच के प्रसारण अधिकार ३८५१ करोड़ रुपये में बेचे थे, तो हर साल दो महीने तक खेले जाने वाले आई.पी.एल. के लिए सोनी ने ९ साल के प्रसारण अधिकार के लिए १.६३ बिलियन डॉलर दिए। आईपीएल ने बॉलीवुड, नाच-गानों, बड़े बड़े अंतराष्टीय क्रिकेटर सबको अपनाया और हर देश के क्रिकेट सत्र को अपने हिसाब से ढाल दिया। शेन वार्न और गिलक्रिस्ट जैसे धुरंधरों ने आई.पी.एल. के लिए क्रिकेट में वापसी की, तो मलिंगा और कई वेस्ट इंडीज के खिलाडियों ने आईपीएल को अपने राष्ट्रीय टीम से पहले प्राथमिकता दी।

धीरे-धीरे क्रिकेट खेलने वाले सारे देशों में एक टी-२० लीग बन गयी, और इससे जुड़े हुए स्पेशलिस्ट खिलाडियों की उत्पत्ति हुई जो सिर्फ टी-२० खेलकर ही अपना जीवन-यापन करने की ठान चुके थे। जब आईपीएल, २००८ में, ललित मोदी के नेतृत्व में लांच हुआ तो उन्होंने साफ़ बोला था कि ‘यह प्राइम-टाइम टीवी के बहुत उपयुक्त है, और क्रिकेट जैसा बड़ा रियलिटी शो भारत में कुछ और नहीं है।’ पर खेल का व्यापारीकरण टी-२० को एक नए दौर में ले आया है। आईपीएल के साथ एक नए तरह का कल्चर भी विकसित हो रहा है। पिछले साल कुछ चुनिन्दा शहरों में जहां आईपीएल के मैच नहीं खेले जाते थे, वहाँ स्टेडियम या बड़ी जगह किराये पर लेकर ‘फैन पार्क’ नाम से मेला लगाया गया और आईपीएल के मैचों को बड़े परदे पर दिखाया गया। फैन पार्क का यह चलन इस साल जोरों से आगे बढा है।

बिहार क्रिकेट एसोसिएशन को तो बी.सी.सी.आई. ने सन् २००० से अब तक पूरी मान्यता भी नहीं दी है। पर एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार इस साल २१ मई को खेले गए मैच को पटना के मौइनुल हक स्टेडियम में स्क्रीन पर दिखाने के दौरान ५०००० हज़ार लोग मौजूद थे। लोग शाम को ऑफिस के बाद अपने परिवार के साथ आये और चाट-फुचकों ( गोलगप्पे) के साथ आईपीएल का मजा लिया। मैं ‘लाइव मिंट’ में छपा एक लेख न्यू फैन्डम पढ़ रहा था, उसमें एक आईटी प्रोफेशनल महिला जो अपने वीकेंड पर फिरोजशाह कोटला में आईपीएल मैच देखने आई थी, उनसे जब पूछा गया कि ‘क्या आपने क्रिकेट मैच एन्जॉय किया?’ तो वो क्रिकेट के बारे में बताने से पहले ड्वान ब्रावो का ‘चैंपियन डांस’ को याद कर रही थी। टी-२० क्रिकेट ने खेल, खेल से जुड़ा व्यापारीकरण, और भारत के बढ़ते मिडिल क्लास की मनोरंजन में खर्च करने की क्षमता को ना सिर्फ एक दूसरे में मिलाया है बल्कि उन्हें अलग-अलग आयाम भी दिए हैं।

प्रो-कबड्डी लीग २०१४ में एक स्पोर्ट्स मैनेजमेंट कंपनी मशाल स्पोर्ट्स और ब्राडकास्टिंग कम्पनी (जिसने बाद में मशाल स्पोर्ट्स पर अपना अधिपत्य भी जमा लिया) द्वारा लिया गया सम्पूर्ण व्यावसायिक फैसला था। आईपीएल की तर्ज़ पर जब प्रो कबड्डी लीग लांच हुआ तो टीवी पर इससे ४३ करोड़ लोगों ने देखा और इसको देखने वाले ऑनलाइन दर्शकों की संख्या भी बढ़ी। आईपीएल के बाद प्रो-कबड्डी ऑनलाइन देखा जाने वाला सबसे बड़ा खेल बना। आधुनिक प्रसारण तकनीक ने अपने मल्टीपल कैमरा एंगल और स्लो-मो इफ़ेक्ट के जरिये, जैसे कबड्डी को स्क्रीन पर दिखाया यह डिजिटल दुनिया के शहरी दर्शकों को काफी पसंद आया है। रोचक बात यह है कि इसकी बढती पोलुलारिटी में कब्बडी खेल प्रशासन का हाथ नाम मात्र दिखता है। असल में यह ब्रॉडकास्टर और विज्ञापनकर्ताओं द्वारा कबड्डी को खेल व्यापार का हिस्सा बनाने का नतीजा है।

आज के समय में इन्टरनेट और डिजिटल इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर के फैलाव के कारण, ख़ास कर शहरी युवाओं में ऑनलाइन विडियो के प्रति झुकाव काफी बढ़ा है। स्टार इंडिया ने तीन साल के लिए आईपीएल दिखाने के लिए ग्लोबल इन्टरनेट और मोबाइल प्रसारण अधिकार ३०२.२ करोड़ रुपये में ख़रीदे। २०१६ में स्टार के इन्टरनेट विडियो स्ट्रीमिंग प्लेटफार्म पर आईपीएल को इस बार १० करोड़ लोगों ने देखा जो पिछले साल के ४.१ करोड़ के आंकड़े के दुगने से भी ज्यादा है। कुछ दिन पहले दुनिया के स्पोर्ट्स ब्राडकास्टिंग के एक और दिग्गज ई.एस.पी.एन. नें दो नए डिजिटल प्लेटफॉर्म्स ई.एस.पी.एन. लाइन और ई.एस.पी.एन. मोबाइल एप्प लांच किये। वो अब भारत में सोनी ई.एस.पी.एन. और सोनी पिक्चर नेटवर्क के डिजिटल प्लेटफार्म सोनी लाइव के साथ मिलकर दुनिया भर के खेल फुटबॉल, टेनिस, हॉकी, क्रिकेट, कबड्डी इत्यादि दिखाने का प्रयास करेंगे और हॉटस्टार जैसे डिजिटल माध्यम को चुनौती पेश करेंगे जो खेल के अलावा फ़िल्में और टीवी सीरीज भी देखाती हैं।

मीडिया बाइंग एजेंसी ग्रुप एम की एक रिपोर्ट ‘दिस ईयर नेक्स्ट ईयर २०१६’ के अनुसार डिजिटल स्क्रीनिंग उपकरणों के बढ़ते उपयोग को नज़र में रखते हुए २०१६ में डिजिटल विज्ञापनों में ७,३०० करोड़ रूपए लगेंगे और यह पैसा पूरे विज्ञापन जगत में इस साल लगने वाले कुल पैसों का १२.७% होगा। रिपोर्ट में ये भी कहा गया कि डिजिटल प्लेटफॉर्म्स अभी अपने ज्यादातर पैसे विज्ञापनों से कमाती है पर जल्द ही विडियो ओन डिमांड या पैसे देकर ऑनलाइन कंटेंट खरीदने की प्रवृति बढ़ेगी। हो सकता है अगले साल हॉटस्टार विश्व विख्यात श्रृंखला गेम ऑफ़ थ्रोन की तरह उनके प्लेटफार्म पर आईपीएल देखने के पैसे मांग रही हो।

आज अगर आप ट्रेन या बस के सफ़र में जाते हैं तो काफी लोग अपने स्मार्टफ़ोन पर विडियो देखते नज़र आते हैं। डाउनलोड किये गए हों या यूट्यूब से देखे जा रहे हों, घर के बाहर यही आज का नया टीवी नज़र आता है। लोग अब काम से लौट रहे हों या कहीं सफ़र कर रहे हों मोबाइल और इंटरनेट के द्वारा खेल के सीधे प्रसारण का मजा अब कहीं भी लिया जा सकता है। बार-बार क्रिकेट का स्कोर पूछना, और घर पर तुरंत पहुँच कर टीवी का रिमोट दबा देने की बेचैनी को इसने काफी हद तक कम किया है। इसके अलावा अब आप खेल से जुड़े हुए तरह-तरह के कंटेंट्स जैसे हाइलाइट्स, सिक्सेस, विकेट, अन्य रिपोर्ट्स भी आप उसी समय या अपने हिसाब से देख सकते हैं। सोशल मीडिया द्वारा उसी समय इस प्रकार कि जानकारियां अपने दोस्तों के साथ शेयर भी की जा सकती हैं।

अब तो खेल के सीधा प्रसारण सोशल मीडिया के प्लेटफॉर्म्स पर भी होने लगा है। जैसे इस साल अमेरिका में एन.ऍफ़.एल. फुटबॉल का फाइनल, ट्विटर के लाइव कंटेंट के प्लेटफार्म पेरिस्कोप पर हुआ। खेल की दुनिया को टेक्नोलॉजी और उससे जुड़ी अर्थव्यवस्था ने हमेशा से ही बदला है। खेल और मनोरंजन उद्योग एक दुसरे के पर्याय हैं और विज्ञापनकर्ता उसको हमेशा एक नयी दिशा देते रहते हैं। टीवी के बाद डिजिटल प्लेटफॉर्म्स द्वारा ऑनलाइन स्ट्रीमिंग भी खेल के अनुभव को अनोखा अंजाम दे रही है। डिजिटल दुनिया खेल को और कौन से नए आयाम देगा यह आगे देखने लायक होगा।

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प्रशांत झा:

मुन्नाभाई के बाबूजी का पहले सीन में जो लड़का पॉकेट मारता है और फिर जिसकी जमके धुनाई होती है वो याद है ना? इससे पहले ब्लैक फ्राइडे में मुम्बई ब्लास्ट केस में भी पकड़ा गया था, लेकिन शुक्र हो मुन्ना के बाबूजी का, कि कान ऐंठ के सही रास्ते पर ले आये। लड़के का ह्रदय परिवर्तन हो चुका है ये तो तभी पता चल गया जब उसने बजरंगी भाईजान के साथ मुन्नी को सही सलामत घर पंहुचा दिया। उसके बाद सिनेमा से नाम कमाया और कान फेस्टिवल पहुंच गया, और वहाँ से अपने गांव के किसान के लिए जबर तकनीक ले आया, एकदम स्वदेश के मोहन बाबू जैसे।

इस बार नवाज़ुद्दीन सिद्दीक़ी कान फ़िल्म महोत्सव के दौरान वक़्त निकालकर, फ़्रांस के किसानों से मिलें और उनके द्वारा इस्तेमाल किये जाने वाले सेंटर पिवट इरीगेशन सिस्टम यानि केंद्रीय धुरी सिंचाई तकनीक को समझा। नवाज़ इस तकनीक से प्रभावित हुए और एक मॉडल के ज़रिये अपने गांव बुढ़ाना के किसानों को इससे अवगत करवाया। किसानों ने इस नयी तकनीक का पुरज़ोर समर्थन भी किया।

नवाज़ ने अपने फेसबुक अकाउंट पर भी इसकी जानकारी दी। बकौल नवाज़, “मेरा गाँव बुढाना पानी की कमी के चलते डार्क ज़ोन घोषित किया जा चुका है। मैंने यहां एक अरसे तक खुद खेती की है। फ्रांस में जब मुझे खेती की एक ऐसी तकनीक के बारे में पता चला जो कम बिजली पानी खर्च किये, बारिश जैसा फायदा दे सकती है तो मैं उसे अपने गाँव ले आया। तकनीक और हमारी इच्छा ये दो चीज़े ही पानी को बचा सकती हैं।”

केंद्रीय धुरी सिंचाई व्यवस्था किसी भी पारंपरिक सिंचाई के तरीके से ज़्यादा सक्षम है, और इसमें होने वाली पानी की खपत किसी भी और तरीके से होने वाली खपत से आधी है। इस तकनीक से एक ओर लगे पाइप से पानी के पतले-पतले फव्वारों से कम से कम एक बार में एक एकड़ ज़मीन की सिचाईं हो सकती है। सिक्योरिटी गार्ड से बॉलीवुड के श्रेष्ठ कलाकारों में शामिल होने के सफ़र के बीच नवाज़ अपनी जड़ों को नहीं भूले, और इसीलिए जब भी मौका मिला वो अपने खेतों में फावड़ा थामे भी नज़र आएं। नवाज़ ने एक लंबे अरसे तक खेती की है और शायद तभी हर मौके पर न सिर्फ किसानों के साथ खड़े नज़र आएं बल्कि लोगों से भी अन्नदाताओं की हरसंभव मदद की अपील की।

हमारे देश में कृषि के लिए उपलब्ध भूमि में से महज़ ३५% पर सिचाईं की जाती है, और ज़्यादातर पारंपरिक तरीके से। मौजूदा हालात में जहाँ जलस्तर देश के कई राज्यों में लगातार नीचे जा रहा है, नवाज़ की ये कोशिश बुढ़ाना के किसानों के लिए वरदान से कम नहीं है।

जाते-जाते नवाज़ की #SeedTheRise कैम्पेन के दौरान दिए गए इस खूबसूरत संदेश को सुनिए और माटी के लाल को दुआ नज़र करिये।

The post ज़मीन से जुड़े नवाज़ुद्दीन फ़्रांस से लेकर आये किसानों के लिए सींचाई की तकनीक appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

By Shahid:

The Afzulpurkar Committee, which preceded the formation of Mumbai’s Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) in 1995, noted in their study that “an authorized dwelling unit is a first step in the right direction” for enhancing the living standards of the city’s slum dwellers. The study also said that slum-dwellers had been forced to live in shanty structures and unhygienic environment “as they were thrown out of the formal housing sector, the latter being unaffordable”.

Yet when the SRA came to Shahid’s Mariamma Nagar in 2002, these conditions, instead of changing, only got aggravated. “Most of the people who had given their land for further constructions are not given fair spaces to live,” Shahid says. Moreover, he claims, their land is declared illegal despite having all the required documents.

Since the SRA’s construction was not complete and Shahid’s family of eight found it difficult to live in their small accommodation, his parents used their savings to buy another house in the area. The house, they later learnt, was illegal. 13 years after the rehabilitation scheme was initiated in their area, not only had Shahid’s family not been rehabilitated, their savings too had been spent. In March last year, a 17-year-old Shahid then took on the mantle of solving this problem not only for his own family but also for others living in the area. This is his story.

Text by Abhishek Jha. Produced by Rachit.

Banner image credit: Punit Paranjpe/ Stringer/Getty

The post Watch A Young Mumbaikar Recount His Struggle For A ‘Legal’ House appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.