HEALTH: FOR ALL, BY ALL

HEALTH: FOR ALL, BY ALL

In view of the paper published in the medical journal Lancet in which researchers from the U.S. based Emory University negate any significant improvement in health (child diarrhoea , parasitic infections etc) upon increasing the toilet coverage, one is provoked to wonder what could be the reason for such statistics, presuming that the study is free from any flaw or bias.

We must realise that building toilets alone is not sanitation.
Although the concerns of 'patchy implementation of scheme' and 'uneven rate of use of toilets' are very genuine, it must be realised that health and sanitation are more intricately linked than commonly believed.

Effective sanitation is multifactorial and while building toilets is a necessary prerequisite for implementation of sanitation, what is really needed is 'Behaviour Change' to implement aspects such as 'proper disposal' and 'hand washing' to decrease contamination of our food and water bodies. After all, diarrhoea is feco-oral in its transmission and childhood stunting is directly related to (although not exclusive to) the prevalence of diarrhoea.

Behaviour Change or BCC is the reason why health and sanitation is a part of schooling. Although, in a society too busy  in the rat race of survival: acquiring the most basic of education and struggling for jobs, even the "mature" adults are seen neglecting the very essence of our survival- 'respect for each other and for the mother nature'. The situation is so sorry that even the most "learned" members of our society are seen mindlessly littering roads and public places.

Research has established that children essentially learn by copying/imitating the adults around them. A child has an inherent urge to 'try what he sees'. Hence we see little kids trying to put on their mothers' nail enamel etc.

Thus in a set up where "responsible" adults pay the minimum attention to 'swachhta' it is unlikely that the children would be any different.

Toilets ensure that one aspect of the basic infrastructure for sanitation is improved as well as salvage the poor boundary walls and pillars from road-side urination and thus are in no way a wasteful investment.
However , we also need to change our attitude towards our role in basic cleanliness as well as in instilling the same in our children.
Attaining proper waste disposal is a far cry in a community where waste disposal itself is neglected.
Also, no number of toilets are useful if people do not use them. Continued usage of toilets will only be ensured if the toilets are thus maintained.
While toilets provide a socially and environmentally appropriate place when nature calls, diseases such as diarrhoea cannot be prevented unless sewage management and proper hand washing is ensured.

Thus sanitation is an important path walking on which, by combined efforts of the government, the NGOs and most importantly, by the parents, can create really significant improvement in our health at relatively nominal expense and by simple measures.

The much debated 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' is a simple yet powerful step  encompassing both infrastructure as well as BCC via social media. The government can only launch it and sanction funds for it. The onus of its success lies purely on us.

Are we really socially intransigent or are we ready to change for our own benefit?

-Kriti Gangwar

The evolution of faith

EVOLUTION OF FAITH

An unknown and possibly irrational belief in something or someone is faith. We may have faith in God, in ourselves, in someone we love and so on. It could be said that faith is the greatest strength of us humans. On the contrary, it could also be said that faith is essentially a defence mechanism we humans evolved to 'cling on to a blade of grass' so that we sail through a challenge.
Presently, faith is almost as crippling as it is reassuring since people now depend on their faith for every thing big or small, right or wrong. Over the years faith has evolved from an unseen and unsung Samaritan to a poor scape goat as people dump any mishap, any blame on their faiths or the manifestations of those faiths.

If we look back over the ages we would realise that originally there was fear. It was fear of the unknown and the inexplicable that tormented the ancient humans. In their "ignorance" the ancient humans saw the divine in the possibly destructive and thus they eventually started resting their faiths into them. Thus, the scorching sun, the mighty winds, the deep waters and other elements of our nature became the first to be coronated 'God'. Wild fires were the wrath of unhappy 'Gods' while the life affirming rains and the bounties of harvest were the gifts.

When faith was independent of religion, world knew more peace.

There was no religion save the one that celebrated life. All positive and life affirming forces were 'Gods' and all destructive forces were either 'wrath of God' or 'anti God'.
The strongest was the mightiest and was worshipped. Of all elements, naturally the sun obtained a supreme position.

But winters alone pave way for spring and soon the destructive forces were seen as a part of the story of life of the planet as a whole.
In Hinduism, for instance, these supreme forces were divided into a creative force of Brahma, a preserver Vishnu and a destroyer Mahesh .
Subsequently the wise men developed metaphorical stories around the God and lessons of life became mythology. Artists recorded these as paintings and sculptures and thus the human created the face of the divine.
The practises although remained based on the same principle: worship life (and thus nature )
From nature worship evolved faiths such as Hinduism and Paganism.
Subsequently the humans realised that they themselves are also a part of this immense nature and that in certain simple humanly deeds manifest the greatest divine. Some would call such enlightened humans 'avatars' of God. Some call them 'messiah' or 'guru' but the essence was simple: to acknowledge the manifestation of the intangible divine in mortal humans.
However, faith which was incepted as a mighty force to surrender to, submit to and to live united in peace , slowly evolved into the greatest cradle of wars and crimes as it became the identity of clans and pride of people.

It is saddening that something so beautiful has been so marred by us. Today, people know how to spend hefty amounts of money for their faiths but few know that in the ways in which they claim to follow their faiths they are actually shattering the very foundation of their own faith.
While a faith does unite its followers by becoming their identity,  it also tends to unintentionally divide people on the basis of differences in their faiths. While each and every form of each and every faith that exists today talks about essentially the same issue: universal peace and harmony, it is sad that in apparently "following" their faiths people tend to harbour ill will and hatred towards others.
So faith- a seed of hope, happiness and tolerance has over time grown into an arrogant tree that does not submit to the mighty winds but instead stand tall- ready to be uprooted than to peacefully surrender.

-Kriti Gangwar

The AAP propaganda

The AAP Propaganda

Mrs. Soni and Mrs. Geetha shared a cup of tea at the latter's residence on a balmy October evening. "My elbow pains" complained Mrs. Soni as she sipped.
Mrs. Geetha promptly enquired:
"Does it pain as I press on it?"
"Yes"
"Does it pain when I passively move your hand?"
"Yes"
"Hmm.. Does it pain when you try lift weights?"
"Oh God, yes! You know exactly what bothers me!" Said a delighted Mrs. Soni. Instantly their bond strengthened.

Understanding the issues that bother the person concerned is the basis of interpersonal relationships. It is also a sign of presence of a higher prevalence of a lesser variety of issues. It is also the foundation stone of the Aam Aadmi Party.

The AAP is more than a political party. It is a social experiment as to how the public unites in its grievances even under a leadership that shows less vision and more propaganda.
'Tact' , after all, is the necessity of success of any group activity.

While the AAP successfully showcased the power of democracy, the gullibility of youth and the dynamism of interpersonal relationship, it also highlighted, in the end, the necessity of a leader who not only understands the issues but also possesses the vision to address the same.

In speaking about our major grievances Mr. Kejriwal did indeed create a strong bond with the masses, especially the youth, however one must always remember that speaking of the symptoms does not make one a doctor. To heal, one needs  to 'know how to'. The major problem with the AAP is that although they are very efficient in 'pointing out' problems, they have no clue as to how to address it. It is not the ailment affecting a particular member of the party but it is a general attitude or the modus operandi of the party itself to the extent that pointing out what is wrong with the world seems to have become their bread and butter.

In fact it is sad that the very promising party even now, talks about requiring a "suitable language to HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEMS". It is fair that a group of activists demand a government that is free from " corruption and crony-capitalism" but that does not mean neglecting governance in toto.
If it is "trying to find holes in Modi's rhetoric" the party is not only harming the positive atmosphere that has blanketed the country after what seems as eras of unrest and dissatisfaction, it is also  creating hurdles in some real, slow and steady but definitely long term and stable development.

Although the young blood is, at times easily driven by propaganda, the youth has definitely learnt to not only see the issues raised by a party but also to fully know their plan to rectify those issues as after all development in the name of development is an eye wash that the liberal minded and forward looking youth has learnt to see beyond, the hard way.

-Kriti Gangwar

Power Point

THE POWER POINT

"With great power comes great responsibility." Or is it the other way round?

Let us take a look at a very interesting spectrum of power dynamics. A man with new found youth, bubbles with energy that he derives from the upbringing that sensitised him with his niche. He knows his niche. He knows his power. A farmer's son, he is fully aware of his role in his field. A young man aspiring to serve his nation by becoming a soldier. A krantikari     ready for his calling. "You are your nation" he remembers being told as a child. "Your nation is you".

Let us also look at another young man facing a sea of possibilities. Unaware of his calling, he is nevertheless, fully aware of the shells he could pick: "A government job provides me security", he thinks. "This one is a great opportunity for that, that and that" he wonders.

What is the point of this, you may think. The point is: power.

When you chase that what you love, you know what you are doing and why. Sad our demanding times have successfully reduced passions to mere jobs. The development of a nation may be measured by the possibility of carving out a profession from a passion. On the contrary, a society that reduces passions to job is an unfortunate society.
When, on the other hand, we chase that what is the demand of the trying times as opposed to what we appreciate,  we may or may not really understand the beauty of our job. Of subtle beauties of a job, the more visible and definitely the one that makes a first and lasting impression upon it is the 'power' associated with it.

This concoction of undesired job plus awareness of the power of the position is the cradle of a satanic downward spiral- the cradle of 'anti-development'.

Power blindens its bearer.

If someone appreciates the power he acquired via his job more than his job per se, it is more likely that he uses this power than using his position for more good.

Power blindens.

For instance, if I am a politician's son I may not like politics. Neither may I be a leader. However, I do know the power that is vested in a paradoxically simply dressed politician. I am, thus, more likely to use this power should I spontaneously "inherit" my father's profession.

This type of power is not only a menace when top officials go blind, it also affects us in simpler and tinier steps when humble and significant professions like those of teachers, doctors, police etc are so infested.

This power play is the tuberculosis affecting the very spine of development.

Who is responsible?

The responsibility, at the first look, is dual. On one hand our faltered perspective must be brought in alignment. They say chi (the natural energy) flows well in a home when all furniture is well aligned with the natural flow of chi. This is a claim with a much broader application. If my natural energy is not in sync with my profession, both my health and my job suffer to produce a frustrated employee and an ill finished job. Thus, our perspective when it concerns selecting a job must be aligned with our hearts more than our heads.

On the other hand, youth can chase their dreams only when it is allowed to. We need opportunity to do that what we wish. In paucity of scope, in trying to secure a future, the youth of today is like the myriad blocks of the age old video game: varied blocks simply falling and aligning into the space available.

However, when we look again we realise that the problem is only one: our own perspective.
In our society jobs are looked as 'above and below'. All jobs have been ranked. All parents want their child to secure the highest possible ranking job. This and only this is the root problem. What should be the ideology is that all jobs are the same and that it is how great the person doing that job rises his profession that ranks him.

Ranking a lion, a lamb and a pigeon for their ability to roar is not only silly, it is also detrimental because when forced, the lamb will still not know the rules of a hunt but what he will know is the impact of being the king of the jungle.

-Kriti Gangwar

The "option" of NOTA

NOTA

Of the many glorious achievements of ADR, a slightly doubted one is the introduction of NOTA.

The 'None of the Above' option was introduced in the EVM after a favourable supreme court ruling directing the ECI to do so.  Naturally, the latest addition created a buzz. While on one hand, 'gurus' argue that the NOTA option empowers the voters to exhibit their will while maintaining their privacy, some say that NOTA is an utter waste.

So what is NOTA?

Until recently, a voter had various options in front of him as he looked at the EVM. He had the right to choose the candidate of choice while maintaining his privacy.
However, if in case none of the candidates appeased him, he had to either choose 'the best bad option' or compromise his privacy by declaring his wish to not vote under 'Rule 49-O' according to which the voters wish to not cast a vote shall be disclosed to the official at the booth and who shall thus require to remark upon it on form 17A.
This, although "solves the purpose of not voting" hampers the privacy of the voter.
A third option also existed before the advent of EVM in which the voter would simply stamp against all candidates.


The question, however, is how does a null vote affect us? Does 'sending a message that the voter is not happy with any candidate' a help in running a democracy? Is it not a tremendous fruit less waste of the huge process of conducting elections?

While no candidate is tailor made for all voters, it must be remembered that if a voter has some ideals that are tangential to those of all the candidates, then may be that voter should have participated as a candidate if not to win, to at least be able to make his perspective public as perhaps a lot more voters opting for a null vote had similar issues.
Simply voting null is a waste of the power to choose.
The introduction of NOTA in 2013 seems to make a futile process even easier.
It not only sends a message that a voter is dissatisfied with all the candidates, it can also be extrapolated in its impact as 'I don't care who is elected' as null vote will not help decide who wins.
NOTA is a false power. It is akin to a glorified exit from the process of choosing the government. If I choose to vote NOTA, I also automatically choose to unhappily accept who ever wins the election.
Thus NOTA is similar to 'surrender without a smile.'
What, in my point of view, would be a better option is to not surrender. Elections are held with the motive of making a stable government and while good government is a rosy dream we all wish for, no government/ unstable government is worse. Thus it is the responsibility of each and every voter to asses the options and choose what seems best or else, to stand against them all as a candidate and present his own ideas to the public . After all, democracy is all about empowering the tiny finger of a single citizen to create ripples with far reaching consequences.

-Kriti Gangwar