Lights...Camera...DRAMA!!

If someone says that drama occurs only on stage or on screen then that person might not heard the latest events happening on the Indian political landscape. Firstly, the big big nuclear deal stage set at the national capital, that has players from both the Indian political system as well as the US machinery. We have who’s who of the political and administrative system of both the countries courting in the national capital and engaging in a series of discussion with the centre, left and right. The US says the deal is ‘good’ for India, the PM (not the government please) asserts that this would be a ‘landmark’ in our energy map; the BJP feels the deal is not appropriate and the left belligerently professes that this will harm the nation. So many viewpoints from different group of people who have their own agenda to attend.

What really amuses me has been the vociferous condemnation of the deal by the BJP. If I remember when Vajpayee was the PM, the party was a champion of the Indo-US ties. Several ground breaking pacts and MOUs were signed between the two nations and it was a time when several US business giants established their camps in India. It would have been understandable if they had objections over certain technical aspects of the deal, but their decision to condemn the deal in its entirety has been difficult for many political analysts and experts to digest. Left’s consecration to their cold war ideology and their averse for the US is no secret. So the nation now witnesses the opposition and the Left (which is a major UPA partner) hammering the PM over the deal and the media concocting mid-term elections. So, the drama continues at the center and will probably continue till the end of the year until we hear from the White House a dejected announcement of the deal being “off the grid”.

Another melodrama is being courted in the state of Karnataka, where we have the Congress, JD(S) and the BJP love triangle doing the flip-flop and the JD(S) playing the role of a paramour. The existing drama has lifted the shameful face of the Indian politics where Morality and Principles can be seen only on the murals during election and not in practice or in consciousness. MLA’s being led to private resorts to avoid horse trading has become a regular scene in the political landscape. The Governor’s indecision to invite the BJP backed by the JD(S) to form the government has added spice to the entire saga. One thing is for sure, the drama will continue as it is we the people who have selected these artists, who are well qualified to win the Oscars and even make likes of Al Pacino to shy.

Educate, Enable, Empower...

The post title contains three words that when combined together can form the mantra to alleviate our society, forming the paradigm as envisaged by our former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. I derived these words from the Social Responsibility Conclave that I attended at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. Attending the conclave was a memorable experience and at the end of the day I had some major take-aways and many thoughts to think over.

I have been involved in the Community Involvement (CI) efforts for nearly a year along with some of my like minded colleagues in my firm. But the mindset was more inclined towards the spirit of ‘Giving back…’. Now I firmly affirm that CI is not a charity, its our responsibility. It is a determinant that can shape the kind of society we or our children would like to live in and the cardinal pillar of any society is beyond any doubt EDUCATION.

The first step to build a super power is to educate the masses. Simple, isn’t it? No! Most of us reading this post must have had the privilege of studying in an English Medium School where we had most of the amenities at school ranging from good classrooms, large playground, computer labs, conveyance to the school etc. But, if you take a small drive outside your city/town and visit a government school the reality looms at large. I don’t deny the fact that some of the government schools do have good amenities; but let's talk of the majority of the schools in the rural area where the student teacher ratio is 1:100! A small classroom where the 3rd, 4th, 5th standard students study together and the white chalk line on the black board drawn by the teacher basically delineates what students from the three classes study. There are schools where the Banyan Tree forms the canopy to provide respite from the scorching sun or a cow shed to provide shelter during rain.

Coming to some interesting statistics,developed countries like USA have a Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 80% in their schools, UK has over 60%, China has 21%., the world average is 23% and India is struggling to even achieve a mere 15% GER. These figures are definitely alarming that too at a time when our GDP is growing at a booming speed of 10% increase and our sensex is hitting the 19,000 mark. Several committees on education have recommended a minimum expenditure of 6% of our GDP towards education while our actual expenditure on education is about 3.1% over the years.

Japan had made education compulsory for each of its citizen way back in the year 1876, and by 1910 it achieved 100% literacy rate. It was only in the last decade that India mandated education for all, nearly 50 years after our independence and 120 years after Japan’s declaration! The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) is a welcome measure formulated by the NDA government to ensure percolation of education throughout the nation and the UPA government has continued with the program. One of the major objective of the program is to ensure that there exists a primary school within a radius of 1km in every part of the country. This when coupled with quality teachers can bring revolutionary change in enhancing our literacy rate.

Just establishing schools cannot be a lasting solution to our problem of illiteracy. Schools must be coupled with quality teachers and the requisite amenities. It is shocking but true that there exists a high percent of drop-out among girls at the high school level and when this occurrence was investigated; one of the primary factor turned out to be the lack of toilets in the school! Could someone have ever imagined that lack of such a basic amenity could ensue a diabolical situation? And progress with an imbalance in literacy rates between the genders cannot salvage the society.

So, whats the solution? It is indeed a complex situation somewhere considering the magnitude of our geography and demography. No doubt that the Government will have a major role to play in the entire structure. A planned execution coupled with dedication, discipline and integrity by the policy makers and executioners can produce stupendous results. There exist several NGOs who are making a remarkable contribution towards educating the poor and deprived. It is quintessential for them to showcase their good work and get the public opinion on their side. They have to leverage the media intensely to achieve this task. I believe that if you are doing good then speak out and if you are not then shut up! Once, if you have the people on your side then things can be easy for you to achieve; as the system will automatically relax all the idiosyncrasies of red-tapism and this will facilitate the NGOs and several others to execute their programs effectively. Media got to play a responsible role towards such issues rather than focusing on what Aishwarya wore on her wedding etc. The time only will tell how things will carve out, but one thing I believe is for sure..if we miss the 2020 (not cricket please!) bus, its futile to speak of we being a developed nation ever.