ನಿನ್ನೆ ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನ, ಇವತ್ತು ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನ, ನಾಳೆ ಹಿಂದುಸ್ತಾನವೇ?

ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಹುಡುಗಿ ಆಗಿದ್ದಾಗ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬಂದವರೆಲ್ಲ "ನಿಮಗೆ ಇಬ್ರೂ ಹುಡುಗಿಯರೆನಾ ?" ಅಂತ ಅಮ್ಮನ ಹತ್ರ ಕೇಳುವಾಗ ಸಿಟ್ಟು ಬರ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಅಮ್ಮ "ಅವ್ರೆಲ್ಲ ಹಾಗೇ ಬಿಡು" ಅಂತ ಸಮಾಧಾನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಳು. ಬೇರೆ ಯಾರು ಹೆಣ್ಣಿನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕೀಳಾಗಿ ಮಾತಾಡಿದ್ರೂ ಸಿಟ್ಟು ಬರ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಆದ್ರೆ ನಾನು feminist ಆಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ, ನನಗೆ feminism ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ ಕೂಡ ಇರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಕಾರಣ, feminism ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಂಡು ತಿರುಗುವವರೆಲ್ಲ ದಿನದ ಅನ್ನಕ್ಕೆ ದುಡಿಯೊ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಇರೋ ಹಾಗೇ ಕಷ್ಟದ ಅರಿವೂ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಇರೋ ಶ್ರೀಮಂತ, glamorous ಹೆಂಗಸರು. ಅವರಿಗೆ ನಿಜವಾಗಲೂ ಬಡ ಸ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಬದುಕೊ ಹೆಂಗಸರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದ್ರೆ feminismನ ಅಗತ್ಯ, ಅದರ ಪರವಾಗಿ ಯಾರಾದ್ರೂ ಹೋರಾಟ ಮಾಡಲಿ, ನಿಜವಾಗ್ಲೂ ಇದೆ ಅಂತ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿದ್ದು ಅಫಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನದ ಹೆಣ್ಣನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದಾಗ. ಪ್ರಾಯಶಃ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಅತಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮಾನವ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳ ಉಲ್ಲಂಘನೆ ಎಂದು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಲಾಗಿರುವ ಅವರ ಮೇಲಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವ ದೌರ್ಜನ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದಾಗ. ಬಯಲಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬಳು ಹೆಣ್ಣನ್ನು ೫ ಜನ ಸುತ್ತುವರಿದು ಚಾಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊಡೆದು ಸಾಯಿಸುವುದನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ನನಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಅಲ್ಲ ಯಾರಿಗದ್ರು ಕರುಳು ಚುರ್ ಅನ್ನುತ್ತೆ ಅಲ್ವಾ? ಅವಳು ಮಾಡಿದ ತಪ್ಪೇನು? ಮನೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೊರಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದು ಅಷ್ಟೇನಾ? ಹೆಸರಿಗೆ ತಾಲಿಬಾನ್ ಆಡಳಿತ ಹೋಗಿ ೮ ವರ್ಷಗಳಾಯಿತು. ಹೆಸರಿಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿಯವರದೇ ಆಡಳಿತ. ಅವರ ಸಾಧನೆಗಳ ವಿವರಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ದಿನಾ ಓದ್ತೀವಿ. ೭೦,೦೦,೦೦೦ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಹೊಗ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ, ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇಕಡಾ ೪೦ ಹುಡುಗಿಯರು, ನೋಡಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಸಾಧನೆ ಅನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಹೊರಬಂದ ಅಫ್ಗಾನಿಗಳು.
ಹೊರ ಪ್ರಪಂಚಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಣೋದು ಸಾಧನೆಗಳು ಮಾತ್ರ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಯ ಜನ ಯಾವಾಗ ತಾಲಿಬಾನಿಗಳು ತಿರುಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತಾರೋ, ಯಾವಾಗ ನಾವೆಲ್ಲಾ ಆ ಉಸಿರುಗಟ್ಟಿಸುವ ವಾತಾವರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮರಳುತ್ತೀವೋ ಅಂತ ಹೆದರಿಕೊಂಡೇ ಬದುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. So-called "ಮಾನವತಾವಾದಿಗಳು" ಸುಮ್ಮನಿದ್ದುದೇಕೆ? ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಯಾವುದೋ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯೋ ಘಟನೆಗಳಿಗೂ, ನಮಗೂ ಸಂಬಂಧವಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತಾನಾ? ಯಾಕೆ ಅವರು ಮನುಷ್ಯರಲ್ವಾ? ಅಥವಾ ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಾ ಇರೊದಕ್ಕೆ ತೋರಿಸೋ ಕನಿಕರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಗೋ ಪ್ರಚಾರ, ಹೆಸರು, ಬುದ್ಧಿಜೀವಿಗಳ ಪಟ್ಟ, ಅಷ್ಟು ದೂರದ ದೇಶದ ನೊಂದವರಿಗೆ ತೋರಿಸಿದ್ರೆ ಸಿಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತಾನಾ? ಅಥವಾ ತಾಲಿಬಾನಿಗಳು ಹಿಂದೂ ಜನರ ತರ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದೆಲ್ಲ ಕೇಳಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಹೆದರಿಕೆನಾ?
ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನದವರೆಗೆ ಹೋಗೋದೇ ಬೇಡ. ನಮ್ಮ ನೆರೆಯ ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟು ೪೦೦ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಶಾಲೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚಿಸಿ, ೫೦,೦೦೦ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಹುಡುಗಿಯರನ್ನು ಹೆದರಿಸಿ, ಶಾಲೆ ಬಿಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ ತಾಲಿಬಾನಿಗಳು. "ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಗಳು ಹುಟ್ಟಿದರೆ, ಅವಳ ತಂದೆ ಅವಳನ್ನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಸಾಕಿದರೆ, ವಿದ್ಯೆ ಕಲಿಸಿದರೆ, ಜೀವನ ಕಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅವಳನ್ನು ಪರಿಣಿತಳನ್ನಾಗಿಸಿದರೆ, ಆ ತಂದೆಯ ಮತ್ತು ನರಕದ ಬೆಂಕಿಯ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ನಾನೇ ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತೇನೆ." ಈ ವಾಕ್ಯಗಳು ಇರುವುದು ಯಾವ radical ದೇಶದ radical ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಬದಲಾಗಿ ಕನ್ಝ್ ಅಲ್-ಉಮ್ಮರ್ ಅನ್ನುವ ಇಸ್ಲಾಮಿಕ್ ಹದಿತ್ ಸಂಕಲನದಲ್ಲಿ. ಅದು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಧರ್ಮಗಳ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಬುದ್ದಿಮಾತುಗಳ ಹಾಗೆ ಪುಸ್ತಕಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸೀಮಿತವಾಗಿದೆ.
Anyway, ಹೆಣ್ಣಿನ ಮೇಲಿನ ದೌರ್ಜನ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ತಾಲಿಬಾನಿಗಳೆ ಯಾಕೆ ಬೇಕು ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ? ನಮ್ಮದೇ ಡಾಕ್ಟರ್ ಗಳು ದುಡ್ಡು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡ್ತಾರೆ. ಕೆಲವು ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತರು ಮಾರುವೇಷದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗ್ರಾದ ಒಬ್ಬ ವೈದ್ಯರ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಸತ್ತ ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಭ್ರೂಣವನ್ನು ಏನು ಮಾಡುವುದು ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ, ಆ ವೈದ್ಯ "ಒಂದು ರಿಕ್ಷಾದಲ್ಲಿ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗಿ ಯಮುನಾ ನದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಸಾಡಿ" ಅಂದನಂತೆ. ರಾಜಸ್ತಾನದ ಧೋಲ್ ಪುರದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬ ವೈದ್ಯೆಯ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಗದ್ದೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅನಾಮಿಕ ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಭ್ರೂಣಗಳ ಸಮಾಧಿಗಳು ಬೇಕಾದಷ್ಟಿವೆ. "ನಿಮ್ಮ ಭ್ರೂಣ ಬಿಸಾಡಲು ಆಗದೆ ಇರುವಷ್ಟು ದೊಡ್ಡದಿದ್ದರೆ, ರಸ್ತೆ ಗುಡಿಸುವ ಮಾಲಿಗೆ ಕೊಡಿ, ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ದುಡ್ಡು ಕೊಡಿ, ಅವರು ನೋಡಿಕೊಳ್ತಾರೆ," ಅಂದಳಂತೆ ಆ ವೈದ್ಯೆ.
ನಿನ್ನೆ ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನ, ಇವತ್ತು ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನ, ನಾಳೆ ತಾಲಿಬಾನಿಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯ ಕದ ತಟ್ಟಿ, ನಾವು, ನಮ್ಮ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಬದುಕುತ್ತಿರೊ ಈ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ, ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ ಬದುಕಿಗೆ ಬೇಲಿ ಹಾಕೋ ಮುಂಚೆ ನಾವು ಎಚ್ಚೆತ್ತುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ನಮಗೇ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು. ಆದರೆ, ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಂಗಸರು, ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಬೂದಿ ಮುಚ್ಚಿದ ಕೆಂಡದಂತೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಇರೋ ಯಾತನೆಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಪರಿಚಯದ ಒಬ್ಬಳು ಮುಸ್ಲಿಮ್ ಹುಡುಗಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದಾಗ ನನಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಉತ್ತರ ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಗಿಂತ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸುವಂತೆ ಇತ್ತು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಡೋ ಚಿತ್ರಹಿಂಸೆಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅವಳ ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆ, " ಅವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಏನೋ ತಪ್ಪು ಮಾಡಿರ್ತಾರೆ, ಇಲ್ಲಾಂದ್ರೆ ಯಾಕೆ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ ಕೊಡ್ತಾರೆ?" ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ ತಪ್ಪು ಮಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯ? ಒಬ್ಬರಾ? ನೂರು ಜನ? ಅಥವಾ ಸಾವಿರಾರು ಜನ?
ಇಲ್ಲೇ feminismನ ಅಗತ್ಯ ಇರೋದು. ಅನ್ಯಾಯಗಳ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ಮಾಡೋದು ಮಾತ್ರ feminism ಅಲ್ಲ, ಎರಡು ತಿಂಗಳು ಬಿಸಿ ಆರೋವರೆಗೆ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿಕೆ ಕೊಡೋದು, ಸಂಘ ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಂಡು ಭಾಷಣ ಬಿಗಿಯೋದು ಕೂಡ feministsಗಳು ಮಾಡಬೇಕಾದ ಅತ್ಯಗತ್ಯ ಕೆಲಸ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಅವರು ಮಾಡಬೇಕಾದುದು ಇಷ್ಟೆ: ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಜಾಗ್ರತಿ ಮೂಡಿಸಬೇಕು, ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯ ಅನ್ನೋ ನೆಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಅರ್ಥವಿಲ್ಲದ, ಅಪಾಯಕಾರಿ ಆಚರಣೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಡ್ಡಿದರೆ ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸುವ ಹಕ್ಕು ನಮಗೆ ಇದೆ ಅಂತ ಅರಿವು ಮೂಡಿಸಿದರೆ ಸಾಕು, ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವ ಸಮಾಜ ದ್ರೋಹಿ ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಬೇಕಾದರೂ ಹರಡದಂತೆ ತಡೆಯಬಹುದು. ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಜಾತಿ, ಮತ ಬೇಧವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾರಿಗೂ ಇರೋ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ ಬೇರೆ ಯಾವ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲೂ ಇಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಅನುಭವಿಸಿದವರಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಗೊತ್ತು. ಎಷ್ಟು ಬೈದರೂ, ಎಷ್ಟು ತಿರಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿದರೂ, ಹಾಗೆ ಬೈಯ್ಯಲೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ನಿಜವಾದ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ ಇರುವುದು. It is a sin to be a free person in Afghanistan, an intellectual individual in Pakistan. ಈ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶಕ್ಕೂ ಬರದೇ ಇರಲಿ. --ಶ್ವೇತಾ ಪಾಂಗಣ್ಣಾಯ

Home for prisoners’ kids

Millions of fortunate children in India celebrate Children's Day today, the birthday of India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, fondly called as Chacha Nehru. But there are millions of children who have no idea of the existence of the Day dedicated to them.
Nearly seven million children in India under the age of 14 do not have access to quality education. Children from social and religious minorities, children with disabilities, working children, those living on the streets, children affected by conflict and disasters are prone to neglect. Over two million children in India die every year before they reach their fifth birthday. The United Nations General Assembly, in 1954, recommended all countries to dedicate a day to the celebration of the spirit of children and their talent. But their spirit and talent are getting wasted under physical labour and inaccessibility to education.
As a step to help such children, the Foundation for Restoring Human Dignity (FORHD), Mysore Chapter, is running 'Makkala Mane' in Kuvempunagar giving shelter and education to the destitute children of the prisoners. The Weekend Star Supplement also touches on the sensitive matter of child labour.
Imagine living without parents; especially bearing the tag of being the children of criminals. The society will call the child a future criminal, despite the nature of the child. The parents of other children will shun the child, avoid their children from mingling with the child and the relatives of the children refuse to support them fearing that he or she would become like their parents. Most such children become vagrants and beggars. Some resort to violence to fill their empty stomach and in turn become what the society feared they would become — criminals. To avoid this and to give a home to such children, FORHD Home for children [Makkala Mane] was started by former Police Chief L.Revannasiddaiah under the auspices of his Foundation for Restoring Human Dignity (FORHD) in September 2004 at #1795, K Block, Udayaravi Road, Kuvempunagar, Mysore.
When both the parents go to jail or when the mother goes to jail, they are allowed to take children below 7 years to the prison along with them. Prisoners are counseled by FORHD regarding value of education or undesirable nature of keeping children in prison along with them. Such children who do not live in prison along with parents and have no other home outside are housed in Makkala Mane; at present there are 23 children. They are given food, shelter, clothing and education free of cost.
Makkala Mane is being looked after by former Deputy Commissioner of Police Rangappa, Chairman of FORHD, Mysore Chapter, Warden Shambaiah and cook Mayamma.
When SOM visited Makkala Mane, the children were home after school and were busy studying. Rangappa was busy admonishing a boy about his wrongdoings.
Rangappa, later speaking about the home, said the children are brought here from villages and towns all over the State, as far as North Karnataka. The FORHD sends appeals to all prisons in the State to send any children who are orphaned because of their parents' conviction, poverty or death. If they come to know the whereabouts of such children, they go to them and bring them here with the consent of either their parents in jail or the relatives. Almost all the kids are very poor, with no means of sustenance if left outside. Some children remain here even if their parents are released from the jail. The children are fed, clothed and sent to various schools in city.
"When they first came here, some children were in a very bad physical and mental condition as there was no guardian to look after their needs. They were dirty, with tangled hair and mentally depressed. It took some time to bring them to normalcy,” says Shambaiah.
When asked about the tuition and counselling for the kids, Rangappa said that no teacher was willing to come and teach them and most of them who did come, asked for exorbitant prices; it is being contemplated to seek the help of psychiatrists for periodic counselling of the children and to start computer classes. But the only problem is dearth of funds. Children aged from 3 years to 15 years live here.
There is a ghastly story of violence behind every child in Makkala Mane. Warden Shambaiah reveals the stories of some of them. Mangala from Hinkal is 10 years old and is studying in 5th std. She came here after her mother died and father Subramani, who was a car driver in profession, was sent to jail in a murder case. He still has to complete 7 years out of the life term awarded to him by the court.
Sisters Ramya and Jyothi are studying in I PUC and 8th std. respectively. Their father, who was in jail, was released two years ago and mother works as a daily wage labourer. As they are very poor and cannot afford to educate their children, the girls still live in Makkala Mane. Shambaiah says the children will be looked after only till they attain 14 years and hence, both sisters were sent to a girls' hostel to continue education. But the girls came running back to Makkala Mane in 6 months. Ramya is studying Commerce in PUC and says happily that she wishes to join BBM.
Here is a case of a child suffering the results of the misdoings of the parents. Vinod Raj's whole family was arrested in a dowry case when his father's sister-in-law lodged a complaint against the whole family that they tortured her for dowry. When the elders in the family were arrested, there was no one to look after the child. He joined Mane in 2004 and is now studying in 9th std. There are numerous such stories behind the children here.
These children have forgotten their homes and think Makkala Mane as their real home. They visit their parents, if alive, either in jail or outside, regularly. But they all come back to the Mane willingly.
However, some children who are adamant and do not adjust themselves to the atmosphere at the Mane are sent out. Siddaraju, 17, and his sister Nagamani were sent out of the Mane for their rude behaviour and reluctance to adjust with other children. Rangappa and Shambaiah say they could not correct the kids’ behaviour even after many attempts. Their father is still in jail serving life term.
The youngest among the inmates are sisters Akshata and Ashwini who are 7-year-old and 5-year-old respectively. Their father Kuppendrayi is in Gulbarga jail serving term for murder. The girls joined Makkala Mane this year and are the cutest of the lot.
They may be the children of criminals but they are just that: children. They are innocent and know nothing of the deeds of their parents. Most of them are not even fully aware of their positions in society. Their minds too are not aggressive like their parents, as often misjudged by the society. They are just destitutes left alone and uncared-for by the society.
Makkala Mane is doing a commendable job in maintaining that innocence. Or else, the very children would now be beggars, thieves and young anti-social elements instead of normal school-going children that they are now. --By Shwetha Pangannaya

India and the Copenhagen deal

What happens when the rich blame the poor for everything that goes wrong? The poor stoop more unable to carry their increasing psychological and physical burden. This is happening now in the case of the 'developing' Asian and 'developed' Western countries. The 'developing' countries like India, though not exactly 'poor' in monetary sense, look like one in front of the Western countries, being made the scapegoat for anything that goes wrong under the sun.

The common visions of India that come to anybody's mind are the dirty environment and poverty, with young and the old begging for food with ragged clothes and dirty face. This vision of India as a weak nation with less efficient human resource has cost it the seat of influence in major organisations like the permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council many a time. It has been considered a weak voice even in solving internal issues like the Kashmir, terrorism, insurgency by Naxals and such rebellion groups.

Now, the Western countries are mounting pressure on India and China to sign the Copenhagen treaty to reduce carbon emissions in a bid to save the planet from a temperature increase of 2 degree or higher, which is considered dangerous. When US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited India in July, she too pressurised the Indian government into agreeing to a time-bound and mandatory emission reduction protocol. This is highly unjustifiable. As it is very clear, it is a case of an obese person advising an emaciated one not to eat much in a famine situation, forgetting that his own gluttony was the cause of famine.

The United State emits an annual per capita carbon at an alarming rate of 24.3 tons, way above the global average of 1.9 tons and India's nearly 1.4 tons. And the current stock of green house gases in the atmosphere is the result of emissions over 150 to 200 years for which the developed countries like the US and the European countries are entirely responsible because then, India was a land of major forests and villages, without the dangerous, highly polluting industrial emissions. Nearly 1.3 billion of the India's population still lives in villages, with no access to continuous electricity, commercial activities and hence less emission of carbon and other byproducts. Yet we are being targeted for lack of strong commitments towards decreasing global pollution. Let alone the Copenhagen deal coming up in December, the US has not even bothered to ratify the Kyoto Protocol which would have brought pressure on it (US) to reduce its emissions to a fixed percentage. In short, the US wants to profit economically at the cost of the environment and global health.

However, India's major concern with regard to signing the Copenhagen deal is that it may result in retarding the economic development due to restrictions on industrial development. Signing the deal is a small but positive step towards environment-friendly governance and living. But once the deal is signed, countries like India and China will become easy martyrs on the altar of blame-game; most of the uncontrolled carbon emissions and environmental hazards will be attributed to us, the sitting targets, by the countries who have refrained from signing the deal. To contradict the statements that India is contributing more to the pollution, the Indian government has called for a National Action Plan (NAP) on Climate Change for focused energy and climate policy interventions: solar energy, energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, Himalayan ecosystem sustainable agriculture, strategic knowledge for climate change and a “Green India”.

The government has also called for boosting solar power production; reforestation so that a third of the country is forested, up from 23%; providing financial incentives for energy efficiency; research on glacier melt; and development of sustainable agriculture.

The Indian government’s other steps to control climate change include grassroots measures like increasing energy efficiency at the level of individual consumers, including a major drive to popularise energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps in households. The government hopes to increase sales of these bulbs by making them available for less than the market price, using the sale of carbon credits to fund this subsidy.

And now, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has reiterated that the rich countries have to take up the tab when developing countries like India rise to meet the economic aspirations of the nation. His viable alternative is that the technology companies worldwide should join hands and produce the technology necessary to beat carbon emission increase and also rise the economy of the countries. What happens at the Copenhagen summit is to be waited and watched. with bated breath because India's decision to sign or not sign the deal will have direct impact on its industrial development and economic growth.

Nobel Peace Prize: Controversial Nominations

Sir,

I agree with Vikram Muthanna's column "Yes you can... say NO" where he says that the Nobel Peace Prize has lost its prestige due to the award of Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama. But it is not the first time the Committee took controversial and unexplainable decisions in selecting the nominees for the Peace Prize.

The first such decision was taken in 1994 when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Yasser Arafat who was the Chairman of Palestinian Liberalisation Organisation (PLO) and known as an 'unrepentant terrorist'. He later declared that the PLO renounced terrorism and supported "the right of all parties concerned in the Middle East conflict to live in peace and security, including the State of Palestine, Israel and other neighbours".

Rabbi Shmuley, who wrote in Jerusalem Post, remarked that Arafat's 'lasting legacy is not lasting peace with Israel but the army of suicide bombers he launched against the Jewish State to dismember pregnant women and disembowel helpless children.'

Kaare Kristiansen, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee member, resigned from the Committee after it awarded the Peace Prize to Arafat.

The controversy again rose after the Peace Prize was awarded to Mohamed El Baradei in 2005, the Director of United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency, who was famously called both the 'nuclear Policeman and salesman.' He was also criticised for being 'soft' on Iran's nuclear policies.

There are many such controversial nominations which has made the public worldwide lose their earlier reverence towards the Nobel Peace Prize. And now, by honouring Obama, who is yet to deserve the prize, the Committee has again baffled the world. Its reason for the award can only be known after 50 years and by that time, no one really cares. Were there no deserving candidate among the 205 nominations received?

— Shwetha Pangannaya

Century-old Cheluvamba Hospital: This is no way to treat pregnant women and new-born babies

Have you visited the Maternity Ward at the century-old Cheluvamba Hospital in city? If you haven't, here we give you a peek into the way the pregnant women and the new-born babies are treated by the hospital ayahs and nurses. No pregnant woman, who once gets admitted to this hospital, will ever want to visit it again, come what may.

Pregnant women and those who have just delivered a baby need special attention and proper care as their physical and psychological conditions are fragile, particularly after the intense labour pain they undergo during the delivery.

However, at home, they are given proper care with good nutritious food, warm clothing, rest and care. Those poor women, who have to be admitted to hospitals, naturally go to government hospitals hoping that the admission and treatment are free or at best, minimum. Unfortunately, as the old adage goes, nothing is free in this world. Government hospitals are the living examples of that adage. They have turned out to be holes in the already empty pockets of the poor.

Cheluvamba Hospital, earlier known as Vanivilas Hospital, was setup in 1880, that is 129 years ago to provide medical services to poor and needy women. Here too nothing is free. Not even the bed you sleep on or for that matter even the floor you get to sleep, when there are no beds. Apart from beds, to avail even medicines and other facilities at the Hospital after admission, one has to pay bribe. A few patients, who have spent a couple of days at the hospital and since discharged, narrated their harrowing experiences thus:

Pushpalatha, who was two months into her pregnancy, had come to the hospital for a routine check-up but was advised to get admitted in the hospital as her child had to be aborted due to some complications. She revealed the scenes she saw at the hospital. It was a common practice for the ayahs and nurses to beat women in labour pain, when they start crying in pain. They are told to shut their mouth and stop crying by asking them what could be the most humiliating remark in public: "Did it hurt when you enjoyed sex? Why cry now?!"

Pushpalatha's neighbour, who too had been admitted to the hospital for her delivery, recoun-ted her experience. She had lost three children due to blood sugar complications at very young age. When she came here for the delivery of her fourth child, the 40-year-old pregnant woman was harassed because of her poverty, as she was unable to pay money to the ayahs and nurses as and when they demanded. The couple had to even sell the woman's mangalasutra to pay bribe to the ayahs and nurses.

It is only money that gets things done here. Greed for money is so rampant that immediately after delivery, the family members have to cough up money just to know the gender of the baby — Rs. 150 for the girl child and Rs. 200 for boy child ! Patients have to start paying them the moment they step in to the hospital until they get discharged. Entry to the hospital for the relatives of the patient is restricted from 6 am to 8 am and 4 pm to 6 pm. The person guarding the entry door demands Rs.10 every time a relative enters the hospital after visiting hours.

The problems of patients and their poor families are not restricted to money matters alone. The renowned Cheluvamba Hospital lacks even beds, cots, bedsheets not to mention medicines and trained staff. On entering the ward, the first scene one encounters is utter chaos. Women who have just delivered are made to sleep on the floors along with their new-born babies, on a thin bedsheet. Those who can afford to pay money are provided with a bed and cot while others have to sleep on the unclean floor. Sometimes, space will not be available even to sleep on the floors in spite of being admitted.

The most pathetic sight is that of the babies, which have not yet opened their eyes to the world. They too are made to sleep on the damp floor, with the possibility of contracting infections. The other common sight is the women’s relatives running around frantically for hours trying get a bed for the pregnant women or mother and the new-born baby.

One relative of a patient, speaking to SOM on condition of anonymity, said that when women are admitted to the hospital and are required to undergo laboratory tests, they are asked to go to private labs in city, in spite of the facility being available within the hospital. There are many instances of pregnant women being sent out to diagnostic centres at 1 am in the night, in spite of the fact that labs and blood banks are located right inside the hospital premises. Imagine the suffering of these pregnant women going through excruciating labour pain even in the middle of the night.

Inside the hospital, the corridors reek of DDT powder. While investigating the cause for this, we saw patients vomiting right in an open area between the corridor and what appeared to be a garden at the centre. As the toilets were not cleaned and were always overflowing with filth and garbage, and sometimes too crowded, these women had no other option but to use these open spaces. DDT powder was just sprayed on top of it all to cover up the mess. Toilets are not cleaned regularly and their number is quite inadequate considering the number of patients who are admitted.

On the ground floor, an empty room with a board 'Ward No.4' was dumped with discarded cots and used beds. It is surprising that the concerned authorities never thought of cleaning this room and making it available for the patients, in spite of the fact that so many women lie on bare floors for lack of adequate space.

The patients and their relatives too are responsible in a way for the mismanagement and the filth surrounding the hospital. They spit and throw garbage everywhere, unaware that it is a hospital and should be kept clean as many who come here are illiterate and are from rural background. Adequate dustbins could be provided by the hospital authorities with signboards advising them to use the same.

The hospital administration too seems to be blind to all these things. When will Cheluvamba Hospital get a rebirth and become patient-friendly?

Unseen hands behind Ganesha idols

Once upon a time, Ganesha Chaturthi was just a festival like any other in Indian households celebrated with enthusiasm and reverence. Then freedom fighter and social reformer Bal Gangadhar Tilak gave the festival a patriotic and mass flavour by giving a call to celebrate it in public. Thus Ganesha Chaturthi became the most widely celebrated festival where people of all castes participated without cultural and traditional restrictions.

Every year we see Gowri and Ganesha idols of various hues, sizes and themes. Every year we expect to see new designs in the idols. But we seldom think about the hands behind the creation of such artistic, intricate idols. Clay Ganesha idol was first introduced in Mysore during 1936 by sculptor late D. Puttaswamy. Even now his family makes only clay Ganesha idols without adding any chemical colours.

Some of the traditional artistes of Mysore city have shared their toils and joys in this Weekend Star Supplement. Artist and sculptor Shivalingappa, famous for his rare creation — sand idols — has also spoken to us about the significance of his artifacts.

Buy clay Ganesha idols: City artisans

Mysore is a city of cultures and traditions and has its own significance in every field of art. Similarly, it has its own tradition of making Gowri-Ganesha idols.

In the lanes of Kumbarageri, off Irwin Road in city, first starts the festive season of Gowri-Ganesha festival every year. The artisans of Kumbarageri start the long and tedious process of making Ganesha and Gowri from clay six months before the festival in their houses. They live in tiny houses, at the most one or two rooms making the whole house in which they have to eat, sleep, live and make pottery. They even prepare hundreds of idols and Dasara dolls in their tiny dwellings (see pictures). There are about 20 families of artisans left in Kumbarageri who are still continuing their tradition with confidence and reverence.

The clay Ganesha idols were first introduced to Mysore in 1936 by sculptor late D. Puttaswamy who was famous as Ganapathi Puttas-wamy. Now his grandson Raghavendra (9945441914) is following the tradition by making only clay idols of Ganesha without adding any chemical colours in his Evergreen Model Works company.

It is a joy and wonder to see the idols taking shape at the hands of skillful artisans, men and women alike; to see the making of intricate designs in clay or mud with hand without learning in art institutions or under renowned teachers. Their teachers are their ancestors and themselves. They give birth to new designs and ideas everyday through their creativity.

When SOM spoke to a few artistes in Kumbarageri, they expressed their joy of making the idols and sadness in being left destitute by the administration.

Sculptor D. Revanna, who is a resident of Kumbarageri in city, is a BA (Sclupture & Painting) graduate from CAVA. He has been making Ganesha idols for the past 35 years. He says he inherited the occupation from his forefathers.

Every year he creates something new; Sarvajna and Thiruvalluvar statues this time, celebrating the end of the 18-year-long projects of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Revanna adds that he does not sale his creative works but only the traditional art works.

“I create new designs in idols as people want change. They prefer Ganesha idols which look attractive with new designs. Our market is flooding with Ganesha idols from other places like Chennai, Kerala, Bangalore’s Krishnagiri, Alsoor, Bombay and Mangalore, which decreases the demand for idols created by city artisans. Mysore style Ganesha (with a unique style of face sculpting) has its own significance. It is also created only in clay. But the more popular idols nowadays are made from Plaster of Paris and paper pulp which are harmful to our environment,” Revanna said.

“We bring clay from nearby lakes and separate the sand or small stones from the clay which takes 4 to 5 months. After that, we start making Ganesha idols. We also make Dasara dolls for Navaratri festival,” added Revanna.

Revanna appealed to the government to help local artistes who sell clay idols by banning the sale of Ganesha idols brought from other States like 'Bombay Ganesh' which are popular as they are rich in colour, large in size with different shapes.

“The clay idols we make are eco-friendly and some of the idols are sold without paints. But the demand for colourful idols has forced us to compete with the outsiders by using chemical colours. Not many people buy the unpainted idols or those painted with water colour as they do not shine, ” he added.

Everyone in Revanna's family makes the idols for their livelihood. They create up to 10 feet high idols. They do not market their idols. People go to their houses to buy them or order them.

Most of today's youth avoid jobs with low income and less fame like pottery and handicrafts making, even if it is a family business, for fear of ridicule from their peers. But here is a girl who finishes her college and joins her family in the evenings to make Ganesha idols. Rekha, a II year B.Com student of Maharani's College, is a model for other youth. She makes small Ganapa idols by using mould. “Ganesha is the lord of knowledge. I feel happy to do this job because I believe he improves our knowledge. I work till night 12.30 and I will not study for these 15 days as it is the festival season. My friends also come here to see how Ganesha idols are made and express their happiness. I don't feel inferior doing my family's work. In fact I feel proud because making the idols needs a lot of skill and talent.” she says.

“With moulds, we can make nearly a thousand small idols per day. But we make medium and large size idols by hand,” she adds.

When asked if they get any financial aid from the State government for their pottery work or help in marketing, she said they don't get any aid from the government and there is no recognition from any government bodies. “It is difficult to maintain our livelihood from pottery alone. We manage with difficulty because it is our 'kula kasubu' (family trade),” says Rekha ruefully.

V. Srinivas, who is the third-generation artisan, started his profession of making idols when he was a youngster. He creates the idols, whatever the size, with his hands. He says their family does not use the moulds. His wife, son Shyam Sundar and all other members of his family have involved themselves in this work. When asked about education, he replied saying what was the need of education? They all do the same ancestral occupation; that is, idol making. Thus even his children have followed in his footsteps. He says they need a minimum of six months to prepare for the idol-making process.

Nowadays, even the clay, which used to be so cheap earlier, has become costlier due to the increase in the wages of labourers who bring the clay from rural places. The artiste says his Gowri-Ganesha idols have adorned many temples like Chamudeshwari temple atop Chamundi Hill, Srirangapatna Temple and Mysore Palace when Krishnaraja Wadiyar was the King, during Ganesha festival. He proudly recalls the admiration of singer Yesudas who called the Ganesha idol created by him as 'Chinmayamurthi' for its aesthetic and spiritual look.

When asked if they give training to those interested in the art, Srinivas said that there are not many people interested in the art now and they cannot teach unless there are at least 7-8 students. With the limited space available, it is also difficult to accommodate many students.

Another artisan Raghu, also a resident of Kumbarageri, is in this profession for the past 10-15 years. He expressed his sad-ness over the conse-quences of rece-ssion and dwind-ling sale of the tra-ditional idols. Ash-wath and his wife have been making the idols for the past 60 years.

When the artistes were asked if it is possible to use eco-friendly colours for painting the idols, all artistes said that though the government calls for making the festival eco-friendly by using biode-gradable vegetable colours, it has not provided any appropriate equipment for preparing the colours, nor any method. They asked how they can use vegetable colours when it is not available in the market and they have no means of obtaining it.

The traditional artistes of Mysore use mostly water colour and oil paint on clay idols. They also say that as oil paint gives more glaze or shine to the idols and makes them more attractive, customers mostly opt for oil paint-based idols than water colour-based which are more eco-friendly. Most of the city artistes don't make idols using Plaster of Paris, which is a mixture of chemicals harmful to the water body and the aquatic animals in which the idols are immersed.

Plaster of Paris does not dissolve easily in water and the idol floats on water after immersion.

Here is what some spiritual persons say about worshipping Ganesha idols made from clay or mud. They say that as there are references in the Puranas (mythological texts) that Ganapati was created from grime, it is appropriate to use a Ganesh idol made of mud for ritualistic worship. The pure spiritual particles (pavitraks) of Ganapati get attracted to a greater extent towards an idol made of mud than to that of Plaster of Paris.

All said and done, the traditional idol makers of Mysore are dwindling fast with rapid commercialisation of the fes-tival and the entry of PoP and paper pulp idols from other States. With the lessening interest in the general public about the beauty of plain clay Gowri & Ganesha idols and the unique Mysore style, there is not much time left for the extinction of both our style and the arti-stes who have the knowledge to make them. It is imminent that the artistes turn to other professions soon, after all, the artistes too have to make a living.

Sand idols, a rare art by city sculptor

Artisans make Ganesha idols of different shapes, sizes and ideas depicting even current events in them. But here are some interesting idols of Ganesha.

The idols, the exemplary examples of creativity of city-based artist L. Shivalingappa, are made of sand and thermocol. They each portray a different theme.

The artist, who is also a sculptor and writer, says the art of sand-sculpting is not very common among artistes. The sand is mixed with chemicals for bonding. It will not dissolve easily in water unlike regular sand sculptures. He creates idols with new themes every year. People like his innovative ideas, he adds.

Explaining to SOM about the three idols of Ganesha he created this year, Shivalingappa said the Ganesha's idol with books (see picture left) depicts knowledge. His Ganesha has books in the place of face, veena and trumpet (kahale) and as should be on a God’s idol, the Abhaya hasta, assuring the devotees of his benevolence.

The sand scupture of Ganesha (see picture on right) depicts severe famine in the land. As can be seen in the idol, Ganesha's huge stomach has shrunk into a hole due to hunger and non-availability of food. And most interestingly, Ganesha's snake, which is usually tied around his plump stomach has come down and is chasing the rat, his vehicle, unable to bear the hunger. The artist very effectively portrays the situaton of the people and the country where there is less food, less water and less survival rate.

Some stray thoughts on I-Day

When I was young, I would reverently watch the Independence Day parade at New Delhi every year. I thought it was blasphemous and utterly unpatriotic to avoid watching it and I got angry with anyone who dared not to. But the same display of the traditional dances, art forms, temples, tourist spots, etc. of every State, the military force, each year, bored me to tears. The unvaried patriotic and promising speeches of the Prime Ministers too did not change with years. I guess once you get into the Prime Ministerial office, you also get into the spirit and speaking mode of the office. Now, like thousands of young Indians, I too have stopped watching the parade despite my pride towards everything Indian. When our heart is not with something, our spirit too disappears with it.

While thus thinking about the Indian psyche, after many years, I remembered what Pearl S. Buck, that celebrated author who wrote Good Earth and won Nobel Prize for it, wrote on India after her visit to the country during the British rule. She very rightly summarised the Indianness when she said the worst result, perhaps, of the colonial system was to provide the subject people with an infinite excuse against work and so against helping themselves. 'You are responsible for me, you have undertaken to feed me and clothe me and govern me. If I die, it is your fault,' is the subject's attitude towards a ruler. Then, there were always the British to blame for our follies and sloth and now, we have the government, our own democratic government selected by ourselves, to do our work for us, and thus, we need just depend on government machinery for everything. After all, we selected them so that we can rest assured we need not break our back working hard to improve the society or at least our own immediate surroundings.

I have seen people who refuse to clean the area in front of their own house saying it is the work of the Corporation or Municipality. But try telling them not to park their vehicles on roads haphazardly or litter the public space, they will remind you zealously that it is a public road and it belongs to them too and they have a right to do what they want. This is just the so-called tip of the iceberg and it has penetrated deep into the 'national attitudinal psyche.'

Do we, with this kind of attitude, need absolute leaders or absolute citizens? My vote is for the latter because citizens are future leaders, not vice-versa. But then we need to be free, in mind and in heart, to be able to choose such leaders or become one ourselves. We choose carefully when choosing our leaders, we see their caste, their previous vote record, if any, how much they can spend to win an election, how much we can scrape out of it, their charm and convincing abilities. But never what they can do to help us, for free. And speaking of freedom, I cannot afford to assume we are because we are not. We are not free to choose our path in this country because all paths are decided not by our liking or interest, but by how much we can afford to spend to reach our goal. We flaunt a few success stories which cloak the countless failures.

All that is said and done, I believe in democracy, which is so much better even if it allows for moral, societal depravity and hunger and in a way increases them. I believe in it because it allows us to be free, free even to make the wrong decisions and not learn from them, free enough to be our own censure.

And coming back to the Independence Day, it is ridiculous for us to go on parading ourselves in front of the world like a peacock flaunting its feathers to attract a peahen. We are proud, I am proud that we are very near to becoming a world power in economics, intelligence and man power. But it is imperative that we work hard silently like the Japanese do and let our deeds speak for themselves instead of living in the aura of the past.

TREE TRANSPLANTING NOT FEASIBLE

Transplanting trees has been suggested as a possible solution to felling trees (SOM dated June 23). It may be feasible in other areas or in other countries like the US. But transplanting trees on Lalitha Mahal road is only detrimental to the delicate ecological balance found there. The trees surrounding Karanji Lake is home to thousands of migratory birds which visit the area during different seasons for breeding. This area provides an optimum atmosphere for those birds which cannot sur- vive in the drastic conditions of their home land. They travel thousands of miles just to breed or escape from severe cold or heat of their native place. If we uproot the trees, they will have nowhere to go as they do not move with the transplanted trees. We humans may build roads anywhere but the rare birds cannot transfer their homes for our sake, they are highly specific in their behaviour.

This is my letter published in Star of Mysore dated 25.6.2009 in Voice of the Reader column.

TREE-FELLING IS NO SOLUTION TO EASE TRAFFIC CONGESTION

Sir,

I have been reading many write-ups for and against the felling of 123 trees on Lalitha Mahal Road and Race Course Road in Mysore. Some citizens and the administration say it is for widening the road to ease the traffic on the stretch. The solution to traffic congestion is not cutting trees, but lessening the use of private vehicles.

Now the road may be widened by cutting down a few trees, but after a few years that widened road will again be congested with traffic. Cutting the trees is only a temporary solution, also one with large-scale environmental effects. We see cutting of trees as bad because we are taught that trees provide oxygen, maintain a clean atmosphere, provide greenery and are the homes to birds. Our arguments are mainly based on these points.

Some of us support cutting the trees in the name of development. But development cannot and should not be seen in terms of wide roads, more buildings, more facilities for humans like regular water, power supply and a good administration. It is thinking of development in terms of human benefits. It will be a true development if it is sustainable, where upto the tiniest of insects, all living beings co-exist. If it dosen't, ultimately, we are the ones to be affected badly.

I would like to cite an example here. Fig trees are abundant in our State. A small insect enters the fig fruit, pollinates there, multiplies and reproduces inside the fruit. This is the way the fig tree multiplies in number. If fig trees are cut, then the fig wasps will be extinct, the fruit bats and birds will decrease in number. Because animals cannot change their habitats and food like us humans. They are highly specific.

When a species becomes extinct, other animals dependent on them disappear. All these processes take many years and hence may not be taken seriously by those in charge of taking decisions.

When trees are cut, we can see only the superficial facts associated with them, not the unseen consequences. We do not care much about our own tomorrows, then how can we care for the tomorrows of our children and other living beings?

I request the authorities to please think twice before cutting any tree, doesn't matter how old, because old trees too sustain ecological balance till they die.

---Shwetha

This is my letter published in Star Of Mysore dated 05.06.2009

Our own 'Tryst with destiny'

Jawaharlal Nehru, addressing the Constituent Assembly of India on Aug. 14, 1947, gave his speech 'Tryst with destiny' expressing his dreams towards the country with surgical precision. He said, among others, "...The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity...The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour? To bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India; to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman." Is his vision a mere potpourri of Utopian thoughts? It has been proven so all along the 62 years of liberty. We have proven to the world that we are an apology to its ideals of power and liberty which are resting in too many hands in the absence of a restraining power.

India is changing. Our economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. Our incomes are growing and the lifestyle changed accordingly. Yet, there is a need to secernate ourselves in other areas than just competency. We need to make a mark by leading not only in business, but also in politics. We need youth to lead the country. As part of a research programme at the London School of Economics on Greece, Europe and the US and how they occupied global dominance and leadership, it was found that they denoted a major part of their efforts towards building institutions that support and encourage leadership in various realms. We too have built institutions, high both in quality and quantity. They have spun out both men of intellect who empty their intelligence brandishing each other and experts who have ameliorated their respective fields. But we have not produced leaders 'who do not guide others into following them but who inculcate in the mass an awareness to take independent decisions on the basis of truth and knowledge.'

I regret to say, we have not come across many persons in the country who, like the unknown rebel who stood unflinchingly before a column of more than 50 advancing military tanks at Tiananmen Square in China during the mass protests by students, dares to stand up to lead in adversity.

As to the crucial question which ought to bother every citizen now, on the eve of 15th Lok Sabha elections, into spending sleepless nights — Is youth necessary for leading the country or experience? I am young and more prone to see issues in hot blood. As a citizen of India who is going to vote shortly, I am worried that I see no solution to my dilemma. 

"Intellectual exercises, not balanced by experience, lead to intellectual inflation... Just like monetary inflation caused by currency circulation not supported by hard gold bullion," an intellectual once said to me. But of course, experience is a pre-requisite for politicians. You are not allowed to ask ‘experience in what? Leading the country, or grabbing a seat?’ Most veteran political leaders rely on 'experience quota' to win the hearts of voters, young and old alike. Young voters form nearly two-thirds of the electorate in India. The 'Age-voter pulse model,' so called by a think-tank Imagindia Institute, assumes the ability of a candidate to connect with the pulse of the voters depending upon the age difference with the electorate.

Statistics apart, young (less than 40 years of age) MPs, on whom we keep our aspirations, were the most infrequent participants in the 14th Lok Sabha proceedings. They accounted for 11 percent of seats but participated in only 7 percent of debates in LS. Contrarily, MPs over 70 years of age accounted for 9 percent of total debates, even if most end up in tussles, with fewer outcomes. We cannot blame them however. Most youth brigade in politics- Rahul Gandhi, Jiten Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Manvendra Singh, Kuldeep Bishnoi, Naveen Jindal and Varun Gandhi are plucking the fruits from the trees grown by their parents. May be we could keep our hopes pinned on them if they tried to be responsible both in act and thought. It is time they learnt to be leaders, not just political. They may have the charisma to draw a large crowd, but it ends there. People flock to political rallies either because they are paid for it, or to boast that they have seen the celebrity 'up close.' 

These young leaders cannot follow the footsteps of their immediate predecessors because not many have left behind a path free of stones and thorns of corruption to follow. The youth cannot look forward because most of them lack the vision much needed for the country. Leadership too, as was aristocracy, has been inherited by them, not through their cherished dreams for the society. Still, people who have initiated and propagated great changes are seldom there due to birthright. 

There are hundreds of visionary youth in the country, but they rightly hesitate to join politics. And in trying to eke out a living, they move away from their dreams of making a difference and become haggard citizens whose sole responsibility remains in voting in the elections. Concisely, there are very few youth in the country's political scenario, who at least dare to say, as Bruce Willis said in Die Hard 4.0 movie, "I do it because no one else is there to do it." 

Now, I rest the case in front of voters.