Unless public mindsets change, progressive restructuring in a big way will not succeed through executive or legislative means
Some years ago, Queen Elizabeth of England, visiting India, commented it as ‘dirty'. It had angered the then Prime Minister IK Gujral. But nothing changed.
The practice of female foeticide and a skewed male: female ration have raised concerns. laws were enacted, but little changed. Muslim community long been appeased, clerics cultivated to ensure Muslim vote-banks tears were shed for their backwardness. The word ‘secularism' was overused and misused as protectionism. But no attempt was made to improve their socio-economic status. Muslim women suffered the consequences of triple talaq — raising children singly in poverty, disease and lack of education. The divorced women voices were suppressed, any judgement in their favour for alimony overruled out of fear of losing traditional vote-banks.
Governments came and went, promises for world class healthcare, education and jobs etc were made, but issues of common concerns like poverty, sanitation, foeticide, triple talaq as human right, remained unaddressed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi identified the importance of basic health standards, social and economic well-being and education as essential elements for inclusive development. He gave a call for swachh Bharat, Beti bachao, Beti Padhao and asked the minmority community to address the triple issue to uphold Muslim women’s dignity and gender equality. His emotional appeal to leave gas subsidy to benefit the poor yielded results, and the middle class to benefit from the real estate reform.
His oratory skills and emotional emphasis on these issues seemed to touch the human chord of ordinary people. They may not know about GDP, GST, FDI or intricacies of foreign policies etc, but widespread awareness and education — the key to self prosperity, and developing aspirations to avail opportunities as India provides today as never before — has awakened them to a realisation, irrespective of caste divide or religious affiliations. changes have come into civil society which till now had been the preserve of the educated elite, for better quality of life and health standards, and education to their children. Sanitation, ills of open defecation and the importance of the girl child and her education, have caught their imagination. It has motivated them to participate. In Aizwal after a football match, people cleaned the place. People are getting conscious — not littering, many villages are open defecation free and Muslim women are protesting against triple talaq.
This awareness must get further internalised and become a dynamic mass movement with whole-hearted inclusive participation, considering it as samajik dharma — social responsibility — to meet the demand of contemporary politics of sabka sath, sabka vikas.
Recent surveys have declared some cities clean and many villages are open defecationf ree. Critics criticise because they have had no creation of their own, doubting all audit. Indeed, the earlier attempts at constructing toilets had yielded no result and the toilets were used as store rooms because of age-old mindsets. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) reports little improvement in sanitation infrastructure (absence of water supply and drainage), impeding the programme activity. In 2014, around 3.5 crore toilets were built using Government subsidy, but open defeacation at 55.4 per cent in villages and 7.5 per cent in cities continues.
But once the benefits of toilets will be realised, people themselves will find solutions. One news report of women in Bundelkhand region, who had to travel miles to fetch water, with collective efforts making check dams and boalies to become self-sufficient, is one example. Whenever women have taken up a cause, they have succeeded without Government help. Since toilets are important for women they would certainly promote the cause.
Whatever critic might say, some momentum of the efforts cannot be denied, and political will, which was absent, has shown some vitality. Inequality (socio-economic, education) poses problems but it does not mean that the poor cannot play a positive role. Instead once the poor understand the genuinity of purpose, they take to it in a more collective manner as their dharma. They have intuitive wisdom. Mahatma Gandhi enlarged the base of his movement to rural India; a movement which, until his arrival, was limited to the educated urbanite.
Any social change is a gradual process. The idea need not to be very big so long it gets identified by the common people as one that can bring change to their quality of life; that ignites social energy and driving them with the ‘will desire' — ichchca shakti . That brings about change — not because the Government wants people to do but because it is the right thing to do.
Prime Minister Modi is just the emotional force to motivate, and the desired end depends on the collectiveparticipation of the people. The proactive role of local bodies transpiring the idea and translating into action and sustaining the momentum, and more importantly that of women and teachers educating children, will indeed play a crucial role.
This an opportunity that must not be missed.
(The writer is a freelance commentator)