Kiran was happy in more ways than one- a new book in her hand which is her own now, a sky-blue frock which seems to have eluded her for over a year, some candies which she firmly gripped in her left palm and so many new friends around. Life has certainly thrown a big surprise to this seven year old girl who has until now spent time at her home helping her mother in some petty household chores or her brother when he went out to keep an eye on the cattle and a herd of goats that her family rear to earn their livelihood. Now, she is enrolled into class II at a school in the neighbourhood.
It feels great that life for Kiran is never going to be the same again. Upon asked why she did not go to a school until now like many others of her age did, Kiran’s innocence unveiled the obvious-to-many: her parents never thought of sending her to a school. She does not even know whether two of her three siblings (all brothers) ever went to a school. But she says firmly that Biju bhai was going to a school for some time, but not now. After her father (Dibakar Gouda) sold off the goats that they possessed her other brother- Kaila bhai went to Surat to join the eldest one: Sanjay bhai.
Kiran would not stop thanking her paternal uncle and Mrs Bharati Kumari Sahu, the Head Teacher of the Girls UP School, Dura, Ganjam that she is going for 3 days now, for they were instrumental in convincing her father- Dibakar Gouda and mother-Kamini Gouda about the benefits of education and the provisions of the revolutionary Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act-2009, popularly known as the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Dibakar would not have sent his daughter to the school if he had to spend money for buying books or a dress for his daughter.
Kiran appears to be on the top of the world, with so many friends around and with a book in her hand which she says she would love the most. It was too early for her to tell us what she wants to be when she grows up. However, she confided that she would continue studying as long as she can. And why not, the euphoria will need some time to sink in! The school is also celebrating Kiran’s admission along with some other new entrants who joined the school in its induction class during the pravesh utsav marking the first day of the state wide campaign: Shiksha Chetna Abhiya ( SCA).
The novelty of SCA launched by the School and Mass Education Deptt of Orissa in collaboration with Rural Development Deptt., ST and SC Development Deptt. and UNICEF office for Orissa, cannot perhaps see a better manifestation than having all the Kirans of the state enrolled in their neighbourhood schools. The 6-days long abhiyan with a basket of activities at the school levels was envisaged primarily for gearing up the implementation of RTE Act in the State. For little over a year now the Deptt., unlike many other states is not playing a wait and watch. Rather it has been a front-runner in terms of kick-starting an array of activities on a fast track starting with providing the required impetus in sensitizing the parents, guardians, community members, teachers, PRI members and administrators to ensure that children in the age group of 6-14 years are not denied their rights to elementary education. Going forward, crores of rupees will be sent, millions of man-hours would be dedicated for the purpose. But the real impact will be made at the cutting-edge level only by having all the Kirans in their neighbourhood schools.
There have been eye- brows raised over the quality of education in the state run schools. But then, somewhere there has to be a starting point. SCA promises to snowball into an impact-making larger revolution going from strength to strength with required support from and involvement of all the stakeholders to ensure quality education at the elementary level. I do have reasons to believe that quality education or lack of it is just a state of mind.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
(My) Passions (reposting)
Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living ( adopted from B Russel)
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living ( adopted from B Russel)
My ten cents: love it or hate it
Sometimes wonder don’t we have more than required number of bills/Acts/laws or having yet another in the form of Lokpal(LP from now on)is gonna to do what good ?
My worst fear is that the LP might just end up being yet another toothless tiger and would with time die its (un)natural death post elevating some names into the history book.
Not for once I am endorsing not having something to curb/kill/end corruption in the country. But then let’s ask ourselves once again- don’t we have anti corruption laws in place? And then, what about the RTI Act which was supposed to lay the very foundation of transparent governance? Are we realising its true potential or its being withering away? We are either too tolerant or plain fools. There is no third way.
A more realistic stab would force us do the soul searching. Are the existing laws being enforced properly, the Acts/bills being implemented in their true spirit. If we have not witnessed proper implementation/enforcement, I am afraid the new ones would not get us any magic fruition either. Be it the envisaged LP or anything else for that matter. If we would have strengthened the means, the purposes would have certainly been served. Result- we would not have had to see Annas and Babas doing what they are doing. Want an LP to overarch almost everything that’s existing, what for? Isn’t it unconstitutional to undermine the sanctity of the democratic independent institutions? Why would LP be designed to be a ‘super-judiciary’? Let's dive a little deeper. If the apex court is gonna remain as the supreme one, why duplicating? And guess what- when we already have all those uncleared, untouched court-cases, LP would simply delay things further. There would be more number of cases requiring more time to get the hammer on. LP or no LP, there is a stern need to give teeth and transparency to ‘law enforcement’ in this country. If not, mark my words- if LP becomes a reality it would also meet the same fate as others have. I am not all surprised over the deadlock/stalemate at the drawing board.
The latest buzz over the countless number of fasts is just as unfortunate as the fuss over the raise of drinking age, equally or more farcical. To add to the farce, Kejriwal terms it a ‘jokepal’- bad looser ( I mean see, he has already conceded) ! This goes on to show how serious he or for that matter his team was about the whole thing. In a democratic set up, if you are not ready to come to the table for a dialogue and allow agreements and disagreements over things, then I am afraid you are wasting others’ time. I am yet not talking about the purposeful sidelining of the likes of Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander from the camp. Worse, the inconsistency of Santosh Hegde! Come on, have a still head, dude!
The people of the country certainly need to be made aware of the concern over governance, transparency, justice, etc or lack of them. But then, for heaven’ s sake allow Gandhiji to rest in peace. Am sure he would hang his head in shame to see his notions being abused at the drop of a hat. History bears the testimony to the fact that Gandhiji never used Satyagrah (fasting) for Independence. Rather he fasted whenever there were atrocities meted by the Britishers. And then, that had a different historical context. A layman would tell us that something that worked wonders in the past may have turned obsolete. Going on fast to gain sympathy of the people is almost like putting me at gun point asking me to call a goat a tiger.
I don’t wish to make a mention of Ramdev here, as I strongly support what Digvijay Singh said. He should better be remembered as someone who took yoga to most households of the country and be respected for that only.
With heart within and God above me, let me say : Buraa jo dekhan main chalaa, buraa na mila koyee, Jo mann khojaa apna to mujh se bura naa koyee.....Do a survey and find out how many Indians don’t want corruption to end and how many of them have not been a party to it regardless of the magnitude. The point that I am trying to drive home is – let charity begin at home.
On another note- if my dad and mom had to retire from work life at 60, why should not everyone after 60 (I repeat) be asked to stay home and play with grand children. Isn’t it time for the country to run on fresh legs? I am sorry but ‘democracy’ has never been made to feel home here in India. You may like it or hate it, but ignore it at your own peril.
My worst fear is that the LP might just end up being yet another toothless tiger and would with time die its (un)natural death post elevating some names into the history book.
Not for once I am endorsing not having something to curb/kill/end corruption in the country. But then let’s ask ourselves once again- don’t we have anti corruption laws in place? And then, what about the RTI Act which was supposed to lay the very foundation of transparent governance? Are we realising its true potential or its being withering away? We are either too tolerant or plain fools. There is no third way.
A more realistic stab would force us do the soul searching. Are the existing laws being enforced properly, the Acts/bills being implemented in their true spirit. If we have not witnessed proper implementation/enforcement, I am afraid the new ones would not get us any magic fruition either. Be it the envisaged LP or anything else for that matter. If we would have strengthened the means, the purposes would have certainly been served. Result- we would not have had to see Annas and Babas doing what they are doing. Want an LP to overarch almost everything that’s existing, what for? Isn’t it unconstitutional to undermine the sanctity of the democratic independent institutions? Why would LP be designed to be a ‘super-judiciary’? Let's dive a little deeper. If the apex court is gonna remain as the supreme one, why duplicating? And guess what- when we already have all those uncleared, untouched court-cases, LP would simply delay things further. There would be more number of cases requiring more time to get the hammer on. LP or no LP, there is a stern need to give teeth and transparency to ‘law enforcement’ in this country. If not, mark my words- if LP becomes a reality it would also meet the same fate as others have. I am not all surprised over the deadlock/stalemate at the drawing board.
The latest buzz over the countless number of fasts is just as unfortunate as the fuss over the raise of drinking age, equally or more farcical. To add to the farce, Kejriwal terms it a ‘jokepal’- bad looser ( I mean see, he has already conceded) ! This goes on to show how serious he or for that matter his team was about the whole thing. In a democratic set up, if you are not ready to come to the table for a dialogue and allow agreements and disagreements over things, then I am afraid you are wasting others’ time. I am yet not talking about the purposeful sidelining of the likes of Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander from the camp. Worse, the inconsistency of Santosh Hegde! Come on, have a still head, dude!
The people of the country certainly need to be made aware of the concern over governance, transparency, justice, etc or lack of them. But then, for heaven’ s sake allow Gandhiji to rest in peace. Am sure he would hang his head in shame to see his notions being abused at the drop of a hat. History bears the testimony to the fact that Gandhiji never used Satyagrah (fasting) for Independence. Rather he fasted whenever there were atrocities meted by the Britishers. And then, that had a different historical context. A layman would tell us that something that worked wonders in the past may have turned obsolete. Going on fast to gain sympathy of the people is almost like putting me at gun point asking me to call a goat a tiger.
I don’t wish to make a mention of Ramdev here, as I strongly support what Digvijay Singh said. He should better be remembered as someone who took yoga to most households of the country and be respected for that only.
With heart within and God above me, let me say : Buraa jo dekhan main chalaa, buraa na mila koyee, Jo mann khojaa apna to mujh se bura naa koyee.....Do a survey and find out how many Indians don’t want corruption to end and how many of them have not been a party to it regardless of the magnitude. The point that I am trying to drive home is – let charity begin at home.
On another note- if my dad and mom had to retire from work life at 60, why should not everyone after 60 (I repeat) be asked to stay home and play with grand children. Isn’t it time for the country to run on fresh legs? I am sorry but ‘democracy’ has never been made to feel home here in India. You may like it or hate it, but ignore it at your own peril.
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