From socialism to capitalism, from liberal economy, free markets to government intervention-the struggle has been and is to integrate the have not's with have's. What I mean is how do we ensure that society grows cohesively and basic human needs need not be a concern for anybody.
Harsh Mander spoke on Unequal India and stirred the audience to activate their empathy. The empathy which we all are trying to hide or disregard. He quoted Amartya Sen and mentioned that there is an universal need for 'Nyaya' or a sense of justice. Three essential human traits are empathy, reason and love of freedom. In this he laid stress on empathy and kept it as the running theme throughout the lecture. There is empathy demonstrated by each one of us but we find limits to it. The challenge is how to increase the capacity of this empathy and sustain it. He referred to the recent protest by large number of students in Delhi and other places in support of the Delhi rape victim as an act of empathy. I have my personal doubts on this but his point is worth noting and pondering.
The plight of homeless women living on the streets and being subjected to molestation and other things. We do not hold candle light marches or protests for them.
What it means to be woman and to be homeless!!
We need to demand in the vision of our city, safe shelters for children and women. The empathy needs to translate into action. Schools can be used in the evening and night for this purpose. Government in few parts of the country has done this but we have a long way to go. May be there are better ideas out there which are locked because we have suppressed our empathy.
Harsh Mander asked us to go one step farther and feel compassion for the perpetrators of the crime. Where do these monsters come from? Children on the street who have very less guidance regarding what is right and wrong. There is our moral culpability in not understanding and responding to the inequalities, crimes in and around us, especially concerning children and women.
Disregarding the socialist strain, Harsh mentioned that our time is marred by inequality and indifference. The opposite of love is not hate but indifference. It is of great concern that we are progressively becoming indifferent. We are exiling the poor and their suffering from our conscience and consciousness. The popular cinema of today reflects this exiling.
The inequality is perpetuated and legitimized by three legacies which we have inherited. The Indian caste system, British class system-good family and bad family, and the American neo-liberal consumerism.
The concept of merit, the way we define it, was questioned by Harsh. It is not that the best are occupying the best positions. Most of us in enviable positions have been blessed by luck and circumstances. The sense of privilege and entitlement is misplaced when we base our success on merit. We shrug our shoulders and disregard that the game is not played on an equal ground. The Right To Education Act (RTE) has brought to the fore the reluctance and prejudice of the elite, privileged class. The school desegregation in US in 1960's had similar kind of discussions. There is de facto class segregation in schools. The resistance to 25% of seats being reserved for under-privileged children in elite schools comes from our moral acceptance of inequality.
Legitimization of prejudice was another point which he stressed. Minority bashing especially the universal drawing room discussions about Muslims. The sense of seeking justice for historical wrongs. The work done with victims of Gujarat riots. Story about a high empathy person called Yusuf. Yusuf's stint with Bodos and many other heart wrenching stories also formed part of Harsh's lecture.
The talk was organised by Azim Premji University. Many thanks to them. The following links should be of help to those interested.
1.Ash In The Belly
2.World Startup Report
3.Right To Education
4.Desegregation of Schools in US
5.Azim Premji University and their videos.
There were lot of questions from young and old. The questions will get translated into action and we have a long way to go before we eliminate undernourishment in children. One in two children in India are malnourished today. Focusing on elimination of hunger in children and satisfying their quest for knowledge can go a long way in developing India and the world.
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