VIEWPOINT
A time for real men
VISA RAVINDRAN
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As a new government takes the reins, how do we bridge the existing gulfs of inequity?
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How does a nation tackle yawning gulfs between dream and possibility, ability and necessity?
Photo: RAMESH SHARMA
Another day of hard grind: Will the budget bring them any relief?
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King Jr.
The poorest man is not without a cent, but without a dream.
Anon.
The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by sceptics and cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.
John Kennedy
Hard postures, haloes and hollow men tumbled; media chatter incessantly spinning yarns from too little information turned ridiculous and the feverishly guesstimating voice of the psephologist was heard in all the land. Interviewers shovelled words into the mouths of spokespersons who had nothing to speak about and marvelled at the number of -ji-s accompanying the sacred names of present political godheads. The stock market jumped so high, trading had to be closed after only a minute’s business had taken place. A little like animal behaviour before the tsunami struck, instinct seemed to key up everything around. The Humpty Dumpties who thought they had found comfortable perches on the wall had a great fall and “all our options are open” soon turned to “unconditional support” anyway you want it. Some cocks of the walk put their voices on hold and prepared for a long night. “Our first priority will have to be to re-energise government and improve governance,” our man for this moment of challenge and controversy, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said with quiet dignity, while the “aam aadmi” toiled on for survival, not quite unaware of the revolution he had non-violently brought about. Words and phrases like “inclusive society”, reform, governance, “economic superpower” and “revitalising core sectors”, “accountability and transparency” spiked the airwaves as discussion programmes failed to sparkle, pouring old wine in the same old bottles. Clichés dominated intellectual space as the print media, save for a few balanced voices, editorialised platitudes triggered by the unexpected sunshine of a clear verdict and rising hope tempered by knowledge of the cloud of potential lost opportunities.
A just society
How does one dream of things that never were and ask why not? How does a nation tackle yawning gulfs between dream and possibility, ability and necessity, hyperbolic manifestos and practical post-poll strategies for action to create a more just society? Going in for social entrepreneurship, assessing success not in terms of profit and return but on the impact it has on society and the individual is a powerful alternative. But this requires an enormous social change in institutions, mindsets and relationships. Innovative thinking can produce new social strategies to create the needed paradigm shifts in a true world without borders. Social cohesion has to be made real. Malcolm Waters, Australian sociologist, defines Globalisation as “a social process in which the constraints of geography on economic, social and cultural arrangements recede, in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding, and in which people act accordingly.” A context in which insecurities multiply enormously and fuel rash responses from threatened sections, imploding internally and redrawing boundaries
The words of Rachel Mayanja, UN Special Advisor on gender issues and Assistant Secretary General, spoken at an UNCTAD Round Table at Accra, ring a clear warning bell : “ Unless the world refocuses its policies to address the adverse impact of globalisation and economic inequality on development and poverty reduction, the poor and the privileged will continue to live worlds apart…” Other UNCTAD conferences on trade and gender outcomes have underlined the need to curb consequences that reinforce existing inequalities between men and women in the acquisition of skills, the opportunity to earn and in access to healthcare. Women remain the largest discriminated group worldwide and need to be included in the national agenda for mainstreaming the marginalised. Producing gender-disaggregated statistics in national planning and policy-making — the Budget is a major weapon in this context — and arriving at realistic growth indicators to monitor national surveys, would aid the process of creating a gender-just community besides bringing attendant benefits springing from raising the status of women. A spirit of tolerance and understanding that respects “otherness” will create confidence in all marginalised groups that often turn to protest and violence out of fear of non-acceptance by dominant groups. There is a heightened level of urgency in addressing these issues born of long-suppressed resentment : “A riot is, at bottom, the language of the unheard”(Martin Luther King).
Rethinking the media
Visual media must reinvent itself to play its very powerful role, along with government and other agencies, in mobilising support and encouraging partnerships. In highlighting information on measures taken and outcomes aimed for, facts need to be presented in a manner that is easy to follow and attractive enough to invite active engagement. Whatever happened to modulated voices and the need for objectivity in reporting events? Some overexcited voices touched unbelievable decibel levels and near incoherence in bringing election news and views. Language, diction, intonation, personality and practice have important roles to play in drawing in the viewer/listener. “Absolutely” and “indeed” repeated unfailingly by every anchor/news reader thanking reporters “for joining us with all those details”/ “bringing us up-to-date” according to “ what they were hearing on the ground” and one channel going to the ridiculous length of flashing minute and hour (remember you heard it on this channel first) at four-minute intervals, while recycling uncertain, stale “feeds” as breaking news long after “breaking” had become broken and shattered, do not fit the bill. Techniques of presentation have to be more polished and refreshing. After all, for eager viewers unable to press the off button, hearing news that is not news 24 hours a day from the same perspectives on the same subject by the same “experts” on every channel for several weeks on end can be a suffocating experience at best and mind-erasing at worst.
Catalysts of change
Appropriate positioning of objectives realised, best practices followed, and lessons learnt from errors made would all help catalyse social change in an atmosphere of trust and enthusiasm for greater involvement and application from affected groups themselves. Networking and free sharing of information in the not-for-profit sector can reinforce efforts and multiply positive outcomes. Awareness, knowledge and skill joining hands with honest commitment in all sectors can be the most powerful tool for integrating dissimilar groups in communities. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), wherever practised, as in the huge rural primary education programme undertaken by Azim Premji (WIPRO group) and the Each One Teach One project ought to receive recognition and publicity to inspire other entrepreneurs/volunteers to contribute towards the building of a just, progressive socio-economic environment. RBIs, or result-based initiatives, could be publicised and the development of a social inclusion framework initiated
Between the chandeliered splendours of Ashoka Hall and the winding labyrinths of South Block is a space that needs to be actively populated by clean governance, clear vision and earnest endeavour. As The Economist says, “If the hand comes up empty again, India’s voters will push someone else’s button next time.” Aam aadmi shed his illusions a long time ago. He watches with bated breath and a still fresh purple mark on his index finger.
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