It was the first time, a tribal village - Fulsar of Dediyapada Taluka, Narmada District, Gujarat will experience power of electricity.
When i think my life without electricity I see myself climbing 12 floors of my apartment, drinking 'makta' water, not making fancy dishes with microwave, reading in candle light and reading books and not using internet, writing manually and not using any software, reading just newspapers and not watching any news on television and yes certainly everyday taking a taxi to office and not Mumbai local train.
I am sure for many of us life would be certainly very different without electricity.
What Fulsar village witnessed was truly amazing. We were told, when the first time the electricity was tested in this village children from the village danced and danced, thinking electricity connection has already been established, and when the connection went off children cried due to disappointment. Later the children had to be consoled and explained that it was just electricity and that electricity would come in few days.
Joy of having electricity is a such a special momement. I realized this when I saw smiles, excitment and pride which this village community exhibited. Cheers to Fulsar village community for their collective process of demanding electricity and following up with RTI.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Sometimes ‘Not Giving’ is the Right Thing to Do
Sometimes ‘Not Giving’ is the Right Thing to Do: Sahil Shah, Volunteer, Child Rights and You
The other day I was sitting in a taxi to go to work. I was reading the newspaper to increase my awareness about the atrocities carried out by Hosni Mubarak in Egypt for the past 30 years. At that moment, a hand started knocking on the window. It was a small girl, carrying a younger child, asking for spare change so she could buy a meal. What did I do? I turned my head away from her. She knocked again, but I did not budge. She went away, and soon I forgot about her. I did not give anything to the girl is, because I believe that one should not give alms to children as it does not benefit them. But why did I forget her, or the situation? That’s because, ignorance is bliss, and I did not want to waste my precious time thinking about a begging child. After all, the Egyptian crisis occurring half way across the world was far more important. I had chosen to forget about my own surroundings and worry about someone else's. Why? because, seeing a kid in torn clothes begging, unsettled me. You will never give alms to a well built youth, but you just may give some money to a begging child. Why? because, a child can generate the maximum sympathy in the hearts of the guy who is sitting comfortably in a car or riding a bike.
When you give children that one rupee coin out of pity, by no means are you helping them. In fact, it is this act which encourages them to continue begging. The popular movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', threw light on the gangs behind the begging activities. The gangs, run by the neighborhood rogues, beat up kids, do not give them food, and treat them in an in-humane manner. The pity in our eyes for the little kids is the backbone which supports the very existence of these outfits. Many times people prefer to give a child something to eat, say a biscuit or a banana. This also does not benefit them in the long run. I am not saying that by not giving them food or alms we are causing a drastic change, as they would anyway go to the next person for alms. But at least we are doing our bit.
All said and done, a common question is asked. “As long my life is fine, why should I care if a child continues to beg?” It matters because, once these kids grow old, they will pick up antisocial activities and at that point the apathy will come back and bite you. We complain about how unsafe our cities are and how the law enforcement agencies don’t do their part to curb crime. Well, here is our chance to make a difference. By educating the children, we are removing poverty and taking a step to make them responsible citizens.
What we need to do is, tackle the problem at its roots. Children beg, because their families need extra income. I firmly believe that no matter what family a person may be born into, the atmosphere that he/she is brought up in plays a significant role in what the person ultimately ends up doing in life. By no means are these kids who beg, inherently dumb. People like us should take up initiative to provide these kids with opportunities to excel. I am not suggesting that we give up our jobs, stop having fun and not ‘enjoy life’. We just need to give sometime (which can range from an hour to an entire day) every week.
For starters, we can volunteer for an NGO, as it may be difficult to initiate things on our own. NGOs conduct various activities and you can choose to volunteer for those which you are comfortable with. For instance, if you want to be in the ‘field’, you can go to the community and educate parents about the value of education and how sending a child to school is actually financially beneficial for the child and the family in the long run. One can also pay regular visits to the local municipal school to make sure the students are provided basic amenities like mid day meals, separate bathrooms for boys and girls, a computer lab, etc. One can even go and teach for an hour every week. If you want to be away from the action, you can still make an impact by writing about issues relating to child rights, taking photographs or help raise funds to keep the efforts of the NGO on track.
Plenty of things can be done, and each one of us can contribute in some manner or the other. After all, "boond boond se hi ghada bharta hai" (read: "it takes many droplets of water to fill a pot").
The other day I was sitting in a taxi to go to work. I was reading the newspaper to increase my awareness about the atrocities carried out by Hosni Mubarak in Egypt for the past 30 years. At that moment, a hand started knocking on the window. It was a small girl, carrying a younger child, asking for spare change so she could buy a meal. What did I do? I turned my head away from her. She knocked again, but I did not budge. She went away, and soon I forgot about her. I did not give anything to the girl is, because I believe that one should not give alms to children as it does not benefit them. But why did I forget her, or the situation? That’s because, ignorance is bliss, and I did not want to waste my precious time thinking about a begging child. After all, the Egyptian crisis occurring half way across the world was far more important. I had chosen to forget about my own surroundings and worry about someone else's. Why? because, seeing a kid in torn clothes begging, unsettled me. You will never give alms to a well built youth, but you just may give some money to a begging child. Why? because, a child can generate the maximum sympathy in the hearts of the guy who is sitting comfortably in a car or riding a bike.
When you give children that one rupee coin out of pity, by no means are you helping them. In fact, it is this act which encourages them to continue begging. The popular movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', threw light on the gangs behind the begging activities. The gangs, run by the neighborhood rogues, beat up kids, do not give them food, and treat them in an in-humane manner. The pity in our eyes for the little kids is the backbone which supports the very existence of these outfits. Many times people prefer to give a child something to eat, say a biscuit or a banana. This also does not benefit them in the long run. I am not saying that by not giving them food or alms we are causing a drastic change, as they would anyway go to the next person for alms. But at least we are doing our bit.
All said and done, a common question is asked. “As long my life is fine, why should I care if a child continues to beg?” It matters because, once these kids grow old, they will pick up antisocial activities and at that point the apathy will come back and bite you. We complain about how unsafe our cities are and how the law enforcement agencies don’t do their part to curb crime. Well, here is our chance to make a difference. By educating the children, we are removing poverty and taking a step to make them responsible citizens.
What we need to do is, tackle the problem at its roots. Children beg, because their families need extra income. I firmly believe that no matter what family a person may be born into, the atmosphere that he/she is brought up in plays a significant role in what the person ultimately ends up doing in life. By no means are these kids who beg, inherently dumb. People like us should take up initiative to provide these kids with opportunities to excel. I am not suggesting that we give up our jobs, stop having fun and not ‘enjoy life’. We just need to give sometime (which can range from an hour to an entire day) every week.
For starters, we can volunteer for an NGO, as it may be difficult to initiate things on our own. NGOs conduct various activities and you can choose to volunteer for those which you are comfortable with. For instance, if you want to be in the ‘field’, you can go to the community and educate parents about the value of education and how sending a child to school is actually financially beneficial for the child and the family in the long run. One can also pay regular visits to the local municipal school to make sure the students are provided basic amenities like mid day meals, separate bathrooms for boys and girls, a computer lab, etc. One can even go and teach for an hour every week. If you want to be away from the action, you can still make an impact by writing about issues relating to child rights, taking photographs or help raise funds to keep the efforts of the NGO on track.
Plenty of things can be done, and each one of us can contribute in some manner or the other. After all, "boond boond se hi ghada bharta hai" (read: "it takes many droplets of water to fill a pot").
Friday, March 11, 2011
Why Public Good is Better
The image is from a school in Himayatnagar, Latur, Maharashtra. This is the only school for miles around. And it is just a primary school. 
But for the people in the village, it is their lifeline. Sending each child to a nieghbouring village's private school is not just expensive (this government schools is free) but it's unsafe: so girls drop out.
But for the people in the village, it is their lifeline. Sending each child to a nieghbouring village's private school is not just expensive (this government schools is free) but it's unsafe: so girls drop out.Have you thought about this: just how much cheaper and better it is to invest in public good rather than individual spends?
Take the case of schools. If everyone's (taxpayer's) money is invested in making free schools better, parents would not be driven up the walls trying to earn more and more to keep up with ever increasing (private) school fees. What do you think?
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Ten Corporate Teams ‘Play for Good’
Ten of the city’s top corporations sent teams of 44 members each to compete in the CRY Cadence Corporate Citizenship Challenge in Bangalore. The multiple sporting events were held at Clarks Exotica on February 26th, 2011. This event is a unique way for companies and their employees to renew their commitment to ensuring that all children in India have a happy, secure childhood for generations to come, ‘for good’.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Jaswinder Ahuja, Corporate Vice President & Managing Director, Cadence Design Systems (I) Pvt. Ltd. said, “The CRY Cadence Corporate Challenge has come to Bangalore after a successful run at Delhi for eleven years. It shows that there are many of us out here who believe in the fact that all children have rights and that small steps on our part can actually go a long way to make sure that every child in India has every right. This unique fundraising and awareness-building event is in support of free, quality, schooling for all children in India.”
Ms. Anita Bala Sharad, CRY’s General Manager, said, “Partnerships like this one sets the benchmark for how people with full-time jobs and commitments can also take part in making lasting change possible for India’s most vulnerable children. The concern and commitment we see each year from our corporate partners shows how much a genuine social responsibility endeavour can achieve. We are proud to note that the initiative is growing from strength to strength each year.”
The theme for the year, ‘Play for Good’, emphasizing the ethos of competitive sports that contributes towards ensuring that all Indian children have a happy, healthy and creative childhood. Proceeds from the event will go to empower and secure the rights of underprivileged children in India.
The Corporate Citizenship Challenge initiative started as a small CRY volunteer group of Cadence India employees. In Bangalore it was played as a Corporate Cricket Challenge before metamorphosing into the year’s biggest corporate multiple sporting event. Today it unites some of the best-known companies for two days of competitive sports. In the 10 years since it started in the year 2000, the annual event has raised over 2.9 crores to support CRY's effort to ensure a just world for India's children.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Jaswinder Ahuja, Corporate Vice President & Managing Director, Cadence Design Systems (I) Pvt. Ltd. said, “The CRY Cadence Corporate Challenge has come to Bangalore after a successful run at Delhi for eleven years. It shows that there are many of us out here who believe in the fact that all children have rights and that small steps on our part can actually go a long way to make sure that every child in India has every right. This unique fundraising and awareness-building event is in support of free, quality, schooling for all children in India.”
Ms. Anita Bala Sharad, CRY’s General Manager, said, “Partnerships like this one sets the benchmark for how people with full-time jobs and commitments can also take part in making lasting change possible for India’s most vulnerable children. The concern and commitment we see each year from our corporate partners shows how much a genuine social responsibility endeavour can achieve. We are proud to note that the initiative is growing from strength to strength each year.”
The theme for the year, ‘Play for Good’, emphasizing the ethos of competitive sports that contributes towards ensuring that all Indian children have a happy, healthy and creative childhood. Proceeds from the event will go to empower and secure the rights of underprivileged children in India.
The Corporate Citizenship Challenge initiative started as a small CRY volunteer group of Cadence India employees. In Bangalore it was played as a Corporate Cricket Challenge before metamorphosing into the year’s biggest corporate multiple sporting event. Today it unites some of the best-known companies for two days of competitive sports. In the 10 years since it started in the year 2000, the annual event has raised over 2.9 crores to support CRY's effort to ensure a just world for India's children.
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