Shiv Kumar Padha
The slogans have always played a commendable role during India’s struggle for freedom as well as during the social reforms in the society. The slogans given by the freedom fighters infused patriotism and enthusiasm in the nation and motivated them for sacrificing their lives on the altar of mother land. The slogans carried meaning, had definite objective and commitment. There is hardly any country in the world which has as many slogans and rights as we have here in India. The Constitution of India has already gifted bonanza of rights to the citizens and many more through different constitutional amendments from time to time, like Right to Information, Right to Education, Right to Food, Right to Healthful Living.We think that coining new slogans and granting more and more rights to the citizens will help address the long pending grievances of the masses but without the needed implementation it may or may not succeed in solving our national problems at political or governmental level. There are slogans against malnutrition, adulteration, pollution, deforestation, save earth and environment, protection of women and their rights, female foeticide and the inhuman treatment with women and the innocent children.
These days TV viewers are watching the fascinating slogans like Kooposhan Bharat Chhodo and Aao Karein Milawat Se Jung by the cine celebrities and cricket players against malnutrition and adulteration on the pattern of ( Angrezo Bharat Chhodo). It is not sure whether the meals of Aam Admi will become nutritious and the deep rooted adulteration done away with these slogans easily, but one thing is sure that the meals of these celebrities and that of TV channels will definitely become nutritious because the nutrients can be added to the meals and not to the empty dish in the hand of the poor man. Malnutrition refers to the situation where there is an unbalanced diet in which some nutrients are in excess, lacking or wrong proportion.
Food adulteration has taken its roots deep in the Indian soil. Contaminated foods and drinks are the common sources of health hazards in India. Adulteration in food articles, drinks, confectionary, milk, butter, cream, spices, vegetables and some brands of noodles, as reported in the media, are playing havoc with the human lives in the country. The use of chemicals in the vegetables in order to give fresh look, artificial colours,flavours used in the sweets, confectionary, drinks, juices and jams and the food preservatives are harmful for human bodies because the prolonged consumption of food adulterated with the chemicals can result into fatal infections in the liver, kidney and even cause cancer in many cases. To prevent adulteration in food items Central Government brought Food Safety and Standard Act and set up designated offices in all states, but practice of adulteration could not be contained due to lack of action on the part of law enforcing authorities due to the reasons best known to them. The police have been empowered to persecute the culprits under IPC sections 272 and 273 but the culprits manage their acquittal every time by using the silver key. The consumption of spurious wine as well of medicines has been taking thousands of lives in small towns and metros throughout the country every year.
It is very hard to digest that the land of Vedas is one of the countries with the largest illiteracy level and shows inability of our governments to utilise programmes like SSA, National Literacy Mission ( 1988 ). Even countries like Sri Lanka, Mayanmar, Veitnam, Thailand and the like have achieved in lesser time much better literacy percentage. Literacy in India is a key for socio economic progress. The provisions of universalisation and compulsory education for school going age children 6-14 years was a cherished goal as incorporated in Directive Policy in Article 45 of the Constitution is still to be achieved. The Constitution 86th Amendment 2002 has brought education under Fundamental Rights for the children in the age of 6-14. Studies show that it would take 2060 for India to achieve universal rate of literacy. India has largest illiterate population in the world. Poverty, unemployment, child labour, female foeticide, population burst, wide gap between rural and urban population are some of the major causes contributing towards illiteracy in the country. It is ironical that our leaders and public representatives give low priority to education as compared to other matters.
The medical facilities are too inadequate and expensive to cater for the small fraction of the population of the country. To get treatment in the hospitals has become the prerogative of the rich and the elite class of the society. Not to talk of treatment Aam Admi cannot even purchase pain killer or vitamin pills for his family. The big hospitals in cities ( the land for which was allotted by the governments of the time for Re. 1 for 99 years ) and metros which were once created for the treatment of the common man have now been converted into hospitals with five star facilities and have become out of bound even for upper middle class of the society.
According to Swami Vivekananda, “All nations have attained greatness by paying proper respect to women. That country and that nation which do not respect women have never become great, nor will ever be in future. If you do not raise the women who are the living embodiment of the Divine Mother, don’t think that you have any other way to rise.” It needs not be mentioned here what the shameful incidents the country has seen in the recent past happening with the girls and girl children of the nation. The tongue stammers and the hands tremble while giving the description of the incidents.
The NGOs and the governmental agencies educate the masses through hollow slogans like Save Earth , Save Environment on the national print and electronic media daily but the nation has seen the devastation and the destruction brought about by the nature in the shape of floods of Kashmir recently. The pilgrims for Char Dham had to face the wrath of the nature on 16/6 at KedarNath, BadriNath, and GauriKund for the fault of the greedy leaders and that of the bureaucrats. The mass destruction caused due to cloud bursts, floods and landslides resulted in heavy human losses. According to the official figures more than twelve thousand pilgrims have been feared either washed away in the floods or buried alive in the landslide debris. As per NDMA reports more than thirteen thousand pilgrims from other states are either missing or untraced. The 16/6 disaster which rocked the whole Uttrakhand rendered irreparable loss to the whole nation seems more manmade and less natural. The reasons for the disaster being manmade are because the politicians have closed their eyes to what was happening either for reasons of greed or some other form of self-aggrandisement. Reckless unplanned urbanisation, illegal mining, construction of series of dams, excessive use of dynamites in the construction of roads and tunnels by flouting the norms and ignoring environmental clearance are the major causes for this century’s un-forgettable disasters. As regards the success of the so called Food Security Bill one can only say ‘Ghar mein naheen daney, amma chali bhunane.
The slogans and the rights, however fascinating and interesting they look, cannot bring about the desired results unless some concrete measures are adopted at the grass root level, the law enforcing agencies are made accountable for their negligence, provision for stringent punishment to the culprits and last but not the least a commitment for the implementation of the rights granted to the citizens. Theses slogans will remain like the unsung lyrics written on the walls.