Dividing the divide
Time is changing, so are we. In this modern society, there are several drivers of change. By this change, I want to drive home a point that today rich people are getting richer and poorer getting poorer thereby creating a huge gap between the two ends.
Scene 1:
A destitute girl wearing patchy clothes with a hungry stomach ,carrying her younger brother on her back approaches a shop for some food, shopkeeper shouts at her and asks her not to visit her shop again otherwise consequences would be very bad. Small kid, not more 9 years of age, having loads of evening newspapers, running on streets to sell his papers thereby getting few cents per paper as his income. Irony of the matter is that, for this small kid, alphabets are alien and studies are something which they don’t know but they are selling newspapers. They know one thing, they need money to eke out their living.
Scene 2:
A rich spoilt girl, draped in diaphanous clothes, glossy hairs, lips shining with latest L’Oreal sparkling glossy lipstick, wearing trendy sandals, lots of wrist gears sneaks into her chauffer driven car to a pub, where she gets down and smokes one cigarette and make few international calls, then moves inside the pub where she dilutes money with her thirst for alcohol till the wee hours and comes back home partly conscious of her own identity. One small kid, not more than 9 years of age, is having arguments with his father as he wishes to take admission into the best boarding school which charges few lakhs INR as annual fees. This kid is also alien, not to alphabets but to harsh and brutal situations of life. He knows one thing, how to enjoy life and how to divert dad’s mind to win his favors.
The contrast I want to point out is very apparent if we closely observe the two situations. I observed these two scenes in different days, I tried to recall as much I could so as to make it a real one. This basically takes us back to the point which I made in the first Para about great divide between the two parts of the same society.
The question now is as to why such a situation? The importance of this question would be felt if we place ourselves in the shoes of those destitute people who barely manage to get one time meal a day. They can define what actually hunger is and it gets exacerbated when their own child is hungrier than they are. This situation is so painful that it can shake anybody’s soul. The source and epicenter of this problem lies in the changing attitude of the people. The replacement of “WE” with “I” and “ME” is the main problem. We have, in general, and persons in power, in particular, have turned blind eye towards such problems. Disproportionate flow of money from poor and middle class to the government coffers, and flow of rich’s money from his coffers to investment arena where their money gets multiplied and they eventually get huge returns on their returns, is the main fiber which has successfully maintained the status quo in our society.
If we try to look into totality, huge chunk of our population lives in rural areas. The need of the hour is to strengthen this sector, make it self-sufficient to ensure new generations to be educated, healthy and strong. If we are successful in doing this, migration from rural areas would vanish. It is easier said then done, but in any case this is ought to be done. Kids of poorer people never go to school and their parents also leave them to fend for themselves. Later on, the same cycle is repeated with larger number of people this time, of the same financial status-destitute.
We all are responsible for our country’s growth- per capita income of the country represent the health of the country’s economy. If we divide the current population, we can segregate them into three groups- 0-18 yrs, 19-40 yrs and 41+ yrs. We should understand the proportion of the populations as regards these age groups and act accordingly. The main focus should be ensure proper growth, education, health to first group so that when they will reach in the second group they will automatically create a healthy and educated first group. Once this cycle is successfully completed, the entire problem of great divide would vanish forever.
I personally feel that everything is possible provided we all embrace the problems as our own rather than somebody else’s. Its we only who can change the fate of our society. Its we who can change the face of our nation. Its we only who can divide this great divide to bring everybody closer into a close knit society. This would effuse a sense of cornucopia al around and halcyon days of yore would be back again.
Scene 1:
A destitute girl wearing patchy clothes with a hungry stomach ,carrying her younger brother on her back approaches a shop for some food, shopkeeper shouts at her and asks her not to visit her shop again otherwise consequences would be very bad. Small kid, not more 9 years of age, having loads of evening newspapers, running on streets to sell his papers thereby getting few cents per paper as his income. Irony of the matter is that, for this small kid, alphabets are alien and studies are something which they don’t know but they are selling newspapers. They know one thing, they need money to eke out their living.
Scene 2:
A rich spoilt girl, draped in diaphanous clothes, glossy hairs, lips shining with latest L’Oreal sparkling glossy lipstick, wearing trendy sandals, lots of wrist gears sneaks into her chauffer driven car to a pub, where she gets down and smokes one cigarette and make few international calls, then moves inside the pub where she dilutes money with her thirst for alcohol till the wee hours and comes back home partly conscious of her own identity. One small kid, not more than 9 years of age, is having arguments with his father as he wishes to take admission into the best boarding school which charges few lakhs INR as annual fees. This kid is also alien, not to alphabets but to harsh and brutal situations of life. He knows one thing, how to enjoy life and how to divert dad’s mind to win his favors.
The contrast I want to point out is very apparent if we closely observe the two situations. I observed these two scenes in different days, I tried to recall as much I could so as to make it a real one. This basically takes us back to the point which I made in the first Para about great divide between the two parts of the same society.
The question now is as to why such a situation? The importance of this question would be felt if we place ourselves in the shoes of those destitute people who barely manage to get one time meal a day. They can define what actually hunger is and it gets exacerbated when their own child is hungrier than they are. This situation is so painful that it can shake anybody’s soul. The source and epicenter of this problem lies in the changing attitude of the people. The replacement of “WE” with “I” and “ME” is the main problem. We have, in general, and persons in power, in particular, have turned blind eye towards such problems. Disproportionate flow of money from poor and middle class to the government coffers, and flow of rich’s money from his coffers to investment arena where their money gets multiplied and they eventually get huge returns on their returns, is the main fiber which has successfully maintained the status quo in our society.
If we try to look into totality, huge chunk of our population lives in rural areas. The need of the hour is to strengthen this sector, make it self-sufficient to ensure new generations to be educated, healthy and strong. If we are successful in doing this, migration from rural areas would vanish. It is easier said then done, but in any case this is ought to be done. Kids of poorer people never go to school and their parents also leave them to fend for themselves. Later on, the same cycle is repeated with larger number of people this time, of the same financial status-destitute.
We all are responsible for our country’s growth- per capita income of the country represent the health of the country’s economy. If we divide the current population, we can segregate them into three groups- 0-18 yrs, 19-40 yrs and 41+ yrs. We should understand the proportion of the populations as regards these age groups and act accordingly. The main focus should be ensure proper growth, education, health to first group so that when they will reach in the second group they will automatically create a healthy and educated first group. Once this cycle is successfully completed, the entire problem of great divide would vanish forever.
I personally feel that everything is possible provided we all embrace the problems as our own rather than somebody else’s. Its we only who can change the fate of our society. Its we who can change the face of our nation. Its we only who can divide this great divide to bring everybody closer into a close knit society. This would effuse a sense of cornucopia al around and halcyon days of yore would be back again.
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