Caste Census, Commonwealth Games, Scams and Citizens’ Responsibility

I shall not quarrel with anyone who thinks the above title crazy. The pro-caste census lobby did not have an easy time. There are sections among the decision-makers and ordinary people who think that caste is no more a problem in India. But there are others who think that the caste problem remains an unresolved issue. What has the census to do with this? What we understand as census records are the number of people, women, men; married, divorced/widowed, unmarried; children under a certain age; households, rural, urban; occupation etc. and their classification under different religions which are collected once in ten years. Till 1931 when India was under British rule, they collected the information on the basis of caste too. The British found the caste system an important element in the Indian social life. They did not want to disturb that. I believe that information on the basis of caste can be useful to see to what extent our attempts to minimise and eradicate the vestiges of the caste system have succeeded or not, provided they are collected correctly and sincerely.

The fund of data collected by the census authorities over decades is enormous and I hold the view that they have not been sufficiently used. Of course there have been researchers and academics who have examined the omissions and errors in the census data. This became a problem when what is known as Women‘s Studies started in India in the late seventies when questions of women’s work and contribution to the family and society were discussed. Not only the census, even other government reports stated that women were engaged in easy and less strenuous work and their contribution was insignificant and supplementary, With the support of fresh data collected through painstaking research it was shown that women’s earnings were crucial in many households. Though they do not publicise it, women—especially in the poor homes—show even today their responsibility to cook at least one meal a day for the family. For that they accept any work without bargaining. These findings from many parts of the world led to the UN recognition of “female headed” households. I remember the discussions with the represen-tatives of the Census Commission about these issues. We do not go into that here.

In the present context, I believe, at least a section of the pro-caste census people may want to know how the share of development has reached the different castes, particularly the known low castes. Most probably the interest is to see how the top positions like the IFS, IAS, engineers, doctors, etc. have been distributed. Without any fresh census we can say that these and most high-salaried, secure jobs have not reached many among the Other Backward Communities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Among the OBCs and SCs one may find a few achievers or who have slightly gone up the socio-economic ladder. Non-achievers are there among the forward castes including the Brahmins too. However, that does not answer the reality. Though we may not get the numbers, a systematic study of the reports of the SC and ST Commissioners and the large number of ethnographic studies done in different parts of the country would give us a base from where demands could be raised. When I hear many people, including the educated and employed, and those active in social/public life talk of OBCs, SCs, and STs, I get the impression that they are unaware of the fact that these alphabets do not stand for homogeneous caste groups. Under each, there are castes varying in their numbers, occupation, levels of living, access to education and employment etc. Their customs and practices too differ.

This article was started some time back, but discontinued. By the time I decided to continue writing, Census had already started. One morning, the bell rang and I saw a young woman and a man outside my door. The woman, who is a teacher, was the enumerator. The man was her husband and had come as a protector in the present situation in Kerala where “women are not safe”. After making it clear that I don’t approve of the husband accompanying the woman while she was on official duty, I sat to answer her questions. The first were routine questions. I felt happy that under the Head of the Family female and male were distinguished. This was one of our early demands. Then came age, marital status, education etc. I was asked my religion, but nothing about the caste. I was also asked whether the place I lived was my place of birth. If not, I was asked when the shift took place. Under that there were items like marriage, employment etc. but not retirement. I thought that it was an omission, as in Kerala, a State from where large numbers of people migrate causing serious familial and social problems, it would have been interesting to see whether people returned after retirement from employment. We will have to wait for some years to see what the present census would tell us. Some preliminary information of the Census have started appearing in the newspapers. They are only broad hints. Will there be sufficient data to satisfy the needs of the pro caste-census people?

Commonwealth Games and Corruption

WHAT has the caste census to do with the Commonwealth Game? Nothing, obviously. While watching on the TV the opening ceremony of the Games I was struck by the number of countries from where the sportspeople came to participate. There were countries which sent large contingents of women and men. There were also some countries from where few men or even a single person was holding the national flag and walking in front of the pavilion. I saw legs that were meant to run and win, but I was also amazed at the spread of the “Empire where the Sun never set”. I was equally reminded of the mischief that was sown before the represen-tatives of the Empire ‘finally ‘quit from many parts of the world. That mischief has flourished in newer forms and strength. The successors of the earlier empire have gone ahead. Their influence has not only been on the powerful leaders in the old colonised countries, but also on a section of the population who are becoming not only richer, but influential too among business people, policy-makers, academics, legislators and a section of the media.

Some among them believe and declare happily from world platforms of the ‘globalised, borderless’ world in which we live. They have succeeded in creating a class of corporates everywhere who continue exploitation and plundering of all resources. They along with the new class of the rich they have created send messages about the consumer society that has emerged all over the world. They even talk about the pro-people society they are supporting. Pointing to the use of the mobile phone by the CEOs of giant companies and the street vendor, they tell us how egalitarian is the society we live in. The glitter and glamour of that world naturally attract even the exploited and the marginalised.

The Independence Struggle

ARE six decades too long a period for us to forget the freedom struggles our leaders led, the sacrifices they made and the dreams they had? When US President Obama, who claims to be an admirer of Gandhiji, visited India, I understand that he was presented with a Charkha by the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi. I do not know whether he was presented with some of Mahatma’s writings, especially on self-reliance, resistance to (burning of) foreign goods, food and natural ways of healing etc. and more importantly on simple living, against greed for wealth with an emphasis on non-violent methods to resolve crises. We cannot expect the ruling party leaders to talk about these.

Sadly, we the people, including the Gandhians, have allowed his teachings to be forgotten, though we celebrate his birthday as well as the day he was shot down. There are amongst us those who are willing to convert Gandhiji into a product to be sold in the world market. This has happened mainly because of our present government’s acceptance of the neo-liberal policies where the policies which we followed from independence like not to accept foreign aid with strings attached and the public sector to have a commanding role in the economy gave way to foreign direct investment and public-private partnership. Dismantling the public sector is an important agenda for the currently ruling parties. Indian Posts and Railways have been two public sector undertakings acknowledged everywhere by their volume and efficient service to the people. Slowly and steadily privatization has been injected into both, throwing out sizeable sections of the workers, stopping new recruitments and allowing inefficiency to creep in. The latest I heard is that the Red Mail Vans are going to be phased out and their work would be done by private agencies.

Some vehement sceptics can ask: will the government be privatised one day? Without going on to an essay on the subject we have to remind ourselves that the gospel of neo-liberalism or globalisation as commonly known and its Indian and foreign preachers had already penetrated all areas, including the bureaucracy, academics and the media, before the govern-ment’s formal acceptance of the above policies. Naturally they had no difficulty in getting supporters, They succeeded in confusing the people including the nationalists and those ideologically Left-oriented. Without that the government would not have succeeded in their policies, particularly related to labour and foreign investment. This encouraged the government to take away the minimum security the lower levels of the hierarchy enjoyed. Contract work has become common. Similar fate has met or is meeting the small farmers, shop-keepers, way-side vendors, and almost everybody in the ‘unorganised’ sector. While growing unemploy-ment leading to migration—that is, leaving one’s home, friends and neighbourhood including known food, and language—the urgency to send home some money and rising prices compel them to accept work anywhere at any wage. Some may be attracted to anti-social or criminal activities.

When the Prime Minister and his colleagues talk of eight or nine per cent rate of growth it does not include the above people and their struggles. But the government’s supporters and beneficiaries of the ‘economic reforms’ are the heroes and heroines of all the corrupt deals or scams that are coming out every day. For about five-six months, fresh stories of corruption, nepotism, negligence are revealed almost daily. The government’s reaction to each of them is the same, to order an enquiry. Visible and sufficiently large sections of people are sceptical. If we do not go the Egypt way, it is because our democracy has generated enough cheer leaders for the party that rules. Can their loyalty be taken for granted?

Are Things so Simple that we can Watch them like a Game?

EVEN before the Commonwealth Games started our attention was drawn towards it. Nothing was in order, the Games villages etc. were far from completion. It was all happening in the Capital of India, which was also modernising its face in a hurry. Metro rail and broadening of roads made it difficult for people, especially the pedestrians, to move around. There were many in the country, including the present writer, who thought that there was no need for us to host the CWG. However, it happened and it highlighted loudly and clearly that the develop-ment we are following is an indulgence in big money and it is doing more harm to the country than good.

Before the Kalmadi story was fully out came the Adarsh flat scam. Raja and 2-G spectrum was a big shock. Perhaps the whole story and all characters involved in it are still not known. In between, the former Chief Justice of India and members of his family were found involved in amassing wealth through unjustifiable means. And very, very frightening was the story of pilots with fake certificates flying airplanes in which we travel. It is also a case of love our ruling party has for the private sector.

But our fear does not end there. The Central Agriculture Minister, whom many consider as the Minister for the cricket extravaganza, and whose love for multinationals is not a secret, we are told, is going (if it is not agreed to by now) to allow Monsanto and allied companies to go ahead with their GM seed trials. Large numbers of women and men are sending e-mails to the PM asking him not to allow that, and prevent poisoning our water, earth and food which will have its impact on nature and all living beings.

Our PM, on his side, does not appear to be awakened to have serious re-examination of his nuclear policy. Even during the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there were scientists, including Nobel Laureates, who strongly opposed nuclear installations because of the dangers caused by even a small dose of radiation. There were scientists who were close to the establish-ment who put forth the theory of ‘threshold effect’. (See Alice Stewart, A Woman Who Knew Too Much)

Our country has multiple sources of energy and also the knowhow to tap them. What can one think when the rulers of the country pretend as if they have not seen the havoc that nature is causing on the life and property of the people of Japan, heard the increasing warnings about the impact of climate changes, the increasing concern expressed by the world at large on ‘food security’ which is totally different from cheap food to the poor.

Will the Enquiries Deliver? In Time?

WILL serious and harsh corrections be made? I am not so sure, though I want these done. The vested interests in the country are so strong, deep and devious that it will not be easy to make fundamental changes. It is in this atmosphere that a sudden and unexpected twist happened with the veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare starting a fast unto death with a call to the government to end corruption. The flood of support he got from the people, irrespective of age, gender, education, employment, all over the country made the government nervous. For the supporters, especially the youngsters, it was a realisation of the anger and helplessness they unwittingly held within. The government agreed to the demands after nearly one hundred hours of fasting by Hazare and hundreds of followers.

At the same time, while accusing politicians to having indulged in corrupt practices, encouraged or closed their eyes to corruption involving crores of rupees, which the people realise is their money, meant for development and to bring security in their life and property, we have also to share some responsibility in letting the country go the way described earlier. We have also to agree that there are politicians and bureaucrats at all levels who have resisted corruption and held on to integrity and cleanliness in private and public life. Their presence continues despite the prevailing socio-political atmosphere which encourages accumulation of riches. It must be admitted that these people have held the country, against the encroachment by forces who would have loved to see a destabilisation of India.

All these demand a revisit to the development model our rulers have adopted. It is a game of big money, followed by lavish life-styles, disparity in earnings, salaries and wages and upheavals in social life instead of a peaceful, relatively egalitarian, sharing society foreseen for Independent India. To say “Corruption-free India“ is easy, but its ramifications are complex. To understand them and make them easy for those who find them difficult to grasp and urge them to be alert about our democracy’s functioning is becoming a citizen’s primary task.

So far, we have remained dumb spectators. Large sections have been reduced to recipients of government largesse. Awakening them to their rights and equipping them to demand their rightful place in the society, will be the beginning of the New India. The caste census should help locate these people.

The author is a renowned economist and concerned social activist based in Thiruvananthapuram. She is the former President of the National Federation of Indian Women.