Commonwealth Games 2010 : From “mind-games” to reality!

“Pillar by pillar it rises,
Loading my every new day with surprises,
Every new visuals are marked with the “signature”,
That clearly defines the inevitable omnipresence of its “creator”!
As I sit down & write about Commonwealth Games 2010, popularly known as “CWG 2010”, I’ll have to admit my own “knowledge-based” infrastructure about the event may not be up to the mark to support my views about the showdown on our “part” of earth. But let’s see what I have to offer!
Now that the games are within “striking distance” all the possible human emotions have started playing on the minds of people located at each & every strata that is related to the event.
For me, it’s only now that these “mind-games” have taken quite a control of my mind as the time starts closing down.
My idea of Games has been governed by two behaviours of me:
· CWG 2010 – From the mind of an impression-ist,
· CWG 2010 – From the mind of an expression-ist,

CWG 2010 – From the mind of an impression-ist:
The very opportunity of holding big-scale games itself boosts the city & accounts for many developments to happen on a pacy scale. Same has happened with New Delhi . When the first set of “golden letters” talking about the developments that will happen for commenwealth games 2010 appeared in the newspapers, i was quite anxious to see what developments would happen in the name of the GAMES, and the list was huge & ambitious!
That “epic-list” consisted of some heartening necessities like “expansion of Delhi-metro routes, widened roads, many world-class sport arenas “etc.
The impact of the games was so proportionately spread-out that even the ground beneath our feet & our farthest skies were made aware of it. With such ambitions building, i only hoped for a better things to come in the future.
I admit that even I had gone a bit ambitious.
CWG 2010 – From the mind of an expression-ist:
Now when the games have arrived there’s lot to offer from the government in terms of “actions” & we- the people, in terms of “reactions”.
Once I had read that New Delhi has already made her mark by being the “wealthiest” Commonwealth Games organized so far with its total “assets” surpassing the previous best - Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
But when it comes to the distribution of this “wealth”, it somehow starts showing on the city’s “health” and a further “check-up” of those ambitious “check-lists” brings out many expectedly harsh realities.
Amidst of all these scary “legal road-occupation” induced traffic jams, haphazard movement patterns, dust filled air-free surroundings, numerous dug-up holes (seeming far more purposeful & a fresh change from those governmental “loop-holes”) , large scale renovations & low-scale innovations on buildings, ever piling garbage dumps, etc., I would still say that in totality the Games have been a good opportunity for us not only to come up & match some celebrated “hi-tech-giant” cities but most importantly also to come up & create innovative, sustainable & meaningful solutions.
Talking about the built-forms, unfortunately there hasn’t been much visual delight in terms of aesthetics & design but one or two names are still worth mention, these are : JLN stadium & the Indira Gandhi Air-port. Hope this pattern improves in the future. The ancient-built heritage of New Delhi needs to be seriously dealt with. We still have many areas that need to be conserved properly e.x. the Purana Qila, the mosque in the Qutub etc. Hope this is also dealt with properly in the future.
Two biggest achievements during this “Games-reign” are “Delhi-metro expansion” & the “BRT-corridor”.
BRT-corridor, I think is a success for me. Apart from the better public transport, it has brought cyclists & their “cycling” back to life- alive & kicking! This is a welcome “greener sides” of the Games 2010, known more for their “darker sides”!
We have never been efficient organizers, and therefore the last year “scare” of Games being slipping from India’s hands wasn’t much of a surprise. It was good that the “scare” was short-lived. But the change is happening & we are improving, but this change will happen gradually. Some grievous issues of labour-exploitation, inadequate supply of funds through the “work-chain” , pillars falling off, etc. need to be addressed more severely & I hope it happens.
Being-green is the need of the hour & the more we conserve the more we’ll have for longer needs to be implemented properly. This also accounts for “judicious handling” of funds, the more we “blow-off” results in much more pressure on limited resources. This is where “vigilance-guys” come into the picture. They should keep an eye on these scams & should not spare any “wealthy-bummer”!
The overall appearance of the city has undergone a major “surgery”, but some of the “scars” (unwanted ugly fly-overs) unfortunately cannot be accepted & erased!
We still have done quite a bit in terms of “green & sustainability” for Games 2010 & that’s good start. Hope we fare better in the future! Culturally, it should be a rich experience, and hopefully New Delhi celebrates a rich cultural carnival with its “former-colonial mates”!
The future lies on being “sustainable” & this is what we need to pick up & infuse in our other “usual-preparations”.
Last but not the least:
We are now into the “Gaming” zone,
& the arrival of “queen’s baton” has set the tone,
For all the “showdown” to hit the centre-stage,
But the “mega-models” are still far from final-makeover backstage,
& within striking distance have “they” reached,
Here we still have many “hospitality” lessons to be preached,
I hope we are & we will be ready,
To celebrate the legacies of our erstwhile colonialists,
& together we all create one of the best “play-stations”!

By Akhil Nagar

THE SMALLER PIECES OF LIFE THAT WE FORGET IN OUR BIGGER ISSUES

When I read the newspaper, I sometimes feel that I live in a totally different world. How can I, sitting in the luxury of my drawing room my legs fully stretched on the cushy sofa legs understand the misery of a child forced to work in a firecracker workshop inhaling millions of poisonous gases, so that he can get a morsel of food. I am definitely not capable of understanding either what a young girl goes through when her parents just to feed their remaining children sell her off. I thought I knew what pain was until I saw children at the construction site pick up bricks twice their weight. This is probably one of the many things I can never understand rather dread to understand.

Once when I was traveling in the train with my friend, I saw a small girl not more than 6 years old with her face all painted in different colours. On entering the compartment she immediately started doing Hoola-hoop around her neck and then around her waist. Her mother carrying a toddler was singing a song to whose tunes the young girl was dancing. She had a big smile painted on her face and on finishing her act when she came to me to ask for money, I saw her eyes. Her eyes bare of any emotions yet deep down I felt connected to her sorrows, and I couldn’t look at her any longer. For a 6 year old to dance like her I can imagine how much her mother must have beaten her. And then is when my friend said that the toddler’s face is also painted……..rather her fate is painted. I wondered how a mother could do such a thing to her daughters. I couldn’t do anything but stare at the empty fields where the wheat was brightly shining under the blazing sun.

Our current government is often accused of increasing the prices, making the lives of the common man miserable but one credit I would definitely want to give this government is to make RTE as an act. Well the question of how effective it might finally turn out to be is a question I always ponder on.

Sometimes I feel without the awareness that the media creates I would have remained ignorant throughout my life. Awareness plays a very vital role in making people aware of their own rights. Children are not aware of their rights but their parents ought to know them. I strongly believe that EDUCATION makes a huge difference in the life of a child. This is what made me join Manorath because it works on a much broader platform of child rights. I always knew that I had to do something for these children and by joining Manorath I have got a real purpose in life. It has been 3 months since I have joined Manorath, and my awareness levels on RTE has increased manifoldly. I have seen the passion in the eyes of my fellow volunteers and the moment you reach the CRY Office the motivation to do something just can’t escape you. Earlier I used to think that as a volunteer I can bring dramatic changes in the education system but my involvement with Manorath has taught me that changes have to be dynamic and sustained and it has to be achieved in collaboration with the respective bodies not by fighting against them. And this in turn has helped me in my professional life also.
Recently I attended a session with the new volunteers and I could see the same amount of confusion in the faces but a zeal to do something. I am sure that Manorath will guide them well. My association with Manorath and CRY has been extremely enriching and I hope to do a lot a future.

P.S. - Say NO to Crackers !

- By Nithya Ranganathan

ME AND MANORATH

12 years of schooling. 1 year of college.100 sets of paper, 100’s of outings with friends, but never thought of those unprivileged children whom we often meet at a traffic signal on our way to work. Only thing we usually do is pity them and may be beg them a ten rupee note or abuse the government for their not so working strategies. But what after that?
Another signal, another set of children and our same set of emotions. Its then when I realized to use my free time to help such children to go to school, to educate them, to help them get their childhood back and made up my mind to join CRY. Through cry and its group MANORATH I feel that I can really make a difference to at least some of the children. It feels great to be part of such an organization where you have great freedom and a nice atmosphere to work.
The orientation session really sorted the differences in my mind. It made the direction and goal of joining CRY very clear to me and trust me, it feels great even if u do a small bit for such children. For instance- when I visited the schools on second Saturday, I felt bad for the children who study there, just because the state of the MCD School is really bad. The schools were supposed to organize a PTM but were closed. It was really disappointing at first but on the other hand it gives me a confidence to do something and bring about change through my efforts.
As said by Ellen Glasgow- All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. One day our efforts for sure will result in a measurable growth!


- By Mansi Nagpal

A Beginning

Gaurav Khare, one of our volunteers, wrote the following piece some time ago, when he had just joined Manorath. Couldn't resist sharing it. Read on. (You can find the original post here http://gauravkhare.com/blog/?p=329)

Beginning of a New Voyage

We live in a society which consists of vary different type of people. Differences can be there in the form of religion, cast or financial positions. I cannot envision my life without a farmer who is growing vegetables and fruits for us, delivery men of gas cylinder or news paper/milk or cleaning staff in our office premises. There are endless examples those we can list down here.

They all are doing their jobs to help us in living a better life. But do we ever think of the life they and more importantly their children live. What is the fault of a child who unknowingly and unintentionally born in a underprivileged family, off course there is no mistake they have made. So being a very important part of our civilization do they not deserve equal rights of proper food, education and other basic things. If we are reliant on them for the things which we cannot live without, Is not it our responsibility to help those children to get a better life?

I have been keeping these things in my mind since long and wanted to start doing something which can help the needy and deprived children. Finally the day came when I visited the office of CRY(Child Rights and You) an NGO working for children.

I attended their induction program and came to know the reason behind the name “CRY”, why they are following the philosophy of Child Rights and not of Child Relief. I got educated on the areas they look into, current projects and the way CRY works. After knowing all the important things I decided to join the group and started working.

Now I think that I have wasted many years without doing anything for this cause, but it’s never too late to start something really good. I don’t know, how long and how much will I be able to contribute, I am not sure how much my contribution will help those children. But I deeply trust that “Something is always better than nothing”.

Friends, We owe a lot to this society, so let’s join hands and do our part in return.

Homewards

Manorath is gearing up for a new activity this year. It is planning to impress upon the citizens of Delhi the significance of the rights of all children, especially the right to education. The adage goes that charity begins at home. Though we as a rights-based group don’t believe in charity (ask why), we are heading home – actually to residential colonies. There we will be conducting workshops on child rights. The planning and preparation have already begun. Permissions are being sought from various residential associations in the city.

If you want us to come to your colony, send us the contact details of your RWA. If you want to participate, book a seat in the volunteer orientation that happens on the first Sunday of every month. But before that make sure you contact the volunteer manager.

See you.

A Chance To Voice Child Rights

As you might have read in papers, a private school association in Rajasthan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Right To Education Act. Interestingly they have called it unconstitutional as the Act requires those schools to reserve 25% of their seats for children from poor economic background.

Read more about this in the following news links:
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article267634.ece
http://news.indiainfo.com/article/100323132807_c-84-61223/974326.htmlhttp://www.zeenews.com/news613378.html

Manorath sent a letter to the HRD Ministry asking Mr. Sibal to not to succumb to this pressure from the private school lobby. We have decided to file an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court. We also initiated an online petition. The link to the petition is here.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mn111112/petition.html
If you support this cause, make yourself heard.
Your signature will also support the Intervention Application we are going to file.

Budget for Children: Some Food For Thought

By Tulika Sheel

Any budget analysis becomes pertinent only when it is set in the context of the situation of the group of persons it is meant for. What then is the situation of the children in India that needs to be addressed with “available resources”? More importantly, are the resources being allocated and spent “adequate”? Clearly not, if despite all its strides in the global market and its advances in GDP rankings, the current situation of the children in this country continues to be reflecting the following (data based on union government report):
India is home to the highest number of child laborers in the world
Out of every 100 children, 19 continue to be out of school: Of 81 who enroll, almost 53 % drop out before reaching Class VIII (Elementary level). Of every 100 children who are enrolled 70 drop out by the time they reach secondary level. Despite the promise of education for all, and non-discrimination being recognized as the basis of human rights, of every 100 children who drop out of school, 66 are girls; 46% children from scheduled tribes and 38 % from scheduled castes continue to be out of school as against 34% in the case of others. Children affected or infected by HIV/AIDS continue to be denied access to schools.

Although, the share of child education is the highest amongst all other sectors, the Union Government funding for education has for the last few decades constituted only 10% to 15% of the total public expenditure on education. India remains “at risk of not achieving the millennium development goal of universalization of education by 2015” and has already failed to achieve the goals it had set for itself in the Tenth Five Year Plan of - All children in school by 2003; all children to complete 5 years of schooling by 2007; investment of US$ 1223 million - 1333 million (Rs. 55-60 thousand crore) over 5 years.

One in every 10 children is born with, or acquires some physical, sensory or mental impairment by the first year of life. Based on this estimate the world population of disabled children is placed around 140 million, of which 25 million are in India. According to the Census Report, amongst all persons living with disability, 35.9% (46,38,26,702) are children and young adults in the 0-19 age group. Three out of five children in the age group of 0-9 years have been reported to be visually impaired. Movement disability has the highest proportion (33.2%) in the age group of 10-19. This is largely true of ‘mental’ disability also. However, they continue to be deprived access to education and other opportunities as adequate measures for “inclusion” do not exist.

What is a matter of even greater concern is that under-spending the financial resources provided for children is a recurrent feature. The actual expenditure in all the years has been less than the allocations. Clearly, even the small budget share for children remains unspent. Across the four sectors within budget, under-utilization of resources stands at an average of 1.57% during the period of study for which figures are available. What may appear to be a small amount when taken as a percentage, actually comes to millions of rupees in absolute terms. Moreover, within the budget certain sectors have always shown under-spending, these being health and protection. This under-utilization of funds – a recurrent feature that prevents the benefits of financial allocation from reaching children – is a serious matter that often gets glossed over.

This string of facts and figures boils down to one conclusion. The current state of children is not just because of a lack of funds but a lack of focussed planning. The government is answerable to people who voted and also the people who didn't, the mass of population aged under 18. Can we not speak on their behalf and seek serious welfare measures for children?