Whenever I attend a seminar or a conference, all I get to hear about is the “young and shining India”. The words are not hollow; they carry a unique contribution to the development of the nation and individual in it. But there has been a striking conflict within the neurotransmitters of my brain, which disturb the chemical balance whenever I hear these lines. Is the fortunate or entire young crowd of the country within the frames of these lines? I wonder. This article deals with the inequality observed upon a visit to the banks of the Ganges river in Banaras.
It was a bright sunny morning, but it was different for us as part of an educational trip visiting the place. But for a young group of 5–7 children that were born there, it was not new. This group is of children selling baskets of flowers and they have been doing so from their birth. Many of them, who could not afford to purchase flowers and baskets, were either begging or silently observing the huge crowd of people present there. There was no hatred in their hearts, but there were dreams within their eyes. These are the dreams envisioned by many of them but are ignored maybe because they’re not part of the “young India” which is often described by elitists.
I wondered why they were not part of this “young India”? Or why they are not considered relevant when talking about development? To get the answers to my poking instincts, I stopped introspecting and started interrogating the young visionaries present there.
To lay down a conclusion for their dreams is impossible, as there are some dreams which may be demands for people like us and are often fulfilled by our parents. Parents? Are parents the only source to lay the future of their children, or is it the shared responsibility of our society to prove our egalitarianism in the distribution of resources?
While writing this article, the hurdle I faced was to define this group of children, and to overcome this hurdle, I decided to name them “young visionaries”. Upon questioning their lifestyle and family setup, I got to know the brute realities of society, or, I won’t be wrong in saying, the brute luck of these young visionaries.
The five children I talked with had never gone to school. Instead, they were nurtured in such a way that their brains are now not in favour of attending school. They were instead focused on earning a few bucks to manage a meal for themselves. This part was not astonishing but was assumed. Still, the emphasis upon the education of these children lay within the policies of the government, but the will and desire to counsel them to enshrine this importance into their minds and their parents is/was never seen, rather, never felt important.
Raising the question of family statuses and lifestyle was astonishing to some extent. The siblings shared part of the resources and were often more than 10 in number. The entire family setup is designed so that each child is considered as an extra source of income for the family. The factor of family growth in terms of numbers can also be analysed in terms of the lack of sexual knowledge and family planning.
The daily resource distribution takes place in order, by providing a larger meal to the father or to the member who earns the most. The women of the house are only limited to the chores of their personal area. But few women also work and manage the family. When the matriarch is out working, child care takes a backseat as a meal is the priority.
Further answers made me awestruck. Many young girls complained of being beaten by their drunk fathers. I asked them if they knew that drinking alcohol was a bad habit. But the reply was just silence, and the eyes of the visionaries wandered towards the Sun as if they were searching for enlightenment. I don’t want to be judgmental or sympathetic at all, as a learner, it is my duty to understand the situation/s and work on my professional ethics. Moreover, I would rather be empathetic than be human.
I cannot change the definition of what “young India” is for people, or how young visionaries can be a part of it. I’m just amused by the efforts of the government, and even our society, on which we form the basis for growth and development, but ignore the basic crux. The government should frame policies upon considering every part of society.
The dreams of these young visionaries, besides the government and their parents, are our responsibility as well. The basic reason for this lies in the resource sharing principle; what already exists with us should be passed to the needy, and so should be in continuation till equality is achieved.