Many attribute poor social indicators in India to her heavy reliance on the Soviet model for all these years. Partially true, however the subsequent non-reliance has yielded no better results either. Hence, there emerges a need for a more discreet and objective introspection, a certain level of conviction and a definitive plan of action.
The staggering economic growth of 3.5% per year shot upto 9% after the reforms were introduced and it was widely accepted that India took a bold, yet inevitable step of coming out of its cocoon. But, in the midst of all this hullabaloo almost everybody comfortably ignored the obscure, yet vital statistics that build a country's economy. These statistics, given the fancy name of 'social indicators', do not merely represent the jargon blabbered at human development conferences or crafted to vent out frustrations on coffee table conversations. These figures go a long way in creating a nation's destiny, laying foundation for the tomorrow we visualise for our future generations, if at all we do so.
When one talks of child nutrition or the problem of malnourishment, the premise does not remain limited to problems of acute poverty, non-availabilty of decent livelihood options or the lacunae in the public distribution sytem, in fact, it trickles down to the very soul of our socio-economic-cultural framework, evoking questions that are subtle, yet extremely vital. Questions of whether we can realise the new world of our dreams with a generation that was brought up with empty stomachs? Can we establish the foundation of a free thinking, free-spirited society with its youth harboring underdeveloped, poorly nourished bodies and minds?
Yet another set of disturbing questions....

Narmada movement and its tangible goals

They say it was ‘Moral victory’ for the struggle. Well, anything to salvage its wounded pride or perhaps its bruised soul, if there is left any. Moreover at this juncture there isn’t much left to lose, or to gain either. This struggle remains their only link to their long lost identity, which leaves them no option except continuing the same till an undefined milestone.

Does it sound too hopeless? Well, hopeless it is. Hopelessness inspite of the support the movement receives from different pockets all over the country. Whether it is the protest of 25 social activists outside the Madhya Pradesh Bhavan in Delhi on 5^th of this month or a mass rally a week earlier in which thousands of displaced farmers gathered to protest against lathi charge and illegal arrests of NBA activists at the Khandwa Collectorate.

Support, protests, agitations induce more of them and the chain continue, but ironically leading nowhere. There is awareness and plentitude of empathy which to a great extent continues to fire the movement. But, at the end of the day, it seeks a different dimension. Solutions do not arrive while we follow the beaten path.

One does not ask to compromise with the fundamental goals of the movement, but one does seek inclusion of new ones, a certain reprioritizing and revamping of the achievables in the light of immediate concerns and changes in the national and international economic and political dynamics. One seeks victories that are more tangible in nature and eloquent enough to fuel the movement in the longer run, sustain it till the fundamental goals are realized. Such an inclusion need not necessarily be a diversification; rather it ought to emerge from the existing set of challenges. We merely need to expand our horizons and shed our ideological myopia. The needs of the displaced are multi-dimensional and ever-morphing to the changing socio-economic and political equations. Some of these needs which might seem the most unhindered and simpler to achieve, might yield dividends that are most eagerly sought for. This simplicity of theirs must not be the reason for lack of focus, for it would amount to one of the gravest mistakes on the part of the struggle.