FESTIVAL
IN LIVES OF THE MIGRANTS n
HAPLESS
Just last month
Songshoptok celebrated
social media’s ever-growing
importance, its burgeoning impact
on our life. In fact, today we are all a
part of this Songshoptok family, because
of Facebook & its social reform n
revolution that has
freed our ideas & literary freedoms. Songshoptok owes its genesis & nurture to facebook. And, so many literary
groups in Bengali are indebted to facebook & social media … without
bloggers, the world stops today… Like ,
today TOI has its classified advt revenue more from
internet edition than from print editions…. The
genius that do not get to enter
Prafulla Sarkar Bazar house can
also reach the world today & days may be numbered for
magazines that thrive on some
limited talents & thrust upon a nation their own reactionary thoughts and
ideas. Also, gradually fading is the importance of published books, when e
books are downloaded n read by most people. And no of writers and readers have gone up many fold, like YouTube films
are depleting the business of films in theaters , especially for people who cannot physically access these
prints n theaters. In fact, the issue I shall deal in this month is also
somehow social media related. The whole
of migrant crisis’s creation & soln
in terms of aid & rehabilitation are being driven by public
outbursts over net & support
generated thrusting govts to act.
Last month I saw an amazing interview of Ms Caroline---
For me, some social media activism/protests may have contributed
to our societal problems, but not all social-mediated protests were that
effective and succeeded some had given risks and threats emotionally, mentally,
physically, spiritually, and economically. Sadly, some had even resulted to
killings of people. It is not the ultimate solution to eradicate social
ills and injustices. Quoting here are three of five ways how social media
served as a tool of protest; from Phoebe Magdirila’s article how social media
wired and contributed a source of awakening in the Philippines in
2013.Her article shows that ‘’Filipinos have made good – and innovative – use
of social media’’. Used in Disaster response. ‘’The nation’s web users had a
lot to worry over on social media. The #Rescue hash tag was put to good use on
Twitter as a way to crowd source and coordinate which areas need help the most
after a disaster’’; Selfish as Protests. ‘’Filipinos put their own
creative slant on this trend, turning the selfie and the combined power of
social media into a form of protest. There were ‘hike in train fares,
disgruntled passengers started the “Price the Hike” movement on Facebook and
Instagram, in which users uploaded pictures of themselves in protest of the policy.
‘Scrutiny of Government Officials. ‘’Netizens turned their attention to
scrutinizing politicians. In one case, two government officials were spotted
playing Candy Crush while on duty, and the photo evidence exploded across
Facebook. In another incident, when the vice-president gave out relief goods
with his own name stamped on the bags, social media users were quick to accuse
him of self-aggrandizement.’’ Ukrainian Euromaidan protest movements labeled
social media revolutions subsequently have been criticized for not having had
much important activity on social media (Moldova, Arab Spring) or for having
had a large social media presence but ultimately failing to make much of a
long-term impact as a protest movement (Spain’s Los Indignados, Occupy Wall Street,
Gezi Park in Turkey). In Ukraine, a government fell, a region was annexed, a
civilian plane was shot down, and what some are calling a civil war continues
to this day in the eastern part of the country. Clearly, the movement was
consequential and, as we will show, social media usage was widespread and
significant.’’
You may be surprised by
now, why I am writing all these in my prologue to this month’s article. Because this Oktoberfest, in prelude
to the upcoming fall, Western autumn is facing the worst crisis of humanity,
--- the influx of millions into Europe.
And in an age , when netizens fest on
nudist to naturalist movements,& fest on Nazist and fascist racial hooliganism , spread through social
network, like rioters, druggists n terrorists , gunners , --- aid starved 71 Syrians’
corpses were discovered. 76
bodies were discovered in Libya on a boat sink & both Austria n Switzerland
societies crammed after a ship docked in Sicily saw 52 deaths. In a truck
abandoned in Hungary border 71 Syrian corpses were found refrigerated. Around
3.4 lac starving migrant Syrians crossed
thru Zatari desert refugee camp.
This Autumn, post Eid , Muslims are relenting fear of
politically charged up majority
attacking and killing minority on pretext of eating beef. And the
country of Vedic saints sacrificing cows to pyre and feasting on beef was now
feasting on blood of minority.
In a country boasting of 97 cr Hindus and 17 cr Muslims, an ever growing
Muslim population cannot remain immune to fear of Hindu ire, as
state govts increasingly indulge
in cow slaughter ban politics. This fall,
the widow of Dr Abhijit Roy shall spend
her first puja without her hubby and family of
Kalaburgi shall lament his gruesome murder.
The more people across globe are coming together and reaching
each other in a moment, globe is getting more and more fragmented
by narrow domestic walls. Festival of walls, lamented an old man
staying across border on Bangla side, India is building 4k km of barbed
fence around Bangla … And lingua minority of Assam is worried and crying
troubles as BJP softens its stand on Hindu Bangladeshi minorities entering
Assam.
This autumn is good for 3 bigha chhitmahal corridor residents,
as they got citizenship… When Berlin
wall was down, just 16 borders divided earth, today there are over 65 international
walls. This fall celebrates bloodbath across apartheid wall of Gaza, thrusting
curse of just 10% of its rich GDP on to Gaza strip… Hungary has built 4m border
at Serbia border to prevent Syrian influx. Even Kenya, Saudi and Turkey are
building fences , which is more to
prevent jihadists from neighboring Syria, Somalia and Iraq. This autumn is one
of worst for Nigerian women sexually enslaved by Boko Haram, breeding a whole
new gen to jihadists. And this is the worst fall for Kurdish ladies being sold
by ISIS. But Cocaine still reaches Manhattan coffee tables daily.
And Dr Roy’s widow and Kalaburgi’s
widow and Ananthmurthy’s family shall
rejoice that a caste census mad
govt has found to its surprise
that 29 lac or 3 million people of India have stated clearly that they do not have any religion,
they are non believers / atheists. While most of states have 6 to 9 crore of
Hindus, today UP is habitat to 16 crore Hindus , 4 crore Muslims are relenting
the revengeful ire of Hindus after MY dadagiri for 2 decades.
Coming to migrant saga, in Budapest observed a reporter lady
kicking a refugee girl and
tripping a man carrying a child , as 2529 migrants including 455 children
entered Hungary. 175 km long border could not bar them from that. As a wave of
7000 refugees were blocked from entering EU and Macedonia declared an
emergency, Greece also joined teargas and gas. Still over 1 lac asylum seekers,
double 2014 volume, have celebrated Eid in refugee camps this year. Aug2015 has
seen an astronomical influx rate of 1500 per day; Israel also released 100s of
migrants from a desert detection center. And saddest part of the saga is, you
pay $ 5k to a human smuggler to get self smuggled, but you know, your
probability to survive is too feeble. After a shipwreck killed 800 migrants, 28
nations EU decided distribution of asylums to migrants. Rescuers recovered 111 bodies off Libya coast
from a sunk boat that carried as high as 400. Just 198 could be rescued.
Libya’s 1770 km strong coastline has become a transit camp for Syrians to cross
over to life in EU, a land of lesser death / better life probability. Every ill
fated boat passenger survived contended having paid as high as $1600 to a
boatman alone. And in just 1 night of Saturday, between 4 to 10K migrants
entered Austria & it is alleged that that night Hungary packed bus full of
refugees to Austria. Marchers, blood peeling off oozier feet, ultimately
secured a pledge of $ 666500 from EU; Finnish govt sanctioned 30k refugees’
asylum & a warm welcome from ‘mother’ Angela Merkel. But all these, after a
baby corpse arrived at a beach. Also, France committed 24k, Germany 31k, UK 20k,
Spain 15k, Venezuela 20k refugees. Chile and brazil are also dramatically open.
Refugees in Uruguay are infuriated over huge cost of living. And
Greece has already asked for $ 10.6mn aid for 10k refugees already regd. And
hardly any consent has arrived from ANZ the Pacific region & also US. It is surprisingly pathetic, as it is US,
who are responsible for all mid east crisis. And it is true that a job heaven
or miniature thereof, as promised by US is a solution to the crisis. How long
can any refugee sustain on aids? Question is, who shall untap the vast span of
informal economy in Egypt, Tunisia & Algeria? Who shall formalize these
assets? Is it not the responsibility of the prime war monger nation of the
world to create such wealth and industry in such nations ravaged by their own Frankenstein the ISIS ? Let them
flow some aid / budget other than war industry as well. Just 10K Syrians’
admission to US is not a solution, nor a memorandum to settle 65k; solution is
to bring back them to life, to upgrade living conditions at camps.
Now let us be back to our home front.
Our India also suffers from a incoherent refugee policy / law and
are still treating all refugees from neighbors with
adhocism. India is a nation still suffering from a) lack of rule of law and an
effective judicial system, thereby diminishing democratic values; b) lack of
transparent public policy based on data
analysis, c) a corrupt opaque
governance, d) lack of spending on education n especially R&D n analysis in
colleges and universities , resulting in none of our institutions getting into
1st 100 of the world ; nor any vocational institution is above mediocrity.
This autumn, the India still reeling under worst of draught
& farmer suicides , shall probably
see one of the worst festivities in the world.
Farmer deaths are common even in China, then what is the big deal? The big deal is the decline by NDA govt in
allocation on all welfare schemes Just
Re1/- a/c for 10 crore is not enough,
out of Rs 16 lac crore invested by banks
, Rs 6 lac crore are with a handful of
industries & around Rs 2 lac crore
are bad / NPA; just an infusion of Rs 50K crore for MSMEs is not enough.
Employment potential per Rs crore is 10-15 for MSMEs, against 1-2 per crore
for big giants. Also, our population is
1.3 billion against 1.42 billion of China today & land utilization of China
is just 40% , so we have to look after farmers & not evict them off land without compensation. Through payment
banks, all the 70 cr people that have
mobile connection should have latrines
& connectivity to bank a/cs. Just 1.2% of GDP spend on health cannot ensure Health for all, to cover our farmers & laborers crucial for Make in India, we need
to spend 2.5%-3%.Our NITI Udyog has declined any further health investment by
GOI. Now we all a/c holders have policy coverage from LIC. But can it take care of mediclaims? Can GOI absolve its responsibility by opening
NPS at our own costs & limiting its contribution to just Rs 1k? How long shall it blow drums by spending
hardly anything in Varanasi for sanitation? When shall our rivers go
unpolluted? How can we have educated betis without GOI’s contribution ? A specific provision with tax benefit /
exemption can only yield substantial benefits for women literacy and sanitation
. This autumn needs more Bill Gates
among Indian billionaires & also demand the permit to work for the likes of
Gates Foundation, albeit, they must file returns u/ FCNR.
In a world , where 80 billionaires possess riches of $ 1.9trillion
> 3.5billion people’s cumulative wealth, a festive autumn / Xmas carol
demands some more distribution of equity and justice and egalitarianism. And,
nevertheless, Namo’s beats of own trumpets shall not hold good, unless reductions
in allocations to literacy for all by
20%, to midday meal scheme by 30%, national secondary education movement by
29% are reversed to equivalent
increases. There is a role of state in a welfare economy, the earlier Mr
Pangharia or Mr Arvind Subramanian understands, the better. Whatever HDI rise
India has achieved are far from Gujarat & could be achieved through economics’
practical implementation. From a govt that is hardly bothered to reverse the
queue of rationalist literary geniuses from foregoing their awards, &
determined to replace likes of Romila Thapars with incompetent rightist
historians, what better festival can we
expect?
[ANINDA GHOSH]
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