Before you cast your vote, it’s extremely important to know who you are voting for. What’s the background of the candidate? What are his/her previous achievements in governance? What are the red flags that should definitely make you not vote for the candidate or think twice? As a responsible voter, knowing your candidate and the party they belong to should be a must.
In a 10-minute read, here’s all that you need to know:
1. As a voter, what information about my candidate do I have the right to access?
– Records of ongoing or past criminal cases and charges.
– Assets and liabilities and those of his/her spouse and dependents.
– Their educational background.
– Copies of their nomination papers and accompanying affidavits.
– Details of any dues owed by them to the government.
2. Where can I see affidavits submitted by my candidate?
They can be seen on the Election Commission website or on MyNeta, a portal run by the Association of Democratic Reforms whose work made it mandatory for all candidates contesting elections to disclose their criminal, financial and educational backgrounds prior to the polls by filing an affidavit with the Election Commission.
3. What is the minimum age for a candidate to contest the Lok Sabha or assembly elections?
25 years.
4. Can a candidate on bail contest an election?
No. As per the rules of the Election Commission, a candidate on bail with his/her appeal pending for disposal cannot contest an election.
5. As of 2017, how many political parties are registered in India?
As per the Election Commission, 25 political parties are currently registered. Their details can be seen here.
6. Only 8.9% of the income of national parties is from known sources. What are the other sources of income and where can I see their breakdown?
Other sources of income, as mentioned by political parties include sale of coupons, voluntary contributions, donations and party funds. Income-expenditure statements, as well as information on donations, can be accessed here.
7. Whom should I vote for if I want to find a solution for issues like maintenance of roads, solid waste, parks and electricity in my city?
You should vote in the municipal corporation elections in your city. The municipal corporation consists of a committee, which includes the mayor and the councillors who look into these matters.
8. How is an MLA elected and what are his/her/their duties?
An MLA is elected through the assembly elections in every state. An MLA must be over 25 years of age. Their main responsibilities include overseeing the municipal corporation and formulating laws for the maintenance of public order, the police system, public health, agriculture, water supply and land rights. Here’s a detailed list of the duties, if you want to know more.
9. How is an MP elected and what are his/her/their duties?
An MP is elected through the Lok Sabha elections. Their main responsibilities include overseeing defence and the armed forces, atomic energy, foreign affairs, industry, banking, railways, regulation of labour and safety, conducting the census, income tax, customs duties and more. Here’s a detailed list of the duties, should you want to know more.
10. Can a candidate spend as much as he/she/they wish to, for contesting an election and promoting their candidacy?
No, as per Rule 90 of the Conduct of Election Rules (1961), a candidate can spend only till the upper limit prescribed for the state. The amounts vary from ₹6,00,000 to ₹15,00,000 for the Lok Sabha elections, and from ₹3,00,000 to ₹6,00,000 for assembly elections. You can see the state-wise breakup here.
11. How many MPs and MLAs are there in India, currently?
Currently, there are 543 MPs in India. Of these, 34% have self-declared criminal cases – and of these, 22% have self-declared serious criminal cases. Only 11% of MPs (62) are women. A detailed list can be seen here.
There are 4000+ MLAs in India (approximately 7-9 MLAs for every MP). A State-wise list can be seen here.
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Featured Image Source: Hindustan Times/ Getty Images
From the time we’re children, we’re constantly told that health is wealth. Yet, when it comes to menstrual hygiene, the popular adage falls apart, and an uncomfortable silence takes its place.
This silence is the reason why so many young girls in India are unaware of what their bodies undergo at menarche. It’s why we can’t seem to ask for pads and tampons without whispering at the chemist’s. And it’s also why a 12-14.5% goods and services tax (GST) on sanitary napkins has gone unchallenged for so long. Yes, we have begun to break that silence, but universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services is still scarce. Especially when it comes to marginalised groups, like sex workers.
“Menstruation is still a taboo in our country,” says Dr Smarajit Jana, a founder and chief advisor of Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a Kolkata-based sex workers’ collective. Talking about the challenges faced by sex workers in accessing products like pads and tampons, he says, “We cannot talk openly. Even shop owners cannot talk very openly; they have to go very close to the compound and whisper to them ‘What do you want to buy’, and then put it in a black bag.”
For many sex workers, however, even purchasing that pad can be a luxury. As per studies conducted by DMSC, Dr Jana says that around 40% of sex workers still use cloth, instead of sanitary napkins.
“In the redlight district cloth doesn’t dry properly,” he adds. Obviously, using damp, unclean cloth comes with its own consequences. Yeast infections and vaginitis are common, but they pale in comparison to long-term problems like pelvic inflammatory disease, or sexually transmitted infections like trichomoniasis that some women suffer from.
According to the United Nations, only half of all women in developing regions like India receive the recommended amount of health care they need. In the case of sex workers, even information about health care is absent.
“Pehle pehle toh hum kapda use karte the, kyunki jaankari nahi tha (Initially, we would use cloth, because we didn’t know better),” says Bharati Dey, Secretary of DMSC. “Har sal, hum har area mein meeting kartein hain, menstrual hygiene pe (Now every year, we conduct meetings on menstrual hygiene in different places).” Such programmes have really changed things for the better, but unfortunately, efforts like these are few and far between in India.
Girls stand outside the red-light zone, Sonagachhi.
Speaking to YKA, social worker Aysha Mahmood says: “Many projects concentrate on educating them about safe sex and their rights. But my feeling is that sanitation and hygienic living on the whole has not yet been made easy for them.”
That’s not all. Things become doubly complicated for sex workers, since they are marginalised by the law as well. Mahmood worked for 4 years in women’s prisons in India as a psychiatric counsellor, and a point person for the Kerala State AIDS Control Society. In these prisons, she says, more than half the inmates were sex workers. Conditions were bad, she explains, as they were not provided sanitary napkins or underwear, that the appointed doctor was hardly ever available, and lady doctors even less. In fact, for the last few years, Mahmood and her friends have spent Women’s Day distributing sanitary pads in these prisons.
This isn’t to say that those who stay under the police’s radar have it easier. In the trade, one’s health is quite literally their wealth. If you want to continue seeing clients and earning money, you have to be in a condition to do it. Dey talks about how, previously, HIV intervention programmes were able to increase the use of condoms. “Vaise hi menstrual hygiene campaigning ke baad sanitary pads ka use badh gaya hai (Similarly, after campaigning for menstrual hygiene, the use of sanitary pads has increased).”
Dr Jana adds that, “Non-specific STIs are very high among the community, even after 15 years of our HIV intervention programme. So explaining to sex workers how and why they should have hygienic practices is important.”
But just how achievable is that? After all, sanitary pads are so heavily taxed. Dr Jana says that for low-income category sex workers, it’s an economic burden. And like so many people across the country, he favours a withdrawal of the tax on condoms and sanitary napkins. There is of course much more that needs to be done, and this is where the issue ties up with the country’s dismal reality of sanitation. Only 60.4% of people have access to toilets. Hand-washing facility with soap and water are also rare. And all of this combined poses massive obstacles to good menstrual health.
As a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, India has a duty to ensure good health and wellbeing for all its citizens – especially sex workers and other marginalised groups. Reducing mortality and sickness caused by unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene is a non-negotiable. We need national strategies and programmes on reproductive health care, and we need to empower people to ask for them.The government must incorporate menstruation in its efforts to achieve adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all. To achieve all this by 2030, as part of our commitment to the agenda, we must work extra hard to do right by those vulnerable situations.
With little protection or support from adults, deprived of education and healthcare, children in street situations in India remain one of the most vulnerable sections of society in India. If a country’s future lies in the hands of its children, the condition of these children is definitely a cause of concern. Some of you may have wanted to help, but do you really know how to best help these children in accordance with the law? Take our quiz to find out:
हमारी उम्र का 18वां साल ज़िंदगी का एक बेहद अहम पड़ाव होता है। 18 साल के होते ही हमें वो सभी अधिकार मिलते हैं जो देश के किसी भी बालिग नागरिक यानि कि एडल्ट सिटीजन को प्राप्त हैं। लेकिन इन अधिकारों के साथ हमारे ऊपर वोट करने की एक अहम ज़िम्मेदारी भी आती है, ताकि हम अपने नेता को चुने और देश को बेहतर बनाने की दिशा में अपनी भूमिका निभा सकें और यह प्रक्रिया बिलकुल भी मुश्किल नहीं है। आइये आसान शब्दों में वोटिंग की प्रक्रिया को समझते हैं-
हम वोट क्यूं दें?
“इस देश का कुछ नहीं हो सकता, यहां कुछ नहीं बदलेगा” क्या आपकी भी यही शिकायत है? अगर हां तो वोट करिए और साथ ही बदलाव की शुरुआत भी।
हमारा देश दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा लोकतंत्र है और कोई भी लोकतंत्र उसके लोगों की शक्ति से चलता है। आपकी व्यस्त ज़िंदगी से एक घंटा निकालकर वोट करना देश की मौजूदा स्थिति को बदलने की दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम है। आपका वोट तय करता है कि आप देश के सक्रिय नागरिक हैं और बदलाव लाने में आपकी भूमिका निभा रहे हैं। आपका क्षेत्र, ज़िला, शहर और आपका देश कैसे प्रशासित होगा और आपके क्षेत्रीय और राष्ट्रीय मुद्दे कैसे सुलझाए जाएंगे, इसमें आपके वोट की भूमिका अहम है। आपके द्वारा चुने गए प्रतिनिधि को आप उसके काम को लेकर ज़िम्मेदार ठहरा सकते है, ये आपके वोट करने की निर्णायक शक्ति का ही नतीजा है।
सबसे ज़्यादा ज़रूरी ये कि आपका वोट आपकी आवाज़ है, आपकी आवाज़ जो सबसे अलग है, जिसे सुना जाना और माना जाना ज़रूरी है। हो सकता है यह आपको बहुत महत्वपूर्ण ना लगे लेकिन निसंदेह यह आपके द्वारा लिए जा सकने वाले सबसे महत्वपूर्ण फैसलों में से एक हो सकता है। एक ऐसा फैसला जो इस देश और इस देश के लोगों की तकदीर बदल सकता है।
कब कर सकते हैं आप वोट?
इसके लिए पहला कदम है एक वोटर के रूप में अपना नाम दर्ज करवाना। वोटर्स लिस्ट या मतदाता सूची तैयार किए जाने के साल, 1 जनवरी को जिसकी भी उम्र 18 साल या उससे ज़्यादा हो वह वोटिंग के लिए अपना नाम दर्ज करवा सकता है।
वोटर्स लिस्ट या मतदाता सूची उन सभी लोगों के नाम की ऐसी लिस्ट होती है जो वोट करने के लिए पंजीकरण (रजिस्टर) करवाते हैं। यह लिस्ट मतदान केन्द्रों के हिसाब से तैयार की जाती है, जहां से कोई (योग्य) व्यक्ति अपना वोट डाल सकता है।
आप वोट कहां से कर सकते हैं?
आम तौर पर इलेक्शन कमीशन या चुनाव आयोग किसी व्यक्ति का पंजीकरण वहां से करता है जहां वह रहता है, अगर आप कहीं और शिफ्ट हो जाते हैं तो चुनाव आयोग को सूचित किया जाना ज़रूरी है। भारत में आप एक जगह से ही वोट डाल सकते हैं।
क्या आप बिना वोटर आई.डी. कार्ड या मतदाता पहचान पत्र के वोट डाल सकते हैं?
हर पंजीकृत मतदाता या वोटर को चुनाव आयोग एक पहचान पत्र जारी करता है जिसे वोटर आई.डी. कार्ड या मतदाता पहचान पत्र कहा जाता है। लेकिन इसके बिना भी आप पैन कार्ड, ड्राइविंग लाइसेंस, राशन कार्ड, स्टूडेंट आई.डी. कार्ड या पासपोर्ट का इस्तेमाल कर वोट डाल सकते हैं।
युवा महिलाऐं वोट देने के बाद
वोटिंग के लिए रजिस्टर कैसे करें?
वोटिंग के लिए रजिस्टर करने के लिए आपको इलेक्टोरल रजिस्ट्रेशन ऑफिसर को फॉर्म 6 देना होगा, जिसके ये तरीके हैं-
ऑनलाइन रजिस्टर करने के लिए www.eic.nic.in पर जाएं या आपके राज्य के चीफ इलेक्टोरल ऑफिसर की वेबसाइट पर जाएं।
फॉर्म 6 डाउनलोड करें और इसे भरकर डाक से भेज दें।
फॉर्म 6 को भरकर आप खुद ही इलेक्टोरल रजिस्ट्रेशन ऑफिसर के दफ्तर में इसे जमा करवा सकते हैं।
अगर वोटर्स लिस्ट में आपका नाम नहीं है तो क्या हैं आपके अधिकार?
केवल आई.डी. या पहचान पत्र होना ही वोट करने के लिए काफी नहीं है। अगर वोटर्स लिस्ट या मतदाता सूची में आपका नाम नहीं है तो आप वोट नहीं कर सकते।
नीचे लिखी वजहों से आप वोट करने के लिए अयोग्य साबित हो सकते हैं-
अगर आप किसी अन्य देश की नागरिकता ले लें।
अगर किसी अदालत द्वारा आपको मानसिक रूप से अस्वस्थ करार दे दिया जाए।
अगर आप वोटिंग की प्रक्रिया में गैरकानूनी तरीकों का इस्तेमाल करते पाए जाते हैं।
यदि आप किसी अन्य व्यक्ति की पहचान पर वोट करते पाए जाते हैं।
आपके क्षेत्र के इलेक्टोरल रजिस्ट्रेशन ऑफिसर से आप पता कर सकते हैं कि वोटर्स लिस्ट में आपका नाम है या नहीं। बड़े शहरों में यह जानकारी आधिकारिक वेबसाइट पर ऑनलाइन भी उपलब्ध होती है।
वोटिंग से जुड़े मुद्दों पर किससे कर सकते हैं शिकायत?
चीफ इलेक्टोरल ऑफिसर (राज्य स्तर पर)
डिस्ट्रिक्ट इलेक्शन ऑफिसर (जिला स्तर पर)
रिटर्निंग ऑफिसर (निर्वाचन क्षेत्र के स्तर पर)
असिस्टेंट रिटर्निंग ऑफिसर (ताल्लुका या तहसील स्तर पर)
प्रेसिडिंग ऑफिसर (पोलिंग स्टेशन स्तर पर)
वोट देने के बाद अपना वोटर आई.डी. कार्ड दिखाती दो महिलाएं; फोटो आभार: Ajay Aggarwal/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images
क्या आपको वोट ना करने का भी अधिकार है?
अगर किसी कारण से आप वोट नहीं करना चाहते तो यह भी आपका अधिकार है। इसके लिए आपके मतदान केंद्र या पोलिंग बूथ में जाएं और इस बाबत वहां मौजूद अधिकारी को सूचित करें। इस स्थिति में आपके नाख़ून पर स्याही तो लगाई जाएगी लेकिन आपको किसी भी उम्मीदवार को वोट देने को नहीं कहा जाएगा।
क्या ये संभव है कि आप किसी को भी ना चुने और वोट भी दें?
बैलट पेपर या मत पत्र पर नोटा (NOTA: Not Of The Above) का विकल्प चुनकर आप ऐसा कर सकते हैं और बिना किसी को चुने आपका वोट डाल सकते हैं।
अगर आपके नाम से कोई और वोट डाल दे तो क्या आप वोट दे सकते हैं?
ऐसी स्थिति में भी आपको वोट डालने का पूरा अधिकार है। इसके लिए टेंडर्ड बैलट पेपर का इस्तेमाल किया जाता है। पोलिंग बूथ पर मौजूद अधिकारी द्वारा इसे अलग से रखा जाता है लेकिन इस वोट की गिनती तब तक नहीं होती जब तक कि विजेता उम्मेदवार और उसके विरोधी के बीच का अंतर बेहद कम ना हो।
क्या आपका वोट आपकी इच्छा से कोई और दे सकता है और क्या डाक से वोट दिया जा सकता है?
वो लोग जो इलेक्शन ड्यूटी पर हो, सेना और सशस्त्र बालों में काम कर रहे लोग और सुधारग्रहों में रह रहे लोग डाक से अपना वोट भेज सकते हैं। सेना व पुलिस के जवान और सरकारी कर्मचारी जो विदेश में तैनात हों, किसी अन्य व्यक्ति को उनका वोट डालने के लिए चुन सकते हैं।
क्या वोट डालने के लिए 1 से ज़्यादा जगह से पंजीकरण कराया जा सकता है?
नहीं, एक व्यक्ति वोट डालने के लिए एक ही जगह से पंजीकरण करवा सकता है, एक से ज़्यादा जगहों से पंजीकरण करवाना गैरकानूनी है।
एक वोटर के रूप में, उम्मीदवार की क्या जानकारियां आपको उपलब्ध हो सकती हैं?
चुनाव आयोग के नियमों के अनुसार, आपको उम्मेदवार की इस जानकारियों को जानने का अधिकार है:
उम्मीदवार का आपराधिक रिकॉर्ड, अगर हो तो।
उम्मीदवार और उसके परिवार की संपत्ति का ब्यौरा।
उम्मीदवार की शैक्षणिक योग्यता।
उम्मीदवार का नामांकन पत्र और सम्बंधित कागज़ात।
उम्मीदवार पर सरकार की कोई बकाया रकम, अगर हो तो।
आपको ये अधिकार नहीं हैं:
किसी उम्मीदवार को वोट देने या ना देने के बदले पैसे लेना या किसी तरह का कोई लाभ लेना।
किसी अन्य वोटर को धर्म, जाति या सम्प्रदाय के आधार पर वोट करने के लिए प्रेरित करना।
किसी विशेष उम्मीदवार को वोट ना करने पर अन्य मतदाताओं का सामाजिक बहिष्कार करना या इसकी धमकी देना।
#JetSetVote भारत में वोटिंग को दिलचस्प और मजेदार बनाने की YKA और facebook india की एक राष्ट्रीय पहल है, जिससे देश के युवाओं को उनके वोटिंग के अधिकार और जिम्मेदारियों के प्रति समर्थ बनाने के साथ जागरूक भी किया जा सके।
फोटो आभार: Gagan Nayar/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images
The post इन 14 पॉइंट्स में जानिये क्या हैं आपके वोटिंग राइट्स appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.
आज भी हमारे छोटे से कस्बे में पीरियड्स खुसुर-पुसुर करने वाला ही विषय है। आज भी लड़कियों को इन दिनों के दौरान शारीरिक तकलीफों के साथ-साथ मानसिक तकलीफों से गुजरना पड़ता है। आज भी घर जाकर हम बता दें कि पीरियड्स चल रहे हैं तो हमारा सोने के बिस्तर से लेकर खाने की प्लेट तक अलग कर दी जाती है। आज भी लड़कियां इस बारे में बात करती झिझकने लगती हैं। वहां आज भी लगभग हर घर की माँ लड़कियों को इशारों में, दबी आवाजों में ही समझाती है। आज भी वहां पीरियड्स शुरू हो जाने के बाद कहा जाता है कि चुप रहना, किसी को बताना मत। और हाँ ये भी सिखाया जाता है कि इन दिनों अपने घर के पुरुषों से दूर रहना चाहिए।
मैं आज भी इन दिनों में अपने पापा को पानी तक नहीं पिला सकती। कुल मिलाकर इन दिनों हमारे यहाँ लड़कियों को पूरी तरह से अछूत माना जाता है। एक ऐसी अछूत जिसके छूने से अचार तक सड़ जाए।
ऐसे ही कितने किस्से हैं जो हमेशा मुझे पीरियड्स से नफरत करवाते रहे। खैर अगर बात करूँ अपने पहले पीरियड की तो मुझे याद है अपने पहले पीरियड की बात। सातवीं क्लास में ही मुझे पीरियड होना शुरू हो चुका था। आज की तरह उस वक़्त भी बच्चों को बताया तक नहीं जाता था इन सबके बारे में। बस एक उड़ा-उड़ा सा शब्द था एम.सी.। जो उस वक़्त बेहद ही घिन वाला शब्द माना जाता था। मैं जिस जगह रहती थी वहां आज भी लड़कियां या घर की माएं अपनों बच्चों को नहीं बताती कि पीरियड क्या है।
जब पहली बार मुझे पीरियड हुआ उस वक़्त मुझे पता भी न चला। मैं स्कूल से घर आई और दूसरे दिन स्कूल भी चली गई। कुछ अंदाजा ही नहीं था मुझे और न ही मेरी माँ को। पर जब मैं दूसरे दिन स्कूल से वापस आई तो मेरी माँ ने झट से मुझे खखोलना शुरू कर दिया। मुझे लगा न जाने क्या बात हुई ? मैंने झल्ला कर पूछा तो जबाब मिला तुझे एम. सी. हो गई है। मुझे समझ में नहीं आया आखिर ये क्या है। तब मम्मी ने मेरी कल की यूनिफार्म पर लगा खून का दाग दिखाया।
मुझे एम. सी. कोई बुरी बात लगी, इसलिए मैंने उसे टालना शुरू कर दिया। माँ मेरी अब तक माथा पकड़ कर बैठी थी। मुझे उन दिनों लगा कि मुझसे शायद कोई अपराध हुआ है। माँ ने माथा इस चिंता में पकड़ा था कि उन्हें लगा अब मेरी लम्बाई नहीं बढ़ेगी। चूँकि मेरी माँ ज्यादा पढ़ी-लिखी नहीं इसलिए उन्होंने हमें कभी खुल कर इस बारे में नहीं बताया।
माँ ने अलमारी से एक कपड़ा निकाला और कहा जा बाथरूम में जाकर देख और इसे लगा। लगभग कई सालों तक हमने कपड़ा ही इस्तेमाल किआ फिर। मुझे अब तक घिन के साथ-साथ रोना आ रहा था। शायद उस वक़्त मैं चाहती थी कि कोई मुझसे बात करे। तब माँ ने बस दबी आवाज में बताया था मुझे कि तेरे पेशाब करने वाली जगह से खून आ रहा है। ये सुनते ही जैसे डर गई मैं। लगा जैसे कोई अपराध हुआ है मुझसे। माँ ने हाथ में कपड़ा देते हुए कई सारे नियम भी बाँध दिए थे साथ में।
उन दिनों खेलने के साथ-साथ बंद हो गया था रसोई में जाना, किसी चीज को हाथ लगाना, पापा के पास जाना और भी बहुत कुछ। इस तरह मेरे पहले पीरियड की कहानी अपराधबोध भरी थी।
मुझे पहली बार पीरियड्स पूरे 15 दिन तक चले लेकिन बाद में अचानक ही कुछ महीनों के लिए बंद भी हो गए। मैं बहुत खुश थी, तब जानती नहीं थी कि इनका बंद होना अच्छा नहीं। उस वक़्त कई सारे सवाल मन में थे, बदलाव शरीर में थे पर जबाब देने वाला कोई नहीं।
आज भी अपने घर, बुआ के घर, और बाकी रिश्तेदारों के घर जाने से थोड़ा सा डरती हूँ कहीं इन्हें पता चल गया तो फिर उन्हीं दकियानूसी बातों में खुद को घसीटना पड़ेगा। जिनका असर अब तक है जिंदगी पर। उन दिनों यह भी पता चला कि एक ऐसा धर्म भी है जो शर्मिंदा करता है।
The post और इस तरह मेरे पहले पीरियड की कहानी अपराधबोध भरी थी… appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.
India is one of the largest consumers of coffee in the world, yet 90% of our coffee is exported! Rooted in the spirit of Make in India, our vision at Sleepy Owl Coffee is to produce a convenient and easy-to-consume beverage, using the best coffee sourced directly from Indian farmers.
Backed by the belief that simplicity is the greatest form of sophistication, we wished to inculcate love for home-grown coffee among Indian consumers. And with that, our startup journey began. It’s been a rocky road, but our belief that the way India drinks coffee needs changing is being validated by our consumers every day!
From 1975, when the first concrete step towards addressing the issues cities was taken by the Indira Gandhi government by constituting a task force on towns and cities, to the launch of Smart Cities Mission by the Narendra Modi government in 2015, India has come a long way.
A lot has changed in these 40 years in the Indian urban landscape – but unfortunately the status of urban governance in India is still in shambles. According to estimates, 95% of urban expansion in the next decade will take place in the developing world – and India, with its growth story, will have a significant impact on how this happens. In fact, the dearth of concrete actions by the government to improve urban governance reforms, is going to have a significant impact on India’s promise to create inclusive and sustainable cities under the Global Sustainable Development Goals.
With the Smart Cities Mission, India aims to create 100 cities with state-of-the-art infrastructure like intelligent lighting, intelligent traffic systems and vehicle management systems and Wi-Fi access points, among others. This ambitious idea will be implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), a company constituted by the local government with a CEO at the helm of things to curtail the bureaucratic processes that delays the decision making process.
Blueprint of a smart city? (Photo by Pradeep Gaur/Mint via Getty Images)
One cannot disagree that long-drawn bureaucratic processes are frustrating, but the government’s decision to institute a parallel system (in the form of a SPV) instead of correcting the course of governance is problematic. The mission could have been a flag-bearer of systemic governance reforms that successive governments have ignored – but instead the mission chose to outsource local governance. However, it is too early to say if the outsourcing model will work in favour of or further weaken the third tier of our federal structure.
Another caveat to the Smart Cities Mission is the financing of the projects. As per M Venkaiah Naidu, the then urban development minister, “Under Smart City Mission, a total investment of about Rs 1,35,000 crore has been proposed by the 60 cities that have so far been identified for financing smart city plans.” A major source of revenue for financing the plan is through issuance of municipal bonds. According to Moneycontrol, over ₹50,000 crore of municipal bonds may be up for grabs soon, as 26 cities get ready to hit the market.
It is a welcome change that cities are creating a brand identity for themselves and reaching out to the market for financing their infrastructural needs. However, unless comprehensive governance reforms are implemented, municipal bonds may prove be detrimental to the Indian urban story.
An example which showcases the downside of market-based borrowing is the state of urban local governments (ULGs) in China. A 2008 stimulus program of the central government in China forced many of the ULGs to borrow massively from the market to match up to the central subsidies. An over-investment of these funds in infrastructure, combined with structural governance issues, have led to a huge local debt despite significant growth in the revenues of cities in China. The amount of debt owed by Chinese ULGs in 2017 will be around 1 trillion yuan (approximately $160 billion or ₹ 10,92,000 crores), according to estimates. The situation has escalated to a level where the Chinese finance ministry had to intervene and restructure the debt of the Chinese urban local bodies.
Compared to their Chinese counterparts, most Indian cities have hardly seen any rise in own-source revenue. Most municipal bodies in India fail to comply with the national municipal accounts manual. Budgets are faulty, audits are pending and own source revenue is so less that it hardly covers staff salaries.
Cities in India are highly understaffed and the capacities to implement complex projects are simply non-existent. No municipal body in India has a Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act similar to the Union and state FRBM laws. The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003, aims to institutionalise financial discipline, reduce fiscal deficit and improve overall management of public funds by moving towards a balanced budget and strengthening fiscal prudence in the state and Union governments. The lack of any such control has added to the tendency of municipal bodies to rely on inter-governmental transfers, rather than tapping their own revenue potential. In this scenario, the intended goal of creating sustainable cities and human settlements that will ensure access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation for all, seems like a distant dream.
As per Gregory Peirce’s paper in the Economic and Political Weekly, in a sample of 3524 cities in 2001, on an average, cities showed a 44% dependency on state finance. Far from improving, the situation has worsened in the period from 2007-08 to 2012-13, as per the India Habitat III report.
Moreover, the Smart Cities Mission does not link the disbursal of funds from the Centre and the enactment of reforms. Under the erstwhile JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission), the release of funds from the Centre were subject to the achievement of milestones agreed upon, as well as the implementation of mandatory and optional reforms. This carrot-and-stick approach to nudge cities to implement governance reforms is missing in the Smart Cities Mission.
When will cities in India attain the standards set by these international cities? (Photo by Pradeep Gaur/Mint via Getty Images)
Thus, the lack of skilled staff, the low own-source revenue, incorrectly-aligned incentives and poorly-developed regulations for borrowings from markets may cause urban local bodies to go for binge-borrowing. Unless these market-based borrowings are coupled with capacity building of ULGs, along with concerted efforts for exact own- revenue sources, they might end up being a cocktail for financial disaster.
Our cities are in dire need of a radical revolution in governance – one that does not outsource local governance to manoeuvre around the chaotic processes – but one that builds institutional capabilities by adequate and efficient staffing, simplifying the administrative processes, engaging citizens and strengthening grassroots democracy. As a signatory to the Global Sustainable Development Goals, India needs to do more to ensure access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for everyone.
The future we want includes cities with opportunities, clean air, adequate infrastructure and access to basic services for all. The Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation are welcome steps by the government. But unless they are coupled with governance reforms, these will only be limited to some anecdotal success stories.
Naim Keruwala and Maya Roy are experienced urban governance practitioners working with universities, not-for-profits and urban local governments across the country on governance reform interventions. Naim tweets at @Naim_K and Maya tweets at @mayamishika.
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Images used for representative purposes only.
Image Source: Samir Jana/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
As I asked, “Can a single vote change anything?”, the crowd gave a resounding “YES!”.
In the 2014 General Elections, only half of the over 100 million registered first-time voters actually went out and voted. With #JetSetVote, we wanted to change this. As important as it is for us to use the YKA platform to create awareness and encourage young people to vote, we knew we had to meet them in person and impact the way they think.
In collaboration with the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), Youth Ki Awaaz invented a unique life-sized snakes and ladders game to train over 2,500 young people on how they can be active citizens by exercising their rights and responsibilities as voters. Today, we started with our first workshop with 130 students from KKC Degree College, Lucknow and the response was ecstatic! We discussed everything from their rights and responsibilities as voters to how decision making works.
The workshop was divided into two parts: Through a match the following game, understanding how various levels of decision-making work; and through the snakes and ladders game, understanding the voter registration process and their responsibilities as voters.
Below is a quick recap, in photos.
Students form groups to play the match the following game. Every group, with two facilitators from PRIA and Youth Ki Awaaz, discuss issues that matter to them, and which level of governance can help solve these issues.
The idea behind the game was to reinforce why it is important to vote in every election (central, state and local) and who you should reach out to for which issue.
The students took turns to highlight issues and left with a very clear understanding of whom to hold accountable for what issue.
Soon after, the groups started playing the life-sized snakes and ladders to better understand the process around voter registration, the forms required for registration or corrections, and their responsibilities as voters and active citizens. (All this information is also available for you at the #JetSetVote website here.)
In the next few months, Youth Ki Awaaz, Facebook and PRIA will be covering tens of other universities and colleges across the country, training over 2,500 first-time voters to turn them into active citizens.
Want to call us to your college or want to create awareness through #JetSetVote? Get involved here.
जब मैंने पूछा, “क्या एक वोट से कुछ बदलाव आ सकता है?” मेरे सामने बैठे लोगों के बीच से एक ज़ोरदार आवाज़ आई “हां!”
2014 के लोकसभा चुनावों से पहले 10 करोड़ से भी ज़्यादा ऐसे युवा वोटिंग के लिए रजिस्टर्ड थे जो पहली बार वोट करने वाले थे, लेकिन उनमे से केवल आधे लोगों ने ही वोट दिया। #JetSetVote के साथ हम इस स्थिति को बदलना चाहते हैं। हम जानते थे कि युवाओं को वोटिंग के लिए जागरूक और प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए Youth Ki Awaaz प्लैटफॉर्म का इस्तेमाल जितना ज़रूरी है, उतना ही ज़रूरी उनसे खुद जाकर मिलना और बात करना भी है।
Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) के साथ मिलकर Youth Ki Awaaz ने स्नेक एंड लेडर (सांप-सीढ़ी) गेम का एक ऐसा रूप इजाद किया जिससे 2500 युवाओं को उनके वोट करने के अधिकार और उसकी जिम्मेदारियों के बारे में ट्रेन किया जा सके। कल 28 तारीख को इसी सिलसिले में हमने लखनऊ के KKC डिग्री कॉलेज में 130 स्टूडेंट्स के साथ पहली वर्कशॉप आयोजित की। वहां हमें जो स्टूडेंट्स की प्रतिक्रिया मिली वो देखने लायक थी! हमने उनके साथ वोटिंग के अधिकार और एक वोटर के रूप में हमारी ज़िम्मेदारियों से लेकर वोटिंग के दौरान लिए गए हमारे फैसलों के असर तक सभी मुद्दों पर उनसे बात की।
इस वर्कशॉप को 2 हिस्सों में आयोजित किया गया। पहला एक ‘मैच द फॉलोइंग’ गेम था, जिसके ज़रिये ये समझाया गया कि वोटिंग को लेकर अलग-अलग स्तरों पर लिए गए हमारे फैसलों का क्या असर होता है। दूसरा ‘स्नेक एंड लेडर’ गेम था, जिससे वोटर रजिस्ट्रेशन की प्रक्रिया और एक वोटर के रूप में उनकी जिम्मेदारियों को समझाया गया।
आइये देखते हैं तस्वीरों में इस वर्कशॉप की एक झलक-
‘मैच द फॉलोइंग’ गेम खेलने के लिए स्टूडेंट्स ने अलग-अलग ग्रुप्स बनाए। हर ग्रुप के साथ PRIA और Youth Ki Awaaz के दो फेसिलिटेटर्स थे जिन्होंने उन मुद्दों पर बात की जो उनके लिए ज़रूरी हैं और उन्हें सुलझाने के लिए प्रशासन के कौन से स्तर मदद कर सकते हैं।.
इसके पीछे आईडिया इस सोच को मजबूत करना था कि हर स्तर (लोकसभा, विधानसभा और क्षेत्रीय स्तर) पर वोट करना ज़रूरी है और अलग-अलग मुद्दों के लिए किससे बात की जाए।
सभी स्टूडेंट्स ने बारी-बारी से अलग-अलग मुद्दों के बारे में बात की और समझा कि उन्हें सुलझाना किसकी ज़िम्मेदारी है।
कुछ देर के बाद सभी ग्रुप्स ने स्नेक एंड लेडर खेलना शुरू किया, जिससे उन्होंने वोटर रजिस्ट्रेशन की प्रक्रिया, इसके लिए कौन से फॉर्म्स की ज़रूरत होती है और उसमे अगर कोई बदलाव करना है तो क्या किया जाए, को समझा। साथ ही उन्होंने एक नागरिक और वोटर के रूप में अपने अधिकारों और जिम्मेदारियों को भी समझा। (ये सारी जानकारी #JetSetVote की वेबसाइट पर यहां उपलब्ध है।)
अगले कुछ महीनों में Youth Ki Awaaz, facebook और PRIA साथ मिलकर देश की और भी बहुत सी यूनिवर्सिटीज़ और कॉलेज़ेस में पहली बार वोट करने वाले 2500 से भी ज़्यादा युवाओं को एक सक्रिय नागरिक की भूमिका निभाने के लिए ट्रेन करेंगे।
क्या आप अपने कॉलेज में #JetSetVote के ज़रिये जागरूकता लाने के लिए हमें बुलाना चाहते हैं? हमारी इस मुहीम में शामिल होने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें।
Growing up, I had never thought that one day I would be an entrepreneur. My entrepreneurial journey, in fact, began after I completed my postgraduate studies in the States and returned to India to work with my family’s business – Shahi Exports.
Anand Ahuja, founder of bhane. (PC: Santu Misra/Aman Makkar)
I joined the industry to understand the world of manufacturing apparel more deeply, and realised that the idea of design and apparel in India was very evolved. This was, of course, much before brands like Zara and GAP came to India. There were already people in India, who wanted to wear what the rest of the world was wearing, but the issue was they didn’t have access to it.
It was this realisation that led me to start working on my pet project, which would go on to become bhane. With bhane., I wanted to create products that had global consumer appeal, but were, at the same time, affordable to people in India. And that’s what we started with – designing for ourselves, and for young people like us. We imagined bhane. as just a provider of tools for individuals to share their individual thoughts and personality.
We didn’t want to follow a traditional marketing model. We didn’t hire an advertising or PR company, and instead, we were letting people know about bhane. through our photo shoots of ‘real people’. We chose to go with this because it was transparent and genuine. After all, people respond best to authenticity. And they did! The response we got was positive and extremely encouraging. People really wanted to wear our designs! And realising this, I decided to go into bhane. full time.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing though. Coming from a family that owned and operated a successful brand of apparel, I set very high expectations for the business. There was constant pressure to achieve these, and there were days when I would come down very hard on myself for not matching certain preconceived standards of success that my legacy had left me with. I was hard on the team too, when bhane. did not achieve what I envisioned for it.
Furthermore, it is common for people to share their opinions, and because bhane. had started sort of ‘off the cuff’, I was swayed by these opinions – to add more clothes, styles and sizes. We got carried away and started taking on more than we could manage. We were doing so many things that we couldn’t focus on strengthening our core, and as a result, we ended up diluting the identity that we were hoping to establish. We tried to over-achieve and cater to everyone and everything, instead of what we had started out doing.
It was only recently that we realised that this was harming our brand and mission, and decided to pull back and work on what we had originally intended to do.
And this realisation also taught me that entrepreneurial success isn’t just understood monetarily. Success boils down to the story you want to tell with your business – and whether you’ve shared that story with those who choose you over others for it. For instance, bhane. is still very small and we still have a long way to go to ensure that it reaches its full potential. I’ve learned that it isn’t worth the while to stray off the story you want your business to tell, just to meet expectations. Often, the glamour of achieving more gets to you – but as an entrepreneur and leader, it’s important to have a clear sense of what direction you want to take.
Clothes from bhane.
It helps to put down the story you want to tell with your business in writing. Put it down, and you will not end up losing your identity, which is the most integral part of a business. And this story can definitely change, too! Only, writing it down ensures that it changes proactively.
I believe that the best brands in apparel are those that some people love and others don’t. It’s always best to build a culture like that, instead of trying to do everything and please everyone. For instance, now bhane. does very few styles in a season, but we do the ones we love – that is our identity, and nothing’s worth changing that. That’s the kind of success every entrepreneur wants to see.
If you are a first-time voter (or will become one soon), you may still remember those school lessons about how important voting was to the health of a democracy. Your teacher may have even said stuff like ‘practice your franchise’ when you become ‘eligible to vote’. But if all of that sounded like just plain fancy talk to you, you’re not the only one.
The truth is, though, that when it comes to going out there to vote, a huge fraction of our population doesn’t seem interested in exercising this power. Did you know, for example, that voter turnout in Lok Sabha elections has hovered around 55-66% since Independence? But let’s talk about what’s going on with youth like you and me. Until 2014, the turnout of first-time-voters (18-22 years) in the General Elections remained lower than the national average voter turnout. It seems everyone has an excuse to NOT vote! Several excuses, actually.
Team YKA decided to run those bahanas under our scanners and see whether you – the millennial voter – have a legit reason to steer clear of that polling booth. As solid as you think your excuses are, we’ve got a counter for each one of ’em, and by the end of this we think you just might be ready to #JetSetVote!
Choose an excuse for not voting.
What am I, a tree? I moved away from my constituency
You only need to inform the election commission about this. Fill Form 7 to delete your name from the previous constituency and Form 6 (with the new address) to add your name in the electoral roll in the new constituency. Submit both these forms to the Electoral Registration Officer of the new constituency and you are done.
Even migrant workers, who move a lot and get the short end of the stick with almost every government, exercise their right to vote seriously. And you still want to make this excuse?
Yaar, my polling booth is too far!
This is a really bad excuse for not going out to vote. ECI guidelines require that polling stations are set up in a manner that no voter has to travel more than 2 kilometres to vote, so no polling station can be too far away. This guideline is relaxed at times due to topography, but if the election commission has set up a booth in the Gir forest for a single voter, it can be safely said they take a lot of pain to ensure that a voter doesn’t have to cross mountains to cast his vote! Don’t be lazy please?
Ain't nobody got time for those looooong queues!
Okay, so sometimes the weather may not be as pleasant as you’d like it to be. And you may have to stand in a queue to cast your vote. But the wait isn’t infinite, you know. In fact, the ECI reviews and rationalises polling stations from time-to-time so that there are no more than 1200 voters at a station in rural areas and no more than 1400 voters at those in urban areas. Taking this fact into account, how long do you think the wait can be? Not much, we say.
Some jerk stole my wallet and I lost my voter card
Don’t sweat it! You can vote even without your Voter ID. Any commonly accepted proofs of identification including PAN card, driving license, ration card, student’s ID card and passport are accepted as long as your name is on the electoral roll.
Filling those forms = way too much running around!
Says who? You can fill Form 6 for registration online at www.eci.nic.in or on each respective state’s Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) website. And if you don’t have access to internet, you can send the form to the Electoral Registration Officer by post!
I'm leaving on a jet plane; gonna study/work/live in 'the foreign' ✈
All the best in foreign land! But just FYI, as long as you are a citizen of India, you can register for voting. Click here to know more. You might have to come down to India, though unless you are a service voter. Click here to know more about service voters.
All this new-fangled equipment (EVM) looks way too complicated
Watch the video and you are ready!
Elections are for powerful people. Not really important for aam janta like me
This is Shyam Saran Negi. He is going to be 100 years old. He still votes. Be like him. Moreover, from your representatives at the local level to those at the national level, everybody has a role to play in how your money is spent (watch video below), and each of these people affect how you live. If you don’t choose your representative, you’ll be foregoing the power to decide how you are governed.
What good is my residence proof when I live in a hostel now?
Here’s a Eureka! moment for you. You can still register as a voter if you want to vote as a resident of your college hostel. If your college is in a place different from your hometown, you would want that place to be governed well, too, right? So if you plan to vote as a resident of your college, you need to get a Student Declaration Form signed by your college authorities, and you are ready with a residence proof.
I don't even know the names of the candidates!
For general and assembly elections at least, the ECI uploads affidavits (containing information about candidates, such as their educational qualification, criminal history records, details of assets and liabilities) of each candidate in a constituency on its website. State Election Commissions, although promise this, haven’t always done so readily for local body elections. But other organisations, such as Association for Democratic Reforms, provide this information on their website for local body elections too. There. Done.
My vote probably doesn't matter much
Every single vote matters! Don’t believe us? Ask A. R. Krishnamurhthy of Janata Dal (Secular) who lost to R Dhruvanarayan of Congress by just one vote in the Karnataka assembly elections of 2004. Here are four more instances from India where just one vote made all the difference.
Got an excuse that’s not in the list? Post your excuse in the comments, and we’ll see if we can help you with it. Happy voting for the next elections!
ऐ बिहारी, चल बे बिहारी साइड हो, देख बिहारी जैसी हरकते कर रहा है, ओए सही से खा ना बिहारियों की तरह क्यों खा रहा है, इन बिहारियों ने गंध मचा दिया है इधर आकर।
अगर आप दिल्ली, मुंबई जैसे बड़े शहरों में पले बढ़े हैं तो उपर लिखी बातें आपको दो केस में ही विचलित कर सकती हैं या कम से कम बुरी लग सकती हैं। पहला ये कि आप संवेदनशील इंसान बनने की प्रक्रिया का पालन कर रहे हैं और दूसरा ये कि आप इस देश के संविधान और डेमोक्रेसी की आत्मा को समझते हैं। अब फर्ज़ करिए कि आप रिसीविंग एंड पर हैं, मतलब बिहार से हैं फिर हर हालत में ये बातें आपने इन महानगरों में सुनी होगी अगर खुद पर नहीं तो किसी रिक्शा चलाने वाले के लिए, किसी ने कोई गलती की हो तब, किसी ने कोई अपराध किया हो तब, या किसी को गाली दी जा रही हो तब।
आपकी जन्मभूमी जब आपके देश में एक गाली बन जाती है तब अपने डिफेंस में की जाने वाली बातों में रचनात्मक स्पेस बहुत ज़्यादा नहीं रह जाता है। फिर प्रतिकार के लिए जो स्लोग्न्स निकलते हैं वो कुछ ऐसे बिना सिर पैर के होते हैं- ‘जे ना कटे आड़ी से उ कटे बिहारी से’, ‘मार देम गोली केहू नइखे बोली।’ लेकिन फिर कोई ऐसा शख्स भी आता है जो बड़े अदब से आपको कहेगा कि हम दिल नहीं स्टिरियोटाइप तोड़ते हैं। खैर इस लाइन के लिए आप लेखक को वाहवाही दें उससे पहले आपको बताता चलूं कि ये पटना के बश्शार हबिबुल्ला का पेटेंट है जो PatnaBeats के फाउंडर हैं। और क्यों शुरु किया बश्शार ने PatnaBeats इसका जवाब उनके टैगलाइन में है Redefining The Word Bihar यानी बिहार शब्द की परिभाषा एक नए सिरे से गढ़ने का प्रयास।
PatnaBeats के फाउंडर बश्शार हबिबुल्ला
Youth Ki Awaaz के प्रशांत की बश्शार से एक दोस्ताना मुलाकात, इंटरव्यू में तब्दील हो गई, पढ़िए बश्शार और उनके स्टार्टअप की कहानी।
प्रशांत- बश्शार थोड़ा इंटरव्यू जैसा कर लेते हैं, हाहा, तो एकदम स्टेपल सवाल कि PatnaBeats का ख़याल कैसे आया?
बश्शार- पहले कौन सा बताउं, एक के बाद एक जो नौकरियां जाती रहीं मेरी वो या जो बचपन से ही बिहारियों के लिए स्टिरियोटाइप्स देखा-महसूस किया जो एक बड़ी वजह थी वो?
प्रशांत- पहले स्टिरियोटाइप वाला बताओ, नौकरी छूटने पर भी आएंगे।
बश्शार- बचपन की एक स्टोरी बताता हूं। 1999 में दिल्ली गया था 10 साल का था तब। बुआ के यहां गया था तो आसपास के बच्चों से दोस्ती हो गई थी। शाम को मुहल्ले के पार्क में क्रिकेट खेलने गया था। मैच में एक बच्चे ने कैच छोड़ दिया तो दूसरे बच्चे ने बोला अबे बिहारी ठीक से खेल। जब मैच खत्म हुआ तो मैं उसके पास गया और पूछा भाई तुम बिहार में कहां से हो? उसने कहा कि अबे मैं बिहारी नहीं वो तो कैच छूटने पर मुझे गाली दे रहा था। बहुत छोटा था लेकिन ये बात ज्यों कि त्यों छप गई मन में।
फिर पटना से स्कूलिंग करने के बाद बेंगलुरू से BBM किया। हॉस्टल में 4 लोग थे। मैं एक बिहारी मुस्लिम, एक मणिपुर से जो बड़ा अच्छा म्यूज़िकल इंस्ट्रूमेंट बजाता था, एक सिक्किम में बड़ा हुआ बिहारी जो 10 लैंग्वेज बोल लेता था, एक बंगाली मुस्लिम था जो बहुत अच्छा लिखता था। तो सब मे कुछ ना कुछ टैलेंट था हमको छोड़कर। तो वहां लगा कि यार कुछ तो अपना एक बनाना चाहिए। इसी दौरान फोटोग्राफी का शौक हुआ। भाई से एक डिजिटल कैमरा मंगवाया और फिर कैमरा लेकर बहुत घूमा।
घूमते घूमते बिहारियों के लिए इतने स्टिरियोटाइप्स देखें की क्या बताऊं, कश्मीर के लोग, पुणे के लोग और तो और यूपी के लोग भी बिहारियों का इतना स्टिरियोटाइप बनाए हुए थे कि पूछो मत। लिविंग स्टैंडर्ड से आदतों तक हर बात पर बिहारियों का इतना मज़ाक उड़ाते थे। वो बातें दिल में रह गईं। फोटोग्राफी के साथ साथ मैं 2010 से ही अपना एक पेज चलाता था। अब तो खैर पेज चलाना ट्रेंड ही हो गया है। और बहुत टाइम सोशल मीडिया पर जाता था।
उसी वक्त पटना नाम से एक पेज था जिसे मैं मैनेज करने लगा, हालांकि वो मेरा पेज नहीं था लेकिन मैक्सिमम कंटेंट मेरा ही था और मैनेज भी हम ही कर रहे थे। ये करते करते हमको लगा कि काहे नहीं अपना ही कुछ शुरु किया जाए। और उस वक्त कोई ऐसा वेबसाइट भी नहीं था जो बिहार के बारे में बात करे या लिखे। बेरोज़गार भी थे उस वक्त, बस वो पेज मैनेज कर रहे थे। तो हमको लगा कि एक वेबसाइट बनाया जाए।
उसी दौरान मिथिला मखान और देसवा के डायरेक्टर नितिन चंद्रा से दोस्ती हुई थी। उन्होंने एक दिन एक वेबसाइट दिखायाा।
Youswear.com ये गालियों का इनसायक्लोपीडिया है। दुनिया मेंं जितनी भी भाषाएं हैं उनसबकी गालियां यहां आपको मिल जाएगी, वहां एक सेक्शन हिंदी का भी है, और उसमें एक गाली है BIHARI जिसका मतलब है LOSER. मैं कसम से कह रहा हूं मेरे रौंगटे खड़े हो गये जब ये देखा मैंने।
और तभी वेबसाइट कैसा और किस मोटिव से बनाउंगा ये क्लियर हो गया था। यही कहानी है PatnaBeats के शुरु होने की।
प्रशांत– ये तो बहुत भद्दा है यार वेबसाइट पर गाली बना देना बिहार को!
बश्शार– हर बार किसी को बताता हूं तो रौंगटे खड़े हो जाते हैं। और ये फिर पूरे देश ने मिलकर तोहफा दिया है ना हमें स्टिरियोटाइप बना बना के। सोचो कोई हिंदी सेक्शन में आए किसी दूसरे देश का तो वो तो यही सोचेगा ना कि बिहारी तो गाली है।
प्रशांत– नौकरी से काहे निकाले गये थे?
बश्शार– ये बातें बताई नहीं मैंने पहले किसी को हाहा… सबसे पहले जब सोशल मीडिया पर बहुत सारा वक्त बिताने लगा तो भैय्या के एक दोस्त ने बताया कि जब हमेशा ऑनलाइन ही रहते हो तो काहे नहीं डिजिटल मीडिया मार्केटिंग या सोशल मीडिया मार्केटिंग में करियर बनाते हो। ये सब टर्म भी पहली बार सुन रहे थे हम। खैर रिसर्च किया इस सब के बारे में फिर एक स्टार्टअप में नौकरी मिल गई।
PatnaBeats की टीम
वहां 3-4 महीने काम किया उसी दौरान एक नेटवर्क मार्केटिंग कंपनी के चक्कर में भी फंस गए। वहां 1.5 लाख रुपया फंस गया। इसी नेटवर्क मार्केटिंग को टाइम देने के चक्कर में उस कंपनी से भी लगभग पिंक स्लिप(नौकरी से निकाले जाने का नोटिस) मिल गया था।
फिर Odigma में सेल्स का काम किया लेकिन 10 महीने में एक भी सेल्स लाकर कंपनी को दे नहीं पाया तो वहां से भी एक तरह से निकाला ही गया। हालांकि वहां से हमको निकालते उससे पहले हम ही रिज़ाइन कर दिएं कि हमसे सेल नहीं हो पाएगा। फिर वहीं से एकदम फोटोग्राफी में जुट गएं। तो कुल मिला के नौकरी के साथ अपना दोस्ताना बना नहीं।
प्रशांत– PatnaBeats की शुरुआत की बात बताओ, कैसे क्या करते थे? मतलब लोग कैसे जुड़े?
बश्शार– नौकरी वगैरह छोड़ दी थी और वेबसाइट का प्लान तो कर ही लिया था। उसी वक्त TVF की एक सीरीज़ आई थी पिचर्स(Pitchers) बोल के वो भी देखी तो वहां से भी इंस्पिरेशन मिल गई थोड़ी।
प्रशांत (बीच में काटते हुए)- तो तुमको कौन बोला कि तू बियर है बह… हाहाह
बश्शार– हाहाहा कोई नहीं बोला, हम खुद को ये बात समझा दिये। बाकी इंजीनियर लोग से दोस्ती था ही, वेब डेवलपर लोगों से भी दोस्ती थी तो उनमें से एक ने वेबसाइट बना दिया। उस वक्त 3 लोग रहते थे बेंगलुरू में। मेरे दोनों रूममेट्स अशर अली और अंशुमन प्रसाद सपोर्ट तो करते थे लेकिन ज़्यादा इन्ट्रेस्ट नहीं लेते थे। लेकिन उन लोगों ने भी नौकरी के साथ-साथ वेबसाइट पर काम करना शुरू किया। खासकर कि अशर, शुरुआत में वो इतना इन्ट्रेस्ट नहीं लिया लेकिन आज वो सबसे एक्टिव मेम्बर्स में से एक है और इन्वेस्ट भी काफी कर चुका है।
मेरे पास 1-2 महीने के बाद पैसे खत्म हो गएं, रेन्ट के लिए भी पैसे नहीं थे। और पैसे भी बचाने थे, क्योंकि उनकी सैलरी के कुछ पैसे भी वेबसाइट में लगने थे। तो मैं हर रोज़ सबके लिए खाना बनाता था ताकि बाहर खाना खाने वाला पैसा बच सके। हर रोज़ दो वक्त मैं सबके लिए खाना बनाता था। 5-6 महीने ऐसे ही बेंगलुरू में बीते। फिर पटना से घरवालों का फोन आया कि फैमिली गेट टुगेदर है आ जाओ। मैं पटना आ गया और मेरे पास वापस जाने के लिए पैसे नहीं थे तो मैं फिर कभी बेंगलुरू गया ही नहीं।
प्रशांत– फिर वेबसाइट का क्या हुआ? पटना में कैसे आगे बढ़ाया चीज़ों को?
अनारकली ऑफ आरा के डायरेक्ट अविनाश दास के साथ बश्शार
बश्शार– काम तो चलता ही रहा और लोगों का बड़ा सपोर्ट मिला, नितिन चंद्रा, अविनाश दास, अजय ब्रह्मात्ज ये कुछ ऐसे लोग हैं जिनका अनकंडिशनल सपोर्ट मिला। जो पहला आर्टिकल था वेबसाइट पर वो नीतू चंद्रा और नितिन चंद्रा पर ही किया किया था जिसे नीतू चंद्रा ने अपने वेरिफाइड अकाउंट से शेयर किया, जिससे काफी लोगों तक पहुंची बात। तो वहां से सबकुछ शुरु हुआ।
इसके बाद टेक्निकल चैलेंजेज़ का दौर शुरु हुआ। अगले 3 महीने में 1.5 महीने वेबसाइट चालू रहा और 1.5 महीने नहीं चला। कभी ज़्यादा लोग आ गएं तो वेबसाइट डाउन कभी कुछ। किसी से पूछो तो बोले कि ये डोमेन खरीद लो, सर्वर स्पेस खरीद लो। लेकिन फिर धीरे-धीरे चीज़ें स्मूद होने लगीं। सब समझ में आने लगा।
प्रशांत– T-Shirt का आइडिया कहां से आया?
बश्शार– जैसे दिल्ली वगैरह जाते थे तो बड़ा कूल स्लोगन सब देखते थे जैसे दिल्ली से हूं… या पंजाबी गबड़ू और ऐसे बहुत सारे, लेकिन अपने बिहार के आइडेंटिटी वाला कुछ नहीं था। इसलिए सोचा अगर ऐसा कुछ किया जाए जिससे लोग बिहारी आइडेंटिटी को कैरी कर सकें प्राउडली तो वो बहुत सही रहेगा।
और वो भी ऐसी आइडेंटिटी जिसमें खुद को दूसरे से बड़ा दिखाने वाली फीलिंग ना आए बस बिहारी प्राइड की बात आए। जैसे बहुत यंग बिहारी लोगों को काउंटर करने के लिए हम ही हम हैं वाली अप्रोच लेते हैं जैसे, जे ना कटी आड़ी से उ कटी बिहारी से। तो हमारा मकसद था इन टीशर्ट्स से उनको उस शर्म से बाहर निकालने का जो बिहारी शब्द के साथ जोड़ दिया गया था।
प्रशांत– किन बिहारियों को टार्गेट करने का प्लान था, बिहारी प्राइड को लेकर?
बश्शार– मुझे उन बिहारियों तक पहुंचना है जो अपनी पहचान छुपाते हैं, जैसे बैंगलुरु जाके खुद को नॉर्दी और दिल्ली में कहते हैं कि बिहार से तो बस कनेक्शन है ऑरिजिनली दिल्ली का हूं। अभी जो लोग प्राइड लेते हैं वो बहुत अग्रेसिव अप्रोच लेते हैं जैसे उलझ जाना या वही काउंटर स्लोगन्स जिसका अभी उपर हमने ज़िक्र किया।
प्रशांत– स्टार्टअप्स को बहुत रोमैनटिसाइज़ किया गया है अपने देश में। इसका चैलेंजिंग पार्ट शेयर करो ज़रा जो यंग लोग पढ़ेंगे उनके लिए।
बश्शार– हाहाह.. हां ये तो है कि बहुत रोमैन्टिसाइज़ किया गया है। लेकिन सिंपल है बॉस अगर आपमें पैशन है तब ही आप सर्वाइव कर पाएंगे। अगर बस ये है कि स्टार्टअप कर देना है और खुद का कुछ कर देना है तो वो नहीं चलेगा। पहले साल में लगभग 80 परसेंट लोग अपना स्टार्टअप बंद कर देते हैं, और फिर दूसरे साल में कुछ लोग छोड़ देते हैं। लोग सोचते हैं कि बीन बैग वाला स्टार्टअप सीधा खोल लेंगे। ऐसा नहीं होता।
मैं अपनी ही स्टोरी शेयर करता हूं, कितनी बार ऐसा लगता था कि अब आगे का रास्ता क्या है जैसे जब अचानक टीशर्ट वेंडर ने बोला कि आगे काम नहीं कर सकता क्योंकि प्रॉफिट नहीं हो रहा और फिर फोन उठाना बंद। तबतक डिमांड भी बढ़ चुकी थी। कहने को तो कह देता था कि आउट ऑफ स्टॉक है लेकिन हकीकत ये थी कि प्रिंट ही नहीं हो रही थी टीशर्ट। तो कई रोडब्लॉक्स होते हैं जिन्हें ओवरकम करना होता है।
प्रशांत– एक चीज़ जो तुम्हारे लिए काम किया, या मोटिवेटेड रखा तुमको?
बश्शार– फियर ऑफ फेलयर को ओवरकम करना बहुत ज़रूरी है। मेरा इकलौता रीज़न है सर्वाइव करने का कि मैं लाइफ में बहुत बार फेल हुआ हूं, स्कूल से लेकर ऑफिस तक। तो फेल होने का डर ही नहीं था। ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा क्या होगा यार फेल करोगे ना, नो होने पर क्या हुआ ज़िंदगी थोड़े ना खत्म हो जाती है।
फेल ही करूंगा ना बहुत खराब होगा तो। और इंजीनियर नहीं बना तो फेलियर ही था आस-पास के लोगों के लिए। फेल करूंगा मरूंगा नहीं। और मरूंगा नहीं तो कुछ ना कुछ तो कर ही लूंगा।
बहुत से बच्चे मुझे बोलते हैं कि नौकरी छोड़ दूंगा और ये स्टार्टअप कर लूंगा। तो मेरे लिए ये क्लिक कर गया कि मैंने नौकरी छोड़ दी ज़रूरी नहीं कि तुम्हारे लिए भी करे, सबका अपना तरीका होता है।
प्रशांत– इंजीनियर नहीं बने तो आस-पास के लोग तो सुना सुना के एकदम परेशान कर दिए होंगे? बहुत बात करते हैं उसके बारे में
बश्शार– मैं वैसे ही सर्कल में रहना पसंद करता हूं जो मुझे मोटीवेट करते हैं, पिछले कुछ साल में जो मैंने दोस्त बनाए खुद से कम उम्र की बनाई, ताकि उनसे काफी एनर्जी मिले, इंसपिरेशन काफी मिलती है नए लोगों से। फ्रेश वाइब्स क्रिएट करते हैं। और मुझे लगता है कि मैं भी यंग हूं। बोलने वाले तो बहुत होते हैं जब लाइफ में कुछ क्लिक नहीं कर रहा होता है लेकिन मैंने बहुत ज़्यादा लोगों से कुछ लिया नहीं।
प्रशांत– यार बिहारियों कि जो इमेज बनी हुई है बाहर उसमें तुमको लगता है कि बिहारियों की भी गलती है?
बश्शार– बिल्कुल है , ऐसा थोड़े ही है कि हम हर जगह सही हैं, हमने रूबी रॉय वाला कांड किया है, हमने बाहर जाकर भी कांड किया है। लेकिन परेशानी ये है कि हमारी पैरलल स्टोरीज़ बाहर नहीं आ पाती। और हमलोग वही काम करने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं कि बिहार की पैरलल स्टोरीज़ करेंगे। इस साल गोपाल वाले टॉपर कांड को सबने दिखाया लेकिन कुमार सानू जो बिहारी है जिसने CBSE को RTI के अंदर लाने कि कोशिश की उसके बारे में कुछ कहीं बात नहीं हुई।
प्रशांत– यंग बिहारियों के लिए कोई मैसेज है कि कैसे स्टीरियोटाइप तोड़ें?
बश्शार– डायलॉग टाइप तो कुछ याद नहीं आ रहा है लेकिन जो करें पैशन से करो, और उसके साथ अपनी बिहारी आइडेंटिटी को लेकर जिओ। कुछ बहुत अलग नहीं कर देना है। जैसे तुम YKA में काम करते हो, तो वहां जितने लोग होंगे वो अगर तुमको सही मानते हैं और किसी एक का भी स्टिरियोटाइप टूटा तो काम हो गया।
प्रशांत– जब कोई कहता है कि तुम्हारी वजह से दुबारा अपनी आइडेंटिटी को जी पा रहा हूं उससे शर्म नहीं आती तो अच्छा लगता है?
बश्शार– एक कहावत है ना कि पइसा कमाया तो क्या कमाया इज्जत कमाओ पगले, हाहाहाहा.. तो वही बात है 4 दिन पहले अभी मेल आया था लंडन से किसी रैंडम इंसान का कि मैं अब लंडन में ये टीशर्ट पहनकर घूमूंगा। तो जेब फटा हुआ भी रहता है लेकिन ऐसी बातें जान भर देती हैं। इसी के बदौलत आगे चल रहा हूं।
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Whenever we see street children picking up plastic bottles or stuff from the roadside, the first notion that comes to our mind is that they are drug addicts and thieves. The following incident changed my views.
During my post-graduation days, I was undergoing an internship at Bose Institute, Kolkata. Since my university was quite far from the institute, I shifted to my paternal uncle’s home so I could complete my training properly. To reach the centre on time I had to start early from uncle’s home and catch the 7:30 am train from Konnagar to Howrah, and so had to leave home in a rush by 7:00 to reach the station on time.
As the long shifts of training left me exhausted, I always got up late, around 6:30 am, and had to rush to complete my daily chores. Early in the morning, the Konnagar station would remain quite empty, and only the garbage pickers could be seen, picking up plastic bottles and various other stuff from the railway line.
That day, I somehow reached the station 15 minutes before the arrival time of the train. I saw a small boy picking up bottles from the station. He was around nine to ten years old. I don’t know what I found so interesting in him. He was holding a kitten in his hand and talking to it. It was as shabby as him. He dropped his bag full of bottles in a corner and started looking here and there. Then, suddenly, he started approaching me. He said to me, “Ai didibhai dos taka de na oi billir baccha take dudh khawabo (Hey sister, lend me ten rupees, I will feed this kitten milk).”
I was taken aback by his cuteness and his simplicity. The notion that despite possibly being hungry himself, he was more concerned about the kitten, touched my heart. I took out fifty rupees from my purse and said, “Ota ke dudh kawabi r nijeo kichu kheye nibi (Buy milk for the kitten and have something to eat for yourself).”
At first, he hesitated and said, “Nah, ammi boka debe(No, mom will scold me).”
At that moment I saw the train entering the station and quickly grabbed his small hands and tucked the money in them, saying, “ Ammi boka debe na bolbi ami diyechi (She won’t. Tell her I gave it toyou)?”
He looked at me with astonishment but didn’t speak a word.
Two days passed, and I was once again standing at the Konnagar station to catch the train. I saw the boy approaching me. He came near me and handed me a bunch of flowers. Some of them already dead.
I was astonished. I knelt to reach his height and said, “Ai chele aiguli kothai peli r amai kano dicchish (Hey kid, where did you get these and why are you giving them to me)?”
He said, “Ami tule enechi, oi khane akkhan biye hoychilo oikhan thekae. Tumi oi din amare ponchash takka amni dichila je ammi bolche tomare kicchu akkhan dite tai dilam (I picked them up from a wedding nearby. You gave me 50 bucks that day, mom asked me to give you something in return).”
I couldn’t stop laughing, because his simplicity touched me. But then it seemed that it had hurt him. He asked angrily, “hassla je (why are you laughing)?”
I understood that my laughter had annoyed him. So I said, “Nah re amni, keo amake kono dino amon sundor kore ful dai ni toh tai, kano re raag korli naki (Just like that. No one has ever gifted me flowers before in such a sweet manner – that’s why. Why, did I annoy you)?”.
His small eyes sparkled with satisfaction and he slowly lowered his head in embarrassment. I handed him 20 rupees this time and asked him to buy breakfast for himself.
At first, he hesitated, but then he took it and ran away.
This, then, became almost a daily routine. I got to know his name. He was Irfan, who stayed with his mom and three siblings at the nearby slum. Being the eldest, he used to work along with his mother. His other siblings went to the madrassa to study. He could only go on Saturdays and Sundays, because the rest of the week he was busy picking up plastic bottles and selling them to vendors. Or working as a daily wage-earner in some shop or hotel. Sometimes I used to give him money, and sometimes I would buy small story books, colour pencils, copies, pens, etc from Howrah, and give them to him the very next morning. This continued for almost two-and-a-half months.
Then came the last days of my training. On a Friday, as usual, I was waiting for the 7:30 am train in the morning. Irfan had come with some marbles for me. I took them and handed him a packet with a T-shirt I had brought for him.
He hesitated and said, “Ammi boka dibo didi, aita lomu na (Mom will scold me, I can’t take this).”
I knelt in front of him, and controlling my emotions, I said, “ne re Irfan amar kaaj prai sesh tai porer soptah theke ami r asbo na. Robbar din chole jacchi (Take it, Irfan.My work is almost over, so I won’t be coming from next week. I leave on Sunday).”
I wanted to give him the gift then, because at evening when I returned to Konnagar, I never met Irfan. Since the next two days were holidays and I was to leave for my hostel on Sunday evening, I thought I would never meet him again.
His eyes were almost tearing up as he said, “Kaan aiba na aar (Why won’t you come again)?”
I said, “Amar kaaj akhane sesh tai (Because my work here is done).”
At that moment, I saw the train coming. I quickly took my purse out and tucked five hundred rupees into his hands. He stood still. I boarded the train but then as the train started suddenly my purse fell down on the station and there was no way of picking it up.
At Howrah I called one of my friends and borrowed some money – enough to go back to Konnagar. I even blocked my cards. Then, I went to the institute to fetch my certificates. I was unhappy that day, both because I had dropped my purse, and because I might never meet Irfan again. He had unknowingly taken a special place in my life.
It was almost nine in the evening. As I got down from the train at Konnagar, I had a painful feeling which reminded me of Irfan. I stood at the station for a few minutes, my eyes unconsciously searching for him. I got out of the station to hire an auto when someone came and grabbed my hands. I shivered. As I turned back to see who it was, I realised it was Irfan. I almost shouted in excitement, “Irfan!”
He looked towards me and said, “ho (yes), Irfan.”
I was astonished to see him, because as I said before, I had never met him during my return in these three months of training. He grabbed my hand hard and said, “Aikhanei darao ami aitachi (Keep standing here, I will be back).” Saying that, he left. Almost half an hour passed by but Irfan didn’t come back. It was almost ten in the night, and I was receiving constant calls from my uncle’s home. So I thought of leaving and started looking for an auto again.
Suddenly, I saw Irfan running towards me. Almost out of breath and panting hard, he handed me a plastic bag and gestured at me to open it.
I took the plastic bag and opened it. Under the halogen street lights, I saw that it was my purse. I stared at Irfan and there were tears rolling down my cheek. I wanted to meet Irfan, but never expected that he would keep my purse intact and wait for me.
Catching his breath, Irfan said, “Oi folaalla bolchilo tumi ai somoy rooz din assho tai atokhon tharai chilam. Bag ta amar kacche thakle harai jaoibo tai ammi re rakhte dichilam. Nao dekha nao poisa gulan thik aasse ki nai (That fruit seller told me that you come here every day around this time, so I was waiting. I would have lost the bag, so I gave it to mom for safe keeping. See if your money is intact).”
I couldn’t believe that he had been waiting at the station since morning to return the purse to me. I didn’t know what to say to him. He made me learn such a great lesson that day that my notions about street children changed completely. He made me understand that honesty can exist anywhere. This incident made me realise that our backgrounds don’t matter, the values we practice do.
I was morbidly obese as a teenager. It was only when I clocked 120 kg on the weighing scale that I realised I needed to change my lifestyle or risk getting serious diseases. Thus, my journey towards a different lifestyle began, and I started eating healthier and working out. Around the same time, I went on to study hospitality at Institute Of Hotel Management, Kolkata, and The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development. But I really missed junk food and wondered why consuming healthy food had to necessarily mean compromising on what I loved eating.
Soham Ghosh, founder of No Junktion
So I gave up my secure job at the Oberoi, and decided to start No Junktion as an online food delivery service and Kolkata’s first ‘concept health food brand’ that makes healthy junk food! Trust me, this isn’t a marketing stunt. A lot of people ask me what ‘healthy junk’ means. With advice from nutritionists, we have developed a category of food that’s made with healthier ingredients. They also help us tailor our menu and tweak the items for people who suffer from diabetes, obesity or heart ailments. We have done this keeping in mind that we can strengthen our vision of a healthier tomorrow, and also give customers food that excites them.
In order to further promote health and wellness, we have also collaborated with a psychological wellness partner, a yoga partner, a zumba partner, a combat sports partner, and others. At a minimum cost, our customers can get an exclusive loyalty card that gives them access to our collaborators. They can also get personalised mentoring and training. When I look back at our journey, it is heartening to see how far we have come. Within a span of two years, we have been able to expand our services and open the No Junktion Bistro, that can seat up to 28 diners.
According to me, a business should concentrate more on earning money through sales, and not on raising money. There is nothing better than building a brand by ensuring your customers’ loyalty. We are self-funded and self sufficient, and are confident of raising capital at the right time.
I also believe in the importance of a good team. Whenever I’ve hired a chef, I’ve never judged them only on the basis of their skill set. I understand it’s my job to train them – and so, what I’ve always expected is the eagerness to learn, a positive attitude and the willingness to adapt to change.
There are many people who want to start up. To them I’d like to say: sure, it’s not easy, but money is the least important thing that you will require. Starting something of your own requires investing each and every part of yourself in the business. Entrepreneurship has been a beautiful and life-changing experience for me. There is nothing more fulfilling than doing something that you love – and more so, if it has a positive impact on someone else’s life. Entrepreneurship sounded very cool to me before I started. Today, I think it is not just cool but also noble.
You may be lonely in the beginning and there will be bad days – but you need to push harder every day. Move out of your comfort zone, stay true to your vision, hustle and make it happen. Build something that matters, and most importantly, be passionate about it!
The post How I Started A Junk Food Brand That Keeps You Healthy appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.
I still remember the day I took my first drag from a cigarette. I was a postgraduate student, I had just turned 22 – and as is custom for university folk, I was at a party. The first drag gave me a coughing fit. I vowed never to smoke again.
Things, however, didn’t quite go as planned. Not only did I smoke again, but three years down the line, I had become a smoker. A smoker who, at one point, ended up smoking 14 cigarettes a day instead of the two she had promised herself. And that’s when the problems began.
The issue wasn’t a moral one – I didn’t condemn myself for smoking because it was wrong – but, it had all to do with my health. I noticed a definite drop in my appetite, and consequently, my weight dipped dangerously. I constantly felt weak and dizzy, and I had a perpetual cough and cold. Of course, my work started suffering, and there was a drop in my monetary resources as well.
I was worried. A little bit of reading up revealed to me that tobacco kills an alarming 7 million people every year. I learnt that smoking is the second largest risk factor for early death and disability. Shit.
Has the harm already been done? (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
I wanted to quit – but as it turns out, it was the hardest thing I would have to do. To date, I’m struggling with the habit. There was a time when I would wake up every morning and say to myself, “I’m not going to smoke today.” But, by the end of the day, I would have got through a packet, because I was ‘too stressed out and needed an outlet’.
To be honest, it never did much to ease any kind of stress. In fact, research conducted by a health psychologist in University College of London, revealed that smokers are 70% more likely to suffer from mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. Again, shit.
Over time, I have picked up a few small tips and tricks to cut down. For starters, I gave up trying to quit cold turkey. Personally, it seemed overly ambitious to me. Instead I set a personal timeline to cut down on the number of cigarettes I smoked. In the first week, I smoked 12 instead of 14, every single day. In the second week I brought it down to 10. Currently, I smoke six a day and intend to bring it down to two in the next couple of months. And it doesn’t seem impossible!
Studies reveal that using nicotine patches help in cutting down too, though I haven’t had need for those yet. Instead, I put down the following words on my wall “BY CUTTING DOWN, YOU’RE CHOOSING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLNESS OVER ADDICTION.” Dramatic, I know – but hey, it helped!
Another thing that helped was buying only as many cigarettes as I needed. Instead of buying a pack, I started buying 10, then eight, and now I stick to six. I set aside a monthly budget for smoking – and knowing that I could run out of money to buy cigarettes towards the end of the month keeps my consumption consistent and in check. For my friends and colleagues, taking up physical activities like going to the gym or dance class has helped in reducing tobacco dependency. Makes sense, because you don’t want to be huffing and puffing or blacking out during your dance lessons, right?
Some support from the government, of course, would be good. There’s no denying that the policies against tobacco production and consumption in India need to be tightened significantly, because I’m not alone in succumbing to this habit. India is, in fact the second largest consumer of tobacco in the world. As a country, we definitely need our leaders to take stronger steps to kill the habit that kills almost 1 million yearly. If not for anything else, just for the fact that it’s killing our country’s development goals. An astounding expenditure of ₹1,04,500 crore is incurred just to deal with tobacco-related diseases, according to a study by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the WHO Country Office for India! Clearly, we need to help our government in changing this!
Ultimately, it boils down to a choice between what’s crucial and non-negotiable – like the choice I made between choosing a healthy life over a painful, disease-ridden death. I ask myself every morning if the five minutes of pleasure derived from smoking one cigarette are worth my lungs, my sex life and my savings. And every day, the resounding “No” in my mind convinces me that I’m doing the right thing in trying to quit.
The staff members of her school in Pai village call her ‘Dr Kaali’. Surprised when her headmistress ‘ma’am’ told her that she too could be a doctor once she grew up, she has been addressed as ‘Dr Kaali’ since then.
A class two student, Kaali is the eldest among her three siblings. Her father has been ill for a long time. Her mother, Hanna Bai, seems physically weak and works in the marginal-sized land that the family owns.
Kaali lives in an environment where the ‘ownership’ of her past, present and future is not shared by her parents. According to her mother, Kaali left on her own with the grown-up children of her village to work in a cotton factory in Ahemdabaad. Hanna Bai was informed – “Other children are going, so I also want to go.”
And so, Kaali left. For three months, she was out of school – away from her parents and siblings.
When Kaali was asked if she left on her own for the ‘labour job’ in the cotton factory in Ahemdabaad, she said, “No, my elder cousin brother took me with him.”
The school staff started putting pressure on the community leaders to bring back ‘Dr Kaali’. Pratap ji, an active member of the community, started making phone calls to the elders of the village, who were earning their livelihood in Ahemdabaad, to trace the child and send her back. Her brother was finally contacted, and they were both sent back to Pai.
Kaali returned to school after three months. In the meantime, she had earned ₹3000. When asked by school teachers where the money was put to use, she said – “My mother bought a kandora (a silver waist band) for herself.”
Hanna Bai doesn’t exactly remember the amount her daughter brought back with her. When asked about how the amount was used, she says that it all got used up in getting treatments for her siblings in private hospitals.
According to Sapna S. Dhave, the head teacher of the Government Primary School in Pai, parents secretly send their children to such places. Pratap ji has been having a tough time tracking the children of his village, who leave for labour jobs to the nearby districts of Udaipur. Sharing his experience, he tells us that – “Only when I threaten these parents that I will take them to the police, and file a case against them of promoting child labour, do they tell us that their children are engaged in such a job at such a place.”
When asked why parents would send their children to do such jobs, he said that extreme poverty, alcoholism and the ‘lazy attitude’ of parents are the main reasons for children being sent far away to perform such jobs – or in certain cases, some children leave on their own, in hope of a ‘better life’.
His team has rescued 20 children from his community in a span of three months who were engaged in such jobs. For his team, the biggest challenge is non-cooperation from the parents. Asked if the community ever stood up in unity against this issue, he said – “Three years ago, for once, we all stood up together when the news of the deaths of some of our children working in a chemical factory in Gujarat reached us. At that time, the police also helped us by seizing an entire bus, full of children, being sent to Ahemdabaad.”
Kaali tells us that a group of almost 100 children was made to live in the same room. Pratap ji adds that these children are made to see ‘blue films’, so that their ‘interest doesn’t dwindle’. They are made to work early mornings and late nights – so that any raids or checks by the police in the daytime can be avoided.
When asked if she would want to go back, Kaali strongly says ‘no’. Asked if she had liked the job, she said ‘no’. Kaali was fortunate enough to be able to come back to her village, and join her school as ‘Dr Kaali’. But what about those 99 children who are still perishing?
Whether you are a first-time voter or have voted several times, those voting rules and regulations can sometimes still confuse. What if, say, you wanted to bring your pet along? Many such questions may cross your mind, especially if you are a first-time voter, questions whose answers you will rarely find in any FAQ section.
Do you think you know the answers to all? Take this quiz to find out.
With inputs from Anirudh Dutta Gupta, Association for Democratic Reforms.
Featured image credit: Priyanka Parashar/Mint/Getty Images
Beedis are the poor people’s alternative to smoking cigarettes – and rolling them provides employment to millions in rural India. While the job is a source of income for many, it also involves many health risks – risks that endanger the lives of those engaged in it. At times, the workers who engage in the activity aren’t even paid the prescribed wages by employers!
101 reporters’ Hitesh Sharma and Aniket Singh spent some time in Chhattisgarh to find more out the plight of beedi workers and to gain a perspective on how the industry functions.
About 4,000 people, mostly women, belonging to Mahaar caste (listed as a Scheduled Caste in the Constitution), work in the beedi industry in Durg, Rajnandgaon and Dhamtari districts in Chhattisgarh. They work in two-hour shifts, from 9 AM to 11 AM.According to estimates, the beedi industry is worth ₹7,000 crore – ₹7,500 crore in India. The industry has the largest number of factories in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. As per Business Standard, “There are nearly 2,000 beedi manufacturing companies in India. Out of 8 million beedi people who work in these factories, nearly 70% are women who belong to tribal and rural areas.”The women engaged in beedi-rolling are paid ₹88 for rolling a thousand beedis (8.8 paise a piece). While they are not particularly happy with the amount, they accept the arrangement with a pinch of salt – since they are assured a regular sum of money every week. Besides, the women say, they aren’t qualified to take up any other job.Every district in Chhattisgarh has contractors, who provide the workers with raw materials to roll beedis. In Durg, the two contractors have two rooms where the women gather and roll beedis every day.A beedi is made using tendu leaves. After soaking the leaves, the workers cut them into rectangular pieces. Tobacco dust is placed inside each beedi, post-cutting, and then bound with a thread. The size of the beedis varies according to the brand.The workers are not provided gloves to protect their hands or masks to cover their mouth, which puts them at the risk of developing skin diseases, menstrual disorders, etc. While the government has not intervened in this, the workers too have never made such a demand.36-year-old Anita Belge has been rolling beedis for six years. She says that her husband doesn’t earn much – and hence, she got into this profession. Belge also says that she’s started having difficulty in breathing and also has a constant itching in her palms. Though she knows that she’s earning a low wage, Belge says she can’t quit this job since she doesn’t have any other skill.49-year-old Jijabai Shinde, a resident of Kosha Nagar in Bhilai, learnt how to roll beedis when she was a child. She says that her mother worked in the beedi industry – and as a child, she would accompany her, as extra hands meant more money. Shinde started working to earn money and support her family – but now, she does it to keep herself busy. She suffers from constant leg cramps, but dismisses it as a problem that comes with old age.Hailing from Gadchiroli, 50-year-old Kalabai Bagde came to Harna Bandha village in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, after she got married. Despite constant itching in her hands (caused by beedi rolling), she continues to be engaged in the job as it a question of her livelihood. Like Bagde, there are several women across the country who roll beedi to support their family and their kids’ education with meagre incomes.
My prescribed reading for class 12 contained an excerpt from Anees Jung’s “Lost Spring“, a book about the lost childhood of child labourers in India. The story dealt with one particular rag picker, Saheb-e-Aalam, the master of the universe.
The irony of his name, one that Jung brought out deftly, has stayed with me. As a child who worked for and lived from one meal to the next, Saheb was the farthest from what his name suggested – his identity, dreams and aspirations were limited to him being a rag picker from Seemapuri.
For me, Saheb came to represent the 50,000 children who live on Delhi’s streets – many of whom spend the day sifting through the rubbish for plastic, cards and metal scraps to sell so they can make a little money and help make ends meet. If they don’t work, they simply don’t (or rather, can’t) eat. Had Jung asked Saheb to sum up his day, it would probably have gone like this –
“I pick up rubbish in the day. I live under the underpass, I sleep on the stones. I get up in the morning, have tea, get my magnet on a stick and go and collect metal. I come home, then go out again to collect rubbish, then go to sleep. My sister makes food. I live here with my sister. My parents are in the village. My parents are making a house in the village. They dropped us here and left.”
I could tell you that the narrator of these lines is a young rag picker – something you must have deduced already. I could tell you that the child is one of the many who share the same tragic background. But that would be denying and ignoring the individual aspirations, dreams and struggles of 10-year-old Chotti (name changed for safety purposes).
I could tell you that she is one among 50,000 – but that would be reducing her identity to no more than her misfortune. But Chotti isn’t like every other child with whom she is grouped. She has her own unique story.
Hailing from Rajasthan, Chotti and her older sister Padma began staying under the metro line flyover with a group of other people from her state. They slept on bits of cardboard and made a living by collecting rubbish off the streets during the day. At night, they begged from the people who went to the cinema nearby or availed of the metro.
Chotti’s group ‘collects’ in seven- or eight-hour shifts, starting at around 5 AM and finishing by 1 PM. They often do a second shift later in the day. To collect metal, they carry a wooden pole with a magnet attached to it which they drag through the rubbish to collect any small bits of metal that they may not spot otherwise.
Children like Chotti are incredibly vulnerable to a whole host of dangers. Lacking a strong and vigilant parental figure, they can fall prey to many commercialised forms of organised crime. Substance abuse, alcoholism, sexual abuse, social rejection and malnourishment, which can lead to the stunting of mental and physical growth, are some of the other ills they are exposed to. In fact, the team at “Save the Children” says that the adults with these children give them whiskey or thinner to sniff – to stop them from complaining of being hungry.
In her story, Jung mentioned the increased lack of ‘daring’ in our society and the loss in the ability to think beyond the neatly-packaged and commercially-stamped boxes we’ve become accustomed to living within. In such a society, children are now being chained in dark rooms whose ceilings are made of smoke and lead. But Chotti has chosen to ‘dare’.
With the help of “Save the Children”, Chotti is on her way to turning her life around. She has enrolled in the nearby MCD School which she attends regularly. After school hours, she also goes to the organisation’s centre at Nehru Place for remedial support for her home work. She visits her home in Rajasthan during the breaks.
She has chosen to work to break out of the discourse she was believed to represent. She doesn’t want to be one of those 50,000 unfortunate souls, and has dared to step out.
Despite not knowing her real name, Chotti has settled a long-troubling irony for me. She has re-appropriated the universe that I pitied – for being beyond her reach. All dramatics apart, she may as well be Saheb-e-Aalam – the master of the universe.
Have you ever had a child serve you a glass of water at your friend’s or relative’s place? Did you feel bad about it? Perhaps for a while, before you got back to doing your thing because you aren’t at fault and it’s none of your business, right?
I faced a similar incident when I went to visit my friend at her house. They belong to the upper middle class. A small girl opened the door when I rang the doorbell. I didn’t pay too much attention at first. They had a hyperactive dog who was way too excited to see me. So, aunty called another girl and asked her to keep the dog away from me. After exchanging greetings with aunty, I went ahead and met my friend in her room.
A few minutes later, one of those little girls came and offered me a glass of water – and then later, a plate of snacks. I felt uncomfortable that a child of that age was serving me. Had she been someone I knew, probably I would’ve been the one serving and taking care of her – instead of the other way round. Sometime later, my friend called one of the girls and gave her some work to do. All of this happened while I kept thinking to myself, “What’s going on?”
I asked my friend why they have two girls working for them. She said that one took care of the dog and the other did the small household chores.
“Don’t you feel bad?” I asked, “Because, you know, it’s child labour.”
She replied, “See, they live a very comfortable life here. Even if we send them back to their homes in the village, their parents would send them to another house which may have worse conditions.”
I said that they should be studying at this age. She replied, “We actually teach them at home. If we send them back, they won’t go to school anyway, because they don’t want to and their parents won’t send them.”
I thought to myself, “What if your daughter refused to go to school? Wouldn’t you ‘ensure’ that they did no matter what, or would you make them work at home instead?” She also said that they don’t even get two good meals in a day back home. “Here we give them good food, good clothes, they watch TV all day with my mom and they play with the dog. We treat them quite well. It’s not like we abuse them. And, in return, they do small jobs like these.”
This happened almost two years ago. Even today, things are the same. I’m actually confused about what should be done here. Should one complain or not? Would their lives become worse if they went back to their homes?
Despite these concerns, I think it’s very wrong. I mean, child labour is a punishable offence. Even if you’re not physically abusing the child, you’re abusing them mentally and emotionally. Landless labourers are not ‘happy’ with bonded labour – but if they have people offering them money for the small tasks that their child performs and is promised a ‘good life’ – why would they not take the offer even if it causes them the pain of detachment? They need money. If there’s demand and they have the ability to supply, they will – if they’re getting paid for it. That’s the situation we have put them in.
A 10-year-old child has a right to education, play, study, have friends and enjoy free time – and not serve glasses of water and juice to guests, cut vegetables, lay the table, wash utensils, help you in the kitchen and do all the small tasks of our houses. Those little hands were not meant to do these.
When people like you and me take such offers and pay money for these services, we tend to encourage it. What if we refused to take part in it? What if we didn’t also let such things happen if we saw them happening around us? It could change our country for the better.
But it’s really sad that so many of us think that we alone cannot change the system because it’s already screwed up to such an extent that we cannot help it. We say the government has to do something about it. When you and I don’t cooperate and participate in such things, ‘allow’ it to happen and consider it to be ‘normal’, we are to be blamed.
If you would really like to help these kids and think that they would be deprived of education otherwise, why not sponsor their education? Why not do something productive so it doesn’t contribute to the existing problem in the name of ‘taking care’ of them and giving them a ‘much better’ life? Most of us tend to be spectators. Many of us believe that we do no wrong and that everyone else is responsible.
I, myself, have been a spectator of child labour at the house of my close relative. The boy was 10 years old when he was brought home. He would do all the small jobs at home while the rest of the work was performed by an adult housekeeper. This boy literally grew up with us. He is about five years older than me – and his childhood was spent taking care of the house, cleaning and dusting it once in a while, folding and drying clothes, laying the table, ensuring that everything was in place before my cousins left for school, taking care of the younger child, serving water, snacks, tea to guests and many other small things.
I remember that when my cousin couldn’t find one of her socks in the morning, she would call him. Only he knew where every little thing was in the house. He was treated extremely well by them. But, no matter how well you treat that child, you cannot get away from the fact that you took away his childhood. He was one of the most talented people I have ever met. He could sketch and paint amazingly well. On the birthdays of the family members, he made beautiful cards. He even gave me one on my birthday which had my picture and a nice message in English. He learned and practised English with us. He also danced very well. He knew how to ‘moonwalk’ and do a kind of break dance. In fact, he watched those dance shows on TV and could perform much better than the contestants. He sang like a professional Telugu singer. He made all of us laugh at every opportunity he got.
If you’ve got the money to send them to school, do so. By using them at home as a domestic help, you’re contributing to the problem. In the name of taking care of the child and giving him better facilities, you’re taking away their childhood, playtime, and you’re depriving them of all the things that a child of their age should have. There’s probably no physical abuse – but there is emotional abuse at some level, intentional or not.
Many say that if we send them back, they’ll be in worse conditions and that someone else will hire them anyway. But you don’t have to contribute to the problem. If you can, help them progress in life. If there’s no demand, the supply will stop someday. That child could probably change the world if only they were given a chance to be free and educated.
Next time you see child labour in a person’s house, ask yourself if it’s fair. Ask your conscience whether it’s the right thing to do if you ‘allowed’ it to continue. What if the child was yourself or your child? Would you be capable of leading the kind of life you are living today, had you been subjected to child labour, denied your childhood and education – which should be every child’s right? We need to begin by bringing about a change in our mindsets.
“Menstruation is still a taboo in our country,” says Dr Smarajit Jana, a founder and chief advisor of Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a Kolkata-based sex workers’ collective. Talking about the challenges faced by sex workers in accessing products like pads and tampons, he says, “We cannot talk openly. Even shop owners cannot talk very openly; they have to go very close to the compound and whisper to them ‘What do you want to buy’, and then put it in a black bag.”
