Indifference is our way of patriotism

Published on Thursday, 22 August 2013 16:25 Daily Post, Editorial page
G krishna kumar
What is the opposite of ‘love’? The most straight forward answer is ‘hate’, but ‘indifference’ is an equally correct answer. We (Indians) provide a good example of ‘Indifference’ when it comes to patriotism. Gone are the days when it was mandatory for school children to participate in the Independence day celebrations. Not that the children understood the speeches, but the enthusiasm was palpable. Doordarshan would have grabbed the highest TRP considering people’s interest in watching the Independence Day parade. Now, Independence Day means shopping time with heavy discounts in Malls and retail outlets. Patriotic fervour is limited to hawkers selling plastic flags at traffic signals.

I always wonder why Indians are desperate to live or work abroad even though the standard of living has changed significantly over the past few years. Most embassies in India are crowded as though people are seeking asylum. A cover story in a leading magazine reveals how people spend lakhs of rupees to try to illegally migrate to America. We don’t care about racism, Indians are the number one permanent migrants in many countries. It doesn’t matter if more countries consider us as ‘risky’ and impose bond amount for Visa, we simply are obsessed to live abroad. Even today parents are proudest if their children are abroad. Why are we not as patriotic or proud as Japanese?

We have to shamefully agree that majority of the people including the literate populace in our country do not understand the meaning of our National Anthem. This is indeed unique to India. Perhaps we are in this state due to lack of emphasis on basic aspects of nationalism in the education system. Instead of politics dictating the curriculum, can we inculcate true nationalistic spirit among the children? Can we make it mandatory for every student above 5th standard to understand the meaning and thereby learn to respect the national Anthem?

Military personnel are undoubtedly most patriotic. Can we learn from them? How about implementing mandatory military service for say six months? This will certainly improve respect for the country and make youth far more disciplined. Considering the population it may be a tough ask to implement this. But, can we at least provide an opportunity for every student to interact with military personnel be it Army, Navy or Air Force to understand and appreciate how the armed forces are ensuring a safe India? Such inspiring touch-time programmes may also motivate students to join military service.

Lessons learnt, time to act

G. Krishna Kumar

Hindu Business Line , Opinion/Perspective
(This article was published on August 10 2013)

Our disaster preparedness is woefully inadequate.

It is unfortunate that Uttarakhand had to face landslides and flash floods yet again this week, hampering relief operations. Experts estimate that it will take between 3 to 10 years for the State to get back to “business as usual”. In many cases, when business leaves it may never return.

This crisis provides a major learning. While we can blame the government and officials for not enforcing regulations, people should equally share the responsibility.

We are unprepared

Post the Tsunami in 2004, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was formed, but has grossly failed both in planning and implementation. NDMA and its subsidiary organisations need a major shake-up. We should get away from the NDMA versus State blame game and fix accountability.

The NDMA provides an online inventory of resources such as life-saving boats, critical medical supplies and other resources needed for disaster response in all the districts across the country. Even if we assume the data to be accurate, the meagre resources available are inadequate to handle even a minor calamity. Rudraprayag had 12 life-jackets.

Only one trauma specialist has been identified for the whole of Bangalore Urban and Rural. In Shimoga district of Karnataka, there are no doctors or paramedics identified. Considering India’s vulnerability, it is frustrating that there is no system for predicting cloud-bursts. As a first step, India needs top class weather forecasting systems. More awareness should be created among the public. Considering the mobile phone penetration in the country, a robust disaster alert and early warning system similar to the one in Japan must be implemented.

Learn from Japan

While natural calamities and rescue operations are covered extensively by the media, the same is not true for post-disaster recovery. Research reports on post-recovery challenges cite many examples where recovery led to further risk of disaster. Are there lessons learnt from the 2004 tsunami rebuilding?Maybe we should look at countries like Japan. Within 10 weeks of a major earthquake in Kobe, electricity and water connections were completely restored; infrastructure was rebuilt in two years.

In the case of Uttarakhand, will the environmental negligence continue? Will buildings and hotels continue to be rebuilt along the river or will good sense prevail? Many case studies point out that a healthy community once re-established will sustain itself over time.

Wake up

The UN’s HYOGO Framework for action (HFA) review report states that following disasters, the public puts greater pressure on administration, resulting in improved governance and accountability. The rebuilding efforts must take the environmental aspects into consideration; the participation of local communities is crucial. The Uttarakhand tragedy should serve as a wake-up call.

(The author is an engineering professional based in Bangalore. Views are personal.)

(This article was published on August 9, 2013)