Author: The Metrognome

Categories
Deal with it

How about a library for slum children?

Artist Sharmila Samant’s ‘Nidus’, a mobile library for slum children, will provide free books for those who can’t buy them.
by Nidhi Qazi

Sharmila Samant is truly a people’s artist, and a very humble one, to boot. In fact, she refused to share pictures of herself, asking us instead to focus on her current project – she is building ‘Nidus’, a mobile library in Annabhau Sathe Nagar, a slum area in Mankhurd.

Sharmila is an artist who got involved with the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao (GBGB) Andolan in 2005. At the time, the last thing she had thought was that her association would last so long; not only has it lasted till date, and with several projects to her credit, she is back to doing what she does best – making people’s lives better through the arts.

And now, Nidus, The Mobile Library is waiting to start.

Nidus – the word literally means ‘seed’, but Sharmila’s plan is to make it a seed of learning – will serve the children living in the slum and “will operationalise as soon as possible,” says Sharmila. “I am in talks with the inhabitants of the area and they have been receptive to the idea. The kids of the volunteers of the GBGB Andolan have also welcomed the idea of a mobile library van as they do feel the need for a library.”

How did she come up with the idea? “The problem is that BMC school kids get free books till Class 10, but once they are through, they have to buy books. Now that for most is not affordable, so we have kids dropping out of academics. Identifying this gap, I thought of starting a library which would stock books – both academic and non-academic,” she says.

The mobile library will run inside a van and will be full of windows and displays. Sharmila is also involving other artists in her brainstorming for the design of the mobile library. She has started getting books for the library, most of them being contributed by the people she networks with. The books will be for academic purpose and leisure reading.

“A mobile library is a beautiful means of sharing of knowledge which transports and then transforms people,” adds Sharmila. Looking for funding, she is also in search of a team to run the initiative. In her words, she needs both – insiders, i.e. community people as they can provide proper need-based analysis, and outsiders as they can provide resources and help to implement the idea effectively.

Sharmila adds, “There has been a lot of emphasis on roti, kapda and makaan but what about shiksha? Had education been given due focus, the former three essentials could have been easy to acquire.”

The ultimate success of this initiative is its closing down, feels the artist. “I want that one day, the kids of the area should take control of this library and eventually it should close down. That day I will feel I have succeeded.”

Prior to this, Sharmila has designed the very innovative ‘bag desk’, which is a bag-desk: it is a  bag that unfolds into a desk for the classroom, and a charpoy at home.

“The proceeds received from Busan Biennale helped me manufacture the product I had designed.  Around 45 such bag desks were made and distributed to the students free of cost,” says Sharmila. Busan Biennale is an international arts festival intended to present contemporary art in a more accessible way to the general public.

The bag desk also had adjustable legs of aluminium, which could be adjusted according to the seating a student took; i.e. from low floor to a height. Are students using these desks still? “From what I heard, many parents sold the aluminum legs of the product to as that would have fetched them good money,” says Sharmila.

Her other project was the ‘well lamp’ in 2010, which she successfully sold at the Kala Ghoda Festival and used the proceeds to address the problem of lack of fresh water. She helped people dug up four wells and the water thus generated could be used for daily chores. “The initiative came at a time when politicians were busy wooing the vote bank. Thus the positive outcome of the initiative was that the BMC came up with as many as 150 taps for the people to use. Our project ended its utility, paving the way for better drinking conditions for the community,” says Sharmila.

To help Sharmila with her mobile library project for the children of Annabhau Nagar Slum, send us an email at editor@themetrognome.in and we’ll ask Sharmila to contact you.

(Pictures courtesy Sharmila Samant. Featured image is a file picture)

Categories
Trends

Women ‘outsmarting’ men at getting jobs: Survey

ASSOCHAM survey finds that more women are being shortlisted for interviews; women better at soft skills, more focussed, survey finds.

It’s an increasingly slow economy and jobs are hard to come by across sectors, but if a recent survey by the Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) is to be believed, women are doing better at men – at least in getting a callback for interviews and making it to the shortlists of companies.

“Women candidates are increasingly outsmarting men when it comes to shortlisting by HR managers for sending calls for interviews or written tests for jobs, and more and more Muslim women are making it to India Inc in areas like advertising, journalism, public relations, travel and tourism and private sector banking,” the study points out.

Based on the feedback received from 110 Human Resource heads of leading companies all over India, the study found that the ratio for receiving interview or test calls is 1:1.20 in favour of women. This is fast resulting in women from business schools, journalism institutions, travel and tourism courses filling more vacancies than their male colleagues, at least in select but key sectors of the service sector, the study found.

The survey results were released last week. ASSOCHAM President Rajkumar Dhoot says, “The study also found that however much the HR managers in some of the companies may try to balance the number of female candidates with male candidates, they end up finding more women on the final roll-call for the job. The main reason for these trends is that women are becoming  more focussed and are navigating their career paths more professionally than they used to. Besides, they are found to be more suitable than boys when it comes to soft skills like spoken English.”

The study found that in certain areas like television news anchoring, including the business channels, the males are finding themselves in a minority. “Besides being photogenic, the women reporters and anchors are found to be adept at taking questions, be it related to stock markets or car launches,” a Pune-based HR manager said. Additionally, in fields such as corporate communications, advertising, human resource management and personnel management, women are increasingly being preferred by several companies.

“The point to be noted is that female candidates are not only competing well with their male counterparts for the lower hierarchy jobs like those of receptionists and house-keepers, but also for management trainees and senior positions. The trend is quite visible in banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Yes Bank, Axis Bank and other private sector banks,” the study finds.

However, the issue of security for women employees is being taken seriously, and top level corporate managements are asking their HR and logistics divisions to see that women are, as far as possible, not assigned late evening or night duty. Interestingly, feedback from HR personnel indicates that this may, in the long run, adversely impact the women’s job prospects, as corporates may employ women staff for night duty only as a last choice. “However, industries like the media, particularly television, are coping with the situation rather well,” the survey notes.

(Picture courtesy thehindu.com)

Categories
Overdose

The killing of a poster boy

Jatin Sharma wonders if Afzal Guru was really a terrorist, or yet another name in a disenchanted Valley. Or both.

Before reading this column, I have a request to make of you.

I request all of you to junk all the images that you have in mind, shed all your preconceived notions that have been served by the media, remove all the biases and the prejudices that you may have developed over the years.

Be untainted by the ‘truths’ of the world, unmoved by the emotions that the media has garnered and for the next few minutes, think that you are in an ideal world.

Now that your mind is sufficiently cleared of your personal feelings, read on.

Centuries ago, the world was divided into kingdoms. India was a land that was akin to a sone ki chidiya. See, already I can feel the pride that you are feeling right now. Your chin went up by an angle of 10 degrees, and you just inflated your chest. But the truth is, the time when India was the fabled golden sparrow, its people were still ailing. The people had no food and were constantly at the mercy of their kings. While the kings fought wars once in a while to double or safeguard their riches, the common man fought every day for food and other necessities. Whenever the king was challenged by a common man, either that man was sent to confinement or was silenced forever. His crime? Disrespecting the king.

Centuries later, the world is divided into countries. India is a land known as an ‘upcoming superpower’. There, I can feel the pride that you are feeling right now. Your chin went up by an angle of 10 degrees, and you just inflated your chest. But the truth is, that while India is an upcoming superpower, its people are still ailing. The people don’t have the freedom to express themselves (writing a blog is not something major, and even this column is not that big a change) and live a life where they are not at the mercy of the police, the bureaucrats and the politicians. While the politicians are letting us protest over lesser issues (like rape, as no politician is involved in that high-profile case; Lokpal, as they know a Bill will only be passed with their consent or a diesel-petrol hike, because they know they will decrease 50 paise and all will be well); the common man is fighting every day to be heard. Whenever the government is challenged by a common man, either that man is tagged as a threat to the nation, or a terrorist, or a Maowadi.

There are hundreds and thousands of stories of oppression on the people, by the people in power. We fear FIRs, as we fear that we would be tortured instead of the culprit. We fear going to politicians as they will tell us to shell out money or leave the matter like it is. We fear questioning bureaucrats because they know that they can’t be replaced till the time that they decide to retire. We fear the election process because we are afraid of the gallery of dacoits we have to choose from.

Are we really free then? Are we really an awesome country, if our ‘safe’ blogs will just be discussed and dismissed? Are we a free country if till the time I follow what those in power want me to follow, I am safe? Are we a free country if the moment someone questions things, we term them terrorists?

Afzal Guru was hanged the same way that Kasab was. But the difference is that Afzal Guru was an educated man, an MBBS student who had surrendered to the BSF.

My point is: no amount of money can lure you to be a traitor unless there is a long pending issue that the Government has ignored for long. No amount of money can force you to insult your motherland unless the kings of democracy let people come out and hear them out without bias. Look at Kashmir – more than anything else, the issue is now an ego tussle between two nations, with the Kashmiris suffering in between. They are hostile, yes, but so is the Government. Right now the people of Kashmir want to protest in the wake of Afzal Guru’s hanging. But the Government has imposed a curfew there, and jammed mobile networks, apart from cutting Internet lines.

When was the last time that people actually responsible for several crimes were brought to book? When two Indian soldiers were beheaded on the border, what did our powerful country do to those who beheaded them? Did our upcoming superpower nation book them in any manner? Forget anything else, were those involved in the beheadings even caught?

A Kashmiri all-girl rock band had to give up music because some idiot issued a fatwa in their name. The government failed then, too. The rape ordinance was passed, but one recommendation was not taken into consideration: that politicians who are rapists should not be able to contest elections. This recommendation was scrapped by the Government, while the rest were approved.

If you think about it, Afzal Guru the terrorist could have been Dr Afzal Guru, and he could have treated several patients in the Valley, but he didn’t. Why not? We should know the entire story before passing a judgement. We should acknowledge that Kashmir is burning every day. Right now they are going through a ban on Internet and mobile services, and not for the first time. How would you feel if that happened to you? To be reminded constantly that you are under somebody’s control, that you would be silenced if you don’t say what is not favourable to the one who controls you?

Terrorism and internal terrorism are two different issues. While terrorism can be tackled with power and force and killings, internal terrorism has to be tackled with love and tact. We rejoice Afzal Guru’s hanging because he was the poster boy for the Parliament attacks. But are we sure that no more Afzal Gurus will erupt from the Valley in the future? Did we really kill an attacker, or did we just kill another name?

I’m sure you’re a bit confused. But your confusion tells me that you are starting to think, and that is most important.

Don’t let the media or a few Facebook statuses and emotionally-charged tweets turn your mind. That is what the people in power want. They want you to be just a tool, a vote that is remembered only once in five years. Think and you start living every day.

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who says he doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else.

(Picture courtesy indiatvnews.com)

Categories
Event

Fastest runner first!

Talent hunt to identify fastest youngster in the Under-12, 14 and -16 age groups was held in the city today. PT Usha judged the event.

The finale of ‘Speedstar’, a first-of-its-kind talent hunt to identify the fastest running sensation in India, was held at Ghatkopar today. The enterprise is the brainchild of KOOH Sports’, under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). A total of 76 finalists were selected to participate from amongst 12 cities in the country in three age categories –  Under 12, 14 and 16 – in a 100 meter sprint.

Six participants were adjudged the winners by legendary sprint queen PT Usha. (See names of winners below)

The finale was held at the Ghatkopar-based KJ Somaiya Sports Complex. The contest had been spread over a period of two months, with nationwide participation from around 800 schools and over 10,000 children.

The six winners of the grand finale will now head for a week-long intensive training in Australia (courtesy Griffith University), the official academy partner. Under the guidance of Sharon Hannan (the noted Australian athletics coach who trained Sally Pearson, gold medallist at the London Olympics, 2012), the winners will have an opportunity to gather insights of the professional athletic circuit.

“Initiatives like these will go a long way in cultivating the next generation of athletes in India. I am extremely delighted to be associated with this initiative and being instrumental in creating awareness on the importance of athletics to young Indians,” PT  Usha said during the event.

Adille Sumariwalla, President, AFI said, “The Speedstar initiative is indeed a commendable programme and it is heartening to see the private participation in the sector. We are confident that India will get the much-needed thrust at the grass roots level to create a pool of athletes while generating an attitudinal shift to pursue sports as a career.”

Winners:

Under 12: Girls – Shabnam Naik, New Delhi; Boys – Nilesh Batre, Mumbai

Under 14: Girls – Siddhi Hiray, Pune; Boys – P Siva (Hyderabad)

Under 16: Girls – Anita Das (Kolkata); Boys – MS Arun (Chennai)

Categories
Enough said

Reading does save you!

Humra Quraishi is enlightened by her recent acquisitions – three new books that shed light on our lives and times.

I attended two book launches this week. One was Harsh Mander’s (in featured picture) launch of Ash In the Belly: India’s Unfinished Battle Against Hunger (Penguin) where the three speakers – Dr Upendra Baxi, Mark Tully and NC Saxena – minced no words as they spoke about how a certain percentage of our population is perishing because of malnutrition and hunger.

The Government of the day is actually killing and murdering its people, slowly and methodically, by not knowing the actual ground realities and not doing enough to deal with them. Yet, its machinery continues to churn out numbers for high growth rates, replete with several exaggerated figures.

The other launch was for Professor Mushirul Hasan’s book on Mahatma Gandhi, which I wrote about last Sunday (see the piece here), where Gopal Krishna Gandhi’s talk on his grandfather, the Mahatma, was very touching. He spoke in chaste Urdu and narrated an incident which showed Gandhi’s strength of character even in the face of personal crisis: when he heard that his teenaged grandson Rasik had passed away in Jamia Millia Islamia, he said that it was some solace that Rasik had passed away in a place like the Jamia Millia, and also that he had been looked after by the well-known physician, Dr Ansari.

And I have recently received two books on Gulzar saab. One is a collection of his song lyrics and verse, titled Umr Se Lambi Sadkon Par (Vani Prakashan) which is compiled by  Delhi-based poet and doctor Dr Binod Khaitan. The other volume is titled  In The Company Of A Poet: Gulzar in Conversation With Nasreen Munni Kabir. Published by  Rupa, this volume focusses on Gulzar saab’s views and viewpoints, complete with his verse…maybe, these lines will help you wake up at dawn!

‘I wake up at five when it is still dark.

I want the sun to look for me instead of me looking for the sun.

Just as the first serve in tennis can be advantageous,

So the first serve must be mine.

The second goes to the sun.’

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Picture courtesy citizensforpeace.com)

Categories
Learn

Undetected eye problems taking toll on city’s children

A field study shows that 10% of Mumbai students have undetected refractive errors. Lack of awareness is a major problem.

As many as 20 per cent school going children in Mumbai and Thane suffer from refractive errors and amblyopia, as per a field study (titled ‘Children’s Refractive Error and Eye Ailment Management, CREAM) conducted by Aditya Jyot Foundation for Twinkling Little Eyes (AJFTLE).

“Over 25 per cent of the country’s population is of school-going age (six to 14 years). Refractive errors and amblyopia (lazy eye disease) are the commonest and most serious eye diseases (153 million patients as estimated by WHO, 2006) in this age group. It affects nearly seven to 12 per cent children in the community. It is more common in urban areas and in our pilot study on 15,000 children in the schools of Thane and Mumbai, we found a prevalence rate of 20 per cent,” says their study report.

Ironically, the Foundation adds, 10 per cent of these are either not recognised or not appropriately treated. “The early detection and treatment of these eye diseases can very effectively prevent the visual impairment. The diagnosis of both these conditions is simple and the results of the treatment are dramatic.

As many as 10 per cent of the children in the schools of Mumbai were found to have uncorrected refractive errors. This is because the children usually do not complain due to lack of recognition of their poor vision and lack of awareness amongst the parents or school teachers, and a lack of a regular vision screening strategy. This is why only a handful of cases are detected at an early stage where appropriate treatment is helpful. The affordability of the spectacles is also an issue for socio-economically deprived class of students.”

The AJFTLE recently partnered with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to undertake awareness building and eye screening camps for underprivileged children mainly in rural and urban slum areas for prevention of avoidable blindness, and wants many more partners to work with them on the project.

Sushil Muhnot, CMD of SIDBI, said, “As part of our CSR initiative, we are associating with Aditya Jyot Foundation for Twinkling Eyes, which is planning to work for slum children and parents in Mumbai and Maharashtra and create awareness about avoidable blindness. Today, India needs an affordable healthcare industry model. There are three growth models—primary, affordable and luxury – and in the eye care industry and finance from institutions can flow into the industry provided there is a business model with an appropriate revenue stream. The proposed Government plan to impose two per cent compulsory spending on CSR will make it easy for NGOs and Foundations to augment financial resources for social services.”

(Picture courtesy omlog.org. Image used for representational purpose only)

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