Category: Lok Issues

Kamalathal, 82, has been selling idlis for just Re 1 for more than two decades now in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She feels this is her way of contributing to society and these are reasons for her to continue.

I have been doing this for the past 20 years now and don’t know how long this will continue. I don’t have anybody in my family. I am alone. I earn Rs 200 daily. I don’t aim to earn money out of selling idli at this price. If I had aimed to become a crorepati by doing this, I could have done that in these many years. But, I decided, no, I only earn my small livelihood.

I go about preparing idlis after waking up before the crack of dawn, working from 5:30 am and continue till noon. Through out the day I sell about 400-500 idlis and earn about Rs 200, which, I believe, is a modest amount for me to live on. I am happy when people come to me and I serve them piping hot idlis.

I serve idlis with chutney and sambar which I prepare myself. if I had to go and earn for my livelihood, I could go out and earn Rs 200 daily, but the same amount I earn by doing this. I sell my stuff to earn the amount which I require.

I have been flooded with offers of help from across the country after a video went viral. I have been offered an LPG gas connection too. This is supposed to be issued by Bharat Petroleum Corporation.

But I find my true reward only when people appreciate my food. Many people who come here often find it difficult to believe that the idly cost Re 1. My answer to them is just a smile.

Harsha Paliwal, 39, a writer from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, loves to cycle. However, she feels Indian road users have no regard for cyclists and pedestrians. With steep fines for errant motorists, Paliwal hopes to see more discipline on road.

More than a decade ago, when I was preparing for my bank entrance exams, my coaching classes used to get over by 9 pm. One night while returning home with a friend, we hired an autorickshaw. The driver was drunk, the street lights weren’t functioning and there was a buffalo standing right in the middle of the road — a perfect recipe for an accident. Our autorickshaw skidded and the next thing I remember, we were lying on the road, helpless. People, who came to help us (mostly from lower income groups) got unnecessarily harassed by the police. 

Drunk and rash driving, poor infrastructure and harassment of people helping out accident victims — this one accident opened my eyes to the multiple maladies that ail Indian roads. More than ten years since, Indian roads continue to be unsafe, with incidents of rash and drunk driving, highly polluting vehicles, and people breaking traffic rules with impunity. 

Nearly 1.8 lakh people die every year in India due to road accidents. Most of those accidents are wholly avoidable. Once my father saw a whole family wiped out in an accident. For days he suffered the trauma. 

So, I am happy that the Motor Vehicles Act (1989) has been amended. India’s transport laws desperately needed an overhaul. 

The new amended Act has several provisions that I am happy about. Anyone who helps an accident victim will not be harassed and the first hour of treatment of accident victims will be cashless. This will take a heavy load off people who are wary of helping accident victims despite having the intention to help. The compensation to the next of kin of accident victims has been increased from ₹25,000 to  ₹2 lakh. 

Besides this, it is common to see minors driving rashly on the roads, especially in the metros. I am happy that their parents will be penalised. However, the penalties in other cases seem a bit too steep. Penalty amounts should have been increased, but the increase has been insane. Just penalties won’t serve the purpose, we need mass sensitization of people as well. 

Our political leaders need to lead by example. Their cavalcades cause huge traffic jams inconveniencing people. People follow their leaders, so the parliament members who have passed this act should make sure to behave well. Road infrastructure must also be improved ensuring connectivity to the remotest village.  

Another issue I would like to highlight is the total disregard our society has for cyclists and pedestrians. I am a cyclist and a marathon runner and every day I have to negotiate an insane amount of traffic. I am preparing for a mega athletic event known as Triathlon India (an athletic contest comprising three different events, typically swimming, cycling, and long-distance running). This requires me to be on the road for many hours doing long-distance running and long-distance cycling. On weekends, I cycle for nearly 75 kilometres (Ghaziabad -NH 24- Akshardham – Nizamuddin Bridge –  Pragati Maidan- Purana Qila – India Gate). For work and other daily chores, I use my scooty too. 

India is not a country for cyclists or pedestrians. Cyclists rank the lowest in the transport ladder and are accorded zero respect in our country. During my runs, I encounter incessant honking; vendors encroaching on footpaths meant for pedestrians; and bikers driving freely on footpaths and the space beside it.  I have to be on high-alert all the time. 

To conclude, I feel a person with integrity will not flout rules.  And no matter what acts are brought in, a person without integrity will find a way to break rules (in collusion with authorities). I will be an optimist though, and hope that people change for the better.

Yusuf Ali, 65, and thousands like him launched a reformist struggle in Bohra Muslim community. But for raising voice against practices such as female genital mutilation, Ali calls for govt help to keep the reformist struggle on.

There is a verse in Qur’an that says, ‘La Iqra Fid Deen’, which means there is no compulsion in religion. About two decades back, when we reiterated the verse, we were asked to leave the community. Carrying out a reformist movement among Muslims is not an easy task. It will probably take more than just one lifetime to make every person of our community understand what we stand for. 

There is a good youth population among Bohra Muslims in Udaipur, who defy the medieval laws of the head priest called ‘Syedna’. They have a more positive and humane approach towards religion. Twenty years ago, when we formed the Bohra youth community, we were despised and were asked to leave each and every place of worship. But we never left hope and kept fighting for our rights. We are proud Muslim Bohras, we just don’t follow the medieval laws. We don’t impose religion on our children, they are free to pursue any kind of study or profession. 

During initial years, we were threatened of dire consequences, but Allah has been with us. We are now a good thriving community who do not support practices such as, female genital mutilation (FGM), wearing skull caps, keeping beards without moustaches and most importantly paying taxes to the local Maulana and adhering to rules imposed on behest of the Syedna. The Maulana directs everything, right from the rituals that performed for welcoming a newborn to the last rites, the Maulana charges for everything. He even has a say in business dealings as well. 

The main mosque of the Bohras in Udaipur is still under the control of the orthodox Bohra community. It is unbelievable how they have segregated us from the rest. There is a special barricade for us in the mosque, which we are not supposed to cross. We offer Namaz before the barricade that has been put exclusively for us, despite of the fact that Islam doesn’t allow discrimination among its followers. 

Besides the mosque, there are a majority of religious institutions, in the city, which we are barred from entering as they belong to the orthodox group. We are a long legal battle away from gaining access to these places.  The orthodox maulanas want to oust us from the community, but we are thriving due to our honest values and liberal views.

Bohras have traditionally been a closely-knit business community, but the new generations of Bohras are now doing everything. We don’t discriminate amongst our sons and daughters and we raise them as per the modern society and not the rules of the Maulana. We practice modern Islam.

I have seen enough of this battle. This is the right time for the government to step in and support the reformists. Without the government’s support, our efforts to reform the community will be wasted.

We reformers, constitute a population of about 15,000-16,000 in Udaipur. There are more in other cities. But so far we have been used by the politicians as a vote-bank. None of the politicians have kept their promise. Why would they? After all, the orthodox faction is also a strong vote-bank.

We need Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention. He promises to reform each section of the society. If he really wants reform among the Muslim communities in India, he must support us. The future generations will be grateful to him. We don’t want rights in the property. We don’t have financial greed. All we want is to be accepted in the community like we are. There must not be any compulsion to follow the maulana to remain in the community.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the need for population control in his Independence Day speech. Team LokMarg spoke to members of the Muslim community if they felt targeted by the Prime Minister’s pitch.

Farzana, (name changed), is a 40-something resident of Delhi who works as a household help. She has seen female members of her family suffer due to triple talaq. She welcomes the new law that criminalises instant talaq.

Several Muslim women have suffered endlessly due to triple talaq. A decision taken impulsively and in haste never bodes well for anyone — be it the husband, the wife, or society as a whole. 

I am lucky that my husband is a very caring and understanding individual. He would never hurt me or try to prove his superiority over me. He treats me as an equal and I love being his wife. Ours is a relationship of mutual respect. 

However, many others in my extended family have not been so lucky. Two of my aunts, for instance, were divorced through triple talaq. While, one somehow managed to rebuild her life, the other aunt couldn’t bear the shock. She gave into depression and slowly died. She had two children, who are now being raised by the other aunt. Imagine the plight of the parents of these two sisters! 

I am glad that the Triple Talaq Bill has finally been passed in the Parliament. It is a boon for women as well as families, who want to stick together and build something beautiful out of their companionship. Our future generations will reap benefits from this new law. Women will no longer live in constant fear of being abandoned by their husbands. The credit must go to all the women and NGOs, who were involved in laying the foundations of the new law. 

There is a doha:  Rahiman dhaga prem ka mat todo chatkay… Don’t break the string of love for it is very delicate. A marriage is a beautiful bond, bound by the delicate string of love. A custom like triple talaq threatens to snap them in one impulsive moment. Triple talaq signifies the male ego and misogyny. Even the most trivial fight can end up in an instant divorce, ruining families. I do understand that some relationships don’t work out, no matter how much effort you put into them, but triple talaq is no way to end them.

Raju Yadav, 26, picked up the skills of an electrician while working in an electric repair shop. However, Skill India centres refused to lend him certification because he did not know how to write and take notes 

I am an electrician. I can fix any wiring fault and even install solar panels. I have been doing this for the past five years. But I don’t have a degree or a certificate, I have learnt my skills through experience and no formal training. I have been pursuing a Skill India centre for getting a certificate, but in vain. 

I have been denied a certificate because my poor reading and writing skills. This is gross injustice with people like us. I learnt about Skill India Centres through a friend, who got a certification. He is now a certified electrician, but I am not. How does it matter whether I am able to write notes or not? 

The only thing that matters are my skills. And I have worked very hard to acquire them. When I first came to Delhi with my family from Uttar Pradesh, I could only find work as a daily wage labourer. I struggled to make money, as even after a day’s hard work, the money wasn’t enough to survive in Delhi. 

One day, I got an opportunity to work as a labourer at an electrification site. I stuck to that project for over a year till it was completed. Gradually after two-three years of work as an assistant to electricians, I got my first project on my own and completed it successfully. Now I am a full-fledged electrician, I just need a certification to get more jobs. 

To get a certification I need to learn to write properly. I quit studying after primary school, so writing is something that I could never perfect. With a little help I can probably learn to write too.

There are many people like me, who have learnt a vocation, on the job. It just shows that we are good learners and we don’t really need to take notes. But our fate still hangs in balance. People who have similar skills, and are able to take notes, are now certified by the government. 

I want the authorities to understand that we are equally skilled. I have spent years in perfecting my skills as an electrician. But I can only get a contract through my sources and references as I don’t have any certificate. 

Even if the government gives me a certificate of assistant or trainee electrician, it will be of great help for me. I will prove myself and will return to the centre after studying enough to get proper certification. This will help me build a career and take care of a family. 

There are thousands like me who are in dire need of certification for their skills. The government must do something for us for the sake of equal opportunity.

LokMarg team speaks to people on Namami Gange project, one of the pet projects of Narendra Modi government launched in June 2014. People feel that the project has given yet another milch cow to officers and politicians.

Uttiyo Mallick, 31, a lawyer at Kolkata High Court, says the Unnao case is a beacon of hope for rape victims in small towns and villages. He lauds the courage of the survivor and her family for their support.

The political and bureaucratic high handedness has always been an impediment to the delivery of justice in our country. I am talking about all kind of offences here and not just rape cases. However, not many people have been able to show the guts that this young girl from Unnao has been able to show in persistently fighting for justice for more than a year now. It is amazing to see how supportive her family is. 

I was shocked and appalled when I heard of the accident. This is the second case of killing and attempting to kill people related to this case (the death of her father’s murder witness is another case). Protection from the learned court should have been provided much earlier in this case. Also, investigation should be done about the absence of her security cover during this accident. If the Supreme Court had taken suo moto cognizance of the matter, then the girl and her family wouldn’t have suffered as much. 

I feel now, fresh FIRs need to be filed against the accused. Also, the victim, her family, her lawyer and his family should be ensured a security cover at all times. The proceedings should be shifted to another place if the victim so wants it.

Women in villages and small towns (like Unnao) are still not aware of their legal rights or the legal aid they are entitled to. Most women don’t have the courage to report the assault on them and neither are their families supportive. In fact, in small towns rape cases are often settled out of court by providing monetary compensation to the victims. That is why the Unnao case is so different. Both the immediate family as well as relatives are very supportive and the victim herself is so courageous. 

One of my clients was threatened with repeated assault (rape) if she did not withdraw the rape case that was already in court. They also tried to pay her off to withdraw the case, but I am proud she did not give in. 

It has been widely reported that West Bengal is safe for women, however instances of molestation and outraging modesty women are very common. If not for social media, many of these cases might have been unknown. However, social media doesn’t always serve as a handy tool for the uneducated and unaware masses. 

A preventive mechanism is needed, rather than legal solutions for later. The kind of burden our courts already face, prevention is better than cure. The cases stretch on for years. I have been an observer as well as a participant in various legal aid camps in villages and small towns, I have noticed that education level and financial condition of the victim’s family are the two of the biggest impediments in grievance redressal of  victims. 

Media can play a vital role in popularising these legal aid camps so that more people can participate in it. Plus, the young generation of lawyers should also play an active role in making the masses aware of their legal rights. The civil society should also take care not to shame the victims or get involved in providing justice to the accused on their own. The Apex Court will not have to use its precious time to interfere in the case of heinous crimes then, for the High Courts will then be able to handle them. I am happy that fast track courts are doing their work effectively and efficiently in West Bengal.  

However, in all this, one should not forget about the problem of fake rape cases. Such cases do injustice to real victims who suffer endless trauma. This is another aspect where mass sensitization as well as social change is required.

Ritu Narang, 45 is a social worker based in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, shudders at the trauma faced by the Unnao rape survivor. She feels such cases expose the hollowness of cosmetic campaigns like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

The government often gloats about ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ and empowerment of women. It introduces schemes and policies towards these ends. Celebrities endorse the cause. Then a case like the Unnao rape surfaces and shakes us all. And that makes me wonder, if the society has taken one step forward and two steps backwards. 

When I think about just how much this teenager from Unnao has suffered over the past two years, I shudder. Her case just proves that in small towns and villages, girls, who show the courage to speak up about sexual harassment, rape etc., are silenced by means direct and indirect. What use are laws if lawmakers themselves twist it and use it against victims? What use are laws if the victim is no more alive to see justice? 

The Unnao victim was raped when she went seeking a job. Now, knowing that her father is no more and even her uncle is in jail, I wonder how her family must have survived for the last two years. In small towns, rape isn’t just a physical and mental crisis for the victim, it becomes an existential crisis for the entire family, battling stigma and poverty. 

If families of rape and abuse victims are supportive, this battle with the rest of the society becomes a little easier. But in my career, I have come up with several cases where the abuse is happening within the family.  

As a social worker working extensively towards women empowerment, I come across cases where the girls are being abused by their fathers and are being silenced by their mothers and elder siblings. There are cases, where more than one sibling is being abused. Even if we want to help in such cases, these young girls refuse to speak up or receive any kind of help. Living in fractured families, they find it difficult to trust anyone within their homes. With major trust issues, they do not trust any outsiders (social workers like me, who genuinely want to help) either. I am happy that I have helped these girls open up after working with them over a period of time. 

I strongly believe that all students, regardless of gender must be sensitised at school on various topics, which must include sex education. They need to be taught how to communicate well with the opposite gender. 

I have met many boys who have no idea how to speak to girls. They feel awkward around girls, even their sisters! Many a times, boys are just randomly beaten up for the mere act of walking with a girl. Is fear the foundation stone, on which a society is built or is it love?

Young boys in small towns and villages often fall victims to sexual harassment. Recently as part of the Balika Suraksha Abhiyan programme, when I went to a small town to make girls aware about women helpline number (1090), the girls asked me why the training was only meant for girls. Why aren’t there enough programmes to make men aware about just how their behaviours affect women? 

I have suggested principals at various schools to run awareness programmes for both boys and girls, every week. If schools can put so much dedication into preparing for annual day, sports day etc., they can very well earmark a day for social awareness programmes too.