मैं नफरत के सौदागरों पर भीतर से खौल रहा हूं, देशवासियों मैं मणिपुर बोल रहा हूं।

*मैं मणिपुर बोल रहा हूं...*

------------------------------

गोलियों-बारूदों से तबाह हुए अपने

शहर में लब खोल रहा हूं, देशवासियों

मैं मणिपुर बोल रहा हूं।

मेरी पीड़ा सुन सको तो तुम्हें सुनाऊं,

अगर देख सको तो अपना जलता दिल दिखाऊं।

मेरे जिस आंगन में कभी चहचहाती थी

चिड़ियां, वहां आज गूंज रही है बंदूक

और गोलियां 

जहां पहले सब मिलजुल कर रहते थे,

अब एक-दूसरे के खून के प्यासे हैं,

ये सारे पैंतरे भाई को भाई से लड़ाने

वाली बीजेपी ने तराशे हैं 

भाजपा की गंदी राजनीति की पोल

खोल रहा हूं, देशवासियों मैं मणिपुर बोल रहा हूं।

सैकड़ों बेकसूर लोगों को आंखों के

सामने मरता देख रहा हूं, 

कितना अभागा हूं कि अपने हजारों

घरों को जलता देख रहा हूं

मेरे सामने रोज हजारों अपने लोग

अपना घर छोड़कर भाग रहे हैं, 

मगर हम उनको रोकने की हिम्मत तक

नहीं जुटा पा रहे हैं

अपनों की लाशें अपने हाथों तोल रहा

हूं, देशवासियों मैं मणिपुर बोल रहा हूं।

आखिर किससे कहूं, कहां जाऊं, कौन सुनेगा मेरा दर्द, किसे अपनी दास्तां सुनाऊं

सियासत की आग में मैं जल रहा हूं,

अपने खून को ही अपने जिस्मों पर मल रहा हूं

फूट डालने वालों पर कभी विश्वास मत करना,

तभी खुश रह पाओगे, मेरी सलाह को ठुकराया तो मेरी तरह पछताओगे।

मैं नफरत के सौदागरों पर भीतर से खौल रहा हूं, देशवासियों मैं मणिपुर बोल रहा हूं।

Eidgah is not about Eid

 Eidgah is not about Eid.

It is not about Hamid. It is not about Eidi. It is not about Ameenah. And it is certainly is not only about Muslims.

It is about a 4 year old Hamid’s love for his grandmother and the sacrifice that he makes at a tender age on the auspicious occasion of Eid.

It is about the beauty of Munshi Premchand’s (Dhanpat Rai) understanding of human character and writing an outstanding story in 1933 about something that is universal. One can re-write the exact story, and just replace Eid with Diwali or Christmas or Hannukah or anything else that is a “happy celebration”.

To me, the story Eidgah is repeated several times in an year over several years in different settings, and in different parts of the world. And yes, often on a non Eid day.

It’s about something that some of us do every day, some often, and some almost never.

It is about love. It is about beauty. It is about the beautiful side of human nature,that is probably present in varying degrees in each one of us.

And for some of us, like me, who do not observe “Roza” it is a reminder that it is Eid, and it’s time for Cuckoo to read the story with her children, and to make sure she makes sevaiyian as part of the evening dessert.

I will definitely read the story now. This time, just by myself as my kids are in college now! Hoping to complete it without crying…I have done this for several years now, but never finished the story without sobbing!

Eid Mubaraq!

Impending Danger on School Education

Impending Danger on School Education

 

23rd April, on this day, two years ago we lost our senior member and convenor of RTE Forum, Ambrish Rai Ji. Today, on his second death anniversary, we have organized this Webinar in his remembrance. As you all know the entire school education system is in a dangerous situation and we decided to have a discussion in this context and then we can strategize as to how we plan  to implement upcoming campaigns. I would like to welcome all our participants to this webinar.

 

Our speakers

Professor Muchkund Dubey, President, CSD and Former Indian Foreign Sectretary

Dr C Ramakrishnan

Professor Gopal Pradhan, Ambedkar University

Professor Anita Rampal, Delhi University

 

I'd welcome and request our newly elected national convenor of RTE Forum, Gautam Bandhopadhyay to say a few words and begin the program.

 

Gautam Bandhopadhyay

 

Today is Ambrish Ji's second death Anniversary and it's a like Pledge Day for us. We welcome all on this occasion and,

" Sabko Shiksha

Behtar Shiksha"

A pledge with which this forum started and wr are still at it but given the condition of the education currently we all need to decide it's future. We will begin with the keynote address of Mr Muchkund Dubey and hearing speakers like Dr C Ramakrishnan, Professor Gopal Pradhan, and Professor Anita Rampal and all the participants from across the nation who are concerned about our education system, education activists who have been fighting this battle. A fight for education is a fight for democracy, a fight to create a nation. When we talk about education, we talk about its Constitutional rights and it gives us  a hope for better quality education for all. The inequality in the education sector has to eradicated, only then can se remove the inequality in the society. One is not possible without the other.

 

Today's Webinar, we agree that RTE Act is not our last goal, but we also accept that this Act will help us remove issues in education, administration and other levels. It will help us conjoin districts.

 

The condition of education is deteriorating day by day and we need to plan and pledge as to how we can improve education system and it's quality and how we can provide the children with their Constitutional rights to education.

 

Mitra Ranjan

 

Thank you Gautam Da. With this I would request Professor Muchkund Dubey, President, CSD and Former Indian Foreign Secretary to speak. He has been present and supportive since the founding of CSD and he has been with Ambrish Ji too since a long time.

 

Professor Muchkund Dubey

 

Thank you so much Mitra Ranjan Ji. This meeting has been organized to pay tribute to Ambrish Rai Ji on second year after his demise. Much has been said about him soon after he left us and also on the first anniversary of his death, therefore I'm not going to repeat those things. I think picture that has emerged that he was a  unique personality in several ways and this has been demonstrated by the fact that even two years after his demise, we had a hard time finding  a substitute for him. I very much wish that your experiment will work and will be successful and RTE Forum will be able to acquire the same dynamism and energy displayed when Ambrish Ji was amongst us.

 

In these two years, large numbers of policy measures have been announced in the field of education. Particularly in states which have governments of the Ruling party. They have made changes of the very drastic measures and which cma have a deterrent effect on the education and future of our children. This measure has pushed the goal of universalization. The central government's policy in the field of education amounts to all events time to time it has now geared to achieve this goal and mobilizing all the resources needed to achieve this goal. Inspite of these measures, we have not seen much of  a protest at the national level on the announced policy measures. The RTE Forum has lost its momentum, dynamism and even it's relevance. To take an honest view of the situation, in the last decade and a  half the only game in the field of school education has been the RTE Act and jg seems that the main purpose of the policy that we are pursuing is to bring that game to an end and start on an uncharted path for objectives that are vaguely defined. For which  there are neither resources adequate enough to revive them nor the manpower needed to implement them.

 

Before the RTE Act was adopted, many of us were working for establishing a  Common School System in India, but when the RTE Act was adopted, there was a choice before us whether to continue working for the

Common School System and dismiss the RTE Act as truly inadequate for the purpose of realising the Common School System or concentrate on only the implementation of the RTE Act for sometime and through its implementation try to rescue the Common School System established in India. RTE Act was unit piece of  legislation which had following features:

 

- Right to free and compulsory education to children

And education as public could recognize and it was also implicit that it was incumbent upon the government to make the Act's implementation successful.

 

- It was based on set on norms which are essential and important for ensuring equality because they are applicable to all the schools across the country and are also important for ensuring quality

So basically it's about achieving quality through the pursuit of equality.

 

- Third most important thing about the Act was that it had a time limit for implementation - 5 years. These 5 years are over and need to legally set a new target but there is no indication from official quarters of moving in that direction.

 

The Act also enumerates a large number of laws and practices which are unfriendly to children and among these are imposing various examinations on them at the elementary level. The Act had abolished ot but it has been brought back again unfortunately by an Amendment.

 

Where do we go ahead from here?

In my opinion, it is very important that we have  a kind of a program or a set of activities which we can pursue at the state and national level. We should attach priority to 2-3 most important matters like :

 

1. To implement the RTE Act

2. To get a new time frame for its implementation

3. To insist on getting the resources need for the effective implementation of the RTE Act

4. Extend the Act to pre primary stage children and those at secondary level which had been excluded from the RTE Act

 

I think that if these things can be achieved then perhaps we would closer to the goal of achieving the common school system in India. It's extremely important as no other country in the world can claim to have reached the stage of being developed without having a publicly financed and publicly operated.

 

Ambrish ji was a special person in my life and his absence can be felt by us all.

At the central level, many policies were made at national level and there has been less activities. New perspectives also came through and help us sail through.

 

We hope that before RTE act, we used to work for Early Childhood Education and will continue to do so. State and national forums need to come together and pressurise the govt to work on them.

 

2030 - supposed date for implementation of RTE Act properly.

Budget for education changes according to the convenience of fiscal govt

 

Bad economics and ethics n morality - believing that budget for education can only be increased through increase in GDP. With this hope and belief we move forward.

 

 

Prof. Anita Rampal

 

Namaste friends, with time new policies are coming along with RTE and they need our attention. They are state's responsibility but centre is taking a crucial role in it.

 

New PM schools to be created have asked for full assurance that all policies of RTE Act should be followed, only then funds will be provided.

 

With advent of NCF, its true purpose has been lost.

 

SDEG (SC, ST, OBC, Minority groups,all have been clubbed into one under this)

New NCF is diluting so much in the name of convenience of option.

 

Policies suggests 'Multipathways' which are against the RTE act.

 

Even at 11th class very few students get the chance to choose from subjects like sciences, barely 300 schools have them, so they don't have the choice to take them.

d

 Schools complain that they don't score enough to get science

 

Foreign countries provide a period of 10 years of education for the child to catch up and improve but this new policy has created a  new structure (8th to 12th - Secondary Stage)

 

10th classs students will have to take 16 subjects, given the current scenario (sports teachers teaching maths , etc)

 

Teacher educators refuse to teach science

 

Home science which has been revised, have been aligned according to new industries, it only has theoretical questions, not practical experience or physical application. It's been taught at it's base level.

 

Out of those 16 compulsory course (sports, Yoga, etc) there are some interdisciplinary courses which has subjects from Indian Knowledge System.

 

UGC has provided that credits from these wwill be accepted for college admission in universities.

 

Reasonable choices - 1 course will be from mainstream subjects, 1 from sports, and 1 more interdisciplinary, 1 language will be allowed to be choosen and can come under registered school.

 

 Imagine the knowledge level that will ve imparted to the students going to such schools.

 

Work based courses are not being made but vocation based. It's opening up opportunities for questionable organizations to attain secondary school certificates and run.

 

At 8th class, weak students are given separate exams, taught separate syllabus.The basic knowledge which a

child should get are being taking away.

 

NCF with its detailed guidelines of  650

pages, is only trying to control the school system,giving unnecessary details like duration of the morning assembly.

 

 We need to be aware of this discrimination and division and how we need to fight against the deteriorating quality of education.

 

Mitra Ranjan

 

Education's political economy and democracy needs to be  foicused on. Ambrish ji felt it to be really important , the socialisation of education.

 

Professor Gopal Pradhan, Ambedkar University

 

On 13th April, 2021 a program was held and i had a conversation with Ambrish ji. In the development policies, education related issues are usually not on the agenda of the communist Party, given our history with communism.We decided to create a document focusing on the this matter. Two days after this conversation, I heard of his demise. It feels like a loss to the society as I felt inadequate to prepare that document myself. He had the appropriate qualities which required for it.

 

With the upcoming RTE Act, the kind of excitement that was there in MP when Mulaayam Singh and Maayawati came into power together. Whenever there is an attempt to uplift the marginalized section of the society, an uproar takes place. The caste composition that is formed for the beneficiaries, is evident.

As professor of Hindi, I'll talk about what I understand of it. A book came out , post cobid, called Pandemic Pedagogy which talked about the authoritarian govt all the world started taking decisions regadinf the syllabus which were affected by their religious attitude. Another example is Rationalization of Education. The reduction of the syllabus, being another example, those people who have been removed from syllabus werewere actually an integral part of the nationalist movement.

 

A systemised way of creating a new history in the minds of the upcoming youth as favoured by the current government. A process of creating synthetic memories in place of original memories. Social movement, democratic rights etc are aimed to be removed from its roots. Darwin's theory for evolution has so been removed from Social Science syllabus. The base of students will be extremely weak in these subjects which they lose out.

 

The government claims to promote the subaltern through adding all indian languages of the nation like Hindi, but which hindi? The word itself was formed after Mughal Invasion. It's impossible to remove Urdu from the current Hindi. They aim to teach in Sanskritiaed Hindi. Tulsidas 's Ramcharitamanas was alleged to be written in poor man's language instead of Sanskrit. A language which has kept a big section of this country under illiteracy. I would like to thank all listeners and Mitra Ranjan Ji for giving me this opportunity.

 

Dr C Ramakrishnan

 

At first I would like to offer my hearty tribute to Ambrish Ji as we worked together. We all working together for RTE are at crossroads and we need to work together as it's butchering which address the needs of the large population of students of the nation.

 

They are harming the entire fabric of education and creating long documents. It's actually to strategy to distract

As per Sartak document, 2030 they plan to change RTE altogether.

 

They are just creating policies and are implementing through various organs and not through direct orders as they could be challenged in court. They are baiting the state governments through funds.

 

They are bulldozing and using the state governments to fulfill their agendas.

We need to formulate different policies to push for compulsory education till 18 years of age. What should be the feature of Kerala for school education, we are expecting more than 3000 to arrive in this meeting with 1000 people speaking.

 

National Education Agency, 30th April to be organized on how to get education jn their neighborhood  , how govt  is trying to cheat them of their needs.

 

 Niti Aayog is proposing to close 9 lac schools approximately, only thinking of the resources, and transferring those funds to the remaining schools under the name of PM schools.  Schools under 15km radius asked to be closed. 125000 to 9500 schools.

 

Ambrish ji's vision was correct, the govt is handing over the public property and resources to the private sector through the ignorance of the the citizens.

Fighting against the systemic reforms and against cultural reforms. We need to work on them together. Learn it, locate it, fight it in decentralised way and go ahead. Thank you for giving me the opportunity for speaking.

 

Mujahid

 

Remembering Ambrish Ji on his second death anniversary today, I would like pay tribute to him. Hearing all the members who spoke today, they talked on very important points and they have our support if we plan to move ahead for mobilisation or any other movement.

 

Himmat Singh

 

If Ambrish Ji had been alive today, how he would have thought and taken action against the current situations. It's not that the current govt doesn't think about education but they think in their own way. We need to understand and circulate that who are hindering this progress and why. This is such a  big forum that if we want we need to spread this all over the nation, we can. It's  a great political task to do this. As to educate them them that why these students are being cheated of their right to education. We can depend on the nation's strength and the citizens for this change.

 

Surendra

 

Students at younger classes should be given multiple chances and they should be passed and not failed. But there are not enough teachers in the first place. At Delhi level, we should do something for children and they should not be forced into child labour , I would like to request RTE forum members to think over it and take into action.

 

Aatreyee

 

As Gopal Ji said that every party has developed it's own views on all issues, except education. It's the result of that we are having a govt which is making such grace decisions for the NCF. As a forum we all need to think of it deeply. Even we do not have exact details that what all is about to be removed, as understood from the various articles, so if a detailed report could be availed, we can take it to the villages in all corners and mobilize them and create a agenda for it.

 

Sanjeev Sinha

 

From elementary education to higher education, changes are taking place , as heard from other speakers, but can all these people from different backgrounds, can they be brought together to find alternative ideas? I feel we need such a people's movement for it, we cannot wait any longer. We need to bring them all together, acamedicians, feminists, labour groups, student unions, etc. It cannot be remain limited to small meetings and movements. Because the ongoing movement is going on at a very large level, created at a very systematic level and people are being brainwashed at a great level. Moreover the current power system is feeding on the fear of the people. There is  a need for  a push towards creating a platform for bringing together the nation. I would request Gautam Da to plan  a meeting soon regarding this and find a solid solution for it.

 

Gurcharan Sharma

 

If RTE forum can be created at district levels, then it can take the form of a national movement. A great platform is indeed needed for it. For example there is grave issues for teachers in Bihar and the preference of guest teachers over regular ones. Old ones being forced to guven exams is really sad.

 

Vote of thanks by Raghu Tiwari

 

This meeting today and talk on education kn the second death anniversary of Ambrish ji acts as a great Tribute to him. From the the talks today, the specific points were :

- Changes in NEP

- Politics involved in it

 

The detailed framework just shows that igs an attempt to control as I understood from Anita Ji's world's. Gopal ji focused on the politization of the matter. The government's involvement which is influenced from the Western policvies is evident. The attempt to earse history is also visible. If the context is lost, all is lost.The loss of education for the common man is at its last point. C Ramakrishnan  emphasized on how  that Kerala govt is taking small steps towards making a  difference.

 

From all we heard here, we need to realize that we are in harder battle than in which Ambrish Ji left us and we require much more efforts. I would like to thank all present here who spoke today and helped organised this meeting. Who are attempting to give a new strength to the RTE Forum.

 

Mitra Ranjan

 

Thank you Raghu Bhai. By giving the tribute to Ambrish ji, I would like to end this meeting. I would like to thank Nancy for creating the meeting link and all other participants : Angela, Namrata, Prabeer, Rekha, Sanjeev etc We all will reach out to you all through the Sankalp patr which will be created. Thanks to Aekta, Gautam Da and Anita Ji for translating the points.

 

Rekha

 

Many things came up today in which we can do something actively. I've seen some articles which spread the ideas, and we also need to write nad spread some. We need to take assistance from Alliance more and involve more people in this movement.

 

Mitra Ranjan

 

Very rightly said. Thank you all present today.

  

Change in NCERT Syllabus- What and Why 2023

 

Change in NCERT Syllabus

 

In two years, there will be significant modifications to the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) curriculum. Once a National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has been established and the New Education Policy (NEP) has been finalised, these changes are anticipated to take place. The current administration is now reviewing the draught of an education strategy that was provided by a committee led by the former ISRO director K. Kasturirangan. Public response was also requested for the policy draught, and the plan will be finalised in light of the different discussions, comments, and suggestions made in the draught.

 

The NCERT textbooks' most recent revision took place in 2017, and it hasn't been made subsequently. The Ministry of Human Resource Development's (MHRD) sources claim that the changes to school textbooks will be done in next 2 years.

 

The 2017 revisions were put into effect after taking into account the recommendations and comments of educators, including parents, teachers, and other group members. In 2017, the council finally changed the curriculum after 15 years. The NCERT syllabus had the following revisions in 2017:

 

●     Demonetization and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan were introduced as new topics.

●     In the history book, a chapter about Maharana Pratap was added.

●     It included more details about the Indian Knowledge System.

●     The NCERT textbooks for classes 6 through 10 also covered subjects like philosophy, yoga, and Ayurveda as well as information about ancient India.

 

The syllabus for the NCERT textbook was altered in 1975, 1988, 2000, and 2005. Only a few topics were included in 2017, keeping the rest unchanged. As a result, the upcoming syllabus change, which will be the fifth, is referred to as such. Each subject's core concepts should only differ little from the textbook. To make learning a satisfying and enjoyable experience, the curriculum will be updated in accordance with student interest.

 

Moreover, The NCERT textbooks will be available in at least 22 languages, as mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Constitution, including Hindi, English, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Sindhi, Manipuri, Urdu, Malayalam, Odiya, and Kashmiri, among others.

 

Advantages of CBSE deleting the syllabus:

 

Less work to do and less stress

 

Less content will need to be covered, which will reduce stress and help students learn and remember more. Instead of attempting to cover an excessive quantity of content, students can concentrate more on comprehending and mastering the main topics with a reduced curriculum. This promotes a healthier and more effective learning environment, which benefits kids' academic performance.

 

More time to learn deeply

 

A smaller syllabus will enable teachers to teach in greater detail and give students more time to investigate and comprehend each idea. Better retention and comprehension will result from this.

 

Increased Motivation and Confidence

 

A limited syllabus also has a positive impact on students’ motivation. When students feel crushed by the large volume of study material, it can be demotivating and lead to a sense of helplessness. With less material to study, students will find it easier and more efficient to grasp the information, building their confidence.

 

Enhanced Learning Outcome

 

A reduced syllabus can lead to improved learning outcomes as it allows for a more focused and targeted approach to learning. A focused and targeted curriculum can lead to deeper understanding and greater academic success for students.

 

Disadvantages of CBSE deleting the syllabus:

 

Gap in Knowledge

 

While the deductions in the syllabus may provide some relief from the stress, it will also introduce gaps in knowledge. Eliminating certain topics may leave out crucial concepts and perspectives that are essential for a holistic understanding.

 

Competitive Exams Preparation

 

Reducing the syllabus may result in limited preparation for competitive exams, as the removed topics aren’t removed from the syllabus of competitive exams. Students may miss out on essential topics that are tested in these exams.

 

Reduced Academic Standards

 

When topics are omitted or shortened, students miss out on valuable knowledge, which negatively affects the quality of their learning. Reduced syllabi can make it difficult to maintain the rigour and depth necessary for students to develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

 

Increased Weightage

 

The syllabus is reduced, but not the total number of marks to be scored in exams. Therefore, in the same 100 marks, the weightage of topics will be increased now. For instance, if a chapter had a weightage of 3 marks earlier, it might now change to 10 marks because the syllabus and topics are less, and questions would have to increase from the retaining topics.

 

The Indian education system is seeing a major change in its framework and curriculum, and every new step has both a positive and negative impact, but if managed carefully and a balance is created, this new step can be proven revolutionary for our education system.

 

Here are some excerpts from the document which was prepared by over 250 academicians and professors against the syllabus reduction.

 

The signatories said that the latest deletions from the NCERT textbooks,

 

 “expose the non-academic, partisan agenda of the regime in pushing through amendments to school textbooks.

We are appalled by the decision of the NCERT to remove chapters and statements from the history textbooks and demand that the deletions be withdrawn. "

 

"The decision of the NCERT is guided by divisive motives. It is a decision which goes against the constitutional ethos and composite culture of the Indian subcontinent. As such, it must be rescinded at the earliest. "

 

"There has been no attempt to consult members of the teams that had prepared the textbooks, which included historians and school teachers, apart from members of the NCERT. "

 

Further, the signatories, in their statement, said that the revision should have only been done,

 

“in sync with the consensus of the existing historical scholarship. However, the selective deletion in this round of textbook revision reflects the sway of divisive politics over pedagogical concerns.”

 

The signatories accused the NCERT of using the pandemic as an excuse to initiate “a contentious process” of dropping important topics like ‘The 2002 Gujarat Riots’ and ‘Mughal Courts’.

 

“The new editions of these NCERT books have simply made the deletions the norm even when we are in a post-pandemic context in which school education has limped back to normalcy and is no longer in the online mode,” the statement said.

 

 

 

Nine-Day Karnataka Campaign by Prof. V.K. Tripathi

Nine-Day Karnataka Campaign

V.K. Tripathi

            In early March, a meeting of Sadbhav Mission was held in Delhi. It was decided that Sadbhav Mission should do its bit to counter sectarian tilt of polity in forthcoming assembly election in Karnataka. I wrote a flier, “Clear the Eyes and Bring Pro-People Government” and sent it to SM friends for comments. Dr. Yogendra Yadav contacted Mr. Akki and he graciously translated it in Kannada. Yogendra ji also advised his colleagues of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan to help arrange my meetings. I talked to Shri Maqbool Siraj, Shri EP Menon, Shri KP Singh, Shri Vinay Kumar and Shri Rajiv Gowda, ex-MP. Shri Gowda was immensely generous to arrange my Bangalore stay in a hotel at his own expenses. JNU friend Vasantha put me in contact with Prof. Phaniraj, Udupi who introduced me to Prof. Rajaram Tolpadi, Director, Nehru Study Center, Mangalore Univ. Prof. Tolpadi provided me every possible help and support in Mangalore with great affection, including stay in University Guest House and talks in various colleges in the city and in Udupi.

            I left Delhi with 4000 fliers and 60 copies of the book “Satyagraha Against Prejudice and Exploitation” on March 25, 2023 at 9:40 PM by Duranto Express and reached Mangalore on March 27, at 6:40 AM. On my journey I observed fast for 36 hours (took 2 oranges, 100 gm grapes, gur and water), pained by the unjust order of the Surat Court sentencing Rahul Gandhi on a minor statement in an election speech in Kolar (Karnataka) in 2019, and also by the denial of the Lok Sabha to let him defend his UK speech on which false allegations were made against him. In the train I met Sultana, an aged lady from Godhra. She was returning to Ernakulam to join her work in a family. She was illiterate but truly secular and truth speaking. Her compassion and simplicity touched me.

            Prof. Tolpadi and Dr. Naina sent a car to pick me up. It took me to Univ. Guest House. At 10:30 AM, Prof. Tolpadi took me to the university and introduced me to his colleagues. At 12:15 I took the city bus and reached the city at 1 PM. I began distributing fliers in markets, side lanes and roads. Many responded with warmth and expressed appreciation. A vendor purchased water bottle for me, another offered an orange. Many students talked with interest.

In a shop, when I gave my flier to a person standing by, he asked whom would you like me to vote. I said, Congress in the present situation. He said, “Then our ways are different. I am RSS Pracharak of Udupi.” I told, “Indeed our views are different. But I am touched by your serenity. In 1966 I met Rajju Bhaiya  My views were totally different from his, but his warmth touched me.” He said, “Boat does not matter whether it is Congress or RSS, our direction should be right.” I said, “I agree with you. All ideologies and religions are meant to make us human and humble.” He shook his head in affirmation and I left.

On March 28 I reached the city bus stand at 10 AM and began giving fliers and talking to people. Many bus conductors/ drivers and auto drivers took fliers with interest, many shop keepers expressed appreciation. One lane had Supari market with significant percentage of Muslim traders. I found Hindu and Muslim traders in good relations. As I passed by a mosque, I gave fliers to 5 people sitting near the entrance. After a while an old man from there came to me and asked for 10 more fliers for others. I gave him the fliers. 15 minutes later I went to the mosque to express my gratitude to this man. I met few other people. They showered their love.

At 2PM I reached Alloysious College. In a little while Prof. Tolpadi, Dr. Naina and two professors =from Mangalore U. arrived for my talk. We had a heartening meeting with college Principal, Registrar and faculty. 3 to 4 PM I gave a talk on Science and Freedom to 120 students. The response was overwhelming. At 6:30 PM I reached the Guest House.

At 8 PM I received a phone call from someone, asking me, “What proof do you have of 40% commission mentioned in your flier.” I said, “Read the whole sentence. It is not me but the Contractor association is crying to save them of 40% commission govt. See newspaper reports.” He kept insisting on proof and told that you will have to come to police station. Then he hanged the phone. I realized intimidation was present here too.

March 29, 10-12:30 I visited the Center for Advanced Research in Environmental Radioactivity, Mangalore U. It is a magnificent lab headed by Prof. Karunakar Naregundi. I gave a talk on Thermonuclear Fusion. 1:30-5 PM I distributed fliers in the city, met many nice people.

March 30, I left the Guest House at 7 AM and took the bus to the city. Prof. Tolpadi joined me at the inter-city bus stand.. We took the bus to Udupi and reached there at 10 AM. Shri Md. Yaseen organized a meeting with 40 prominent social and political activists from the district. We had an extraordinarily absorbing session on current challenges for 2.5 hours. At 1 PM we visited Dr. G. Shankar Govt. Women College and met with Principal Dr. Bhaskar Shetty and Dr. Suchithra. Suchithra took us to lunch and drove to Milagres College. Principal Dr. Vincent Alva organized my talk on Science and Freedom with 150 students and teachers. In the evening we returned to Mangalore.

March 31, I checked out of the Guest House at 8 AM, took successive buses and reached Suratkal. Prof. Tolpadi also arrived. Dr. Sudha organized my talk on India’s Mass Movement for Freedom at Dovinda Das College at 10:-12. At 2 PM I gave a lecture at Canara College on Newton’s Laws of Motion and Gravitation. Afterwards I distributed fliers. Also, made 500 copies of the Kannada flier. Mrs. Tolpadi took me home and offered an excellent dinner At 8:30 PM, I boarded the train and reached Bangalore at 6:30 AM, April 1.

I distributed fliers in the station area for 2 hours. Then took the bus and reached Orchid Suites in the city, where accommodation was arranged by Shri Rajiv Gowda. 11:15 to 3 PM I distributed fliers. At 3 PM Shri Gowda arrived and we had very heartening discussions. 4-6 PM I walked into the localities giving fliers. At 6 PM arrived Mr. Faizullah Qureshi with his family. They are filled with love and sensitivity. They brought fruits, gulgule, dates, and highly delicious shahi tukda. We had roza aftar together. At 7:30 PM Vinay, an Aeronautical engineer and a committed secular activist promoting constitution values, took me to dinner. Next morning, I joined his monthly meeting in Cubbon Park. It had 20 outstanding and dedicated activists. I spoke for 15 minutes and listened to their indepth discussions. Journalist Udbhavi carried my interview and published it in Deccan Herald next day (April 3). At 12:15 PM I reached Jayanagar and visited Shri, K, Rahman Khan, ex-Speaker Lok Sabha. His simplicity, sensitivity and depth of understanding of national issues was a revelation to me.  At 12:45 PM Shri Koushik Krishnan and his son came to meet me near Jayanagar Metro station. Koushik is caring and deeply committed to secularism. So his son. We discussed practical issues related to current situation for 90 minutes. At 3 PM he dropped me at HSR Layout where I visited Prof. Rahul De, Sharmila and Ashna. We had heartening discussions. At 4:30 Rahul dropped me at Shantinagar. For 3 hrs I distributed the fliers.

April 3, 9 AM, I reached St. Joseph’s University (SJU) and began giving fliers and talking to students at the gate and on the road. In 3 hours I consumed 500 fliers and many students poured their hearts. An Auto driver felt moved and asked, what benefit do I get by giving the fliers. I said, “Your love is my reward”. He showered his love. At 1:50-2:40 Fr. Maxim Dias and Prof. Areesh organized my lecture on Nonviolence at the Dept of Peace and International Relations, SJU with 110 students. I felt deeply moved by the response. At 5:30 PM, Saurav came to meet me at Forum Mall. He is a truly secular Newsweek reporter. We talked for an hour and then walked to the residence of Mr. Asif Aboobkar. He is a gem, truly enlighted and warm. So is his wife Yasmeen. We had a great roza aftar.

April 4, I checked out at 8:30 AM, distributed 200 fliers and reached Alternative Law Forum where Vinay had organized my talk. I spoke about three fronts of resistance to communalism: To remove prejudice from peoples’ minds, To intervene in tense situations, and To curb the polity of polarization and corporate dominance. From this perspective I shared my experiences with various strategies. We need to (1) Build bases in cities we live in, (2) motivate the educated and affluent to build friendship with the masses rather than polarizing and abusing them, (3) organize workshops in Maths, Science and History, (4) Distribute fliers, (5) Organize marches/ fasts. The participants, including Lokesh, Arvind and few women were a deeply committed group. In the evening I took flight to Delhi. 

PM’s 10 Points Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

 

PM’s 10 Points Agenda

·         2015:  The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai is a city in Japan’s Tohoku Region)

Goal: Prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk through the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural, legal, social, health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological, political and institutional measures that prevent and reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disaster, increase preparedness for response and recovery, and thus strengthen resilience

After the adoption of Sendai Framework, the international community adopted two other major frameworks to shape the future of humanity, namely,

·         2015: The Sustainable Development Goals

·         2015: The Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015.

Disaster Risk Reduction has a pivotal role in supporting adaptation to climate change as well as sustainable development.

2016: India hosted Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), and

This was the first after the international policy of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); in November 2016 at New Delhi.

Inaugurating the 7th AMCDRR, Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, highlighted a 10- Point Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction, that encompassed tools and approaches to address critical challenges in achieving sustainable development objectives and renewed efforts towards DRR.

Important goals

·         Goal-01: All development sectors must imbibe the principles of disaster risk management

PM says “Development and Disasters are two sides of a coin. While a planned development can reduce the risks of disasters, the absence of proper planning can aggravate them”

 

·         Goal-03: Women’s leadership and greater involvement should be central to disaster risk management

It is necessary to encourage greater involvement and leadership of women in disaster risk management to support special needs of women affected by disasters.

 

·         Goal-09: Make use of every opportunity to learn from disasters and, to achieve that, there must be studies on the lessons after every disaster

Ensure that the opportunity to learn from a disaster is not wasted. After every disaster there is a need to undertake research studies to understand the best practices and learn lessons to improve the policy and disaster governance.

 

 

 

 

1.    All development sectors must imbibe the principles of disaster risk management▼

 

Explanation
Development and Disasters are two sides of a coin. While a planned development can reduce the risks of disasters, the absence of proper planning can aggravate them. It is, therefore, essential to imbibe disaster risk reduction approach in all development schemes. Development should focus on reducing disaster risks and not create them.

 

2.    Risk coverage must include all, starting from poor households to SMEs to multi-national corporations to nation states▼

Explanation

Disasters result in loss of lives and damages to properties and assets. Those who survive face the challenges of their rehabilitation. This applies to all from poor households to SMEs to multi-nationals.
It is necessary to think big and innovatively to widen the risk insurance cover. Some bold steps have been taken to ensure financial inclusion and risk insurance for the poorest.
Government has some schemes having risk coverage in consideration which include Jan Dhan Yojana, Suraksha Bima Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance) etc. 
There is a need for:

§  Development of disaster insurance mechanisms for home-owners in disaster prone area

§  Development of parametric insurance for weather and climate related disasters

§  Develop insurance products to cover major infrastructure projects

 

3.    Women’s leadership and greater involvement should be central to disaster risk management▼

 

Explanation

It is necessary to encourage greater involvement and leadership of women in disaster risk management to support special needs of women affected by disasters. Women are generally seen as vulnerable to disasters. But women can play an important role in disaster risk reduction at the household, society, community and beyond. We need large number of women volunteers, engineers, masons and building artisans to participate in post-disaster reconstruction and promote women self-help groups which can assist in livelihood recovery. There is a need to include women in NDRF and SDRF, and to train elected women representatives at the local level under development.

 

4.    Invest in risk mapping globally to improve global understanding of Nature and disaster risks▼

Explanation
Disasters know no boundary. Many natural hazards impact across countries, so there is a need for better understanding of such risks at global level. With a shared understanding of the nature and severity of disaster risks globally, their impacts can be mitigated with better planning and preparedness. This requires undertaking multi-hazard risk assessments and developing maps for all major hazards in a standardized format to facilitate disaster risk reduction

 

5.    Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of disaster risk management efforts▼

Explanation
Efforts must be made to leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of our disaster risk management efforts. This requires use of technology in resource planning, e.g., India Disaster Resources Network (IDRN), creation of e-platform to map expertise and resources on highly specialized aspects of disaster response and to increase the efficacy of early warning systems for all major hazards through the application of technology.

 

6.    Develop a network of universities to work on disaster-related issues▼

Explanation
It will be helpful to develop a network of universities and academic institutions to work on disaster-related aspects. As part of this network, different universities could specialize in multi-disciplinary research on disaster issues most relevant to them.

 

7.    Utilise the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies for disaster risk reduction▼

Explanation
Utilize the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies to develop a social media strategy for Disaster Risk Management in the country. Social media is transforming disaster response. It is helping response agencies in quickly organizing themselves and enabling citizens to connect more easily with authorities.

 

8.    Build on local capacity and initiative to enhance disaster risk reduction▼

Explanation
Disaster management must build on local capabilities and initiatives. The task of disaster risk management, particularly in rapidly growing economies, is so huge that formal institutions of the state can at best be instrumental in creating the enabling conditions. Specific actions have to be designed and implemented locally. Such efforts reduce risk and create opportunities for local development and sustainable livelihoods. Localization of disaster risk reduction will also ensure that good use is made of the traditional best practices and indigenous knowledge.

 

9.    Make use of every opportunity to learn from disasters and, to achieve that, there must be studies on the lessons after every disaster▼

Explanation
Ensure that the opportunity to learn from a disaster is not wasted. After every disaster there is a need to undertake research studies to understand the best practices and learn lessons to improve the policy and disaster governance.

 

10.  Bring about greater cohesion in international response to disasters▼

Explanation
Disasters’ impacts are huge and so are the needs to be prepared for and respond strategically. Across the globe, countries face disasters similar in nature and sometimes across the countries. It requires coordinated and unified response by affected countries. Pre-disaster planning and preparedness can result in effective and timely response, hence it is important to bring about greater cohesion in international response to disasters. International forums and protocols should be used in addressing disaster risks for effective and coordinated response.

 

Andmand Trip (Port Blair)

 I had been planning to visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands for a long time, and finally, my dream came true. In the summer of 2022, I set out on my journey to this beautiful archipelago, located in the Bay of Bengal. The islands are known for their serene beaches, crystal-clear waters, and rich biodiversity. I was excited to explore the natural beauty of these islands and experience the unique culture and traditions of the local people.

My journey started from Chennai, where I took a flight to Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As soon as I landed, I was greeted by the warm and humid climate of the islands. The first thing that caught my attention was the scenic beauty of the place. The turquoise blue waters of the sea, the lush green forests, and the sandy beaches all around made me feel like I had entered paradise.

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting the Cellular Jail, also known as Kala Pani. This historical monument was once used as a prison during the British colonial era, and it is now a museum that showcases the struggle for India's independence. The light and sound show in the evening was a moving experience, and I could feel the pain and suffering of the freedom fighters who were imprisoned here.

Next, I visited Ross Island, which was once the administrative headquarters of the British in the Andaman Islands. The island is now home to the ruins of the British era, and I got to explore the remnants of the past, such as the church, the bakery, and the swimming pool.

Another highlight of my trip was the water sports activities that I participated in. I went scuba diving and snorkeling in the pristine waters of the islands, which allowed me to witness the exotic marine life up close. I also tried my hand at parasailing, which gave me a bird's eye view of the island and its surroundings.

I also got to interact with the local people of the islands, who are a mix of different ethnic groups, such as the Nicobarese, the Shompen, and the Andamanese. I learned about their customs, traditions, and way of life, which was very different from the mainland culture. The food of the islands was also unique and delicious, with a variety of seafood dishes and local specialties.

In conclusion, my trip to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was a memorable experience that I will cherish for a lifetime. The beauty of the islands, the history, and the culture all made a deep impression on me. I would highly recommend this destination to anyone who loves nature, adventure, and culture, and I hope to visit these islands again in the future.