Old Wine in New Bottle?

  The claims that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee made Tuesday that the Gorkhaland problem had been resolved didn’t come as much of a surprise, given the general mood with the people of Darjeeling Hills that the framework for a “setup” had already been in place, much before the Bengal Assembly polls last month. Mamata said on Tuesday an agreement has been reached between the state government and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) delegation that would bring down the curtains of the Gorkha crisis. A beaming Mamata claimed breakthrough in their talks over the vexed Gorkhaland issue, saying that an agreement has been reached between the two sides, which will allow for peace in the region after years of agitation and violence.

At the core of the agreement is the formation of a new autonomous elected Hill Council, which is armed with more powers compared to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in the late 1980s. The new council to be formed through enactment of a law in the state assembly, would have administrative and financial powers and can also frame rules related to the hills. The council members will later be chosen through election, but the body cannot enact any law. A nine-member high powered committee, comprising four members each from GJM and the state government and one from the central government, will be formed to study GJM's demand on demarcating Gorkha majority areas in the Terai (plains of Darjeeling) and Dooars (foothills of the Himalayas) for inclusion in the council. The committee will give its report in six months.

 GJM president Bimal Gurung was quoted as saying he is very happy with the outcome of the talks. He said he will wait for the leaders in Kolkata to come back to Darjeeling and brief him on the talks, and then for the Centre and state government to come to Darjeeling and announce the agreement there. Amidst speculations that the demand for a spate state of Gorkhaland had died a natural death with this “setup”, the GJM leaders asserted that it has not gone back on its demand for Gorkhaland. They called it “the foundation for Gorkhaland” and said that they would “cooperate with the government for a period before we come up with our demand (for Gorkhaland)” and that the GJM had “not signed any pact yet.” Only time will time if the Gorkhaland issue is still alive and kicking or had been swept under the carpet just like in the past. (source: Sikkim Express)

Central Universities & the issue of inclusiveness

Central Universities & the issue of inclusiveness

Binod Bhattarai & Sartaj Rasool

Recently a conference was held in New Delhi on the theme of “University and Society: Issues and Challenges”, which was attended by the VCs of Central and State Universities across the country. Over 300 vice chancellors of the central and the state universities participated in the same. The conference was broadly divided in to the eight crucial themes that included i) access, equity, engagement and outcome; ii) content and quality; iii) research and innovation; iv) faculty development and inter university resource sharing; internationalization in higher education; vi) alternative modes of delivery of higher education; vii) models of financing and viii) good governance. On the occasion, the Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal also called for the Universities to promote the secondary schools as they are the key catchment area of the university system. Stressing on the equality of the opportunities in the sense that the source for the university system is the secondary schools there should be uniform system in all the secondary schools and the entrance tests for the admission into the colleges and universities should be made common, he said. The minister said that the real wealth of the nation lies in the different types of ideas that are generated in the universities. The implementation of these new ideas and innovations supplied by the industries and other such entities not only helps in achieving higher growth levels but also trickling down these growth benefits to different sections of society. The importance of the Universities being well understood and the question arises, can such type of conferences and seminars really address the vital issues of ‘inclusiveness and equity’ at higher education properly with full mind and dedication?

In India, Central Universities are established with a purpose of making education equal access      to all sections of society, regions and people. It has been created by an act of Indian Parliament with an ethos of ‘growth with equity’, social justice and to promote egalitarianism, social inclusion, and a safe and healthy environment for all. But in reality does Institutions of higher education in India really practice the concept of inclusiveness and equity in a real demeanor?

Historically, education in India was to be a potent source of instrument for a exclusion of certain population groups and regions. It has been inaccessible for the peripheral zones and minority social groups in various societies. With the passage of time through various policy initiatives and changing ideology of the people there has been tremendous social change. What was observed to be unapproachable by some sections of the people at one period of time has become their fundamental right in the present period. With the growing ideology of the welfare state the aim of the various governments over past journey of about sixty years has been to reduce inter and intra state inequalities in levels of higher education in addition to per-capita income disparities.

Instead of these various efforts considerable inter and intra-regional variations in the level of higher education have been observed. This disparity in levels of higher education over a period of time seems to be rising in a scenario when the country is performing better in other parameters. In fact there are some regions in the country where access to higher education is not yet reachable to the people and some other regions where at least one central and some state universities giving people an ample choice to build their competencies in different aspects. These deprived regions are characterized by not only the lower levels of the higher education but also by some other indicators of development like  diminutive per-capita income, poor road infrastructure and other dysfunctional means of communication. Of course there are some mediums which work out is not so effective.  The state like Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, and certain districts and regions of a country like Ladakh, Kargil in Kashmir; Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Islampur in West Bengal; Dibrugarh and Tinshukia in Assam; KBK (Koraput, Bolangir and Koraput) region in Orissa; Vidharv in Maharashtra; Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh; Rayelseema region in Andhra Pradesh etc are excluded from inclusion of mainstream education in central universities across the country due to one reason or the other. Why the ratio of students from such regions gets dwindled as compared to others, subsequently and in some universities the presence of the students from these regions is almost nil? Why the students from these zones are not being able to take education in central universities of this country? Why these regions are excluded from mainstream education? There are certain concealed rationales behind that.

If we gaze over the entrance centers of each central university, it mainly focuses on the metropolitan cities of a country like Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar etc. and neglects the peripheral cities and countryside. Once have a look over the entrance centre of BHU (Banaras Hindu University) Varanasi, which is one of the well-known central university of a country, has only five entrance centres (Kolkata, New Delhi, Varanasi, Hyderabad and Chennai) located in big metropolis only. University of Delhi, which is known for its name and fame, has no entrance centre outside New Delhi, NEHU (North Eastern Hill University) Shillong, which is good university at North East has the same strategy of centralized concreteness. University of Hyderabad in spite of its several entrance centre doesn’t able to cover the whole country. Even though Pondicherry University with wide coverage has also the same hitch. Despite of internal politics, JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) New Delhi has cover up whole country with at least one entrance centre at each state. Here one important question is raised that “is central Universities are for only those who are living in the big cities and not for the small and tiny villages of India?” Why such type of issues is not being discussed in such type of gigantic conferences which was attended almost all the VCs of a country?

The Central Universities in the country attract 80 per cent of funds from the government even though they horde only 10 per cent of students. Universities must be able to get students and faculty as of the country as well from the whole world so that it can march towards with global ideas. For equal representation of every state and its communities, each Central Institutions should give at least one or two entrance centre in every state. It should be decided with the size and geographic location of the state. The people, those who are staying in the hilly places and remote villages of India are not able to get newspaper for reading and there is dearth of proper transport and communication facilities. Take the example of Ladakh and Kargil in Kashmir where road transport remains closed for almost half of the year and unfortunately for the same period when the whole country sits in entrance test of the central Universities. In such circumstances where lies the ethos of inclusiveness and equity? So while allotting the entrance centre of any central institution all these things should be kept in mind if we are really worried about inclusiveness in true sense. In fact inclusiveness in its widest sense is the opportunity for all sections of the community and region to be able to access on equal terms all the opportunities that are available within a society. It also involves identifying and overcoming barriers that directly or indirectly marginalize individuals, regions and groups. An inclusive community is one in which diversity is valued and talents and abilities are recognized as important to society. Inclusion is something that embraces everyone. It affects all aspects of public life and influences all areas of policy at central and local government levels.

Binod Bhattarai (bhattaraibinod3@gmail.com) is with Department of Sociology and

Sartaj Rasool (sartajrasool@gmail.com) is with Department of Economics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry.

Suicide: A Growing Concern in Sikkim

Suicide: A Growing Concern in Sikkim

Binod Bhattarai

Despite of economic progress and prosperity in the tranquil Himalayan region, the State of Sikkim now a day has been crippling by the rise of suicide cases. The latest report of Chennai based Regional Representative of World Health Organisation revealed that, Sikkim is the state in the country which has the highest suicide rate of 48.2 per lakh of population. In the series, Sikkim is followed by Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Kerala with the suicide rate of 46.9, 34.5, and 25 per lakh of population respectively. As per the Sikkim CID Police data to be had by the state health department, about 124 suicide cases were reported in 2007, 287 in 2008 and 241 in 2009, which are ominously elevated figure for a tiny state like Sikkim with a population of nearly six lakhs.

In Sikkim if we pore over the views of various connoisseurs, they explained that most of the suicidal cases in the State were the result of substance abuse, narcotics and alcohol use, mental illness and depression followed by family problems, drug addiction, prolonged illness, failure in examinations and love affairs etc. But here the things are different than what they actually supposed.

 At this juncture now, it is essential to understand the social analysis of suicide as a social problem. In this situation the significant work of Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist can't be forgotten. As per Durkheim's view simply, 'suicide' means 'self destruction'. But it reveals something lots. At least after the serial suicidal death of Sikkimese, it didn't remain confine to merely 'self destruction' - the simple means of suicide. If we go by Durkheim, suicide is a social fact and not simply an individual act but a product of social forces external to the individual. In fact, He rejects the various extra social factors such as heredity, climate, depression, abnormal behavior, mental alienation, racial characteristics and imitation as the cause of suicide. Even 'Poverty' - the most general cause of suicide, as presented by media and politicians behind the every case of suicide, has been utterly rebutted by him. He, for simple understanding, argues that the greater the integration of individuals within the social group the less likely they are to commit suicide.

Apparently, one thing must be raised in our mind that why Durkheim negates poverty as one of the causes of suicide. If we believe at least some amount on a survey report conducted by the agency of the Govt. of India that reveals most developed states have more suicide rate as compared to the most backward states. In 2001, Maharashtra (14618), Karnataka (11881), Tamil Nadu (11290), Andhra Pradesh (10522) have highest suicide rates respectively. On the other hand all tribal dominated states like Arunachal Pradesh (111), Manipur (41), Mizoram (54), and the most backward states like Bihar (603) and Jharkhand (250) have very less suicide rate. The place Kalahandi in Orissa at one time was the center of attention in media only because of serial deaths of persons and children due to hungry and malnutrition respectively. But it is quiet surprising that no suicide case was reported from Kalahandi at that time.

In addition to this, as per the ' Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers' conducted by National Sample Survey Organisation in 2003, the average monthly income (excluding rent, interest, dividend etc.) from all sources per farmer household ranged from Rs.1, 062.00 in the state of Orissa to Rs. 5,488.00 in the state of Jammu and Kashmir during the agriculture year of 2002 - 03 and the all India average are Rs.2, 115.00.

To compare the average monthly income of per farmer household in Maharashtra (Rs.2, 463.00) and Gujarat (Rs.2, 684.00) from backward states like Bihar (Rs.1, 810.00), Orissa (1,062), Rajasthan (Rs. 1,498) and Madhya Pradesh (1,430.00), it can be easily revealed that lower monthly income is not a causative factor of suicide. By analyzing these statements it can be said that Durkheim is very close to the truth.

Then, what are the causes of suicides?

According to him, this kind of suicide falls within the purview of 'Anomic Suicide' - one of the classifications of suicide. In fact, anomic suicide results from normlessness or deregulation in society. Although this kind of suicide occurs during industrial and financial crises, it is not because they cause poverty, since crises of prosperity have the same result but because they are crises of the collective order. If poverty and starvation are really the adequate causes of suicide then the suicide rate in all backward states should have been high but it is not. Further he says that poverty protects against suicide because it is a restraint itself. The less one has the less he is tempted to extend the range of his needs. Sociologically, the incident of suicides in Sikkim is actually the result of the combined effect of 'Relative deprivation' and 'Sudden crises', which came in the category of anomic suicide. Significantly, the feeling of relative deprivation is the outcome of westoxication and conspicuous consumption and these feelings has been augmented by the present market policy of Globalization. And it is one of the major drawbacks of the Westernization. One thing that is essentially noticeable that mainly middle class people have been committed suicide in that the effect of relative deprivation has fallen greater on them.

Now, what should be the solutions of this menace?

The effects of modernization, specifically in Sikkim, have led to sweeping changes in the socioeconomic, socio-philosophical and cultural arenas of people's lives, which have greatly added to the stress in life, leading to substantially higher rates of suicide. Rapid urbanization, industrialization and emerging family systems are resulting in social upheaval and distress. The diminishing traditional support systems leave people vulnerable to suicidal behavior. Hence, there is an emerging need for external emotional support. The enormity of the problem combined with the paucity of mental health service has led to the emergence of NGOs in the field of suicide prevention. The primary aim of these NGOs should be, to provide the support to suicidal individuals by befriending them. Apart from befriending suicidal individuals, the NGOs should also undertake the education and raising awareness in the public and media.

Enhance the physical interaction between government functionaries and village society by insisting on more tours, night halts and Gram Sabhas by officers at all levels of the administration. Active monitoring through NGOs should be there in every village for the signs of social, economic and psychological distress and provide time to time social, psychological or spiritual counseling. Such monitoring and counseling on village should be made on a regular and routine basis. Increase efficiency of various services that are delivered by the government in the name of people’s welfare, namely, improve the infrastructural development in the  villages, increase the number of primary health centres, provide better roads, safe drinking water, sanitation, nutrition and family planning etc.

For the long – term change, it is important to improve the condition of education in the state. Although, Sikkim has the literacy rate of 82 percent but the real erudite in the state are very few. In this case, it would be fruitful if it would provide value as well as vocational education, atleast at the school level to the students to understand and utilize it for their own benefit in the complexities of present day production and marketing techniques.

Ironically, Sikkim is a state where most of the people are heavily dependent on the Government for fulfilling their basic chuck of life. So it would be better if the government makes its citizens self – dependent and unswerving by opening of various boulevards in the field of social and economic development in the state.

An important mechanism in generating a suicide epidemic is the constant highlighting of instances of suicide. Therefore, it is important to counsel the media to stop highlighting suicide since the fact of highlighting suicide itself adds fuel to the suicide fire as it were.

Despite of significant advancements in science and technology and of material wealth, it is a sad indictment that we are not able to control suicides in our society. Suicide is a multifaceted problem and hence suicide prevention programmes should also be on multidimensional. Collaboration, coordination, cooperation and commitment are needed to develop. It is a time for civil society to espouse proactive and leadership roles in suicide prevention and save the lives of thousands of young Sikkimese.   

(Author is a Research Scholar at Department of Sociology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry and can reach at bhattaraibinod3@gmail.com )