Micro or Macro?

Let me talk about Macro first:

The danger i confront everytime i think of shaping my career drives me crazy. I am in the social sector; where most of the people make money out of national concerns. Look at the NGOs. They communicate for behavior change (BCC- Behavior Change Communication), they network with media and law and engage them with the issue they are concerned with.

But it all boils down to keeping a project going and keeping the money coming in.

For example: In Madhya Pradesh, close to 3 NGOs [Save the Children Finland, WASH Institute (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) and UNICEF] are working on Child Rights to Health.

In Chhattisgarh's Public Health (more specifically maternal health and child health) domain following departments are active:

1. CCDU (Communication and Capacity Development Unit) - Government
2. NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) - Government
3. WCD (Women and Child Development Ministry) - Government
4. SHRC (State Health Resource Centre) - Government
5. MNI (Micro Nutrient Initiative, by CIDA- Canadian International Development Agency) - International donor [All the international donors are in partnership with government, private sectors and CSOs]
6. CINI (Child In Need Institute, Belgium) - International donor
7. WHO (World Health Organisation, Switzerland) - International donor
8. UNICEF (United Nation's Children Fund, USA) - International donor
9. CARE (Co-operative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, USA)

It is insane! How many people work on one issue!

Most of the NGOs develop communication materials to bring about a change for the better. Even if one agrees that right communication is the key to bring about the 'action'; still in India; there are many other factors that come into the picture of social reformation.

When one creates a need through communication; one should make sure that the supply to provide the need is in place. Supply is overseen by the Government and often they encourage people to avail them.

Even when supplies are provided; the aspect of corruption steps in because for the supply to reach the end user (aam junta); the last mile service provider should be honest.

Honesty itself is a tall order in India.

Most of the times, people are honest. But they are afflicted with nepotism, greed, social, financial and cultural problems.

I was lucky to meet a very intelligent and a charming lady, who is a Class I Gazetted Officer in Chhattisgarh. She rightly said, "Don't attempt to bring about social reformation by telling people not to commit crimes! Crimes are an intrinsic part of human life. For instance, look at the terms- jurmana, nazrana and shukrana."

Jurmana is when we break a rule and pay the fine. The fact that we broke the rule (consciously or unconsciously) makes us a criminal; no matter how petty the crime. Then there is someone on the other end who makes us pay for our 'crime'. Since he knows we are criminals; most of the times; he may not bother being a saint either. That makes the two of us. So we pay the jurnama grudgingly.

Then the term nazrana- we offer nazrana when a person does our work without much khich-khich. Sometimes, he/she is meant to do our work quietly anyways. Since the species of honest workers has become dangerously extinct; we award the one that we see. It is as ridiculous as paying a mother to breastfeed her infant. She will do that and she is supposed to do that, and mind you it's not a thankless job either; remember "maa ke doodh ka karz?"

Then there is shukrana- it is an extension of nazrana. If we are over-impressed at the work someone has done for us; we award them on-the-spot and extend our favors over lavish dinners, exotic holidays, cars etc; depending on the magnitude of gratitude we feel.

This is not restricted to the Government officials. We do that often to our friends, family, employees, employers.

The basic problem that i face in my life is to make up my mind about continue being macro and going micro. Micro includes all the jobs that are not social sector oriented.

When you are micro; you feel guilty that you are not macro. There are many things around you that makes you feel like you are harming something- you don't know what it is, but you dont 'feel right'. Something is amiss.

When you go macro; you feel like you are fighting a lost battle. Robert Brault says, "When you go to solve a problem; people blame you for causing it." Like i said earlier, you have a nagging feeling about making money on national concerns. If all the issues get resolved imagine how many people would be jobless! I often get such nightmares myself, and then i feel guilty for thinking so.

If you haven't got bored as yet; please go to my earlier blog [which will definitely bore you :) ] to the sentences marked in bold. Read, reflect and tell me what you feel. They have some link to what i am saying now :)

A persepective on P. Sainath's article (this is a very lengthy blog, please sit with a cup of coffee and loads of patience)

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article927895.ece

Above given link will lead you to P.Sainath's article. We at SCM revere him. He is truly remarkable. Using adjectives for Sainath is tiring because none of those do justice to what we experience and feel in his presence.

My lengthy blog is a persepective on his article. My blog is not politically directed; which may make my thoughts sound like theories (and in India, we know how many of those we have), it also sounds like an excited ramble. Therefore i am going to be kind enough on my readers and embolden the important points. So that you can skim through the blog and take away those important points that i am trying to make.

For the time being, I shall keep aside that facet of capitalism which makes rich richer and poor poorer, pushing the latter into the narrow confines of their existence, depriving them of those opportunities which can make their life better; thus making them so easily vulnerable that they can be easily provoked into mental and physical violence. While the former flourishes, spins a tight network of corporates, media and government; thus eliminating any scope of external inquiry, dialogue and participation.

I shall assume that given half the chance the oppressed would be worse than the oppressors. From my Fundamental Concepts lectures, I remember for any development to take place; it is important that all those concerned should have a stake in it.

This is something that we don’t see around. Many Indians have lethargy and apathy towards society. I am guilty of the same too. Maybe I am content with the illusion that since I belong to the social sector; I am of some constructive use to the social development of this nation which may exentually tip the scales against capitalism. (If there is no capitalism, then what do we have? A nation must run on a powerful ideology which works like a computer- precise, consistent, convenient, feasible, accessible and accountable)

We see a wave of social reformation in India which has happened post 26/11; which ironically; is the tragedy of the elite. Therefore, after the elite has faced the tragedy; our social reformation has been targeted to bring the same people down. Our media is focused on making the government accountable, RTI is discussed and brought into spotlight, people are discouraged to give and accept bribes, we have internet activism for casting our vote against producing genetically inhanced brinjals.

From where I see; it is a problem of culture- how much to retain and how much scope to give for acclimatization, it is the struggle of the individual to attain solitary success; instead of collective success which benefits someone else apart from him/her. It is an internal struggle of the individual to spare some energy to invest for a larger cause. This gives rise to another contradiction.

“An individual forms the society and the society forms the individual. The individual reflects the society it represents and the society is made up individuals that habituate the society.”

Keeping this in mind; if we engage in personal success then we should be happy. If we are happy then the society should be happy.

We are happy and we are sad.

We love the justice which is the harbinger of good times. We demonstrate outrage on what is unjust and unfair. This demonstration is largely dependent on the physical quantity of people who are victimised. The larger the number; the bigger the demonstration. After a while we get used to the inconvenience that injustice brings along with itself. We become the traffic of the vehicles which treat the injustice like an inconvenient lunar crater (a.k.a. pothole) on National Highway.

The problem of capitalism is the problem of culture and individual.

______________________________________________________________

I started working for my firm almost 2 years ago.

We develop communication strategy for the social sector (primarily in the sector of public health). We also conduct market research to come up with a strategy and to pre-test the same before launching it.

I remember districts of Durg, Rajnandgaon and Raipur in Chhattisgarh; where we (me and the my office team) had gone to conduct qualititative research on the topic of maternal health and children uptil the age of 6.

After the Focused Group Discussions and In-Depth interviews; we used to switch off out tapes and just chat with the villagers who were present for the discussion.

The men who spoke to us were mostly labourers on farms, or plumbers/mechanics. In the district of Durg; we met men who worked in the Bhilai Steel Plant and travelled to work from village everyday.

The women were mostly labourers on farm, shop owners in the village, housewives, Aanganwadi didis, Accredited Social Health Activists or Mitanins/ Sangwaaris.

The younger children attended the Aanganwadi schools. Many villages have schools upto 8^th std; I think. The boys study till 10^th std at least; and most of the girls drop out after attaining puberty (roughly around 5^th to 7^th std).

The Sarpanchs in the village were elected based on their family’s financial position, education (their educational qualification were put up in the Gram Panchayat office) and their involvement in other samiti’s in the village (like kisan samiti, self help groups of women, entertainment samiti etc.). The Sarpanch(s) I met; were from the dominant caste in the village.Since the dominant caste gets a little more education, and they have more access to the Government schemes. For example: the Accredited Social Health Activists or Mitanins (As they are known in Chhattisgarh), are generally from the dominant caste. The criteria of Mitanin selection is that the enrolled candidate has to be educated till std. 8^th and she has to attend several rounds of training before she can work as a Mitanin in her village. Generally, women from the higher caste attend the training; for which they go to the nearby district for upto 30 days. The lower caste women belong to families who do not own agricultural land but work on someone else’s as labourers. They cant miss work to attend the Mitanin training. Also many of them can only sign their name; they cant read or write otherwise. The Mitanin training (classroom teaching oriented) curriculum is heavy on theory and there are manuals, supplementary manuals for teaching of the Mitanins.

My vivid recollection of Chhattisgarh experience is that as Indian citizens; we are lethargic, apathetic to fellow human beings.

I was casually talking to one of the housewife who had come for a Focused Group Discussion, “Do you know who is responsible for determining the gender of your baby?” She logically concluded that since she has given birth; it must be her. Noone in her family or community wants to disturb the cozy misconception.

I asked another woman, “When you see us; coming from cities; wearing clothes that we do (which was a modest salwar kameez; but somehow those faces in ghoonghat made us feel naked); talking and laughing out loud when you hide your smile in your palm and wipe it off with your pallu; don’t you ask yourself why this is not in your village?” She did not answer.

Later, the Anganwadi worker told me that people may not open up to me since I am a stranger and I think my interview sounded more like police interrogation. “Do you know what anaemia means!” “Why does a woman not get enough rest in her pregnancy!” etc etc.

Health is the most important aspect which must be taken care of by every individual in order to live and prove functional. In my experience, the health factor is not on the radar of villagers. They deal with a problem with any solution that is within their reach.

They live with their joys and sorrows. They don’t see the need to fight for anything.

When they look at the benefits provided to them by the government; they immediately look for profit in it. On Janani Suraksha Yojna, one man actually told me, “1500 rupaiya jo milte hain. Wo saare hospital ke liye kharch ho jaate hai. Humein kuch nahi milta.” I was thoroughly shocked to realise that this man is actually seeking a profit margin!

This brings forth another point of medical services and their increased privatisation.

The debate of privatisation versus government services is as inconclusive as “Should prostitution be legalised?” or “Are women in the North-East emancipated or explioted?”

The man or the money

Since I am of a marriagable age and the man I am going to marry is known to my parents (sigh!), I have this question foisted on myself sporadically. When are you going to marry? I patiently tell them to wait. But parents are like kids, they keep asking me, “Are we there yet?”

To that, I had to finally say,” We are earning money, give us some time”. To that my mother says, “You always had that issue, right from the beginning!”. To that, I reply, “ Do you want a rushed marriage and a divorce later! Let us be sure that we are safe and secure!”

Then my mom asks me, what if u never manage to earn enough money? (what rubbish! I say mentally); then I tell her, “Spinsterhood is better than a lousy marriage.” My parents by this time are understandably shocked . Then my mom says, “Please ask him to be open to other options! We are mentally prepared to have you torture us for the rest of our lives.” I tell mom that it is not possible for him to be open to any options at all. They are puzzled, I go on…

(Deep breath) “ There are 3 tiers in youngsters, the first tier is “sundar and tikau”, the second tier is “sundar and tikau- reloaded” and the third tier is the “i-am-sundar-and-tikau-get-your-freakin’-eyes-CHECKED!” category.” Now according to me, i am in the sundar and tikau category and my beau is in the “I-am-sundar-and-tikau-get-your-freakin’-eyes-CHECKED!” category.

Most of the content in the following was not told to my parents; read on… you’ll realise why…

TIER 1: sundar and tikau

Profile: Women-

- Below 25 years old, studying or a fresher in the job. Full of hope , enthusiasm and charm.

- Even after a failed relationship, she has enough energy and zest to give love another chance.

- She may be a virgin.

- She radiates the glow that only youth can instill in her, since it is at it’s zenith.

- She looks good in contemporary fashion. If her bra straps show through her top and if she applies royal blue eyeshadow with blue-green eyeliner; you dont roll your fashion police eyes.

- Ten years ago she was a minor.

- “So Young” from Corrs applies to her… “It really doesn’t matter if we don’t eat, it really doesn’t matter if we never sleep; it really doesn’t matter, really doesn’t matter at all….”

- Most importantly, she is wanted by men as if she is Helen of Troy. The best of the lot in girls (arguably) are booked in this time-frame; except for celebrity women. The older they are; the higher chance they have to get hooked.

- She effortlessly gets a husband in the arranged marriage market with the help of ever-so-obliging family friends. If she deigns to fall in love; then she gets a variety in men quite easily.

Profile: Men

- Below 25 years old.

- This case is really sad because he has a fashion sense that he invariably grows to regret- “What was I thinking!”

- He has just started working. Therefore, he does not have career plans which are more concrete than wet cement (C’mon! face it!), unless he has a bossy girlfriend (like i was to my ex). In that unfortunate case, he unconsciously lies through his teeth about having a five-year career plan. Sometimes he may end up believing the facade too. He may do so on select occassions- to watch a movie peacefully with the buddies, to have satisfying sex, to have intelligent conversations with the girlfriend etc.

- He is very much interested in that-thing-called-love. He really makes best boyfriend to an extent of raising ridiculous expectations from the girlfriend in the relationship. Many women who go through a break up with their boyfriends in this age category, remember them for some special reason for a long time in their lives.

- Ten years ago, he was a minor (Do you really want to start on puberty problems?)

- He looks promising in the arranged marriage market. Its like a film with Aamir Khan in it; much anticipated! In the love scene, his chances are mostly dicey. Not that he never gets a girl... but he is mostly exploring himself... ahem!

TIER 2: sundar and tikau- reloaded

Profile: Women

- Between 25 to 30 (this is where i will be next year)

- She earns, therefore, she has a slightly better bank balance, good handbags, good cellphone, good skin and hair.... the credit of which goes to the 1^st better- bank balance. Do you know what that means?! The boyfriend has to be ‘well-settled’ (the definition of which is subjective). She sometimes gets expensive haircuts, so please spare her the bike rides once in a while as the polluted wild breeze is unkind on the hair to say the least (Yes, yes! she knows disowning bike is blasphemous). Do you know what that means?! Buy a car. Period.

- She is comtemplating marriage!! (she may not always admit that)

- She may, therefore, not want any one-night-stand (she is as fond of one-night-stand as she is of giving a blow-job, duh!)

- She becomes a person who suddenly needs a confidante... even if it is her otherwise annoying maternal type sister, or one of her ‘frenemy’ (friend + enemy) galpal. It is because she has some skeletons in her closet which needs to be cleared so that her wedding planning album or

How-is-my-life-going-to-be-post-Marriage /Live-In/ Normal Romantic Relationship album can fit into it.

Trust me - they are individually voluminous!

- By now, her market value (i know- harsh word), is a little down. If she wants a guy, then she’ll have to look a little harder and pray that she finds someone asap. Although the thought of babies makes her feel suicidal; she will not completely rule out that idea and therefore we have the concept of biological clock even if it is faaar from ticking away to glory. In that case, parents start thinking of matrimonial websites and she looks at men in other boulevards too.

Profile: Men

- Between 25-30 years

- There is a dialogue in the film “Andaz Apna Apna”:

“Jab tu paida hua tha; tab tu roya tha aur mein hasaa tha; ek woh din tha aur ek aaj ka din hai- jab jab tu hasaa hai; mein sirf roya hoon.”

- That is the case with HIM and HER in this age category because this is one hell of a good time in a guy’s life. When she thinks of her life seriously (ya ! right); he is living it up!

- He is wiser from his past experiences in relationships.

- He really really does not want to marry. (mummy! Mummy! mujhe sachhi muchhi shaadi nahi karni hai!)

- He does save money... he invests in places which she (the girlfriend) never knows or understands... every time he comes with a new plan in which he has invested... it makes her feel really dumb in finances when he does that. Then she reassures herself by saying that at least he is serious about settling down... uh oh! Danger zone...

- He may settle down eventually.... when he is through with switching jobs until he is relatively satisfied, taken off for a holiday with his buddies, bought few dozen of his dream gadgets... somewhere, he associates marriage with diabetes, its like he cant do many things after he hooks up.... “I am on a marriage diet!”

- He is way cooler than what he was (although when he is bang in the middle of 25 to 30; he suddenly becomes so immature.... its like he cant believe that he can be sooo coool...)

- In the arranged marriage market; his family and his extremely desperate family friends, get for him the cream lot in girls (mostly from the 1^st TIER: Sundar and Tikau). In love scene; he stands an extremely fat chance of landing up with a girl he wants... then he woos and she eventually agrees (persuasion is the key, really)

TIER: 3: i-am-sundar-and-tikau-get-your-freakin’-eyes-CHECKED!

Profile: Women

- Above 30

- Career wise she has attained a fine balance. If she was at the peak of her youth in the below 25 category; then with adequate amount of hardwork; she should be at the peak (or somewhere close to that) of her career now.

- She is really through and over with the concept of dating, flings etc. About settling down... well if she is single then she she has a damn good reason for it.

- She does not throw tantrums or demands things that only he (the boyfriend) can provide. Rather she becomes very generous to boyfriends and younger siblings and keeps them pampered and happy.

- She dresses appropriately and talks about things that make complete sense. She is a lady....

- She dreads becoming old... her boobs sag, she has to diet because her metabolism is not working like a stallion now...

- She is not like any of the characters from Sex And The City, she envies them because they make growing old look so cool...

- In the arranged marriage market; mostly her chances are dicey; unless she is very rich or holds a high position at work; or both. In the love marriage scene; she tends to be as hard as cooked meat of an old lamb/chicken. She has two roads in front of her- marriage in desperation or late-but-wise alliance in marriage.

Profile: Men

- Above 30

- This is one annoying thing in men; they are young until they are 35. So a part of the above 30 category stand a good chance for arranged marriage. The same applies for love marriage too.

- Like him, most men at this stage want to settle down- UNLESS, (this is a big unless )

Ø He is at a high position in media field or in an MNC.

Ø He is good looking and lean- you know Rajat Kapoor types?

Ø He finds it very easy to find PYTs (Pretty Young Things) to fall for him.

- Although, when he goes bride-hunting; it looks a little weird as instinctively people wonder, “What was he doing till today? If he has waited so long then there has to be some problem?”

This is where the real catch is- I told my parents. If my beau goes bride hunting elsewhere, this is the question he will have to face and then there will be uncomfortable enquiries into his private life…