LGBT community
Gay rights exposes the pseudo-liberals
For the gay community in India, freedom is a concept that has only partly been realised. The striking down of Section 377 by the Delhi high court a year ago — decriminalising same sex intercourse — has definitely buoyed the movement for freedom of the LGBT [Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender] community, but complete independence is a long way off.
“The major difference since the striking down of the law has been that a lot more young people are coming out to their family regarding their sexual orientation, but it isn’t necessarily leading to acceptance,” says Nitin Karani, editor-in-chief of Bombay Dost, a magazine dedicated to the gay community.
Ashok Row Kavi, founder of the magazine, says that the movement for gay rights started in the pre-independence era itself. “The gay rights movement began when Gandhi was still alive,” says Kavi, adding that things started picking up in the 90s. “The most remarkable, among these, was the founding of the Humsafar Trust, the first gay NGO in the country, in 1994. In fact, the NGO had its office in the municipality office, which was run by the Shiv Sena at the time,” says Kavi, who chairs the trust.
In Kavi’s opinion, the LGBT community in India has probably had it much easier than their western counterparts. “Here, parents may be upset when they find out that their child is gay, but they’ll rarely disown him/her. In the West, a lot of parents are known to have thrown their kids out for the same reason.”
He adds, “The problems here are different. Freedom for gays challenges and exposes a lot of people who think they are liberal. It challenges the way we look at women too. It’s just a small prick that bursts society’s balloon.”
Digital empowerment
Connecting people to bring about a transformation
“Digital empowerment goes beyond technology advancement or human development, because it gives you information empowerment,” says Osama Manzar, founder of the Digital Empowerment Foundation.
From the installation of PCOs in the late 1980s to the current roll-out of broadband connection in every Panchayat office, information has empowered Indians in many ways.
“Take railway reservation. Earlier you had to stand in the queue for 1-2 hours before the person told you whether the tickets were available. Things have completely changed because of technology. All information is available online,” says Pradeep Gupta, founder of Cybermedia.
Technology has also enabled public action. “The IT Act made e-governance mandatory. It allows people to monitor the actions the government is taking, says Mazar. The Right to Information Act has in fact been made possible because of technology, adds Gupta. “If you were to ask questions about any department, they would not be able to provide the information unless they have an IT backbone.”
According to Manzar, after the PCO revolution, the rise of the IT industry created a natural demand for infrastructure. This was followed by the meteoric rise in mobile phone connections. Meanwhile, under Bharat Nirman, the government is rolling out broadband services to villages. But one of the most significant steps taken by the government is to allow the operation of community radio, says Manzar.
In urban areas these developments have led to an explosion of blogs and online campaigns. Meanwhile, in rural areas, where illiteracy levels are higher, people are tapping information via voice-based services. “In Bihar, under the Jaankari programme, the RTI process is enabled through integrated voice response systems,” adds Manzar.
Right To Information
It began with an old woman’s demand for accountability
It began in a village in Rajasthan sometime in the early 1990s. Some people were sitting around, talking about corruption in the gram panchayat, when an old woman suggested they go check their accounts. When laughed at, she became defiant and went asking for the accounts with some villagers. They were refused access, but soon it escalated into a big movement, with dharnas being held and social activists joining in.
Finally, the panchayat had to give in to the demands and financial irregularities to the tune of Rs2,000 was uncovered. This, says central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, was the beginning of the campaign for right to information [RTI].
“People realised they could ask for information, and it was their right to do so,” says Gandhi, adding that he first heard of RTI only in 2003. “In the last five years, since the RTI Act came into force, it has made a perceptible difference to people in power — they are the only ones who dislike it.” Gandhi credits the likes of activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil De for the birth of RTI.
Education
Enabling the freedom to upward mobility
The seed for the Right to Education Act, which came into force on April 1 this year, was sown in 1993. Back then, two judgments of the Supreme Court effectively stated that education is a fundamental right of citizens, says Madhav Chavan, CEO of Pratham Education Foundation.
“Education makes upward mobility possible, which is crucial in a democracy,” says Chavan. For example, the government’s decision to set up centres of excellence such as IITs allowed people from relatively poor background access to the highest quality of education.
The National Literacy Mission (NLM) of 1988, which was aimed at adult literacy, was moderately successful and short-lived, “but there is evidence which suggests that the NLM has increased the demand for education,” says Chavan.
In recent times, the 2% cess levied by the UPA-1 government has boosted the Union government’s spending on education, which went up from Rs2,000 crore in 2002 to nearly Rs25,000 crore in 2005, says Chavan. As a result, states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have benefited a lot from the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.
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