India’s priorities should be to tackle hunger & poverty
Editor,
Anirban Bhattacharyya in his article, “Wearing patriotism on our sleeves” (ST, September 23, 2023) has asked a pertinent question, “Has anything really changed in India since we got over our space euphoria?” The 20th century witnessed a fight over the moon between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. It was an offshoot of the cold war. The noble pursuit of science became a pawn in the power play of superpowers. John Stewart’s poignant lyrics in his renowned song “Armstrong” vividly captured the grim reality that the common people did not get any benefit from it.
Now let us recall the first stanza of the song, “Black boy in Chicago/ Playing in the street/ Not near enough to wear/ Not near enough to eat/ Don’t you know he saw it/ On a July afternoon/ He saw a man named Armstrong/ Walk upon the moon”.
India has fallen to an abysmal 107th position out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index. Just like that black boy in Chicago in the song Armstrong, millions of hungry children of our country must have heard the deafening cheers of the crowd on the day of Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft-landing on the moon.
On that day, perhaps the most forwarded post on social media is the one where under the flags of ten countries, it is written that these countries have a moon on their flags. Then under the flags of the USA, Russia, China and India, it is said that these countries have flags on the moon.
But should we forget that the first fifteen countries in the Human Development Index do not have their flags on the moon? Why? Because they want to use their resources for the benefit of the citizens of their country. Those states consider it as their duty to ensure food, health care and quality education for the people even for the refugees and visitors. On the other hand the citizens of those countries believe that it is their right to get welfare measures from a welfare state. In those countries no one says these are Rewari.
It is indeed necessary to send rockets for weather predictions, for exploring oil, natural gas and minerals and for strengthening communication networks. But Chandrayaan-3 cannot even act like a soothing lullaby of chandamama for millions of hungry children in India.
India is now at a disheartening 132nd position in the Human Development Index. India needs to give her full attention to education, health care, food and employment. Spending public money on moon missions amidst poor conditions in these sectors, seems like putting on a costly coat over a pair of tattered trousers. If parents go to a foreign country on a holiday trip after cutting expenditure on their children’s food and education, can we call them wise?
The argument of bolstering national prestige among our neighbours may surface. But the harsh reality is that while India has fallen to 107th position in the Global Hunger Index, Nepal (81), Bangladesh (84) and Pakistan (99) coming from behind have gone ahead of us. Also, Bhutan (127) and Bangladesh (129) have overtaken India (132) in the Human Development Index. What would be more fruitful? To ensure the health and education of our children or the vanity of the sun, moon and planet missions? A nation’s true strength lies in the well-being and education of their citizens. It is time for India to decisively shift her focus from the surreal glory of the cosmos to the pressing challenges on the ground.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
My experience at the Sohra International Half Marathon
Editor,
Dusk took over on September 29. The 2nd Edition of the Sohra International Half Marathon was upon us. I got done with my work and went to bed early. These kinds of nights invite excitement and a thousand thoughts. How would the morning turn out to be?
One bat of the eye and it was 3 AM. I got ready and left home by 4 AM. Buses were arranged meticulously for all of the runners for their journey from Shillong to Sohra. A few new friends, some delightful conversations accompanied with healthy packed refreshments didn’t make me realise when the black sky gave way to a blue one and the sun peeked out. We had arrived for the much awaited run!
Scores of people had turned up, more were arriving every minute. Positive and motivational songs at the arena just increased the enthusiasm of all the participants. Shoe laces tight, thirst quenched, I was ready. At the stroke of 7AM, the 21KM Half Marathon was called open.
I started my run with a brisk jog, knowing very well how I had to give my best and at the same time understand my body. You don’t want to go at your fastest and end up crash stopping at some point and thus jeopardize your run. You want to go at a pace which will ensure that you are optimally using energy to finish at the best possible time. I gave my best every minute of the run. I paced up once I knew I was “in my zone”, I slowed down when I knew my body needed some breathing space. I paused to sip some water when my body’s tank was empty.
Like every other run, this time too my mind wanted me to give up multiple times but I didn’t. I just carried on and on and soon, I reached the finishing line. The beautiful scenery of Sohra – the picturesque terrain, fluffy clouds and the calm weather all pushed me to run at my best and feel privileged in doing so. And and and the sweet, kind locals of Sohra coming out of their houses and motivating us to “Run….C’mon you can”. I could have run another 21 Kms in this kind of an ambience.
The organizers and the team worked very hard to ensure the smooth conduct of the whole event. The commute to and fro Sohra was well planned and executed, proper breakfast and lunch were arranged. During the run, the volunteers happily handed us water and juices at every 2-3 KM intervals and at the same time, ambulances were placed for any mishaps. For last year’s 700 to increase to more than 3000 this year in terms of participants speaks volumes of the event’s growth in just its 2nd year. All of the 21K, 10K and 5K runs were executed with impeccability. It was a pleasure to witness young school children running with much joy. I was also very motivated to see veterans running with zeal, including my own mother. They didn’t just run, they made us realise that anything and everything is possible.
Thank you for the pleasant and memorable experience to everyone involved!
Yours etc.,
Karan Sharma,
Via email