Education can work either way

Education is empowerment for many, it is an extraordinary tool, and it gives great power of knowledge which has been and in the future also can be used to achieve various great things for the betterment of our society. However, like any tool, its utility depends on the user and the results can vary radically based on the way the tool is used. Actually, it can work both ways, good or bad. Falsehood and evil can be taught as easily and as efficiently as the truth, kindness, and love.

Similar to atomic energy which can be used to generate electricity to improve the lives of many or can be used to destroy civilizations, education could be used in radically different ways. All the techniques and tools related to education are available to everyone to teach and propagate whatever they want, good or bad. The tool itself cannot differentiate between the contents, it will work effectively irrespective of contents as it's a very potent tool. The Internet has not only connected kind and good people but also has given a global network and platform for evil-minded people, and both groups can use it the way they want. This can be one of the reasons why we see the re-emergence of some of the divisive movements. This is one of the reasons why societies and countries all over the world are getting more polarized and divided. There is more resentment and anger. I am not arguing that disagreement or resentment among different political or social groups never existed before. It was very much there, people always argued passionately about politics, religion, or any other sensitive issues, but the level of propaganda, falsehood, and the amount of factually incorrect information shared is unprecedented in today's world. That too when almost everyone who is consuming this information can verify it easily, but they choose not to verify and believe it blindly. People are getting conditioned to listen only to what they like to listen to, only what validates their thinking, only good things about their own political party and leader, and only bad things about their opposition.

Enough of explaining what's the problem. Now, the more important stuff, what can we do about it? It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and others around us about the dangers of misinformation. We need to be conscious not only about the quality of food we eat but also about the information we consume. This is why a well-rounded education is not only necessary at colleges and universities but also inside homes. After all, we still spend considerable time in our homes. True that now even when people are in their own homes they are in front of some screen rather than talking face to face with each other, but this is a new reality and we need to accept that screens in various forms are going to be integral parts of most people's lives. We need to learn the value of dissent and opposition, and the value of criticism.

Without opposition there is no democracy, without criticism, there is no progress, and without disagreement, there is no discussion. We should learn to question not only other's ideas but our own ideas and be ready to answer questions about our political ideologies or social policies no matter how tough and uncomfortable these questions are. If not, we might start living in a bubble where we surround ourselves with people who agree with us all the time. If we care for our unity, we need to communicate with the other side. We need to listen and understand each other. If not, we will lose the battle as divisive forces will make use of the same tools better to spread their message of division and hatred and we will keep on wondering what happened. 

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Chandu Uncle

"Chandu uncle" or Chandu kaka, this is how I addressed "Chandrashekhar Vairale." We have known each other for almost a decade, but the length of acquaintance may not be able to define the depth of relationship we have. My younger brother Umesh introduced me to Chandu uncle when we moved to our new home and it was an instant connection and the beginning of a strong bond that day onwards. We used to meet during my every India trip and discuss various social, political, and personal issues. His advice and opinions were always balanced and he never hesitated to criticize whenever it was required or whenever he thought it might benefit me. Even though we lived on different continents, miles apart, this distance never affected the strong bond of friendship that we formed. I cannot find a better term than friendship to define it. He was sort of a mentor, but also a great friend, with whom I can discuss almost everything and expect rational advice. He took a personal interest in taking me to places like "Snehalaya" and "Maher" where great social work is being done by some great people, introduced me to some aspects of society that I was not aware of and also showed me how one can help people as much as one can without expecting anything in return. His friend circle is very vast and diverse. I was impressed to see that he knew so many people and had direct access to them. He always encouraged me to take up new challenges and also helped me as much as he could. When I started writing my blog, he was one of the first who started to read it, offered suggestions to improve it, and commented on posts that he found interesting.  

I heard about his illness a couple of months back and chatted with him about it, but never knew it was so serious. His sudden demise is a personal shock to me and many of his friends. I left a vacuum which is hard to fill. The world will move on and it should, but some people leave a permanent mark on the lives of people with whom they interact and I think Chandu uncle is one of them. It is hard to explain some feelings and some losses as one cannot describe them in words or quantify them. I will miss him for sure, but his memories and suggestions will always be with me.

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More than 100 kids died, and the country didn't even blink

Last month, I read the terrible news about the death of more than 100 kids. It was a massive tragedy, with more than 100 kids losing their lives due to a totally preventable cause, terribly shocking news. What was more shocking was that this was happening regularly for quite some time and the administration never bothered to go to the root cause of the problem, never tried to find out what was the real cause of these deaths, and the most tragic part was that the entire country didn't even blink when such a massive tragedy was happening. I am talking here about a country that is roaring to claim its place among developed nations of the world. How a country can even dream about becoming a developed nation when 100 kids die regularly and no one, from the administration to the common people, even shows any concern? Was it because it happened in a state like Bihar? Was it because there were no elections around and therefore no political party was interested in this incident? Was it because all these kids belonged to poor sections of society, and therefore, there was no one to create enough media buzz about these deaths? I cannot find any reason which could justify why a country like India ignored this tragedy. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are politically so important that any party who wants to dominate national politics exclusively focuses on them, probable candidates for the Indian Prime Minister position make sure that they fight their parliament election from one of these states, but when it comes to issues like health, education, crime, basic infrastructure these states are treated with so much contempt, ridicule, and ignorance that they are one of the most undeveloped states in India; and no matter who is in power this situation doesn't change.

Any developed country would have been outraged to witness the death of more than 100 kids due to administrative failure to take care of things in the area of public health. This tragedy did not happen due to sudden natural calamity, or due to something which never happened in so many years, but it happened due to something that they knew happens almost every year but no one cared about it. Even the death of more than 100 kids was not enough for a nation to stand up and question, WHY? A country where the injury to a cricketer from a national team can become a national issue, worthy of a newsroom debate and a tweet from the Prime Minister, but the death of so many children didn't produce any anger or concern. This tragedy only resulted in some stupid and encroaching journalism by some hyper and ignorant journalists who barged into the intensive care units where doctors and nurses were struggling to deal with this massive challenge with the help of severely limited staff and a more severely limited supply of medicines. These journalists not only defied all medical safety norms but also aggressively asked questions to the doctors who were in no position to answer them. Not one of them bothered to ask questions to people who really should be answering these questions, but poor doctors were made scapegoats as if it was their responsibility to have enough beds and medicines in the hospital, and as if they were in charge of the state's health ministry. This tragedy not only exposed the state and national government's failure at so many levels but also exposed how much public health is given priority in India, not only at the government level but also at the social level. The entire country moved on as if nothing happened.

I hope such a tragedy doesn't happen again, and if it does happen again, then at least India responds in the way any responsible country should because each citizen's life is precious.

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