Working For The Forsaken People of India

Perspective

C LAKSHMANAN

When Mahatma Gandhi realized the cruelty and inhumanity of untouchability practiced in India, he coined the word ‘Harijan’ (Children of God), to identify the untouchables hoping that associating them with God would change public attitudes towards them. Whether he was successful in his plan is debatable. In recent times, however, there are signs of some positive changes affecting these people, possibly attributable to their empowerment by adult franchise guaranteed by the Constitution.

India is a chronically populous country burdened by some ancient and outdated social customs and traditions. Since independence, the country has achieved some social and technological advances keeping in line with world trends. But the momentum of such developments is far out paced by most of its neighbors.

Poverty is rampant and even the Government figures concede that about 40 per cent of the population of India lives below the poverty line. More importantly, per capita intake of food calories is declining and recent figures indicate that they are lower than those of 20 years ago. This is taking a heavy toll on the physical and mental development of the masses.

More people go to bed on an empty stomach in India than any other country in the world. This desperate situation has developed a certain mental numbness and apathy among all sections of people towards poverty itself and the devastation it causes to national development. People and Government alike tend to function only for their own self interests and survival.

The worst afflicted group of people in India form about 10 percent of the population who barely exist under the most primitive living conditions known. This group is widely scattered all over India and consists of Tribals and Adivasis representing the so-called indigenous people of India. Socially, they are clearly removed from the rest of the population and represent the poorest of all human beings. Investigative reporting by journalists of periodicals such as Outlook from Delhi have tried to document their misery, but Government and public apathy towards their plight remains largely unchanged.

Bogged down by such a heavy burden, India cannot lift itself up and soar to catch up with the rest of the world. It is going to be a tremendous task, but it still can be done if concerned people of goodwill both inside and outside of India act with vision and determination.

One approach would be to immediately address the basic problems afflicting these deprived masses in relation to their food, shelter and health needs. If voluntary and non-profit organizations could work in collaboration with philanthropists and the scientific community, it would greatly impact solutions to these problems, provided the effort is spear-headed by people with dedication, compassion and determination. Volunteerism as such is not a well developed phenomenon in India compared to Western countries. Success of voluntary and humanitarian services in a poor country like India depend largely on donated funding. Sharing resources with the needy is a noble gesture and also self gratifying. India is reputed for its richness in spirituality, but unfortunately, it appears that little attempt has been made to include compassion for the deprived in the practice of spirituality these days.

Against all these odds, it is gratifying to see that several groups of dedicated people are coming forward to offer a helping hand to these down-trodden God-forsaken people.

One such example is the grouping of a handful of young medical graduates in Karnataka, who foregoing all personal considerations, have dedicated their full time to the service of these deprived people known as Adivasis in Karnataka. A hundred years ago, Swami Vivekananda preached about the need for feeding and serving the poor, because he felt that spirituality can never be instilled in people with empty stomachs. Mahatma Gandhi said that even God is afraid to go near a poor man unless it is in the form of a loaf of bread.

Swami Vivekananda’s message would have greatly influenced those young medicos in Karnataka. In 1984, a service Organization called ‘Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement’ (SVYM), was formed by them to expressly mitigate the sufferings of the most deprived of all human beings. The leader of this group is young Dr Balasubramanium, fondly known as ‘Balu.’ Earlier, soon after his internship in medicine, he moved and camped close to the Adivasi settlements in South Karnataka. He routinely walked about 12 miles from his camp through bush country to reach the settlements.

Balu’s intrusion was first eyed with great suspicion by the Adivasis and it took him months before a particular incident helped a breakthrough in relationships. A snake bitten victim needed immediate attention and Balu volunteered to help. The first aid measures performed by him miraculously worked, and to this day Balu is not quite sure whether it was really a poisonous snake that bit his patient or was it some divine hand behind the scene that helped to bring these people closer to him.

Started as a small health care facility for the Adivasis, Balu and his co-workers soon realized that beyond health care needs, issues such as malnutrition, illiteracy, unhygienic living conditions, isolation, etc all needed to be addressed. This vision helped SVYM to grow into a broad based integrated community development initiative, now capable of effectively serving some 15 villages and over 35,000 people.

The innovative methods used by SVYM and their impact on community development have caught the attention of a circle of like-minded people along with a few private and Government agencies and even some international organizations. As can be expected, the magnitude of the task ahead is phenomenal and arduous considering the vast spread of Adivasi and tribal population across India. Unless voluntary initiatives are intensified and non-profit organizations such as SVYM are supported by resource sharing by concerned people, the task will never be completed negatively impacting national development. Such sharing of resources will facilitate building effective infrastructure for self supporting projects such as cottage industries, agriculture and various other income generating enterprises for community development. SVYM has amply demonstrated that voluntary effort supported by donations of technical know-how, materials and money from people of good will can touch the lives of millions of deprived people in India.

The track record of achievement by SVYM in Adivasi settlements is impressive and it is gratifying to see a sizable Adivasi population is emerging out from their poverty trap for the first time in history. Unless these people are brought into the mainstream India, national development plans will not achieve their intended goals. The significance of the role of SVYM could thus be better understood against this background of much needed national integration.

Your concern and goodwill can be expressed through tax free contributions by check drawn in favor of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Mysore and forwarded to American Service to India (ASTI), PO Box 2456, 1640 Corsica Place, Costa Mesa CA . You are also encouraged to visit the operation of SVYM in the Adivasi settlements during your next visit to India. It would be a great morale booster for the volunteers of SVYM and besides, your voluntary technical assistance in the field of your expertise would improve the effectiveness of SVYM operations in the areas of housing, medicine, sanitation, nutrition, education, agriculture, handicrafts, employment and other basic disciplines of community development and social emancipation.

The center for SVYM activity is located about two hours drive from Mysore City. For further information, contact Dr R Balasubramanium, Project Director, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Shantinagar PO, HD Kote, Mysore 571116, India. Tel: .

[Dr Lakshmanan is Director of California Agriculture Consulting Service and can be reached at ].

Copyright © 1997 IndiaWeb Post. All rights reserved.