Case for cultural freedoms
Human Development Report 2004; Oxford University Press; Price: Rs.495; 285 pp This is the time of the year when this reviewer — and increasingly I believe right-thinking people all over the world — remember the great Pakistani economist, the late Mahbub-Ul-Haq. By all accounts a true nationalist who was forced into voluntary exile by the succession of tin-pot generals and corrupt self-serving politicians (Benazir and Nawaz) in Pakistan, Ul-Haq served the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for many years as its chief economist. In the mid-1980s, presumably fed up with the unwarranted propaganda which third world leaders and dictators in particular trumpet about the wonderful progress made in societies under their watch, Ul-Haq devised a human development index (HDI) to measure governments’ actual attainments in raising living standards in countries around the world. The seasonal fruit of his pioneering effort is UNDP’s Human Development Report (HDR) published in July every year. For reasons best known to themselves, Indian economists and the media tend to accord a tepid welcome to UNDP’s topical, subject-driven, inevitably well-argued and indeed brilliant HDRs — the labour of love of hundreds of highly qualified economists and social scientists from around the world. But then praise for any genuinely innovative intellectual effort is rare in this perverse, backbiting society built by Nehru’s socialist heirs now transformed into loud but unconvincing liberalisers. These painstakingly researched annual reports are more than dry statistical compilations. Every year the HDR is built around a human development proposition which is advocated and examined in detail. For instance in the millennium year 2000 the annual report of UNDP discussed the theme ‘Human rights and human development’ in extenso. In 2002 its message was ‘Deepening democracy in a fragmented world’ and last year it was ‘Millennium development goals’. The purpose of these chosen themes supported by case histories and statistical evidence collected from around the world is self-evident: to advise lackadaisical governments and intellectually barren establishments on ways and means to enrich the lives of their subjects and transform this lonely planet into a habitation of stable, prosperous nation states living in harmony with each other. In HDR 2004 the learned authors led by the India-born Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen advance the case for ‘Cultural liberty in today’s diverse world’ as an important input for human and societal development. Against the backdrop of rising religious fundamentalism and grim portents of an imminent clash of civilizations, Human Development Report 2004 argues in favour of respecting and accommodating minority cultures, which contrary to popular demagoguery, stabilises and enriches societies. “Human development is first and foremost about allowing people to lead the kind of life they choose — and providing them with the tools and opportunities to make those choices… Unless people who are poor and marginalised — who are more often than not members of religious or ethnic minorities or migrants — can influence political action at local and national levels, they are unlikely to get equitable access to jobs, schools, hospitals, justice, security and other basic services,” says the foreword. Quite obviously the proposition that cultural plurality…
Life Skills Education
Dilip P Patel Recently as I awaited my turn to address nearly 500 parents and teachers in a well known school in Bangalore, a thought flashed across my mind and I quickly converted it into the lead-in of my address.”Dear Parents, I have three questions to put to you. If your answer is in the affirmative, show it by raising your hand for each question.” After a brief pause, I added ‚ “And yes, you might find the first two questions stupid but I must ask them, so please answer them.”There was a pregnant silence. I fired my first question: “Do you love your children?” Almost every hand went up. I was left in no doubt that all the parents present loved their children. That was the first stupid question.My next question was: “Are you doing everything possible for your children to get the best out of them?” This was a more intelligent question, but then almost every parent and teacher believes they are doing their best for the children in their care. Hence many hands went up.The third question was even more intelligent: “Is your child giving his/ her best because of your efforts?” This time hardly any hands went up. Very few parents are satisfied with the performance ‚ in the classroom or beyond ‚ of their children. Ditto teachers who may have their favourites, based largely on their academic performance, but even they believe their favourites can do better. Hence the very few raised hands was understandable.Thus two of the most important influencers of the development and growth of children ‚ parents and teachers‚ are by and large, dissatisfied with their wards. Therefore isn‚t it logical to presume that if this dissatisfaction is transformed into satisfaction, the latent talent in children will flower? This ‚ transforming parent-teacher perspectives ‚ is the purpose of life skills education.It has been my common experience that every time I address adults on values, ethics and life skills, either in the corporate arena, or on a social platform, they all chorus saying, “Yes, yes, you are doing a great job, but you need to concentrate on children. If our children are taught these good things, our society will surely improve.” Or words to this effect.This reaction has made me wonder whether society is only made up of children, since I‚m told that by teaching them good values and ethics society will improve. Weren‚t today‚s adults children once upon a time? Did no one teach them good values? If so why hasn‚t society improved? Why will it improve now? It‚s a puzzle. But a parable I heard sometime back provides a good insight. Let me put it in my own words.”I was in search of some pure, white ivory. I roamed the hills, rivers, and jungles. Suddenly I spotted a beautiful pair of pure, white curvaceous bars of ivory, four-five ft. long, jutting out of a bush. I ran to claim them. But, alas, they were firmly attached to a giant elephant.” Children…