Society

Songs Sung True

There were some small pockets of cheer and life-affirming stories too...

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Songs Sung True
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Andhra Pradesh: Finally, one about Dalits and how they are vociferously using self-run newspapers and radio channels to better their lives. In October this year, Sangham Radio, a community radio station managed by Dalit women from AndhraPradesh, went live. It became the country’s first rural community FM radio station. Its focus: women’s issues, ecological agriculture and preservation of cultural traditions. Earlier, a group of Dalit women fromBundelkhand, UP, began a newspaper called Khabar Lahirya that raises development concerns ignored by the mainstream media.

Maharashtra: Remember Dorli village in Vidarbha? It had put itself up for distress sale in 2005 after debts and agriculture-related losses drove its residents to penury. But hope is making a comeback. This year most farmers in the village have switched to a local resource-based sustainable agriculture model, unlike the earlier heavy dependence on external inputs such as seeds and chemicals. This has reduced the agrarian distress considerably.

Civil Services Exams: It may be a tough nut to crack but the civil services exam never fails to produce inspiring stories. One is that of 22-year-old Dhananjay Wanjari from a family of beedi labourers in Maharashtra’s Gondia district. He lost his father at four and had to roll beedis for a living. This year, however, he became one of the youngest to clear the exam. And K. Jayaganesh from Chennai made it to theIAS on his seventh attempt. He comes from a family of six that survives on a little over Rs 5,000 each month.

SEZ: There was at least one SEZ that wasn’t caught in the crosshairs of agitating farmers. That was because the SEZat Avasari Khurd, 40 km from Pune, was launched by a firm managed by local farmers and in keeping with their interests. With over 1,500 local stakeholders in the SEZ, the villagers will have the first right to developed land should they wish to start an industrial unit. A "socialist SEZ", it will house automobile, engineering, IT, biotech and agri units.

Kerala: Kudos to the Kerala government for this initiative. Last October it opened the first retirement home in India for ageing pachyderms. Set up on forested land atKottur, outside Thiruvananthapuram, it will ensure dignified lives for old elephants. Since the upkeep of an elephant costs about Rs 20,000 a month, owners often neglect old elephants. The home, which cost Rs 5crore, can accommodate up to 30 inmates. 

Assam: Next time don’t throw away your old clothes. A unique new bank in Guwahati is encouraging people to donate their old garments for the needy. Launched by the Xavier’s Foundation, the bank washes and mends the clothes before they are distributed among the poor. The foundation estimates that a cluster of 20 households can generate up to 500 sets of reusable clothes each year and that nearly 30 lakh people in the region need such clothes.

Punjab: Here’s a promising alternative to overpriced medicines. After failing to enforce price control on essential drugs, the government has decided to open stores for the aam admi to sell low-cost generic drugs. The first opened in November in Amritsar and will be followed by a plan that hopes to open one in each district nationwide. They’ll be stocked with drugs from pharmaPSUs and shall sell drugs at prices at least five times cheaper than branded medicines.

Compiled by Debarshi Dasgupta

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