Things we need to address

Wish you all a happy independece day. I agree with Rajesh Suri ji. This circle and many others that I am part of like Railways, Health, Corruption etc are making good impact. It was finally good to see PM talk about corruption at length today. Kudos to all members. In our country, to do anything it takes time but if one persists and keeps doing and following up it happens. I hope local governance on all fronts also changes in Faridabad. Here are some things that India needs to rid of: (From a long list a friend sent to me this morning) Hope you all agree with atleast some.

Section 377: How you choose to love is no one’s business. Especially not the government’s. Upholding archaic laws that promote Victorian Morality is not a part of our culture. Wake up dear government.

Female foeticide: We wish, as women we had the freedom to be born and the freedom to live. Its about time the government and people of this nation understood that a girl child is as much or even more of an asset to India, as men.

Lack of proper healthcare: Inability of thousands of Indians to find and access proper healthcare is an issue that needs to be fixed. While creating more accessible education to create doctors who can tend to the ailing, we also need to change the way we think and set out to help those in remote areas who need this kind of attention the most.

Littering: While the Swach Bharat Abhiyan was started amidst a lot of fan fare, it doesn’t seem to have caught on. Littering needs to stop. We need the freedom to live in a healthy and clean world.

Spitting: If you do chew pan then spitting in any place you feel like is not your right it is a privilege you are taking. Learning to spit in dustbins is essential for all of us to live in a healthier world. Incidentally, spitting can lead to a number of ailments, including TB – one of India’s most dreaded disease.

Education: Poverty and the lack of access to quality education is definitely a hurdle that needs to be put behind us. Better education leads to better growth in the country.

Interference in what we watch: The recent porn ban brought to light the apathy of the government and the level that it willing to go to tourniquet our freedom to choose. While I believe that we are all adults and should have the freedom to choose, the porn ban showed is exactly what the government thinks we have the right to do.

Radhe Maa and other godwomen/men: We as Indian’s need freedom from all these Radhe Ma’esq godmen and women. Not only do they mislead and misguide people desperate for a solution, but they also take away their freedom to think freely. We all need freedom to live without blind belief.

Quacks: So called doctors without a degree performing surgeries, opening nursing homes and medical stores – need to be stopped. We need the freedom to have faith in the medical profession and its sanctity.

Reservations: All the reservations that are applicable right from when you book a train ticket to when you look for admission in school for your toddler need to be done away with. A free and equal India is what we need to grow.

Corruption: Bribery, making substandard materials for the government, scams – all need to stop now! Making life easy for the common man is the only way we can survive.

Littering in the name of God: We as humans have a beautiful world to live on, but throwing flowers, dead bodies, and other things into our rivers, seas and ponds is no way to please God. We need the freedom to live in a cleaner and more ecologically healthy world.

Use of plastics: Plastic is terrible for your health and for the environment. We need to be free of this menace.

Noise pollution: Crackers, constant honking and random processions need to stop. Not only will he help you stay healthy, it will also be the best thing for the environment.

Moral policing: This practice has to stop. A society should have some rules but what may be immoral to you may not be for the others. Give up judgement, live and let live.

Racism and castism: What religion, race or sect you belong to should not make any difference in what you do, where you go or what you choose to learn.

Adulterated foods: being able to buy healthy and safe food is something we all need. Adulteration just to earn a quick buck is something we need to stop.

Domestic violence: Just because she married you, she does not become your property. She is not your punching bag and she cannot be ill treated.

Service taxes: Spending your hard earned money enjoying a meal at a restaurant should not be taxed. We need the freedom to enjoy a hearty meal without service tax. And the freedom to tip as per the service rendered.

Peeing in public: If you want to relieve yourself when you are outside your home, find a toilet and do so. Public walls and nullahs are not your personal toilets. We need the freedom to live in a cleaner nation.

Road safety: Wearing a helmet, driving while sober, following traffic rules, stopping at red lights are all essentials of living in a safer country. Let’s start implementing and respecting these laws.

Open defecation: There are many for whom a toilet in the house is a luxury, but open defecation has to stop. We need the freedom to live in a cleaner and safer world.

Eve teasing: Women need to have the freedom to walk on the streets without being teased or groped. Should we be able to roam free just like the men in our country can?

Rapes: It is not a woman’s fault, it is not the clothes she wears nor the way she walks. Not how old she is or the fact that she looked at a man. Rapes are a show of power. We, as women need the freedom to live in a safer country, where men are friends, brothers and husbands not rapists.

Junk food: Not only is this kind of food addictive it is also terrible for your health. It’s about time we banned junk food.

Marital rape: Still legal in India, this has to stop. Now!

Sexual harassment: While the law states that it is the man who has to prove himself innocent, it is usually the woman who is put under trial. This needs to change.

Child abuse: Enough said, not enough done. People and governments must wake up to this reality and teach our kids to recognise good and bad when it comes to people.

Khap panchayat: Elders living in an era when things were a lot more different, meting out punishments that do not match the crime and being treated as God, needs to stop.

Honour killing: Racism, castism, marriage and love are all different entities. Using them in conjunction and killing young people just because your Izzat is harmed must be stopped.

Gender inequality: Unequal wages and promotions for women and men must change. Women must be recognised as a force to reckon with.

Stereotypes: The way he walks, the way she dresses, his accent, her habits – do not indicate who the person is, what he/she likes or dislikes and how they live their lives. Stereotypes must stop.

Prolonging court cases: Legal battles that go on for years, victims asked to narrate their story umpteen times in packed court rooms, criminals let go scot free, corrupt lawyers, judges who pass judgements because they know someone in the criminal’s family. Needs to stop. Needs to change. Now.

Low pay for teachers: Some the most hardworking people in this nation get paid the least. They made you and are now making your child into the leader he/she will be. They why not pay them a lot more for shaping the countries future?

Illiterate leaders: Criminals, people who have barely been to kindergarten and those who cannot even sign their name (in any language) are our leaders. These are the people who we hope will take us into the future. Its time we chose wisely.

Donations for education in medical fields: We, as a nation need doctors who can heal us. Not those who pay their way through college.

Politicians talking about women and rape: When you are a man who has no idea about what rape does to a woman – emotionally. You have no right to voice an opinion.

Pardoning Salman Khan’s jail sentences: He may be a star, his case may have been in the lime light due to his status. But killing someone should not go unpunished. Rash and negligent driving is not forgivable – no matter what your stature.

Black money: Huge amounts of wealth amassed and stored by people while the other half of society cannot afford a roof over their head and three full meals. Time we did away with this.

Criminalising of victims: A rape victim, victim of a violent crime should not be asked to relive her/his ordeal in court or anywhere else. They need love, care and support, not to be treated like they are the ones at fault.

Misuse of domestic violence laws: Yes they were made to protect women, but today these laws are being misused to target innocent men too. This has to stop. Ladies, let’s be a little more prudent with the few laws made to protect us.

Proper care for victims of violent sexual crimes: Being cautious and warm to a girl or woman who has been through a violent sexual crime is something we all need to teach our medical practitioners. Doing away with the rude behaviour, judgement and blame game is a part of caring for the injured. Apart from that the two finger also needs to stop being performed. Though already banned it is a very common practice in such cases.

Emergency medical assistance: Letting an ambulance pass by, emergency facilities and phone numbers that actually work and can help a person in need is definitely the need of the hour. We need freedom from the lack of proper medical care. more