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Really, its something else - migration
Written By nijavaada - 13 January, 2009
Civic amenities Bangalore Culture Development sustainability Complaint migration
[Forked off from a comment on this "road crossing" post. {blr_editor}]
Silkboard, Your mention of "Oh yeah, the job of taking initiatives is best left to the citizens" really amused me - whether you said that in a sarcastic sense or otherwise.
Praja should begin unearthing the primitive most cause for all problems that it finds in the society around it. If there's a road-crossing problem in Bengaluru, and the same doesnt exist in Jaipur, for instance, there is a way in sight to find what that root cause could be. If there's more rash driving, illegal-cab-hiring and such nasty things happening on the roads of Bengaluru, and not Chennai, for instance, there's a cone of light pointing towards something more primary to this phenomenon than mere failure amongst politicians/representatives/cops etc. Its because of a systemic failure in the state, and in the country.
There is an uncontrolled migration of people into Karnataka, and mostly into Bengaluru. Our system has miserably failed in acting tough on monitoring this migration into Karnataka, let alone controlling it to limits that actually might be necessary. Praja with its presence in multiple towns of this country should try pouring pressure on governances across India. The polity of India is in urgent need to realise that people need to stay where they belong and make a good living, instead of migrating to find better places for the same apparent cause. No land in this country is cursed to be unable to give a good life to its people!
No matter what the size or kind of issues it sees around it, Praja needs to visualize the problem at this level, and realize that, this, only this, could be the holistic approach to solving our problems. Otherwise any attempts (however good, and laudable) could just resemble closing the holes in a weak balloon. You'll never fully solve the problem!
So as an action plan, I would suggest Praja bring its contacts into the governance into play here, and ensure its talks with governance in future have this tone. Among other things, Praja should press the public bodies for a strict monitoring and thereby control over migration into Karnataka (Bengaluru too) - regardless of the department it happens to deal with - be it the Police, the Legislature, or the Corporation, the Transport authority, or even the Weather department! Talk about basic issues, and try and help them realize the issue. The problem is half solved when you've understood the problem.
-Nijavaada
COMMENTS
It's all about one's quest for prosperity and good life!
kbsyed61 - 14 January, 2009 - 18:20
SB, Nijawada, Srivastha and others,
The issue and problem of immigration and allegation of "you don't belong here" lies at the core aspiration of our existence on this earth. Each one of us would like to live a good life and with prosperity for eternity.
Why do people migrate? For better living, better job and better opportunity. Sometimes it is real, other times it is perceived. Some succeed and a good percentage don't. Until recently the bond to local "MITTI" deterred a vast majority from moving to other place and even if moved due to jobs, tried to return to the birthplace. Due to various factors and uneven development/progress there is vast divide between Urban and rural living conditions.
For migrants, it is a pure quest and zeal to better their lives. In that quest what is wrong in moving to a big town, small city or big metropolitan city? Even going abroad? The constitution allows it, no legal or physical bar on such migration. Often times it is easy and convenient way of improving one's condition. I can take care cover under "I am Indian", "One Nation" slogans.
On positive side, I bring new ideas, new cultural exposure, I pay taxes, buy local goods, use local businesses and effectively I am helping the local economy and progress.
On negative side, I may be encroaching a local job, latching onto a dwelling space which could have gone to a local, I may promote my own ideas and culture which could create frictions, I may add to the existing civic problems, I may add to the more infrastructure requirements and in extreme cases I may work against the locals and their interests.
Should I decide on my own or should I allow somebody to decide where I should live?
From a local resident perspective, the apprehensions, accusations and allegations of "Its all your fault" also lies at the same quest that a immigrant had. I am a local resident and I feel it is my right to have the best out of my local environment. Immigrants should help my cause for my better living and doesn't have a right to enjoy the fruits of progress. A good job, good place to live, good civic amenities and infrastructure is my birth right and I alone should enjoy the fruits of this local land.
Shouldn't I be deciding this or should I have to share my booty?
As Srivasta said, no easy answer and not so quick. Because, in both perspectives one needs to be of "SAINT" class to allow the other to decide my share and progress.
In order to understand the reasons for migration, one needs to look beyond the high rises of Bengaluru, Mysore and Mangalore. One needs to taste the first hand accounts of life in remote villages. Year-by-year, unpredictable climate, not sufficient rains, failed crops, increasing cost of farm labor, negative return on Investment (ROI), increasing debt load, deplorable conditions of schools, literally no health care support, no supply chain structure for selling farm produce and grains, development and progress restricted to only cities and towns, children and offspring unwillingness to carry on family trade and professions and the big impact of WTO & global trade etc. All these have made the life in a village miserable and inhabitable.
In such miserable conditions, shouldn't I be looking for another place where I can take care of myself and my family?
There are quite a few steps that could mitigate the situation but not the one perfect solution. One, improve the living condition in rural and semi-urban area by providing the basic necessities, create conditions wherein villagers could earn a decent earnings that exceeds their basic needs and make urban living less appealing (more Taxes and less luxury).
There is a way out. We could help build "RURAL-INDIA" for cities to be for locals only.
Only crying baby gets its milk
psaram42 - 13 January, 2009 - 08:02
The people in and around tin factory area whose children are facing the problem everyday are to demand for a solution. A proper pedestrian underpass and proper traffic control especially the city buses is the urgent need.
Migration between different states especially into Bangalore is to be taken positively in the greater national interest.For a better perspective on the subject, the following reference may be relevent
Published by Penguin Group
Praja is rightly helping on focusing on such problems on the web platform, so that the concerned people get to know what is required. It is also important to evolve policies how to go about solving the cities infrastructure problems. Recourse to RTI is the tool available which is effective for organizations like praja.
Thanks silkboard, for the article.
PSA.
how you take it is not going to affect how it takes you!
nijavaada - 13 January, 2009 - 09:55
@PSA,
How anyone (including you and Nandan) would take the migration between two (or more) Indian states - in a positive sense or otherwise - is not of much relevance here. Of relevance here is how this inter-state migration is going to take us, the system around us, and what it is going to do to us.
The India that Nandan has imagined has been rather extensively ridiculed by many a educated audience. Besides, this imagination in his book, has remained, after all, but an imagination, and far from truth. Imagining India standing on false grounds will take us no far. If you find true reasons in Nilekani's book eliciting the goodness of inter-state migration, please place them on the table here, and we shall debate it even.
Frankly speaking there're a lot of myopisms evident straight out of this book our friend has recommended!
In the first part of the book, called "Ideas that have arrived", Nandan's thoughts are recklessly limited to only the urban India and the social parameters that relate to this miniscule percentage of India - perhaps as low as 10%. Besides his imagination of this urban India (and its progress - we're evidence to this progress I believe) is based on aspects that are really not going to drive us into sustainable growth in the coming decades, unless of course we want to remain what we are today - taking the world's calls, buying the world's produce, selling what we grow, including our children as well!! Across the pages of this book, all Indian languages have been grossly slighted in front of the capacity and earning-power that Nandan has seen in English but never perhaps attempted to explore the same from our own languages. Proposing imaginations based on such weak grounds is going to be disastrous to readers and followers!
This cannot be a reference for us at Praja to take cues from, especially in aspects as complex as inter-state migration, or the paradigm of handling linguistic diversity in India.
Come to think of it, it is the system around us that needs a hand, to cross the road.
-Nijavaada
No body is taking anyone nijavaglu Nijavada avre
psaram42 - 13 January, 2009 - 15:43
I from interior coorge was born in Pune and did my primary schooling in “The Modern School” of Deccan Gymkhana, Pune. In fact I got married in a house in Deccan Gymkhana. My wife who is from North Canara in Karnataka, is a Havik Brhmin like me. Thanks to my Father being in all India service of Defense accounts, who knew a good friend, girls mava (mama) settled in Pune. I have very sweet memories of the city called Pune. No body “took me in" there. On the contrary I am afraid some body is going to take me in the reverse case. Oh yeah, now I am really in doubt.
I have gone through the Nelekani book 50%. I remain impressed till now. Nijvada, we are “educated” lot, including you, I am sure. Now let me see whether I come to your side by the time I am finished reading through this book.
Obama is the next President of USA. I am sure USA is not going to be “taken in” by the Blacks. In fact we expect the next President will be of Indian Origin. Please note it will not be an Indian.
Lastly, when some body cries, cries well in the mother tongue. Universal language like English could be of advantage, too. I did not think my son is at any disadvantage except that I cannot gift him a Calender which is in Kannada. We have Kannada associations all over US. Our children do learn Karnatik music, in there. We have our temples and purohits in US.
Oh yeah, when I read the book “Avarana” which is written in Kannda by SL Byrappa, I really felt bad, because I am unable to gift it to my son as he cannot read it.
PSA
one thing to 'dismiss', another to work on
silkboard - 13 January, 2009 - 17:09
Moving on to migration:
- If Nvda thinks this way (stop this migration line), there would be many amongst the so called "educated" who also do.
- We live in a democracy, of the kind where the crying babies get their milk first.
- 1000 people crying out against migration may be enough to unsettle a city which is unknowingly on the path to cosmopolitan-ness
There are a good number of people who think the culture of the state would be at risk as its capital city loses its regional character. They may be wrong, they may be right, but there is a need for some steps to take in the moderates (which I trust is the majority) amongst this set. Essentially, the government needs to do something before a Kannada Navnirman Sena is born here (JD-S is lurking, its needs an identity, and extreme regional is the way waiting for it).
So, how do you deal with this in constitutional and pro-active way? Let me make some observations first:
- Why is it that most of your apartment security guards are not from Karnataka? Two reasons 1)they are willing to work for less 2)they work harder as they can't just jump around to find jobs - no contacts, no local roots.
- Where do your maids and security guards and drivers live? The ones who migrated are much worse off than the locals who have luxury of having homes or at least a permanent address in far suburbs.
What I am coming to is that The problem to be solved here is urban poverty, and not migration.
- If you bring poor to the city, shouldn't you be made responsible for providing them with health insurance, acceptable housing and such.
- Why not a notion of "urban minimal wage" to work on the problems of urban poverty from the "supply" side? In the setup where 1 lakh people in the city make more than 50k a month, and can afford to hire help and services at world-war-II prices, everyone is sitting happy. "Oh, my maid/driver stinks, why doesn't he take bath in the morning." Well, ever thought about how they manage water everyday and how much they pay for it. In theory, this "happy" setup will exist till every poor family in the nation has been sucked into living life as urban poor at least once.
Perhaps Nvaada is worried more about loss of regional identity than urban poverty here. But we'd do better if we turn the priorities around. Putting the problem up that way is perhaps a better way of dealing with it, though I wouldn't say I have thought of the best solutions here. Talking more on the subject:
- Setting up "soft" culture barriers would be an extreme way, but could be tried under the guise of "it will help increase the employability of those who migrate". what about, "if you want to hire non-skilled labour from outside the state", you must bear the cost of making them learn the local language.
- Why not bring up the "mixed medium of instruction" idea (hail tarlesubba here) as well. Teach local history, civics, arts and goegraphy in local language, and the so called employable teaching (maths, science, economics) in the global language.
PS: Nvda - do come to a Praja meeting, some of us would be glad to see you.
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