Hello All, I am not in favor of austere comments and preposterous comparisons but we have right to freedom of speech and expressions in our country. We have a mechanism or system of talking about opulent society but weaker and less privileged sections are left behind. The nation cannot build with fraction of people , it will have to carry all sections of society along leading to inclusive growth.
Please come out of stigma and prejudices of huge cost as disabled without much support have come so far so to be recognized. We are talking about E-learning , education and technology not specially designed for PWD but still they have managed to break the shell and use it efficiently. Let's keep on doing good. Regards, Pankaj Kwatra[ Different Pankaj,mind you] -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Vikas Gupta Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 7:49 PM To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AI] [Arkitect India] Responding to challenged people's needs. I take serious objections to Pankaj's irresponsible statements. The arguments made by Rama (Prof. Agnihotri) and George are no doubt very important and concrete. However, let me raise a completely different point, particularly because Pankaj has the general habit of beating the same drum with the same stick every time: money, money and money! Therefore, even the initial argument I am going to make is a utilitarian one, because it may serve at least the purpose of the present debate. Let me ask Pankaj, what is the alternative? Whether our 'poor' nation would then continue to feed (or not feed) ten percent of the total population as a liability? If they are not given education, surely they would remain a liability as beggars on the street. Would that be economically, socially, politically and ethically a viable alternative? Or that you would like to suggest the total extermination of such people following the lines of Hitler's regime? Surely, there are ways where only sensitivity, and not extra money, can make infrastructure disabled friendly, Rama has already given the example of strait paths. Further, what extra cost you need to create ramps instead of the conventional staircases? Further, developments for disabled may also be beneficial for others as well. For example, if you decide to switch over (as part of a long-term policy) to e-text of books, articles and newspapers, it will save environment. At the same time would enable the visually impaired in particular and other disableds in general to enjoy the fruits of this literary and knowledge production at par with others. It is also an attractive facility for even the normative persons, who are behind the creation of e-libraries. Is it than costlier than environment? Still, it is true that there may be requirements which ask for extra money, but there are two important issues to remember here. First, this is an investment. George has already given examples of the contribution of disabled in the mainstream and we can multiply it many times. Let us not forget the fact that even the technique of concrete roads, (an essential requirement of progress in the modern era was developed by a blind engineer. Moreover, teachers like me (himself disabled) have been teaching the non-disabled students. Pankaj, Britain has witnessed a blind even in the role of the minister for education. Second, disability is more than a mere natural deficiency. People like Pankaj, so called normative human beings have design the world according to their own requirements. Hence it is not our fault and therefore we will no longer pay for it. Who asked you to base your education on the written word? If this would have been different, surely blind and hearing impaired would have more easily made their way. Let me also share with Pankaj and his like-minded people that due to improvements in medical science (which can now save people from great injuries and accidents, but very often such survivors become disable), the number of disabled is rising across the globe. What will be your strategy then? Let us not forget that every human body is only temporarily able and it can acquire disability any time. Moreover, Pankaj, you are also missing the triangular connection between poverty, disability and education. Further, if concern for disabled is a special interest as you have suggested, then one should ask why the concern for poor is not so? I no that you would remain firm in your characteristic insensitivity, because it is not the power of logic, which changes mindset, rather it is faith, trust and compassion, which is required to understand the pain of others. Moreover, any text is open for different interpretations. Therefore, you would be able to still find some economist arguments to counter what all is written here. However, education is our equal fundamental right with all other citizens, because the constitution does not deny us the citizenship of the nation state. I hope that you would at least exercise some restrain on your habit of making such hurtful comments. On 1/19/11, Pankaj Jain <[email protected]> wrote: > But the cost of treating challenged population is very high. In India rich > enough to be able to afford this, at this stage, as a matter of policy. > > You will come back with drivel about large expenditure on defence, the cost > Ambani's home or Adarsh Society or Lavasa township, but even after > distributing such amounts over 1.1 billion Indians, we shall remain very > poor. > > Please decide your priorities.Will you prefer improving education for 15 > very poor children or one disadvantaged child? It might sound heart-less to > make this trade-off, but in real world, this is needed, because in the > cacaphony of various special interests, the interest of average poor-lower > income is always traded off. > > Pankaj > > > --- On Tue, 1/18/11, Rama Agnihotri <[email protected]> wrote: > > From: Rama Agnihotri <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Arkitect India] OLPC at a village school: from IIT Mumbai > students > To: [email protected] > Cc: [email protected] > Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 9:48 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I do hope we all listen to George. > Rama > (Rama Kant Agnihotri) > 81 B, Pocket AC 2 > Shalimar Bagh > Delhi 110088 > > > > > > > From: George Abraham <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Cc: [email protected] > Sent: Mon, 17 January, 2011 7:14:32 > Subject: Re: [Arkitect India] OLPC at a village school: from IIT Mumbai > students > > Hope all of you development Pandits are also including the nearly 10% > disabled population when you design and plan your innovations for reaching > education to the poorest of the poor? My involvement with the blind in > Orissa and other parts of India has thrown up two major issues. > > 1. Lack of access to quality primary and secondary education has excluded > the disabled population from being a part of the community > 2. The widespread ignorance amongst > the educationists and the policy makers > regarding the potential and possibilities for the disabled to be a part of > the HR of our country have marginalised the disabled over the years. > > I believe that the intellectuals and social activists on this group must > include the disabled in all development plans. I would assert that the > development status of a Nation should be determined by the status of the > disabled population of the country. As it is often said, it is the quality > of life of the lowest rungs of the social ladder that determines the > standard of life of the Nation. > > Regards, > > George > George Abraham > CEO > Score Foundation > 17/107, LGF > Vikram Vihar, Lajpatnagar 4 > New Delhi 110024 > > PH:91 11 26472581, 91 11 46070396 > Mob: 91 9810934040, 91 9810001181 > Email: [email protected] > Skype: > georgeabraham13 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "ambarish rai" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 11:11 AM > Subject: Re: [Arkitect India] OLPC at a village school: from IIT Mumbai > students > > > Dear Satish Jha ji > > Nice to see your effort by reaching the remote areas with One Laptop Per > Child. Can you recall our meeting earlier held at Delhi? We are trying to > build up a movement for equitable quality to all, while equal opportunity is > missing in the RTE,Act. Quality of Govt schools couldn't be improved without > providing equal opportunity to all in terms of fund > allocation, monitoring,infrastructural facilities, recruitments of trained > teachers and all having > KVs...also other good schools. > regards, > ambarish rai > convener, people's campaign for common school system (PCCSS) > > On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 3:09 PM, Satish Jha <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> >> Some students of IIT Mumbai made the following video of the OLPC >> experience >> at a village school near Mumbai. >> Children at this school have been using OLPC for the past 3 years to >> amazing results. >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFkM9GVVu_4 >> >> Thought it may interest you. >> >> On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 4:07 AM, Ram Krishnaswamy < >> [email protected]> > wrote: >> >>> >>> >> >> -- >> Satish Jha >> One Cambridge Center >> Cambridge, MA 02142 >> T: 301 841 7422 >> F:301560 4909 >> www.olpcindia.net >> http://twitter.com/olpcindia >> ________________ >> >> >> <#12d894291283d755_> >> <#12d894291283d755_> <#12d894291283d755_> >> <#12d894291283d755_> >> >> >> > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Vikas Gupta Assistant Professor, Department of History, Social Science Building, Arts Faculty, Delhi University, Delhi 110007. Residence: D II/1, University Flats, Maurice Nagar, Delhi 110007. Ph: 011-27662347 & 09818193875 Email: [email protected]
