On 1/21/11, Pankaj Kwatra <[email protected]> wrote:
> 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
>>
>>
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>>
>> 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_>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
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>
>
> --
> 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]
>
>
>
