Ancient Indians – Satya Samhita

Some vote-seekers imagine and actually state that educated people do not vote. 

• 75% of Indians are literate.  This article  http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-31/news/29366142_1_literacy-rate-centage-points-males : says that “India’s effective literacy rate has recorded a 9.2 per cent rise to reach 74.04 per cent, according to provisional data of the 2011 census released Thursday. Effective literacy rate in the 2001 census was 64.83, which improved to 74.04, said Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner C. Chandramauli. Interestingly, literacy rate improved sharply among females as compared to males. While the effective literacy rate for males rose from 75.26 to 82.14 per cent marking a rise of 6.9 per cent, it increased by 11.8 per cent for females to go from 53.67 to 65.46 per cent.”

• The definition of literacy had been ‘both ability to read and write in any language in the Census. This link tells us what kind of literacy data is being collected : http://censusindia.gov.in/Data_Products/Library/Indian_perceptive_link/Census_Terms_link/censusterms.html . “The information on literacy was collected in all censuses. The definition of literacy had been ‘both ability to read and write in any language’. In all the censuses besides data on literacy, additional information was also collected. In 1872 the information about ‘youths upto age 20 attending school, college or under private tuition’ was recorded. In 1881 Census, the information was collected whether the individuals were under instruction or not, if not, whether they were able to read and write. In 1891 Census, besides the information regarding the language in which the person was literate the foreign language known (if any) was also recorded. From 1901 to 1941 censuses, there was an additional question whether the literate knew English or not. Information on the standard of education was collected for the first time in 1941 census and after that it was asked in every subsequent censuses. In 1971 the information on Literacy and Educational level was collected from each individual.”

• The National Literary Policy says : A person is literate who has attained skill in reading and writing simple text and numeracy. http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/policy/ind/index.htm 

• Thus 75% of Indians can read a newspaper in some language and almost all of them can hear the radio and watch the news.

Not only can Indians “read” a newspaper, Indians everywhere debate politics. In my travels I have found the people in village canteens, who far more accurately predict election results than media channels.

What they give value to is not “sarees and liquor packets” as people say, but water supply, electric lighting, schools, roads, health care.

To assume that school education is intelligence is not correct. I know many people with a “higher education” who look only at “sports and movie” pages whether on tv or televison. The ‘merely’ literate are often very politically aware.

People say many things about YSR and many of them are true. But he was elected back in Andhra, because of the pukka houses and other development projects targeted at his voters. That’s what I heard from an old ‘literate only’ Thatha in a village  near Machilipatnam, as well as police officer that we gave a lift too. They predicted YSR’s return to power when Chiranjeevi was considered by the media to be a challenge to YSR’s power. Chiranjeevi lost one of the two seats he was contesting – his home town. So much for movie glamour. That was  a thing of the past. Chiranjeevi was seen to have earned crores and “spent nothing” on the development of his village.

In my own constituency, the MLA is from Congress party and the MP is from BJP. The Congress MLA has a reputation for progressive projects. The BJP MP was considered far cleaner than the competing Congress party candidate, though he claimed only party achievements. But I heard from lady who worked as a domestic servant about the streets and lights and water that the BJP organised for them. Interestingly one of the candidates contesting for the municipal seat used to supply free tankers of drinking water to the less posh localities. I’m not very sure who approved it but sewage is diverted through the relatively middle class educated locality, not because we don’t vote, but because we don’t vote-bank. We all vote. And we are aware of our candidates and their achievements/non-achievements. But middle class localities have a “low-voter-density”. You have to do more to please fewer people.

Why did the Bellary Reddys win the elections? Why is the Congress Govt in Andhra and BJP Govt in Karnataka dependent on them?

After all, you can’t become a minister unless you win the elections.. (You can become a Prime Minister, though.  :D  God bless the kindly professor!)

Please refer to this article : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/how-the-big-bellary-brothers-gave-bjp-its-winning-edge/315955/0

Buried in this article are several significant points :

“Locals from Bellary say the Reddy brothers have personally financed a Rs 25 crore drinking water project for Bellary following delays in a government-funded project.”

“In Bellary, residents still recall seeing the Reddy brothers moving around on two-wheelers as recently as 1998…”

“In a meteoric rise to power on the back of a rising global demand for iron ore, the Reddy brothers in a span of less than a decade have emerged from the badlands of Bellary —using brawn, brain and money, as a power centre to be reckoned with.”

Please refer to this article : http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article2006896.ece

It shows how the people in Bellary benefited from mining – illegal or otherwise. They got jobs. They may not know the global scene or the national scene but they are/were happy with the jobs, I guess. (Think of how the lower-middle classes benefited/suffered from call-center jobs, before passing judgement on these people.)

“The halt of iron ore mining in Karnataka, particularly Bellary, has left around a lakh people in the lurch. Mining activities in the region has been stopped for more than six months now. Around 20,000 people were directly employed and 80,000 were indirectly employed by the mining activities, according to the Mines Safety Association of Karnataka. The sector provided in-direct employment in the form of transporters, drivers, cleaners and so on. The dependents and family members of such people are around 3 lakh.“

Back to elections, literacy and education.

• The merely-literate voters are not selling their votes for sarees and liquor packets – but for development projects and jobs. They are motivated not by transient self-interest but by long term self-interest.
• They do not understand any more than we do, the wheels behind the wheels, why this will end up impoverishing and hurting them/us in the long run.
• For that they need an education in sociology and politics.
• And also to keep abreast of what’s happening in various areas all the time.
• Till wikileaks happened even we the educated believed all that our election-winners told us.

The Trust Factor : 

Annaji has it right. The Socio-Political Agenda needs to be given importance. It is not enough to “Teach India”  mere-literacy. It is important to spread social awareness of the various issues at stake.

(I guess I am a literate-educated-idealist-cynical citizen neither active or passive and yet both! I belongs to all social classes and to none.. at least I care?)

Finally here is an article : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7973477.stm that discusses Six Myths about Indian Elections. There are some interesting ideas in it!

And here is another that attempts to define the middle class that our politicians show contempt for : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/who-are-the-middle-class-in-india/438429/2

Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula

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