Last two days, I have been writing about a not so frequently discussed evil practice that prevail in Western developed societies i.e. forced foster care. However, lest it appear that I am biased against Western societies, which I am not, I shall mention three very common evils widely prevalent in the developing world that includes India. I have lived both in the West and East. My background too is from both regions, therefore I am aware of the strength and weaknesses of both sides of our world. Just a little recap of my earlier posts is in order first before I touch upon the three evils of developing societies.
As a result of the hue and cry made by Indians, that includes this blogger, it seems that the Norwegian authorities are relenting and have taken steps to return the two Indian infants to their family. We shall keep a look out. The Norwegian and other westerners may wonder why such a hue and cry was made about such an issue when similar removal of babies has been going on quietly for a long time in Western countries. The reason is that this time they were Asian babies and not Western ones. To the Asian mind removal of babies forcibly from their parents is an absolutely intolerable evil and they would go to great lengths to have the situation rectified. If Westerners too would make a similar hue and cry about it, then this evil shall depart from their societies as well.
In the mean time perhaps stout, thin-lipped matrons in black with hints of a moustache, the thinning hair tied into a tiny lemon sized bun on the back of their heads, accompanied by sweet little things with two-year diplomas in social work will go around merrily snatching babies from their cradle whenever they get the opportunity. I can almost hear the voice of the sweet little thing while she is on a mission to capture another baby that lives down the lane,
“You know I visited that lady and her two month old baby peed in bed. Imagine peeing in bed. I never do it. That baby needs psychiatric help or a trained foster parent. I am planning on snatching it tomorrow with the help of two policemen. You know, these mothers always shout and scream when we take away their babies. They should thank us instead. Don’t they understand it is for their own good? What do they know about good upbringing? They don’t have a two-year diploma in social work like me. And, you know, my boss the matron with the moustache, she always gives me a nice peck on the cheek every time I catch a new baby to relocate, and does she ever her rub her palms in glee after that -----”
There I seem to be getting side tracked with the issue again. It must be laid to rest for some time now. Eventually it is up to Westerners to solve the problem, if they perceive it as a problem and wish to do something about it. They should just leave babies from India and other Asian countries alone to happily snuggle up in the bosom of their mothers. Never mind what the sweet little thing says. They just forgot to teach her in her two-year diploma in social work that all little babies pee in bed. She had no lilttle baby in her own family to observe.
The Asians may take pride in the fact in some respects they have better human values in some areas, however, there are other evils widely prevalent in the developing world, especially India that prevents these countries from improving their human development indexes. I shall mention three that come to my mind on a daily basis.
1. Corruption
As a result of the hue and cry made by Indians, that includes this blogger, it seems that the Norwegian authorities are relenting and have taken steps to return the two Indian infants to their family. We shall keep a look out. The Norwegian and other westerners may wonder why such a hue and cry was made about such an issue when similar removal of babies has been going on quietly for a long time in Western countries. The reason is that this time they were Asian babies and not Western ones. To the Asian mind removal of babies forcibly from their parents is an absolutely intolerable evil and they would go to great lengths to have the situation rectified. If Westerners too would make a similar hue and cry about it, then this evil shall depart from their societies as well.
In the mean time perhaps stout, thin-lipped matrons in black with hints of a moustache, the thinning hair tied into a tiny lemon sized bun on the back of their heads, accompanied by sweet little things with two-year diplomas in social work will go around merrily snatching babies from their cradle whenever they get the opportunity. I can almost hear the voice of the sweet little thing while she is on a mission to capture another baby that lives down the lane,
“You know I visited that lady and her two month old baby peed in bed. Imagine peeing in bed. I never do it. That baby needs psychiatric help or a trained foster parent. I am planning on snatching it tomorrow with the help of two policemen. You know, these mothers always shout and scream when we take away their babies. They should thank us instead. Don’t they understand it is for their own good? What do they know about good upbringing? They don’t have a two-year diploma in social work like me. And, you know, my boss the matron with the moustache, she always gives me a nice peck on the cheek every time I catch a new baby to relocate, and does she ever her rub her palms in glee after that -----”
There I seem to be getting side tracked with the issue again. It must be laid to rest for some time now. Eventually it is up to Westerners to solve the problem, if they perceive it as a problem and wish to do something about it. They should just leave babies from India and other Asian countries alone to happily snuggle up in the bosom of their mothers. Never mind what the sweet little thing says. They just forgot to teach her in her two-year diploma in social work that all little babies pee in bed. She had no lilttle baby in her own family to observe.
The Asians may take pride in the fact in some respects they have better human values in some areas, however, there are other evils widely prevalent in the developing world, especially India that prevents these countries from improving their human development indexes. I shall mention three that come to my mind on a daily basis.
1. Corruption
2. Disorder and lack of discipline.
3. A low level of social responsibility.
A Western visitor to India would be scared to drive on Indian roads because the others do not drive in a disciplined manner but rather drive on the road as if moving about on a dance floor. The sense of disorder that prevails in nearly everything that happens in India has to be seen to be believed. The design of coins change every year and schedules of trains, planes, examination etc. change on a routine basis. My Indian friends, who do not have an exposure to Western orderly ways, would not appreciate what I am saying, so used they are to disorder. They do not believe, when I tell them that the design of coinage has not changed in USA for over a century and that the examination and session starting dates of the university I worked in did not change either for over fifty years.
Indian officials change positions frequently since nothing must be stable. After all the Sun comes up on a different time everyday. They forgot to note that the Sun is on a yearly cycle, not a daily one. Every time a new official comes in, he or she changes all the existing procedures. How else can they let every one know that they are the boss. Perchance, if they happen to remain in the same position for long, as the chief controller of coin designs does, he just changes the design every Monday or so out of boredom, in the process ensuring that the colors of currency notes and the sizes of various coins are all similar so as to be easily confused with each other.
In the mean time wives at home thoroughly clean their homes every day from a deep sense of personal hygiene that prevails upon the land. She gathers all the litter and dirt carefully and promptly deposits it next door. It is not that she is not sensitive to the issue. She made a hue and cry the other day when she caught her neighbor doing the same to her. She has not heard of anything like social responsibility just like her son who has not heard of it either. Dad bought him a cool and loud music system from the hefty bribe he had gathered for issuing a new coin design contract. The son plays his music system loudly every night, oblivious of the fact that neighbors need to sleep. One reported to a policeman who wanted a bribe to follow up. He took the bribe, visited the lad with the loud music system, reminding him of the law and took a bribe from the lad too, then moving on to check if he could collect some more bribes from street vendors who should not be parked where they are. This account is a fictional illustration but pretty much describes the sort of situation that prevails.
One street vendor somewhere in the south of Tunis however, refused to pay a bribe. The official slapped him. The street vendor then complained. A bribe was asked for registering the complaint. The vendor did not have money enough for that bribe. He had enough for some fuel that he poured on himself and set it on fire, committing suicide and that has sparked a revolution that is shaking the world today. All evils, whether in the west or the east have a limit. One day a desperate mother whose child has been snatched against her will may set herself on fire in the West too and then the snatching of babies from the bosom of their mothers may stop in the West too. Mine would have done it, may peace be upon her, I am certain of that.
