The information pagdandi as bridge across social, economic divides

It is in this context that I see the Pagdandi as empowerment. Literally, a foot path, it takes shape as each individual chooses a route for going from one point to another. Over time, depending on the number who adopt a particular route, it develops into a Pagdandi. Thus—to put it in the jargon of the day—it is user-created, need-driven, and a path of choice.

Conceptually, one can think of an ‘‘information Pagdandi’’. Though very different from ‘‘information highway,’’ the two are not necessarily in conflict; in fact, they integrate well, just as many small streams ultimately create a mighty river.

What has the information Pagdandi to do with empowerment? A great deal: without it, true empowerment is well-nigh impossible. Empowerment is not merely about the right to elect ‘‘leaders’’, not even when one sees the image of a citizen going into the voting booth, undeterred by armed disrupters. Ballot over bullet is a strong re-affirmation of a robust electoral democracy, but does not lead to full empowerment. A free and fearless vote once every five years (or more frequently) is good only for a temporary high. True empowerment requires moving beyond electoral democracy, to participatory democracy; and it is here that the information Pagdandi enters the picture.

Participatory democracy, wherein citizens are involved in the process of decision-making, requires informed choice. It also means monitoring by the community of projects, processes and finances of the government. All this requires access to information on a continuing basis.

The Right to Information Act, though not ideal, is a huge step forward in terms of the right to get such information from the government. However, to actually access it we need the Pagdandi. In some cases, this may mean a bulletin board; in many others it may involve technology—a photocopier, community radio, local TV or a computer. A computer, though expensive, is fast, versatile and efficient; it facilitates comparisons, transmission and analysis of data, as also quick and wide-spread sharing of information.

Many assume that technology is beyond the grasp of the poor, the illiterate and the disadvantaged; therefore, sophisticated devices like computers cannot be used by them. Experiments like NIIT’s ‘‘hole-in-the-wall’’ have nailed this lie, by showing how illiterate slum children learn the use of a computer, without any instruction, purely by the discovery method. Anyone who has seen a roadside mechanic repair a tractor or car will concur.

Yet, one does not necessarily need a computer to access data. Sophisticated back-end computerization can simplify access—through interactive voice response systems, for example, available via telephone. Meanwhile, computer systems that convert text to speech (and vice versa) are helping to overcome the literacy barrier. The creation of community facilities, with free or pay-per-use access, is demolishing the economic barrier. With these developments, and hopefully the expansion of community radio and local TV, information can be easily obtained by anyone anywhere in the country.

The elimination of inequities of information availability—and, thereafter, knowledge—can be a major means of combating social discrimination and economic disparities. New information and communication technologies have demolished distance, making geography history. They can also be a ‘‘digital bridge’’ across social and economic divides, empowering the disadvantaged through information and knowledge.

To return to the Pagdandi, it is always a two-way road, like the new infocom technologies, thus ensuring that information and knowledge flows are not one-way.

This is crucial to empowerment, providing a tongue to those who have only had ears, giving a voice to the voiceless. What better metaphor, then, of a model for development than the Pagdandi: a path based on need, chosen and created by self-organisation and consensus, used by and open to all? What stronger means of empowerment than the information Pagdandi, providing information access to all, ensuring two-way communication, creating knowledge communities that are decentralized, autonomous and yet linked into the wider world through the information highway? To empower India, more power to the Pagdandi!