India@75, Looking at 100 | A self-reliant country, beyond inequalities of caste and gender
B R Ambedkar laid the foundation for this country to realise equality among all its citizens. In the next 25 years, we must strive towards an India that seizes every opportunity and does not tolerate discrimination
Kalpana Saroj writes: State and non-state actors should encourage women’s empowerment and anti-caste ideals in both rural and urban areas. (File) My father was a policeman. Growing up, we lived in a police colony in Akola in Maharashtra. I remember instances from my childhood when all my girlfriends and I would be invited to neighbours’ homes for religious festivities in which girls are worshipped and celebrated. But as soon as my friends’ mothers would find out that I belonged to the Dalit community, I would be asked to leave: “Why did you let her in? Tell her to go sit outside on the verandah.”
Though caste-based discrimination did not figure in my day-to-day life in the city for the most part, back home in my village, caste bias and misogyny limited many of my choices. Married at 12, abused by my family and shamed by community members, I was forced to learn valuable lessons at a fairly young age. The most crucial of them all, something professed by Babasaheb himself, self-reliance. Today, as I try to look into the future of the country, the life that I have been able to build for myself here lends me hope for us all.
When I began fighting to make my mark, India was marred with friction, inequality and, most importantly, unemployment. As I looked around, all I saw were fellow Indians plagued with ills like unemployment, domestic abuse, apathy, and poverty. At 18, with a tailoring job in hand, I undertook a Rs 50,000 loan for business and set up an NGO. But I realised early on that this journey is not one I will make just for myself. Through the NGO, thousands of jobs were generated for the poor. I helped people get their shops up and running, become autorickshaw drivers and clerks and peons at government offices.
Forty-seven years later, I am the chairperson of a successful business. From personal experience, I have learnt the value of money and two square meals a day. That, I believe, is the most important cause to work towards in India. And I am still focused on generating employment and assisting people in setting up businesses that can use more hands. For the state and civil society alike, that should be the goal.
Thankfully today, the government is involved in social welfare schemes on a much larger scale — centred on women and those in the Dalit Bahujan and Adivasi (DBA) community. For those disenfranchised for so long, opportunities are now blooming. With the Constitution, B R Ambedkar helped lay the foundation for this country to realise true equality. From a time when even stepping out of the house as a young woman would prompt unsolicited comments about morality to now when women are at the helm in various sectors, we have come a long way. Every parent, irrespective of social and economic background, wants their daughter to be educated. That is no small feat. The path has been laid for us, the next 25 years are about the walk ahead.
I feel that in 25 years, the country will change entirely. The distance we have travelled so far strengthens my faith in this thought. We need concerted efforts towards a few goals to create a nation that has rid itself of deprivation and inequality.
First, we need sensitisation campaigns in all corners of the country. Civil society initiatives can be a viable solution here. State and non-state actors should encourage women’s empowerment and anti-caste ideals in both rural and urban areas.
Second, we must address the unemployment crisis. Despite the progress we have made socially, India’s economy is struggling today. Unemployment remains a central challenge. The state must focus on generating jobs for the youth if we are to realise our potential. We should also leverage every opportunity and prioritise self-reliance.
Lastly, we have to overcome social hurdles. Caste and gender-based discrimination are challenges that each of us has to face up to individually and refuse to tolerate or endorse. Together we must strive for a casteless society and one where women are free. That is the image of India I have at 100.
The writer is chairperson, Kamani Tubes Limited. This article is part of an ongoing series, which began on August 15, by women who have made a mark, across sectors
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