Let’s be human!

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has urged fellow Indian to use ‘Divyang’ (divine body) instead of ‘Viklang’ for the physically challenged people while addressing the nation over his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Radio program. Giving example of a visually challenged teacher from Ahmedabad, DilipChouhan, who organized ‘Accessible India Day’ at his school, Modi said the teacher called him to apprise him about ‘Accessible India Campaign’. Prime Minister shared how 2,000 children were addressed during the campaign on the issue of disability and how awareness could be spread to help differently-abled people. Taking a lead from this case, Prime Minister Modi made a strong pitch, “We often address the physically challenged people as handicapped, disabled and specially-abled persons. But sometimes when we get introduced to them, we get to know that they are endowed with ‘extra power’ which can’t be seen with bare eyes. Then this idea came to my mind: why don’t we use the term ‘divyang’ (divine body) instead of ‘viklang’ for the physically challenged.

Prime Minister Modi got accolades, and his colleagues in BJP went all out to regard thisas yet another noble step. People with disabilities have long been enduring the pain of not being addressed as normal human beings as they think themselves to be, and want others to treat them that way.

The infrastructure in India in most places is not at all disabled-friendly. The devices that we see here in Canada as Assistive Technology have not been installed and there is no accessibility adaption for the disabled. No ramps, no separate washrooms, no signage at the traffic lights; the best that any government in India does is to provide wheel chairs, goggles, crutches at events and rallies where the they are further disgraced. They are often pitied and treated with charity. The woes of people with disabilities in India still relate to accessibility, education and employment. Indian Government allocates meagre budgetary support for their empowerment.  For instance, in the last Budget of 2014-15, presented by the Finance Minister ArunJaitely, it was a paltry Rs 5,000 crore. The way the state governments have responded to the need of the physically challenged is even disgraceful.  Despite disability being one of the subjects in the state list, several states are yet to formulate a comprehensive policy on disability issues. The demand for bringing disability in the concurrent list is yet to be met. As a result, large numbers of people with disabilities are compelled to live in inescapable neediness. However, the governments at the Centre and in the states remain negligent about their pressing needs. The daily ordeals of people with disabilities at the grass root reveal their vulnerabilities which require an urgent attention from the government. By just urging the people to change the way they address the disabled is not going to address the real issues that the physically challenged in India have to face.  It’s the society and the governments that are disabling the people, and they have to change and not the disabled people. This well-intentioned appeal by the Prime Minister could do great damage to their dignity and identity.  “Differently abled” and “Especially abled” are some of the soft terms being used and adding one more denomination to address them would do more damage than any good.

Undoubtedly, people with disabilities face daunting hurdles and create innovative ways to overcome them. However, their struggle to deal with the obstacles should not be glorified. People with disabilities should not be construed as passive subjects. They are agents of their own destiny. It is thus imperative for the Government to take them on board before formalizing any new terminology in the disability legislation. Therefore, instead of patronizing and glorifying them, the governments at the Centre and in the states need to create a more conducive climate in which they get a level playing field, at par with others. Until the government does not undertake serious efforts to do away with the stigma attached with disability, the hardships of the disabled would continue to be accentuated. Merely a change in the nomenclature for addressing the disabled people is inadequate.

Perhaps Prime Minister Modi needs to divulge a little more for them. Perhaps as a leader of the civilized society, the largest democracy he and the nation have to do far more. To begin with, let’s educate and sensitize ourselves and our next generation about people who are differently ahead. Spend time with them. Perhaps Prime Minister Modi should urge Indians to spend more time with differently abled. What about baby sit their kids while they handle their daily chores? Sadly, in many cases, the differently able have been given up by their families and they have no friends left. Encourage and motivate people around you till it becomes a mass movement and the government/ big corporate houses do something concrete. Its heart breaking when parents say that after 14 or 15, their child will have no school to go to. A much deeper engagement with the plight of the disabled people is needed to bring about substantive transformation in their lives.

A large number of disabled people are striving for the bare minimum, and addressing them as “divyang” as suggested by Prime Minister Modi appears to be the only solution for all their problems.  It’s a cruel joke with their lives. “What’s in a name”, they wonder. Prime Minister should rather urge the Indian to be more humane to the requirements of differently able.