What education, Whose Human Rights??

What Education, Whose Rights??

A few weeks back, I visited the solan district of Himachal Pradesh. After spending a day of my visit in the picturesque valley of the state, as I was returning in my luxurious car, I saw something that evoked an idea about the concept of rights and education.

I did not see anything unusual. It was a normal sight, that one might see in any corner of India.

I had seen a little girl, around 12 or 14 years of age, carrying a huge plastic jar filled with water. The jar was so heavy that the girl was able to carry it on her head only by supporting it with both her hands.

Unable to take her hands away from her head, she could not even move her hands to manage her pajama, that was slipping off.

The poor child stood at one side of the road, calling for her mother, who was standing at the other side of the road, waiting to help the child with the burden that she was carrying all alone.

Amid all this what surprised me the most was the twinkling smile on the girl’s face, that perhaps was because of the completion of her daily chores.

That moment I realised that the whole socio-economic debates that our leaders and scholars have been making, make little sense in the situation. I realised the fallible nature of all economic theories about our society.

When we put our brains in evolving the different models of rights for the underprivileged, there are some for whom there is no such thing as ‘Human Rights‘.

How do you provide such rights to those who does not even know any such concepts?? In such situations, the capability approach of Prof. Amartya Sen hardly finds an application.

What should be done in such contexts, is the question that has been storming my mind since then. I think the grant and enforcement of the rights of such sections requires, first, an awareness building, followed by the process of capability building.

An escapist argument would consider the ignorant smile of the little girl, and abandon the pursuit of the much needed change in the society.

But, what is required is an effort that blends into the social context of such sections and build an enlightening awareness. Here, it is important that the introduction of the new ideas is done carefully, so as not to disrupt the life of these sections.

An Acknowledgement: I thank the little girl who inspired such idea. Though I know that there is no chance that she would be able to read this blog, still, the Devil’s Advocate does not forget to acknowledge the source of inspiration.