Kerala received an outpouring of goodwill and support from people across the country. How wonderful it would be if this becomes more common
For many days in a row, floods in Kerala hogged the limelight and raised the nation’s consciousness. People displayed exemplary compassion, thanks to mass media and social media noise, unprecedented sympathy and concerns poured in, asking about what was happening in the State which stood devastated due to flood fury. Charity is integral to Indian cultural values and ethos and, therefore, the outpouring of support wasn’t surprising. What’s astonishing, however, was the selective surge in emotion. The same set of people exhibit little or no anxiety for other myriad problems. One wonders if Kerala’s consciousness and crowd-sourcing platform can be replicated to address some other major problems that plague the country.
Beyond doubt, the floods have ravaged the State, leaving about a million (three per cent) of its over 34 million people homeless. Floods have unleashed enormous fury, many say worst in the century, and snuffed out innocent lives. The State Government, with assistance from innumerable agencies, displayed exemplary tenacity in dealing with the situation. Media reports cited Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as saying that over 10.78 lakh displaced people, including 2.12 lakh women and one lakh children below 12 years of age, were sheltered in 3,200 relief camps. The Chief Minister estimated the total loss to be around Rs 20,000 crore. About 370 people have lost their lives ever since May 29, when the monsoon rains lashed Kerala.
Support has been humongous and heart-warming. The Prime Minister, after visiting Kerala on August 16, announced an aid of Rs 500 crore, taking the Central assistance to Rs 600 crore. This, in addition to an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees to each family of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 to those who were injured during the floods. Various State Governments too pledged their support as also a number of individuals, including MlAs, MPs and bureaucrats. Video of an eight-year-old, Navya Rai, exhorting people to simply donate one rupee for Kerala was moving and so were many other appeals.
That ‘God’s Own Country’ resonated well with Bollywood was demonstrated by the fact that celebrities came out in large numbers to pledge their support and urge people to donate. Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Shahid Kapoor, among others, came out and posted their support on Twitter, and also asked people to help. Sushant Singh Rajput donated one crore rupees, while Shah Rukh Khan’s Meer Foundation donated Rs 25 lakh. While media reports say senior Bachchan too donated, the amount was not known. India of August 2018 was witness to a rare confluence of emotions and generosity to tide over a crisis and offer assistance — moral and monetary. How wonderful it would be if this becomes more common in the form of giving support to other problems, like poverty, health and education, infrastructure among others. Unfortunately, such examples are few and far between. Bihar cadre IAS officer, posted as District Magistrate in west Champaran district, Nilesh Deore, summed up this dichotomy in a Tweet: “I am observing how social media reacts differently. Reaction to #KeralaFloods is heart touching but same was not seen during #Biharfloods 2017 which affected 19 district of north Bihar, causing death of 514 people.”
Certainly, the magnitude of such generous support as in Kerala was not witnessed during the Bihar floods. While it is not confirmed if celebrities, like Bachchan and Devgn, lent similar support, even in the form of a Tweet to give a spurt in crowd-sourcing of relief, Aamir Khan was reported to have donated Rs 25 lakh. Rajput’s contribution is also not known.
Wonder if our super rich super stars even think of the likes of Shikha, Mansi and Parul, who died of starvation in Delhi, the heart of India, promoting the international media to take delightful dig at our country with terse headlines. While data can be misleading, the fact is that deaths due to hunger continue to torment India’s glorious records and its achievements in many other areas. One estimate put three lakh children dying every year due to hunger. No discussions on whether the Government has failed in its duty to ensure this basic need, but for those outside this framework, death due to hunger is as severe a calamity as flood-ravaged Kerala. Do we see any convergence of emotion or supportij
Do our super stars know some super depressing facts about India’s healthcareij On healthcare access, India ranks lower than Bangladesh, Sub-Saharan Sudan and Equatorial Guinea. According to an IndiaSpend report, “India still accounts for 17 per cent of global burden of maternal deaths, non-communicable diseases made for 61 per cent of deaths in 2016, communicable diseases like leprosy and malaria are yet to be controlled and 55 million Indians slipped into poverty in 2011-12 because of health catastrophes they could not afford.” Do we see any convergence of emotion, or supportij
How nice it would be if celebrities like Bachchan, whose voice, Do Boond Zindagi Ke, still resonates well. This became the change ambassador for one of the many grim challenges that confront India and pool in societal support. They could certainly take a cue from Padman Akshay Kumar!
(The writer is a strategic communications professional)
