Indifference in our public spaces
Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Photo Credit: Manjeet Bawa
When it comes to a key sign of our interest in community - the amount we give in charity - we Indians are among the most tightfisted in the world. The US has long been the most generous in terms of per capita donations and charity work; our giving on the other hand, pales next to Indonesia, Thailand, and most other Asian countries.
Its not just our poverty that constrains us - its also our attitudes towards giving. “We don’t see as much concern among Indians for their broader community,” Rama Bijapurkar, my friend, colleague and market researcher told me, “What people say when we survey them is, ‘I’ll give money to my family if they need it, maybe my maid, but why should I give my money to someone I don’t even know?’” The exception is when calamity strikes - like the tsunami.
Its probably no surprise that we lack a sense of responsibility beyond our circles of family and acquaintances. We only have to look at the lack of outrage in our collapsing public infrastructure, schools and cities - rather than confront these problems, we have retreated into gated communities, private schools and even private security.
But people also respond to their environment, and much of our apathy comes because the state is itself apathetic. When governments are indifferent about the poor and about public welfare, citizens feel that there is little difference they can make on a personal level. Corrupt and indifferent bureaucracies and governments are difficult for citizens to change - its easier to retreat.
Are there signs that this is changing? One hope I see is in the rise of NGOs and civil activists who have in the past decade and a half, actually managed to jolt public policy awake in areas such as transparency of government, education and infrastructure. Madhav Chavan, the founder of Pratham comes to mind, as does Trilochan Sastry, who has helped make disclosures by legislators on their criminal records and finances much more transparent, and Shailesh Gandhi, the RTI activist who has recently been appointed the Central Information Commissioner.
Another trigger ( I hope) for growing community and social interest is the Indian government’s rising dependence on direct taxes for its revenues - income taxes paid by individuals. India’s revenues became more than 50% direct taxes (rather than indirect collections) for the first time ever in 2007-08. With the amount each of us contributes to the government kitty growing, we may become more conscious about where and how this money is being spent, and demand more accountability from the state. And we might start having a greater voice, and also concern, for public programs and the public sphere.