---
At the rate that neoliberalism is taking hold of the world, there doesn't seem to be much hope for improvement in the lives of the poor people in India. Small farmers all over India commit suicide because they can't provide food for their families. Dr. Vandana Shiva, New Delhi, is playing an important role in the fight for the poor Indian farmers. [6]
GMO seeds are sold to the farmers mainly from the giant multinational corporation Monsanto, promising giant harvests, less work and great wealth. However, the truth has been very different. The government, in cahoots with Monsanto of course, pushes the farmers to buy seeds that are not adapted to the existing ecosystems and the result is disaster – crop failures and starvation. [7]
The rude conditions of life as a farmer lead to an ever increasing flight to the cities, swelling the numbers of people living in huge shantytowns under horrible living conditions on the edges of all the big cities. These slums keep growing as conditions get increasingly unlivable in the farming areas.
The beggars in the streets of all the big cities in India (Gangtok, Sikkim excluded) are ever present and the scenes of leprosy victims or just miserably poor beggars are hard to take. Since a leper is considered as being punished by the gods and unclean, they are considered untouchables and cast out by their families. Only charity organizations can do anything at all to relieve the miserable lives of the victims where their only means of survival otherwise is by begging.
Lepers depend on charity for survival
In Varanasi last October, we went to a charity leper village run by the DEVA Institute [8]. They also offer schooling to street children in different villages and help to mentally handicapped children, autistic and other, in their headquarters in Varanasi. They also sponsor other activities, such as helping young women develop some form of independence from their families or in-laws. Young married women usually live with their parents-in-law and have very little freedom. They are taught sewing and other practical chores and they get gynecological instruction from a physician who visits regularly. But maybe the most important aspect is the fact that they are not kept imprisoned in the house of their mother-in-law who makes all the decisions for them. They get out to meet with other young women and people who care. They talk and laugh and sing. They are very visibly happy to come several times a week to the Annapurna Center, situated a few kilometers from Varanasi.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
