Hey everyone this is Kunjal. I bring to you all an etheree which is a form of poem. This poem follows syllable count of 1,2,3… to 10 as the verses go on.
This has been penned in response to a prompt hosted by David. Please check it out here.
The prompt word was ‘fragment’.
Hope
Comes forth
In the hum
Ing hour- dark night.
In a daring light.
Hope-a gentle drawl comes,
Alights before drifting eyes,
Battle fought-sword risen to fight,
End studded with red- of enemies
Of life- it fragments with nearing daylight.
There comes an end to those dreamy wins and fights.. in the scorching sunshine.
We have gone a long way with this blog and have written a lot of posts for the Not-so- Political Series. From excruciating topics like data, policy decisions and worker ‘s rights to voter’s behavior, climate change and elections we have tried our hand at various topics. The knowledge obtained while working for these posts was fresher than the dramas that happen on news shows.
( Oof!)
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So far, readers, we have successfully completed 10 posts for this series.
Both of us started this series to just write about voters and elections but soon we both tested ourselves with other issues as well! And navigated class 9th along.😃
Draconian Laws
We recently talked about the recent passage of terrifying draconian laws on the post Could you please wait one more second? and Hong Kong is now bracing itself for a hardline leader John Lee who recently won the elections in Hong Kong. Sad to say he was elected by a process controlled chiefly by Beijing.
In this post we also talked about the terrifying sedition law of our history textbooks, still sitting safely in our Constitution. The Supreme Court of India very recently questioned the government ‘s reliance and abuse of the sedition law and proposed to examine it! This is a little light in darkness.
Afghanistan
Old crisis in the Neighborhood- Probably we coined this post very well because a Russian- Ukrainian War taking place in Europe is taking our eyes off the situation in Afghanistan. Taliban is showing its true colours by imposing restrictions on girls education, and telling them to wear head to toe clothing in public– a swift turn from there past promises to gain legitimacy.
Woman a citizen and worker– We discussed the plight of ASHA worker who formed the backbone of Indian healthcare to reach the rural areas and still do now. Recently the Supreme Court of India upholded the right to gratuity for workers and helpers.
War and UN
And the moment has arrived when we again turn back to the Russia Ukrainian War which is bringing new turns and surprises each day. We are hearing a lot of urgent statements from both sides of the war. We both wrote about how big countries did not have to justify their decisions while vetoing (to cancel) any decision at the UN in the light of Russia vetoing decisions at the UN.
But the UNSC recently approved a measure that requires countries like U.S, Russia, China France and Germany tojustify use of veto power!
The sun has arrived and it is hear to saunter more. It has brought shocking heatwaves throughout our country, a reminder that amidst all the chaos, climate change still remains to be solved…
So what remains now?
We will carry on this series. This post is dedicated to all the readers and everyone who supported us with their lovely comments and read our posts. Do you guys have any suggestions? What do you think about the continuation of this series? A little boring? or interesting?
Hello this is Kunjal. Right now we are giving exams. It is a 30 marks paper and we are given 1 hour. However the questions sometimes, demand too lengthy answers. One has to plan and think and also not think too much and write.
In History/ Civics and Geography we have to remember what points the teacher told us to write and how did she tell us to write. At the same time the neatness must be maintained.
Time is scarce and we need to tread well. Words must flow fast! Stopping at a standstill is dangerous.
Hey guys, Khushi this side. Photography is an amazing art but slightly underrated, and when we came across this photography contest hosted by Rebekah, we couldn’t wait to take part.
I chose to mix words with pictures in the lockdown and the habit still continues.
so here’s more about the contest :
Rules
Choose one photo that you took in 2022 that makes you think of spring! (animals, nature, flowers, etc.)
Make sure the photo is appropriate. Any photos that I don’t think align with this, I won’t include in the final judging and post
We spend years ( and still doing) of our schooling to understand how the election system works, how the whole country is involved in elections, especially the lower sections of society. Despite having governments at the local level (*gram panchayats) the condition of rural healthcare is still not better. To quote a paragraph from White Tiger:
“There were three black goats sitting on the steps to the large, faded white building; the stench of goat feces wafted out from the open door. The glass in most of the windows was broken; a cat was staring out at us from one cracked window. A sign on the gate said: LOHIA UNIVERSAL FREE HOSPITAL PROUDLY INAUGURATED BY THE GREAT SOCIALIST A HOLY PROOF THAT HE KEEPS HIS PROMISES Kishan and I carried our father in, stamping on the goat turds which had spread like a constellation of black stars on the ground. There was no doctor in the hospital. The ward boy, after we bribed him ten rupees, said that a doctor might come in the evening. The doors to the hospital’s rooms were wide open; the beds had metal springs sticking out of them, and the cat began snarling at us the moment we stepped into the room….. “
Why do we go through such turmoil? There surely must be some vital answer. A large survey amongst some voters shows that voters actually think of better healthcare for themselves and their families while casting their votes. But political parties seem to be focusing all their energy on free jobs, ideology mobilization during the elections. Health is the least talked about subject during elections in India. India has increased its budget for health by a mere 0.23 percent for 2022-23 than 2021-22 . The grand Economic survey 2020-21 on the other hand, had strongly recommended an increase in public spending on healthcare services from 1 per cent to 2.5-3 percent of GDP .Even the blatant fallout of health systems was enough to budge an increase in budget for health.
PRIVATE SECTOR AND PUBLIC SECTOR: THE QUESTION.
The existence and need of the government sector has been assured because of its service to the general public, often free of cost, but the problem arises when it comes to the quality of the services being received by the people. Basic healthcare coverage in villages is quite low. The countless government schemes to increase healthcare insurance coverage in the missing middle or increase teleconsultation run on deaf ears as these are, for people, policies formulated in words. Some of us aren’t even aware about these policies are we? There was never political will in paper leaking government offices and still not there today. How will they be implemented? Again, the question rings..
An improved government school in capital city.
LESSON FROM CHINA OF 1960s
The most populated, drought hit floods hit country in the 1960s was surprisingly China of today. With urban-trained doctors refusing to settle in rural areas, the Chinese government recruited and trained a million barefoot doctors and sent them to the countryside, where they administered vaccines, and taught villagers basic hygiene.This helped when many people were getting affected by the disease schistosomiasis. Such mobilization with the will to reform changed the life of many in rural areas. One barefoot doctor even grew up to become a Chinese minister.
The need of the hour is not just policies but complementing them – their implementation.We have succeeded in the art of formulating policies in 75 years of independence and the eloquence now, is needed in implementation.
Though barefoot doctors are a thing of the past, political parties wishing to create revolutions can surely learn the characteristic importance of movements and mobilization and political will in solving wide issues to make an imprint in people’s lives. We sure need to mull over some innovations and solutions about increasing the workforce in rural India, encouraging future doctors to serve in primary centers, improving infrastructure, but what we need the most is the art of attraction towards what the policies we formulate.
And that is where political parties and governments need to start from the start.
*For other readers gram panchayats and gram sabhas are village governing institutions in villages.The gram sabha is the elected body of voters which elects the gram panchayat members.
What is the state of healthcare services around you? Do let us know below!
This is a poem describing a lone injured man on the street. The picture given in the challenge- the eyes stare intensely into us. This prompted me to write a piece which questioned many people together, their willingness to bend down and help someone in need. This is written for sadje
Duo Diseminators 