Dear Vikas sir, There are many reports published in various Indian dalies on the term 'divyang' where activists have spoken in support and opposed the nomenclature. But my Op-Ed which was published by the Tribune was one of the first serious attempt which complicated the ramification of the term. Then the debate on the issue became more substantial. My write-up: "Deifying people with disabilities a cruel joke" which appeared on 11 January 2016 was well-received internationally. In fact one of the Joint Sec in the DEPWD during that period acknowledged the powerful disection but expressed his inability to do away with the term cause the political establishment was hellbent in imposing the term at any cost. But what we have been able to achieve that 'divyang' will be used as suffix in brackets.IE Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan). My opinion piece delves about the legal ramification and posits not to legalise the term which would bring shame to India which is a party to the UNCRPD at the international fora. You could read if not to recommend. Smiles. If you recommend this, you will have to take permission from the Tribune publishers. This piece was shared more than 550 times on FB and and on twitter. And the Tribune gave me an honorarium of Rs 3000 for this Op-Ed. The URL and the piece is pasted below http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/deifying-people-with-disabilities-a-cruel-joke/181902.html India is a signatory to the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities In India, the people with disabilities are addressed by many denominations interchangeably. Since the mid-1980s, patronising terms such as “differently abled” and “specially abled” have been quite common in public parlance. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last Mann ki Baat, broadcast on December 27, 2015, appealed to the public to adopt the use of the term “divyang” (divine body) to address persons with disabilities. This well-intentioned appeal by the Prime Minister, through the state-run All India Radio, to call people with disabilities as “divyang” (divine bodies) could do great damage to their dignity and identity. People with disabilities have long been enduring the pain of not being addressed as normal human beings as they think themselves to be. Moreover, the term “divyang” is antithetical to the definition of disability envisaged under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which India is a signatory. The UNCRPD stipulates that disability occurs due to extraneous factors such as physical, psychological and environmental barriers. The Indian Government which ratified the treaty, is thus duty-bound not to contravene the provisions of the UN treaty in the domestic legislation and the public policy on disability. Persons with disabilities have long been demanding from the State that they should neither be pilloried as evil mortals nor be deified. They are as human, with distinct physiological and psychological attributes, as other non-disabled individuals in society. However, too much obsession with the notion of “abelism” in the public sphere has dashed the dream of the people with disabilities from becoming equal citizens on a par with others. They are often pitied and treated with charity. They are not respected as people having Constitutional rights. The woes of the People with Disabilities related to accessibility, education and employment are paid tangential attention. The Central Government allocates meagre budgetary support for their empowerment. For instance, in the last Budget of 2014-15, presented by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, it was paltry Rs 5,000 crore. Moreover, the state governments' indifference towards people with disabilities is more shocking. Despite disability being one of the subjects in the state list under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, several states are yet to formulate a comprehensive policy on disability issues. The demand for bringing disability in the concurrent list is yet to be met. As a result, the large number of people with disabilities residing in the rural areas are compelled to live in inescapable penury. However, the governments at the Centre and in the states remain negligent about their pressing needs.The daily ordeal of the persons with disabilities at the grassroot reveal their vulnerabilities which requires an urgent attention from the government. Therefore, amidst harsh poverty faced by the disabled, extolling them as “divyang” is not less than a covert ploy to shield their resilient character and struggle as human beings. Undoubtedly, people with disabilities face daunting hurdles and create innovative ways to overcome them. However, their struggle to deal with the obstacles should not be glorified. People with disabilities should not be construed as passive subjects. They are agents of their own destiny. It is thus imperative for the Government to take them on board before formalising any new terminology in the disability legislation. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPWD) should seek responses from the disability sector on the term “divyang” suggested by the Prime Minister. The view of the Prime Minister reflects the mindset of a large section in the Indian society who are judgmental about the capabilities of the people with disabilities. Instances abound, such preconceived notions held by the political class and the Indian bureaucracy have dealt irreparable damage to the disabled people. Like any other non-disabled person, disabled people want to earn respect by their deeds and live with dignity. Therefore, instead of patronising and glorifying them, the government at the Centre and in the states need to create a conducive climate in which they get a level playing field, at par with others. Until the government does not undertake serious efforts to do away with the stigma attached with disability, the hardships of the disabled would continue to be accentuated. Merely a change in the nomenclature for addressing the disabled people is inadequate. A much deeper engagement with the plight of the disabled people is needed to bring about substantive transformation in their lives. A large number of disabled people are striving for the bare minimum, and they are still “divyang” for the Prime Minister. It's a cruel joke with their lives. “What's in a name”, they wonder. The writer is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU
On 11/4/16, Vikas Gupta <vikas...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dear All: > I shall be glad to read on the subject on Divyang. Besides this, if > received by tonight, and if agreed by the Editorial Board of > Reconstructing Education for Emancipation, I would also recommend it > for publication in this quarterly. It does not matter whether it is > published or unpublished at this stage. > Best > Vikas > > > -- > Vikas Gupta > Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Social > Sciences, Delhi University, Delhi 110007. > > > Web: www.vikasinterventions.in > > Ph: +91-11-266659 (O.), +91-11-27662347 (R.) & +91-9818193875 (M.) > Email: vikas...@gmail.com > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
