By starvation or by poison, whatever may be the cause of their deaths, the fact remains that we have failed as a nation in protecting our children, who are our future assets. The debate whether it was a failure of the society or the administration might continue for years. But it cannot be denied that children in India do not get proper attention either from the society or from the administration. A change is clearly much necessary in the way we bring up our children. If we delay in bringing the change that is necessary in this regard, it is certain that many more Mandawali will be repeated across the country.
A close look at the Global Hunger Index will prove how bad the situation is in our country. India is ranked 100 in that index. Countries like Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh are all well ahead of us. Even North Korea, the country which many consider a forbidden land, is ahead of India. In that index it has also been mentioned that most children in India are suffering from malnutrition. Nearly half of our children go to sleep every night with food less than what is required. Even more worrying is the fact that starvation, globally, has been reduced by 27 per cent during the past 18 years. In India it is only 18 per cent. The National Family Health Survey also has admitted that nearly seven and a half crore (58 per cent) children are anemic.
It’s a pity that while we Indians are ever ready to talk about everything under the Sun, we rarely discuss the burning issue of childcare. This is why we are showing sympathy to our children only after the death of three children in the national capital. But soon Mandawali will be forgotten in the same way we forgot the death of infants at the Gorakhpur Hospital in Uttar Pradesh, or at the BC Roy Hospital in West Bengal. It has now become virtually a rule in our country that every year such incidents happen. We will raise hue and cry for a week after which everything is swept under the carpet. It would seem that we have vowed not to learn any lesson from such tragic incidents.
It was a couple of years ago that the skeletons of a number of children were discovered from a drain in Nithari, not very far off from Delhi. It was found later that all the victims were from poor families. The killers took advantage of their poverty. A proposal was then made that shelters be made to keep the children safe where they would receive food and be able to study as well — the children spend a major part of the day alone either at home or on the roads as their parents go out to earn a livelihood. But the proposal is still gathering dust as almost everyone in the country has forgotten Nithari. So, one can be sure that whatever is being proposed now after the Mandawali incident may not see the light of the day. Proposals will gather dust and children will continue to die as usual. This is the true picture of India, a nation that got independence 71 years ago. What a shame.
