IS PUNJAB DYING?
Looks like Punjab is the next Drug, Cancer & Impotency Capital.
It is a Hobson’s choice for the country’s wheat bowl, leonine wall and the land of prosperity & plenty. Straighten-up or perish!
A small excursion into available facts throws light on what ails the state. 13,200 odd Primary Schools run under the state government (only 3400 were added in the last 36 years). This is a far cry from the glorious past. Till 1850 as documented by Dr GW Lietner, renowned British Historian; from Lahore to Panipat, every Gurdwara, Mosque, Temple and Dharamshala carried a school of sorts for basic education.And he called Punjab “the most educated place in India”. Sad to say, the state that was number one in literacy rankings till 1970 has now dropped to a poor 21st rank. Coupled with a 48% dropout, drop in students enrollment in Govt. Schools from 20.13 lakhs in 1979 to 13.10 lakhs in 2014; the situation seems spiralling towards a dark end.
Whew! What ails this, once fortress of the country? The spiraling illiteracy coupled with a myriad of social, religious issues, alcohol promotion by the state resulted in the youth riddled with drugs. Further to this, females too falling for drugs meant that recently the youngest documented drug addict was found in Khanna to be a 2-yr old baby. Gleefully, the locals called it “Smack Baby” and he was diagnosed when he was being weaned away from the mother’s milk. As you guessed, she was a smack addict. Drug addicts in Punjab now are graduating towards Poly-Drugs, which are available in plenty and cheap. Highest growth in liquor consumption has happened in Punjab too. And Punjabis are drinking away to oblivion, it seems.And to promote more sales, the State government recently reduce the price of country-made liquor by Rs. 20 per bottle. And you will be shocked to know that the highest potency of 75 percent alcohol content has been introduced here. The state is going numb!
Marriages now are taking place amongst drug addicts and unfortunately there are numerous cases of deformed children, developmental problems, such as cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, and mental retardation. There is a serious issue looming at large with these oncoming midnight’s children. Only time will tell whether they adhere to societal norms or become a problem for the society.
Shockingly, Punjab's bowels are parched and intestines drying up! Rampant abuse and rape of the agrarian lands by chemical-obsessed farmers; with pesticides, overdrawing and high usage of water meant that the water table is poisoned and we see one of the highest cancer rates in Punjab. Villages are up-for-sale due to waterlessness. A severe water scarcity and contamination crisis is on cards for Harkishanpura (Dist. Bathinda), Mandi Khurd (Dist. Bathinda), Mal Singh Wala (Dist. Mansa), Teja Rohella (Dist. Ferozepur), Dona Nanka (Dist. Ferozepur), Mirzapur Sandharsi (Dist. Patiala) and hordes of other lesser known ones. I do not feel that the powers to be have any solutions to multiple environmental toxicity, drying-up of upper aquifers, contamination of water table, destroyed river eco-systems, depleting aquatic life, ‘almost dead’ biodiversity, reduced crop diversity, decaying immune capacity, early ageing and obviously Cancer etc.The Punjabi and his animals too, of today are highly dependent on Medicines. Due to the poisonous water table, a majority of animals have become sterile and unproductive with reduced milk output, horses going sterile and hens unable to lay eggs properly. Sample - 180 students enrolled at the Government Primary School, Dona Nanka, in the border district of Ferozepur at least 110 are physically unfit.
Now Punjab is spiralling downwards on the economic front too. From being number 1 in per capita income till 1990 it has slid to position 12, other than being the slowest growing economy amongst big states and the largest borrower in the last five-year plan.
It is sad to see the fortress of India crumbling to dust. The need of the hour is Education and Awareness for the coming generation. The responsibility falls on the community itself and it is only organisations like The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib or to some extent Chief Khalsa Diwan and SGPC; that have invested in creating much-needed Educational institutions. Kalgidhar Trust has in just 29 years managed to build around 129 schools and two Universities and seeks to impart value-based education through 500 schools in another decade. This is helping cocoon the young kids from drugs and alcohol.
The community has to wake-up to the reality and invest its precious resources wisely. But time is running out and immediate intervention is required. Punjab has rebounded in the past and it cannot let us down this time too. What it needs is a strong community-driven push instead of simply waiting for governments to move into action!
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