Females and Human Development !!

"For nineteen-year-old Rinki dreams of a happily married life was never to be. Barely a month after her marriage, she was allegedly tortured and then set ablaze by her in-laws for dowry in Indiranagar in the small hours of Saturday. Daughter of late Gyan Chand, a fish contractor who expired a year ago, Rinki was married to Anil on April 19... However, soon after the marriage, Balakram [Anil’s father] demanded a colour television instead of a black and white one and a motorcycle as well. When Rinki’s mother failed to meet their demands, the teenage housewife was subjected to severe physical torture, allegedly by her husband and mother-in-law... On Saturday morning she [her mother] was informed that Rinki was charred to death when a kerosene lamp accidentally fell on her and her clothes caught fire. However, prima-facie it appeared that the victim was first attacked as her teeth were found broken. Injuries were also apparent on her wrist and chest." From TOI


During a debate last weekend over Brandy (unadulterated with impurities like water,coke or Ice), Benadryl and Zedex with couple of eco post grads and a mallu communist, I was asked if I were "a bra burning feminist". In and off itself the answer is obvious since I dont have to take recourse to the said undergarments, let alone burn the same. All I had said was that Female Literacy more than anything else defined the bar for overall development. I remain a staunch supporter of equality - both for technical and conscientious reasons, even though I've been called variously as "Bra Burner" and "hypocrite" to "pseudo egalitarian".

Let me touch on technical reasons here.

If any of you are interested in Public Policy/ Developmental Economics or even supports equality for women, you might do well to find the r^2 between HDI (Human Development Index, a weighted sum of GDP in PPP, avg. life expectancy, avg. literacy rates etc) and each of the variables involved. If you can lay your hands on data across countries you will see Norway coming at the top and I think Niger coming at the bottom. Norway is, under this HDI index definition around 5 times better a society than Niger in terms of "Human Development" (Quotes added purposely so that we dont get into a philosophical debate of what is development or what is Human !!!)
The rsquare for any such analysis shows the highest value for female literacy - implying in some ways that a society with limited resources need only to concentrate on increasing female literacy for overall development. (One can debate till we all become old that r square only throws variance of predicted values from a system/equation pre chosen etc etc but let us keep it simple for the time being!!)

The aspect to stress is that one cannot underestimate the importance upliftment of women for social development. My personal experiences with SEWA has opened a whole new world of opportunities. The facts some of them threw up was like bombshells - 25000 girls gets maimed/killed for things like "B&W TV instead of Color", "3 gold bangles instead of 4","10000 instead of 13000" and the likes. One of them told me that during one of her research in Rajasthan-Gujarat border , she was pleasantly surprised that dowry deaths had come down from historic highs - only to later realise that it was driven by increasing female foeticide!!!
Intellectualising about issues in blog never solves anything and hence I'm apprehensive to write reg the same. Yesterday I met someone who is working on these , on the field, sacrificing a 6 figure dollar salary in a Wall Street Bank. I felt so small !!

So what shall be your new year resolution ?!!

I'm off internet starting 23rd (Hopefully) till 1st. Xmas party in Bangalore followed by a much needed break in Kerala for a rather private and quite New Year after ages !!
Yuletide wishes to all !!

I AM OLD !!

Yes friends...I guess it is time for me to accept that Im in Sidin's parlance an "After Youth".

1. I have more formal cloths than informal. In fact the number of tee I regularly use is limited to one. Jeans - 2
2. I have back aches if i sit in front of the lappy for more than 5-6 hours at a stretch. Ive taken to sleeping on carpets since soft beds seems to accentuate the problem !!
3. Money suddenly doesn't seem to be as important a motivating force as I thought
4. I am worried less about success and more about legacy.
5. I am neutral towards that girl in Hard Rock Cafe, who is hot and smiles at me. (Worse still she's wearing a micro mini and I still look at her face!!)
6. Marriage doesn't seem the most weird human intervention in biology. I think even I can settle with a single girl for more than 1-2 years !
7. I cant work till 5 and wake up at 8 and be back in office. I can't even party till 5. I actually prefer lounges to discs these days.
8. All nighters of IIM A and Oil Rigs in African rigs looks like a distant dream. I can't do that today unless there is a dangerously high level of caffeine or a highly intellectual debate happening or a hand of rummy or 29!!
9. I am more worried about the kids who beg at the light for the right turn at domestic airport at Santa Cruz than my salary.
10. I can't manage more than an average of 2 hours of flying without feeling uncomfortable.
11. Girls who used to pamper me more than I would have asked for, have started noticing my paunch and worse still asks," Do you think you should go back to gymming?".:(. Worse still aunties wearing leopard skin short skirts and high heeled leather boots at Monza at Phoenix Mills think she can make me notice her by giving weird looks !!

I dont want to get oldddddddd.........