Second Place Essay: Nagrika Spring 2020 Essay Competition
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This is the second prize winning entry of the Nagrika Essay Competition held in April 2020.
About the winner: Aishwarya is a first year student of B.A. (H) Geography at Miranda House, University of Delhi. Her passions, apart from academics, include arithmetics, reading non-fiction books, writing essays and articles, oration, composing poems, and social service. She wishes to join Civil services in future as she thinks that she can channel her knowledge, skills and ideas through this service in the best possible way for the collective good of society.
Lucknow: Revive, to arrive into the future
As COVID-19 sweeps across the planet indiscriminately, leaving deaths, mayhem and disappointments in its wake, I consider myself to be very privileged to have the luxury to stay safe and comfortable at home. This 'self-quarantine' has given me ample time to telescope into the future and paint the face and form of my city in 2050 with the colours of my imagination.
My city, Lucknow, the capital of the most populated state - a fast becoming metropolitan in the heart of the nation, a city of political awakening , a city of historical monuments , Ganga -Jamuni tehzeeb and city of Nawabs - is the long-cherished cultural capital of the nation.
All of us who have some interest in cultural heritage or are aware about fashion tit-bits must be familiar with Chikankari (delicate and artfully done hand embroidery on a variety of textile fabrics) and Zardosi (metal embroidery). Both of them have their origin in Lucknow. Their exquisite beauty and global demand have earned these crafts GI tags and claims of a major chunk of foreign exchequer but this fame and fortune is miles away from the artisans who have been putting their blood and sweat in this craft for generations. They get meagre Rs 15 or Rs. 30 for each piece of apparel. Apart from the everyday challenges of poverty, indebtedness, they have to contend with hours of mind numbing toil and resulting serious health issues like loss of eye-sight and painful cervical spondylosis. Hence, new generations are averse to continue in this field and these crafts are meeting a slow death.
“In Lucknow of 2050, these artisans would hold the steering of their fate in their own hands. There would be dedicated schools and universities for teaching and new innovations in these crafts.”
In Lucknow of 2050, these artisans would hold the steering of their fate in their own hands. They would organize themselves into self-help groups and with the interface of technology market their products at global level without any inter-mediators. This would fetch them huge profits and enable them to not only free themselves from the clutches of poverty and exploitation but they would also be able to organise exhibitions at various fora, where not only they would sell their products but also conduct work-shops which would invoke interest of new generation towards this rich craft. There would be dedicated schools and universities for teaching and new innovations in these crafts. I envision the similar fate for all the material (eg. Chinhat pottery, Block paintings etc) and non-material (eg. Kathak) cultural heritage.
Lucknow has always exercised an irresistible pull for the history lovers not only because it is dotted with a number of historical monuments but also because history here unfolds itself in people's lives and activities. But due to inadequate infrastructure and insufficient safety measures, we have not been able to develop tourism upto its full potential. In 2050s Lucknow, not only there would be international level amenities and facilities but local people would also be involved to ensure community participation and employment generation.
I shed this much focus on the cultural heritage of the city and its revival because in the past, the city has been an example of cultural excellence, and unless we re-appropriate our cultural heritage authentically, it would be absurd to talk of global leadership.
“There would be no chotu working in a dhaba, no woman facing abuse inside or outside the house, no person dying in deprivation, and if any crisis (like COVID -19) erupts, there would be more solidarity and scientific advancement reflecting in our efforts.”
My next concern is the deteriorating environment accompanying the so-called development of the city. In a recent report it has been put forward that Lucknow is the fourth most polluted city of the country and second most polluted city of the state. In 2050s Lucknow, there would be emphasis on following ' Es ' -
Eco-friendly technology is adopted in every field of production
For evaluation of any developmental project there are following criteria-
Environmental protection
Ecological balance
Environmental efficiency
Emphasis on Eco-education
Effective accountability system for environmental protection
There would be development of renewable and pollution free energy resources, zero waste strategy, development of green buildings etc. And man and nature would co-exist in complete harmony.
As far as governance is concerned, there would be emphasis on 'Minimum government; Maximum governance' to allow faster flow of information, simplification of procedures, identification and repeal of obsolete laws, leveraging technology to bring transparency in public interface, accountable methods for effective delivery of goods and services and a robust public grievance address system, and more and more participation of civil society in governance.
I am confident that till 2050, my city (in fact the whole world) would be treading the path of sustainable and all inclusive development where the fruits of development would be shared by all - there would be no chotu working in a dhaba, no woman facing abuse inside or outside the house, no person dying in deprivation, and if any crisis (like COVID -19) erupts, there would be more solidarity and scientific advancement reflecting in our efforts.
This piece is part of Nagrikal, a platform for citizens from small cities to share their experiences so that they be channeled into policies.