Letter from the Editor

During my long career as a development journalist, it’s an issue I always aspired to examine in detail, but the occasion to write about it never presented itself. But recently, with a surfeit of events rooted in sheer bad manners — routine disruption of the vital business of Parliament; the Jessica Lal case; daily instances of road rage and rash driving; open, continuous and uninterrupted neglect and abuse of vulnerable women, children and the aged; the law’s delay; the proud man’s contumely and the insolence of office — unfolding on the national stage of the world’s most populous democracy, the Christmas month of peace on Earth and goodwill to men, seemed a good occasion to take stock of the national manners deficit which is fast losing India (and Indians) respect and friendship around the rapidly globalising world.

That homo sapiens indicus is a notorious me-first, shover, pusher and grabber is hardly disputable. An investigator has merely to visit a bus stop to witness the inevitable melee which accords lowest priority to women, children and the aged. Next the investigator has only to attempt to cross a given road to experience the vehemence with which the beneficiaries of post-liberalisation India’s automobile revolution routinely accord the motor car priority over the vast majority of pedestrians. Moreover as a charming society hostess quoted in this month’s cover story wryly observes, even at elegant soirees, pushing and shoving to get at the buffet tables is de rigueur.

How do social scientists and the new tribe of life-skills trainers explain this accentuating national good manners deficit? Where have all the good manners and common courtesies that characterised civil discourse, compassion and empathy even for unpopular representatives of the imperial government, that we inherited from the leaders of India’s freedom movement and founding fathers of the Constitution, gone? Who is to blame? Communists, greedy capitalists, teachers, parents? These much neglected issues are discussed in our cover story of this merry month of goodwill and cheer.

And in the special report feature, our indefatigable assistant editor Summiya Yasmeen examines a budding new phenomenon which could well revolutionise primary and secondary education in India — home schooling. Disillusioned with rickety school buses, long commutes, and over-crowded classrooms even of high-end private schools, a small but persistent minority of middle class parents are opting to home school their children. Although in a nascent stage in India where there is exaggerated respect for schools and teachers, elsewhere in the world and particularly in the US, the home schooling movement has gone mainstream as evidence that home educated children are brighter, better and more balanced, is piling up. For parents who are interested in real rather than formal education for their children, our first-of-its-kind special report feature is specially recommended.

Merry Christmas!

Dilip Thakore