Tau's gossip column

Tau's didn't get a chance to write an article in the Bombay times, so had to settle for the Indian Express. He should target Mid Day, Bombay times people in bombay will surely read in local trains.

November saw the focus of the media and polity focused on the Bihar elections and its results. Yet, through this entire period, a group of socially-minded individuals kept working at constructing houses in Kashmir’s quake-affected regions. And while media headlines have almost forgotten the earthquake, and the sufferings of thousands in Tangdhar and elsewhere, these people—many of them from Gujarat—have been working hard to ensure that temporary houses are built and made available to everybody before the onset of the winter snow.
Led by a Bhuj-based organisation called Abhiyan, they represent the new face of social activism in India. They involve professionals and may take the help of the UN and other international bodies but, more important, they believe in working with the government and have displayed a willingness and ability to link up with the district administration.
After the Gujarat earthquake of 2001, I had worked with the district collector of Bhuj-Kutch as a volunteer. It gave me an opportunity to observe the benefits of coordination between the district administration and NGOs.
There can be no denying that in disasters of such magnitude, the government inevitably emerges as the biggest donor. Despite the opinion one may have of the government and administration they have, time and again, risen up to the challenge in moments of crisis. While the decisions made can always be debated, it is generally seen that governments post their best officers to handle these situations. The government machinery, however, has its own constraints. Reaching people effectively is one such, and NGOs can definitely help out. Established civil society organisations in the affected region can engender a government-people interface and be an invaluable link between administrators and the administered. Bringing in experts into the effort is another area where NGOs can help.
Overall, these organisations and individuals become another arm of the government; an arm that is backed up by resources and authority and, yet, one that is closer to the people. Winning over people’s confidence is probably the most important factor in any disaster recovery programme. Although the role of the government and administrative agencies is important, it is the spirit of the common people that determines the outcome. The involvement of NGOs and local bodies provides people with a feeling of empowerment.
Once the government, NGOs and people’s groups come together, there can be no stopping the forces for change. NGOs and volunteers, therefore, have a key role in rehabilitation. They performed at Bhuj, they preformed at Nagapatnam, they are performing in Kashmir. Call them the Novel Government Organisations: the new face of social activism.