Are You Financially Literate?
- Part 2 -

G S Oinam *

Its effect on Administrative system: We have stopped all works by attending ceremonies, patient enquiry visit, function etc. Your official backlog files are mounting on the table. Your customers' urgent files are pending. Did he ask you to finish his work first? You said all files are in order. Breaking rules are punishable offences, even job may be lost.

But, you ignored that you have spent more time on ceremonies than official work. He bribes you to do his work first breaking all rules because he may miss many opportunities and time, waiting your order of files. You accept it unwillingly because you have to attain one marriage ceremony tonight, empty hand of your honest and helpful friend who presented one sofa set in your daughter weeding, last year.

After all, your are an officer and you have the ego too! At last, you said "bring one D.O. letter from your local MLA/ Minister; I will talk your case to my boss." This is call corruption. You can be book under Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

How many crorepati officers have been booked in Manipur? Recently Bihar state government has booked more than 100 crorepati officers for inappropriate asset and waiting the approval of centre for punishment. Union Public Service Commission has sent recommendation for the approval of centre to conduct aptitude test in the preliminary examination of civil services exam.

Media fixed the camera at the gate of Rail Bhawan to check the late comers and early goers of staff employees during the time of Lalu Prashad was the union minister of Railways. Shall we do the same at Imphal Secretariat office gate? Biometric attendance system is a new device, very useful to control staff attendance are available at low cost. Most of the offices including government office, school etc. in metropolitan cities have been installed this device.

Social norms and economic affairs are inter-related and it can not be separated. That is why whenever we discuss about one society we look at first the socio economic condition of the society. One lady from Nagaland said" if I know Bible then I am socially literate". A very good answer, I said. Teaching of Bible is so simple; even women and children could understand. It is a way of life of Christian society.

My interpretation may be wrong because I look Bible from scientific and social point of view in this article. However, teaching and interpretation of Bible by a Pastor or Father is different. Bible is the voice of Jesus. Bible is everything. Bible is holy book. Sacred book of Hindus are philosophical and it is hard to understand by women and children. "Shree Shree Bhagavad Geeta as it is" is a simplified Hindu holy book.

More simplified version of religious book and its teaching will be helpful to bring religious binding and peace in the society; for example, the Meitei ways of life, and simplified version of Koran etc. India is a secular country. How to live together with mutual respect with regardless to creed, cast, race, and religion beliefs commonly called communal harmony are the origins of the idea of social literacy.

On education: Are you emotionally hurt, children? Please call me as your good friend. I love you. No one can say openly why did you hurt my children; right? But, God loves you, children! God is very kind and He can do everything. Now, go to school. No one will hurt you and your school. If anybody hurt you, God will punish them.

But, respect the ongoing agitation and never touch the line demarcated between you and them (some arrangement can be made either black badge or open air studying at play ground. Now, it is winter; we may get vitamin D from sun's ray.). School is your temple. Do mass prayer at school. Praise the God for giving you everything. Dr. Radhakrishnan said if you believe in God's existence but the God was not existence you lose nothing.

Again, if you believe that God was non existence but the God was existence then you will lose everything. Swami Vivekananda Said God is within Him. Your books said God is everywhere. Sorry my children! Don't study if you really hurt and thinking that education is no use and time pass in Manipur? But I told you, if you really want to study no one can stop you. State will face educational drought from the next academic year unless you do not go to school, today. Many of your friends will go outside states for study from the next academic session, and then, your competition will be less. People will say: quality education for what and for whom?

Children, everyone has limits. But we never know our limits, until our skills have been put to test. Never say: "This is all I can do, unless you have tried to do it." Do you know that human use only 10 % of their brain? While much more you can do, you have the resources. You just need to find it and the first place to look into is within yourself. Our skills double when we face danger. Then, we see, hear, smell and move faster. It shows that we are capable to act and do much more than we think. We are just too afraid at times. But what are we afraid of? Are we afraid, we may actually find our true strengths? Or is it, we just need to be push to find our true potential.

So what, I am weak? So what, I am not using my abilities to their best? These are questions that can never be answered. But think about it a while, if everyone starts asking you the same questions, how will you feel? If the entire great leader fuss" so what, the country is unhappy", if your grocer yells" so what, you are hungry?" pointing their fingers to you. How you sense?

Replaced that acidic 'So what' with the hopeful 'what if'. The thing that is worse than quitting or failing is being complacent. Believing that you are weak, and that is all you are capable of. When you start to say' this is the way I am and there is nothing I can do about it", that is when you hit rock bottom. No one can help you in such a situation. Even the skills that you have mastered will be a waste with such an attitude. Believe in yourself and only then you can expect others to believe you. The last person to give up on you should be yourself. This is my experience.

Why we love children? Because, children are innocent and we can make them in the way we like to. "My child is the most beautiful child in this world" a mother will say. Hurt the children means hurt the sentiment of lakhs of mother. Learning to children is not an easy task; it needs more energy like acting, dancing, singing, playing, and sense of humor. You can teach children only a piece of knowledge in one week or two. Know your tomorrow; your future is bright. Our great 7 Scholars of Manipur (Machou like Epu khongnangthaba, Wangou Pachi….) saw tomorrow, Mahatma Gandhi saw tomorrow, Dhirubhai Ambani saw tomorrow.

Education is a vast subject. Opinion of some educationalists only will not serve any purpose. Comparative opinions of students studying inside state and outside state , opinions of educationalists, administrators, parents must be consider before framing any education policy. Academic autonomy, management autonomy, competitiveness are the some area where experts are opinion of today education system in India. For example, your children was sent to Delhi for study spending about 2.5 lakh per annum for borders thinking Delhi will better for education.

In the same way, Delhiites sent their children to Shimla, Dehradun, Nainital etc, thinking hill station schools are good and environmentally healthy and they are spending crore of Rupees. Hill stations are their favorite for studies and tourist. More then one crore Rupees for one child study up to 12 classes has been spent? Did your child get the quality of Rupees one Crore? A parent will say "yes"; because his child is the best in the world. Officers of Manipur will say Delhi schooling is best because most of their children studying in Delhi. This is call recognition.

Reorganization means opportunity and advantage in job seeking and any other activities in the state. Why abroad study is India's favorite? Same as it is; reorganization, advantage and opportunities of candidate after coming back from abroad in India in the competition of job seeking and any other activities. United States, United Kingdom and Australia are India's favorite for study. IIM and Delhi University is among world top 400 ranking.

Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard University are among world top 10 ranking universities. Send your children outside if and only after he gets overseas scholarship for study. Children like new, new test. Levis life style of cosmopolitan cities, metropolitan cities, show room dress, shopping malls culture, movie at the multiplex, fast food at potpourri, Barista, MacDonald etc. they want to test it.

One young Manipuri working at Chennai told me when I was visited to Chennai "Brother, life is very fast at Chennai, Mumbai. We can not compare with Manipur". I asked "O.k. What is your braking system? Install ABS braking system and sensors of advance warning in your brain for your safety so that your parents may tension free".

We need more debate and discussion on education system. It is now, impractical to form student union at senior secondary level. There is no senior secondary level student union in New Delhi. Guardian associations of respective schools look after them. What the children know about government, social issues etc? Even, they can not learn how to speak ABC fluently. Now, let my children learn how to fly before another storm comes!

We have many lessons to learn from Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim in North East. NGOs working in Himachal and Sikkim took an important role to develop their respective states. More then 300 NGOs working in Manipur has been registered at National Planning Commission web portal (ngo.india.gov.in). Active involvement of intellectuals in NGOs will be helpful to prepare innovative projects; towards development and progress. Do not be a NGO everyone wants; be a NGO everybody wants to be!

Why intellectuals are silent in Manipur issue? Who is listening intellectuals comment in Manipur? Who is controlling the state? By some groups of musclemen or by some groups of rich men? They call themselves super VIP (self style) and somebody called them a symptom of Psycho-egocentric disorder person (SPEDP) that everybody will understand. I know that Manipur will miss something without this writing.

Concluded....