THE DIARY OF Z

Statistics reveal much about the society we live in. Now there is a study that says married women sleep better than singletons. Though, I am not sure if many women I know agree (haven’t asked yet), I am wondering how such a thing can be generalised across the social spectrum.

But first, here’s what the study says. According to the study’s lead author Wendy Troxel, the assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, being stably married or gaining a partner is associated with better sleep in women than being unmarried or losing a partner. This research paper was presented by him on June 10, 2009 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

There is more. The study gathered data from 360 middle-aged African American, Caucasian, and Chinese women drawn from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, with a mean age of 51 years. What’s more, he claims these results persisted even after controlling for other known risk factors for sleep like age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms.

I feel the results could vary from home to home. If a woman leaves the autocratic regime of her parents and enters a liberated household where she is allowed to fly, ofcourse she will sleep well and even live well. On the other hand, if the case is vice versa, she might have more sleepless nights than ever before. So I am not sure if the study makes sense to the larger population.

What say, women?

It’s heartening to note that this Lok Sabha will comprise the maximum number of women members of parliament in history - 61.  Statistics also reveal that women MPs in the past have outperformed men and also have a higher success ratio in elections.

Does this mean, there should be a law that forces political parties to keep many more seats reserved for women? I don’t think so. The meritorious will inherit the earth. After all, who doesn’t want to bank on a winning horse.

Eventually, the political parties themselves will realise the benefits of fielding a woman candidate in elections, and soon enough, the number of women will be close to men, if not equal. I foresee this happening in the 2019 elections.

So long as women can be better administrators in the corridors of power, no one should really have anything to complain. I definitely won’t.

The city lends a helping hand when you need it most. And this stretches to just about every entity in the city. There are counselling centres for alcohol and drug addicts, helplines for runaway children, battered women and even harassed husbands. They lend a patient ear to every socio-economic group and offer solutions to all the problems needling you. These could range from career counselling, unhappy relationships, substance abuse, corruption, unresponsive administration and so on. Some helplines like Sahai are exemplary in their service towards people with suicidal tendencies. Infosys Foundation and the Azim Premji Foundation are doing their bit to help out too. As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), several companies regularly conduct programmes of social relevance and give back to society in their own way. Several foreign universities like Cornell, St Louis, Princeton, Berkeley, Bill Gates Foundation and Ford Foundation are supporting several NGOs in the city. For Ashraya, a residential school for children of migrant labourers, funding come from Cornell University whereas Concern for Working Children which works to eradicate child labour is supported by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The variety
Bengaluru has a whole spectrum of voluntary groups funded by philanthropic individuals and corporate for social upliftment. The areas of work are as vast as life itself and range from environment, women, children, senior citizens, civic upkeep, animal welfare, HIV/Aids, cancer, consumer rights, arts & crafts, street children, human rights, substance and alcohol abuse among others. It is estimated that the city has more than 700 slums and squatter settlements, containing over one million people, all characterised by poor housing, over crowding and a lack of basic services. Many voluntary groups are trying the disadvantaged through a range of services. Some NGOs have self-help groups that act as a platform for discussion, taking initiatives and participating in community development. Take for example the Karnataka Rajya Vijnana Parishat. This government-sponsored NGO promotes and inculcates scientific temper among children and the youth through exhibitions, seminars and workshops. Another NGO Mythri not only trains young people and women but also provides opportunities to obtain loans for setting up their own businesses.
Mythri trains young people and women in baking, laundry, housekeeping, customer relations, communication or home nursing and also assists them in finding jobs.
Prof NS Ramaswamy, founder director of IIMB and head of Cartman, an NGO, runs a vet clinic that renders free service to stray animals, organises demos on solar devices and rainwater harvesting and brings out newsletters and journals on a host of social and environment issues. He also conducts HRD programmes for civic utility services like Bescom, BBMP and BMTC so they are courteous and responsive at work. The Indian Heritage Academy celebrates life itself by conducting various programmes on music, dance, yoga, meditation, painting, senior citizens, religion, social festival, lectures on public affairs and philosophy.
Bosco has contact points wherever street youth are found in large numbers - bus stands, markets, railway stations, parking lots, small hotels and slums. The idea is to reach out to street and working children and integrate them into society’s mainstream.
You can help too
Most voluntary groups are always in need of donations and volunteers. Some have specific requirements like food, clothing, shelter and so on. It’s best to enquire with the groups and see where you can do your bit. Take Sampark for example. They are seeking highly independent and self-motivated individuals to research subjects like livelihoods analysis, gender and development, environment, micro-credit, and contribute to the organisation’s requirements like fundraising and publicity. NGOs will tell you that the work is often difficult, sometimes even frustrating, but ultimately rewarding. Everybody contributes, and everybody grows. This just about sums up the experience in any city NGO. You only need to have the money, time or passion to accomplish this.
Reigning in NGOs
Karnataka has finally decided to throw a lasso at non-governmental organisations and other voluntary groups which receive funds from government and external agencies. As majority of these NGOs and trusts are not accountable for the funds they receive and use, the government has decided that it is high time a regulatory mechanism is put in place. The government will soon bring out a legislation to control the NGOs. What is more alarming is that bureaucrats (both serving and retired) are associating themselves with NGOs. Government sources contend that these bureaucrats, who are adept in the art of sourcing funds, use the NGO tag to hide their personal financial details. A majority of the bureaucrats or their family members are directors or members of some NGO or the other, according to government sources. Even politicians are either starting voluntary organisations or becoming members. In Bangalore urban district alone, there are about 50,000 voluntary organisations which receive crores of rupees every year. The sectors in which NGOs show great interest are education, rural development, social justice, forest and environment, health care and labour.
SOME HELPLINES
* Bosco’s Internet-based database allows families to register details of their missing child on the following sites: http://www.missingchildsearch.net, http://www.homelink.in.

* Women and children can take the help of the women’s helpline (Vanita Sahaya Vani – 1091, 2294 3225) or children’s helpline (Makkala Sahaya Vani – 1098) houses in the compound of the police commissioner’s office on Infantry Road

* The Elders Helpline (1090) is done in partnership with police officials, legal and security experts, volunteers and members of Nightingales Elders Enrichment Centre and other NGOs.

PS: You can only dial the toll-free helplines from a landline number, not a cellphone. Which is a pity.