BEAT STRESS DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR
Any sensitive and sensible individual would not like a child to undergo the coercion of daily labor for survival. Apparently; this conscientious feeling has been transformed into international consensus against child labor. Sadly though, it is being defeated repeatedly, thereby producing enormous stress; either perceived and identified clearly or only sensed as vague and inexplicable agitation and sickening agony in the heart! The failure of the international consensus and conscience; is due to the naive or deliberate lack of dealing with the root of the problem and continuing with the philanthropic activities; and/or attempts towards arbitrary imposition of laws to ban child labor.
The root cause of child labor and consequent stress is the educational policy that is bereft of productive domain. The students of science and arts (and professional colleges) in the mainstream education are cut off from productive skills and real life in the world! This education is unnecessarily and highly dependent on high tech gadgets and books, calculators, computers and other teaching and learning aids and revolves around the elitist life (demands); neglecting the life (needs) of vast majority, again; naively or deliberately. The children in unproductive education system become suffocated child drop outs and the vulnerable and easily available helpless child labor. Those, who continue in the education and get graduated; are unable
to get self-employed and either become unemployed, frustrated and suicidal mental wrecks or unemployed, frustrated but arrogant criminals. Child labor can be effectively stopped if the education nurtures productive domain besides, cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. This is possible if the decision makers and the others concerned become more objective and global in their perspective. This requires “yoga” i.e. amalgamation of spiritualism and materialism! In other words the enlightenment of NAMASMARAN must get manifested in perspective, policies and their implementation.