“World Day of War Orphans” reminds the world that caring for children in traumatic circumstances is a priority. Observing the day was started by the French body, SOS Enfants en Detresse (SOSEED). Today in many war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, and other African countries, the number of orphaned children is alarming. UNICEF indicates that children from poor countries facing the brunt due to the war and conflicts. Every person has a right to access to quality of life and more so a child. Ensuring their health and wellbeing should be a priority. Child victims are a high proportion of civilian deaths in recent conflicts. Those orphaned due to war have an additional problem of living in fear. Ensuring a secure and safe environment for them is the responsibility of all human beings. Let us not forget children are in the word because elders decided to bring them.
It is the third year since the world is observing “World Braille Day”. January 4, the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille was chosen for the observance. Braille is not a language; it is just another way to read and write other languages. Even under normal circumstances, persons with disabilities are less likely to access health care, education, employment, and participate in the community. For the visually impaired, life under lockdown has posed several issues as they rely on touch to communicate. The challenge is to bring awareness, it is not the individual’s mistake to be born with a disability. They deserve much more than mere change the way they are addressed. When the world struggles to develop societies and communities to be just and empowering, the disability brings in a new dimension to finding solutions.
The first-ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness is being observed on December 27 2020. To advocate the importance of cooperation and partnership amongst all the countries to fight against pandemics. COVID19 pandemic perhaps the first in the recent history which has affected people across the globe. The scientific community and leadership of various countries demonstrated that humanity has developed the capability to tackle the problems. COVID pandemic has not spared anyone, be it rich or poor, influenced, ordinary or whoever. The coronavirus has shown how little human beings are? Many lessons to be learnt. The fact that the world can come out with a solution to the pandemic in such a short period gives hope to the world. Once the world moves on, leaving the pandemic behind, should contemplate how to find solutions to the problems being faced by poorer nations with diseases like TB.
Kisan Diwas is a day to celebrate the farmers and their work for the country. Promote awareness among the countrymen to understand the importance of farmers’ contributions to society and the overall social and economic development. The day December 23 was chosen to commemorate the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh. Agriculture is everything involved with growing plants and animals. Nearly everything we eat; wear and use came from a plant or an animal raised on a farm. While celebrating Kisan Diwas, we can do many things to support the farmers. Explore newer models like producer-to-consumer. Consumer financing farming and in return, getting the products at reduced cost would be a win-win situation. Movements like Organic Mandya and the success it has seen is changing things. We need a “Kurian for farming”, to make small farming a success.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a self-taught mathematician who made extraordinary contributions to the world of mathematics. National Mathematics Day is celebrated every year on December 22 to recognise the man of exceptional achievements. The life of Srinivasa Ramanujan has many lessons to be learnt, the role of mentors in identifying the talent, nurturing the same and showing the way to excel. India had a rich tradition of mathematical brilliance, be it Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Bhaskara or Varahamira, and in more recent times, the contributions of Satyendra Nath Bose, CR Rao, PC Mahalanobis or Manjul Bhargava. Ramanujan was undoubtedly among the world’s greatest mathematicians in the 20th century. Philosophically life oscillates between Shunya to Anantha (zero to infinity). Aryabhata was credited for the world knowing the number ‘0’, people like Srinivasa Ramanujan contributed to exploring the shunya.
UN proclaimed December 18 as “International migrants day” to raise awareness of the adversities faced by migrants and a goal to improve their social and economic conditions. The number of international migrants globally is 272 million people, which is approximately 3.5% of the world’s population. In less than ten years, this number has increased by more than 50 million. Social inclusion is a massive challenge during and the years after mass migration. Throughout human history, migration has been a courageous expression of the individual’s will to overcome adversity and to live a better life. COVID-19 pandemic made the lives of the poor and economically challenged migrants difficult. The crisis which was unfolded due to the outbreak of pandemic in India has caused distress. Those amongst who are directly undergoing suffering and those who witnessed it on the media. Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one in which they were born. While many individuals migrate out of choice, many others migrate out of necessity. Migration should be a choice, not a necessity.
Amount of energy that is made available to the citizens is a measure of human development index of the country. As the nation’s race towards achieving progress, consumption of energy will increase. Unfortunately, societies have realised that the way energy is being produced is becoming a significant source of global warming. Either you keep on creating more and more energy for consumption or adopt the methods of optimising the energy consumption and/or improve the efficient ways of using the energy. 14 December is celebrated as National Conservation Day to bring awareness about the importance of conservation and aims to showcase India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation. One may recall the way houses were built in the villages in earlier times, without doubt they would pass the gold standard green building standards. What happened to all of us, in the name of achieving progress, we left all these behind and now struggling to reinventing them. Anyone can save energy by taking small steps like avoiding unnecessary use of light, fan, AC, or any other gadgets, take a walk on the stairs instead of using lift. Reduce energy consumption and encourage people to use it efficiently.
When you think of most fascinating landscapes, mountains top the list of things that comes to one’s mind. The very thought of looking at the snow-capped peaks of the majestic Himalayas, evokes the fascinating feeling gripping the minds. Mountains are landforms which rise for over 600 meters than the surrounding land area. In many ancient cultures, it is believed that mountains were something spiritual – serving as the home of the Gods, or a place to get closer to God. Mountains cover about 27% of the earth, 30% of all key biodiversity areas are in the mountains, source of valuable medicinal plants and home to 15% of the world´s population. Most of the perennial rivers have their origin to mountains. Today mountains are under threat due to overexploitation and the climate change. What effects mountains affects the entire human population. It is December 11, and it is International Mountain Day. It is time all nature and mountain lovers engage in discussing and acting on how to best conserve the fragile mountain environment – its flora and fauna. More importantly, many human tribes depend on them for their survival.
UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10 in 1948. To commemorate the same, the UN has declared Human Rights Day observation on December 10 and being observed since 1950. The world is struggling to cope up with the challenge of COVID pandemic. But times like these compounds, the problems being faced by those deprived, suppressed and struggling to survive. This year observing of Human Rights Day has the theme, very appropriately, focussing on the need to build back better by ensuring Human Rights are central to recovery efforts. Human beings need to pause and contemplate, can the progress be progress when there is discrimination. Progress remains elusive if it is not inclusive. Discrimination and human dignity cannot coexist. End discrimination of any kind and address inequalities.
“International Anticorruption Day” is being observed on December 9 and aims at raising awareness against corruption and the role of the convention. It also aimed to raise people’s understanding of corruption and of the part of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in combating and preventing it. The Covid-19 pandemic has magnified all the challenges that exist in a society, and corruption in the healthcare sector has become an immediate concern. Appropriately the theme of this year’s observation is “Recover with integrity”. It urges everyone to stand united against corruption in the current global crisis. Corruption invariably evokes negative emotion. In developing societies, corruption by law-enforcing authorities is rampant. Each of us has a role to play, while it is the greed of the taker in authority is the prime reason, the giver is also equally guilty. Governments to make efforts to make ways the common man’s requirements are kept out of the heckles of corruption. The world can pay attention to corruption in high places.
