Few of us believed the Covid numbers that were officially declared in India, or for that matter the resulting data on deaths, especially when one looked at the stupendous performance of Uttar Pradesh, which has a reputation for being one of the poorer states with inadequate social infrastructure. The answer is not difficult to guess. While it could have been that numbers were not being fully stated, the problem is really that when data is picked up, it is from public hospitals and not private ones. Therefore, the understatement may not all be deliberate but a system problem.
It is issues like this which make Rukmini S’ book, Whole Numbers and Half-truths, extremely engaging. Let us look at another serious data point. Data shows that most rape convicts are acquitted. We may jump to the conclusion that something is wrong with our system that allows such heinous criminals to get away. The truth is something different, which is surprising. Most of those acquitted, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, are men who were already in a relation with the women, and often the charges are pressed by parents of the girl to stop marriage or the affair. This may give false comfort, but the scary part is that rape cases are much higher but don’t get reported as people fear going to the police station, or the stigma attached is overbearing. Or, worse still, the cases are not registered when influential people are involved.
The author, a data journalist, provides a detailed and eye-opening view on several issues that we take for granted, or probably are not aware of. In fact, when she talks of marriages and customs, the revelations are quite startling. Even youngsters finally prefer to marry according to their parents’ wishes and hence the religion and caste divides remain, which can extend to sub-caste too. Men are found to obey their parents when it comes to choosing a life partner. This holds not just in rural but urban areas as well, which is quite a surprise, as we may tend to think that as society evolves and westernisation prevails, people become more open to inter-faith marriages. In fact, as an extension, even live-in relationships are not an option for most couples and hence stories which we hear of are clear outliers.
In a complex society as ours, we often tend to make several assumptions based on a limited liberal view which most readers of this paper would probably hold. But the truth is different, as conservatism is still the rule and no one wants to upset the applecart. This is why in various surveys no one really minds curbs being put on free speech, which is what liberal societies encourage. In fact, democracy is not something which people really want, and the majority does not mind being ruled by a tough hand. This is also clear as one can see today that lockdown in liberal societies of Europe have been opposed to the extent of mini rioting, while in India despite the trauma gone through by the poor, no one protested and was convinced that the government was doing the right thing. Even when the poor and migrants suffered during lockdowns, there was no outcry from those affected although civil society raised many flags.
The same held for demonetisation, where, at the end of the day, people did not reject the party that invoked what could be called a failed scheme. Most people surveyed felt that such freedom of expression was not even an issue worth discussing and what was happening was right. This is probably why when we do hear of stray cases of, say stand-up comedians being taken to task by cops or banned from performing, it may lead to some umbrage from a tiny class of liberals, while the majority really don’t care.
Rukmini S has various chapters on what we believe, how we earn money, how we spend it and so on. All these chapters are data supported without getting heavy, which is an advantage experienced journalists have relative to academicians who get bogged down in a plethora of numbers.
Her analysis on religion is also quite interesting. People still vote based on religion and caste and hence there is some polarisation. Personally, people do not really have any animosity towards people of other faiths, but would still like to live in their own community, and as stated earlier, marry within rather than outside. This does lead to the problem of ghettoisation for Muslims in particular, as they have to end up living among their own community. This is not an encouraging commentary on social life because even though the majority don’t believe in ostracisation of others, the preferences are for being with people who belong to their own social group.
She also raises the controversies over the consumption data that the CSO got embroiled in, when the data was supposedly not published because it did not reflect well on inequality. So the best way out, which is an Indian habit, is to get some well-known economists to rubbish the methodology and then recommend withdrawal of the survey results! This works.
Whole Numbers is a must-read book for everyone as lays out in stark numbers what happens around us. It also explains why often things don’t change, and we remain a conservative society that prefers not to upset status quo. Also, data is nimble and can be turned around and showcased according to convenience.
Whole Numbers and Half Truths: What Data Can and Cannot Tell Us About Modern India
Rukmini S
Westland Books
Pp 326, Rs 699
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