Editorial: The Relevance of Days

25 November, designated by the UN as “Day Against Violence Against Women”, is past [unfortunately, largely unobserved], it’s World AIDS Day today and 03 December is the Day for the Disabled. Through the year, many more Days are devoted to various issues, people and concerns. The instant public reaction to the observance of such days is that of disdain. Some see it as a waste of time and others as a nuisance which disrupts traffic and wastes the time of the people involved. Issues, most feel, cannot be addressed through processions, banners and hoardings and require a much more dedicated approach.
This logic has merit, but the argument is incomplete. What most people forget is that Days are earmarked through the year for continuing problems; problems which do not surge and ebb, but consistently gnaw into the social health of the masses. AIDS for example, does not suddenly claim more lives, nor does insensitivity towards the disabled rise at any particular time of the year, neither does violence against women spike in any particular month. These are persistent issues and their consistent attack tends to numb the people to the real dangers posed by the problems. Soon, even the media, the deliverer of information, loses interest and before anyone notices it, a problem fades from the public memory even as it remains as large and ominous among them. As public attention wanes, those working on the problems find themselves working in a vacuum and the whole pressure to deliver a solution relaxes. It is essentially to bring a problem back into focus that various Days are observed through the year; to keep reminding the people that the problem has not gone away just because it is not making headlines anymore; to remind them that their support has to continue. It is also on such days that the media is also forced to report on the problems and find fresh angles to deliver the same message. These days are observed so that we do not forget.
The observance of special days is also to fix accountability. The World AIDS Day is not observed only to update people on the numbers living or dying with the Virus, but also to tell us what progress has been made in combating the disease. If the funds invested on this battle through the year have nothing positive to show, then the public should exert pressure for a change in approach and policy. These “Days”, the public has to understand, are about more than just getting shocked with sensational figures and heart-rending stories, they are also about understanding the next plan of action and endorsing or denouncing it...