Senior citizens have always been a reality but they have never before felt so deprived and unhappy. These are the people who have had their innings successfully and are in the evening of life. In the bygone times this senior generation was never unhappy, unwanted or lonely as we find it today. This why, though the generation of senior citizens always existed it was never so much talked of. The change in this scenario for them has come together with the single unit family system finding its way in the Indian Society.
The generation of senior citizens can be divided into clearly marked into two. Those who have childrenb but no money to fall back upon. These are the people who were never doing too well but, whatever they earned, they spent on the children hoping that the children would support them in their old age. So now, with the single unit family having come, the very basis of their planning has been scuttled. The children do not want old people in their homes they say they cannot afford to keep old parents. To add to this when the lady of the house, (the housewife)also has to go for her job, who will look after the oldies. So, in this way the senior citizens of the family have been ousted by circumstances to some extent and by the vicious will of the children to add.
The second category of senior citizens is that who have done well in life, they have plenty of money to cater to all their needs but money is not all that a person needs. This group of senior citizens needs care, affection and warding off of their loneliness. In spite of having money to back them, children whom they have brought up with all care and dignity, these people feel as if they are not really required by anyone, not even their own children.
With this scenario emerging on the Indian horizon, senior citizens are in for a tough going. If they live alone, there are so many home keeping hazards that they have to face, which could be avoided if they lived with their children. For those who do not have the money as a back, up support, life is probably more than death for them. This style has been imported into India from the West. However it was never thought that, the old also need everything like the young for subsistence. In the west, the old are taken care of by the state, so for their senior citizens the only problem is loneliness. But here, when there are no old age amenities granted to senior citizens, the infiltration of the system has brought a near doom for the senior citizens.
Besides being neglected at home it appears that there has also developed a peculiar dislike for the old which never existed before. The senior citizens feel as though they are always being jeered at, by the younger generation. This makes them feel mentally dispirited. An attitude of looking down on seniors as the individuals of the past who know nothing, is another derogatory behaviour which senior citizens have to encounter in their day-today lives.
With all these feelings and realities being encountered by the senior citizens it will be a wonder if in the future anyone would like to enter the community of senior citizens. With this attitude towards senior citizens, the country will be losing an amplitude of experience, love and affection. It would do well for us if we respected, loved and nurtured our senior citizens as they did to us when we were children. This would bring back to us our cultural heritage which we are ransoming to the west.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Behavioural changes in educated women and its impact on society
Whatever we do has to have a close bearing on our behaviour and attitude. We cannot visualize doing something and not having to bear its consequences, good or bad, and as we know every coin has two sides, the good the bad. No matter how slender and paper thin a coin may be, it has to have two sides to it.
We are here to discuss the impact of education on women. This can be understood with the clear background of how much of education have women been getting in India through the centuries. Let us dare say that women who consist half of India’s population have been thoroughly neglected in India. Their growth as individuals has never been looked into and they have been taken for granted as, just tools in the hands of the superior being MAN. Now this situation has existed in India for the last several centuries and women had all this time succumbed to this fact and accepted the role of a slave to man. This situation could be well continued only because women were kept in the dark and not allowed to feed on the fruits of education, enlightenment and awareness. This kept life a easy going for men, as women also adhered to all norms of slavery and never seemed to have better. However, this situation of complacency of women on the stage of the country took a turn in the mid of 20th century, when women started women started entering the scene of education in India.
Now obviously when women got the fruits that they had never tasted earlier, there had to be a reaction. This reaction has been two-fold. On the one hand, education has made women smarter, knowledgeable but with gaining a little power. So much is good, however the second reaction has been rather disappointing. The education of girls has led them to believe that, since they are being educated as much as men, their very domain of activity and influence must be jettisoned to the extent that they get out of the precincts of their homes and fly free in the world of men.
If this reaction in their behaviour ended here then even, we would not have lost much, but for women – this is not all. The outcome of education of women has been hazardous in as far as, they have not only entered into the realm of men, they have started behaving like men. This part of the behavioural changes in women have been suicidal, for this has started having a deep negative impact on the family and the society at large.
The long loved home has become a den of woes for educated women, they do not seem to be happy in the home. They have started feeling that domestic work is below their dignity Рthe dignity of the educated clan. If this is the change in the behaviour of educated women, that day is not far when, children will be born in hospitals, grown in cr̬ches, study and live in hostels and die in hospitals. If educated women continue to behave in such an irresponsible manner, the home will become a defunct entity and the housewife a thing of the past.
Education is for enlightment and awareness and not for destruction. No matter how much education we get, we must never turn our faces from the home, as this is the place which breeds happiness and love, which only, can nurture happy citizens and which in turn can only be given by women.
Let us appeal to our better senses and try to handle both the worlds with efficiency and love, for we can be all powerful if we are educated but this power should be used to bring solace rather than doom.
We are here to discuss the impact of education on women. This can be understood with the clear background of how much of education have women been getting in India through the centuries. Let us dare say that women who consist half of India’s population have been thoroughly neglected in India. Their growth as individuals has never been looked into and they have been taken for granted as, just tools in the hands of the superior being MAN. Now this situation has existed in India for the last several centuries and women had all this time succumbed to this fact and accepted the role of a slave to man. This situation could be well continued only because women were kept in the dark and not allowed to feed on the fruits of education, enlightenment and awareness. This kept life a easy going for men, as women also adhered to all norms of slavery and never seemed to have better. However, this situation of complacency of women on the stage of the country took a turn in the mid of 20th century, when women started women started entering the scene of education in India.
Now obviously when women got the fruits that they had never tasted earlier, there had to be a reaction. This reaction has been two-fold. On the one hand, education has made women smarter, knowledgeable but with gaining a little power. So much is good, however the second reaction has been rather disappointing. The education of girls has led them to believe that, since they are being educated as much as men, their very domain of activity and influence must be jettisoned to the extent that they get out of the precincts of their homes and fly free in the world of men.
If this reaction in their behaviour ended here then even, we would not have lost much, but for women – this is not all. The outcome of education of women has been hazardous in as far as, they have not only entered into the realm of men, they have started behaving like men. This part of the behavioural changes in women have been suicidal, for this has started having a deep negative impact on the family and the society at large.
The long loved home has become a den of woes for educated women, they do not seem to be happy in the home. They have started feeling that domestic work is below their dignity Рthe dignity of the educated clan. If this is the change in the behaviour of educated women, that day is not far when, children will be born in hospitals, grown in cr̬ches, study and live in hostels and die in hospitals. If educated women continue to behave in such an irresponsible manner, the home will become a defunct entity and the housewife a thing of the past.
Education is for enlightment and awareness and not for destruction. No matter how much education we get, we must never turn our faces from the home, as this is the place which breeds happiness and love, which only, can nurture happy citizens and which in turn can only be given by women.
Let us appeal to our better senses and try to handle both the worlds with efficiency and love, for we can be all powerful if we are educated but this power should be used to bring solace rather than doom.
Tradition is the hallmark of nation
The multi-problem scenario in every sphere is looming large on the Indian horizon and to add we can all see the fast deterioration and crumbling down of the age old traditions of India, which are blatantly giving way to a lop-sided Westernisation of the Indian.
This Westernisation, takes its birth in the homes, where we teach our children may be unwittingly, all that is of the West, without an iota of what can be truly called Indian. Id deal with this facet of the Indian scenario as, it is here that the mothers and women at large can play a vital role. It is for us to see that, when we inculcate habits and styles that are Western, we must also imbibe in the children the culture and traditions that are Indian.
It is never to be surmised that, we must abstain from learning from outsiders but, when we learn, we must sort out whether what is Indian truly needs a change for our betterment, or are we just changing because the particular style is of the West. Once we care to sort out, we will realize that everything that we are adopting in our lives is not really very necessary for our growth. Instead, most of what we are adopting and have adopted is hitting a deadly blow to our originality and our age-old culture. We must try to understand very clearly that, nation that changes beyond recognition does not deserve to be called a nation at all.
It is for the women as mothers and teachers to inculcate Indian values in the next generation as, these were our assets, and pointed at us, as being, a country apart from the common rut. It is never to be suggested that, we learn nothing from others. We must absorb whatever good we can, from anyone but, in doing so we must not lose our identity. Our assets of values have always stood us in good stead and have always stood the test of time. Sure enough they were instrinsic to our very existence. However in our zest for Westernisation we have completely lost ground, and have surely changed beyond all norms, so much so that, we have lost our identity in the world of culture. Let us remember that, when we copy the West in without a thought of its necessity, we are behaving like slaves. For it is only slaves who have nothing of their own, and all that they own is borrowed or given in charity.
We have to uphold the traditions of this ancient land stop it from completer Westernisation. If we do not stop this plague at this crucial juncture, we will be the losers as, it is we who will find ourselves misfit in the changed Western scenario. We must learn from wherever we can, but never lose our identity as, “East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet”. We should therefore, work hard in maintaining our traditions, as tradition is the hallmark of a flourishing nation. All good things are acquired with fatigue.
This Westernisation, takes its birth in the homes, where we teach our children may be unwittingly, all that is of the West, without an iota of what can be truly called Indian. Id deal with this facet of the Indian scenario as, it is here that the mothers and women at large can play a vital role. It is for us to see that, when we inculcate habits and styles that are Western, we must also imbibe in the children the culture and traditions that are Indian.
It is never to be surmised that, we must abstain from learning from outsiders but, when we learn, we must sort out whether what is Indian truly needs a change for our betterment, or are we just changing because the particular style is of the West. Once we care to sort out, we will realize that everything that we are adopting in our lives is not really very necessary for our growth. Instead, most of what we are adopting and have adopted is hitting a deadly blow to our originality and our age-old culture. We must try to understand very clearly that, nation that changes beyond recognition does not deserve to be called a nation at all.
It is for the women as mothers and teachers to inculcate Indian values in the next generation as, these were our assets, and pointed at us, as being, a country apart from the common rut. It is never to be suggested that, we learn nothing from others. We must absorb whatever good we can, from anyone but, in doing so we must not lose our identity. Our assets of values have always stood us in good stead and have always stood the test of time. Sure enough they were instrinsic to our very existence. However in our zest for Westernisation we have completely lost ground, and have surely changed beyond all norms, so much so that, we have lost our identity in the world of culture. Let us remember that, when we copy the West in without a thought of its necessity, we are behaving like slaves. For it is only slaves who have nothing of their own, and all that they own is borrowed or given in charity.
We have to uphold the traditions of this ancient land stop it from completer Westernisation. If we do not stop this plague at this crucial juncture, we will be the losers as, it is we who will find ourselves misfit in the changed Western scenario. We must learn from wherever we can, but never lose our identity as, “East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet”. We should therefore, work hard in maintaining our traditions, as tradition is the hallmark of a flourishing nation. All good things are acquired with fatigue.
Panchayati Raj
Panchayati Raj was a pious dream of our great leader Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to strengthen the democracy at the grassroots level by this system. In our country, senventy percent of the population is in rural areas. As such, amidst widespread diversity and various problems, the main attention of our country is to focus on rural planning development. Thus it has become important to implement Panchayati Raj with full vigour and dedication to prepare ourselves to face the challenges of the 21st century.
Our country is spread in a vast area and it is not easy to solve the various problems being encountered by rural people. This gives rise to the need of participation by rural folks on priority basis. For this reason, Gandhiji wanted to keep the base of the ladder of growth in the rural areas and make it reach the centre through gradual process of development. So he proclaimed that India must follow the system of self-government functioning through Panchayats. His slogan of “Gram Swaraj” was most remarkable and accepted by all Indians. Everybody realized that all problems whether administrative, social, political or economical can be solved by our own participation through panchayat Raj.
As a first step in direction of Panchayat Raj, composite basic development was entrusted to the rural bodies by introduction of Community Development Programmes. This step gave rise to a network of panchayats spread almost all over the country. However, it could not help its evolution because of its functioning on the directions from the top. Then in 1956, an official committee was set up by the government of India to examine the problems related to implementation of Panchayati Raj. This committee was headed by Shri. BalwanRaj Mehta who recommended in its report the introduction of three-tier system for self-government at the grassroots levels. It also recommended transfer of more responsibility and power to these bodies. Hence, the recommendation of the Mehta Committee led to inauguration of the Panchayati Raj at Nagaur in Rajasthan on October 2, 1959. this was a great tribute on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
During the tenure of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehur, various institutions were thus established which were assigned various tasks related to administrative, political and other development activities. However, with the arrival of the regime of Smt. Indira Gandhi, other schemes relevant to “Garibi Hatao” started prevailing. There wer few incentives to promote Panchayati Raj due to superiority given to bureaucrats.
In 1978, the Ashok Mehta Committee submitted a report in which it observed that the institutions set up to promote Panchayati Raj had failed to pass the fruits of democracy to the rural sections of the society. It gave recommendations to set up Zila Parishads and Mandal Samitis at village levels inter-linked through a two-tier mechanism of Panchayat Samitis. Panchayat Raj was given constitutional legitimacy in 1993 by ratifying various state legislatures by the President of India. It provided reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women and devolution of financial and administrative powers. Gram Sabha was laid as the foundation of the Panchayat Raj System to perform functions entrusted to it by State legislature. All village Panchayats were assured a five – year tem with elections mandatory after this period of five years.
However, Panchayati Raj system cannot be called as a real decentralization of powers and authority since, it only takes away certain powers of states and gives them in turn to Panchayats. In fact, it is a took to bypass the State Governments. That is why it came under criticsm and got no support from State Government. Therefore, to make Panchayat Raj successful, real land reforms are needed. The development of rural people is of utmost importance to improve the condition of weaker sections of our society.
Today Panchayati Raj is suffering due to lack of basic reforms in socio-economic structure. With the creation of Panchayati Raj, various filthy and divisive processes have percolated to the village level. If all such minus points of Panchayati Raj are taken care, we will see that its merits may outnumber its drawbacks. Desire of self – governance assumes greater significance in rural population. The relevance of Panchayati Raj is being appreciated because of growing individualism and desire of self-rule and its role among the rural masses at all levels on account of increased awareness and spread of education.
Our country is spread in a vast area and it is not easy to solve the various problems being encountered by rural people. This gives rise to the need of participation by rural folks on priority basis. For this reason, Gandhiji wanted to keep the base of the ladder of growth in the rural areas and make it reach the centre through gradual process of development. So he proclaimed that India must follow the system of self-government functioning through Panchayats. His slogan of “Gram Swaraj” was most remarkable and accepted by all Indians. Everybody realized that all problems whether administrative, social, political or economical can be solved by our own participation through panchayat Raj.
As a first step in direction of Panchayat Raj, composite basic development was entrusted to the rural bodies by introduction of Community Development Programmes. This step gave rise to a network of panchayats spread almost all over the country. However, it could not help its evolution because of its functioning on the directions from the top. Then in 1956, an official committee was set up by the government of India to examine the problems related to implementation of Panchayati Raj. This committee was headed by Shri. BalwanRaj Mehta who recommended in its report the introduction of three-tier system for self-government at the grassroots levels. It also recommended transfer of more responsibility and power to these bodies. Hence, the recommendation of the Mehta Committee led to inauguration of the Panchayati Raj at Nagaur in Rajasthan on October 2, 1959. this was a great tribute on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
During the tenure of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehur, various institutions were thus established which were assigned various tasks related to administrative, political and other development activities. However, with the arrival of the regime of Smt. Indira Gandhi, other schemes relevant to “Garibi Hatao” started prevailing. There wer few incentives to promote Panchayati Raj due to superiority given to bureaucrats.
In 1978, the Ashok Mehta Committee submitted a report in which it observed that the institutions set up to promote Panchayati Raj had failed to pass the fruits of democracy to the rural sections of the society. It gave recommendations to set up Zila Parishads and Mandal Samitis at village levels inter-linked through a two-tier mechanism of Panchayat Samitis. Panchayat Raj was given constitutional legitimacy in 1993 by ratifying various state legislatures by the President of India. It provided reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women and devolution of financial and administrative powers. Gram Sabha was laid as the foundation of the Panchayat Raj System to perform functions entrusted to it by State legislature. All village Panchayats were assured a five – year tem with elections mandatory after this period of five years.
However, Panchayati Raj system cannot be called as a real decentralization of powers and authority since, it only takes away certain powers of states and gives them in turn to Panchayats. In fact, it is a took to bypass the State Governments. That is why it came under criticsm and got no support from State Government. Therefore, to make Panchayat Raj successful, real land reforms are needed. The development of rural people is of utmost importance to improve the condition of weaker sections of our society.
Today Panchayati Raj is suffering due to lack of basic reforms in socio-economic structure. With the creation of Panchayati Raj, various filthy and divisive processes have percolated to the village level. If all such minus points of Panchayati Raj are taken care, we will see that its merits may outnumber its drawbacks. Desire of self – governance assumes greater significance in rural population. The relevance of Panchayati Raj is being appreciated because of growing individualism and desire of self-rule and its role among the rural masses at all levels on account of increased awareness and spread of education.
National Integration
India has many races, nationalities, castes, subscastes and communities but so far the hear of India is concerned it is one. It is true that societies that have been integrated into bonds of unity have always enjoyed peace, stability, prosperity and permanence. And those torn by mutual distruptive tendencies among various sections of the society have always been short lived and become non- existent. The national integration is the process of uniting different people from all walks of life into a single whole. The most serious problem being faced by India in present circumstances is, how to develop an atmosphere of national consciousness among so varied a people.
Indians already have suffered for long periods, the pangs of enslavement and servitude. It is India in the whole world which has to suffer under foreign rulers for more than seven hundred years. The separatist tendencies among people and kings have always resulted in the fall of our kingdoms. Our country was always divided into large number of small kingdoms which were mostly at daggers end. There has been a lack of national consciousness. The internal disputes among the Rajput kings allowed Muslim invaders to establish their foothold here. Then the Britishers were able to create rifts between various kings and princes and thus established their supremacy. It was only overthrown when Indian nationhood joined together by unparalled acumen of some great Indian leaders who became creators of history.
There is a need to make efforts for creating emotional integration or a sense of unity. The need of the hour is national integration. It should be taught at the very beginning, in all schools and colleges all over the country that India is one and only one. The difference between various cultures are just superficial and basically it is only one. What is needed is superior interpretations, synthesis of the power of the mind that can give rise to a vision of the whole and oneness. The school and college teaching material should be suitably revised wherein importance and need of oneness should be emphasised. From one end of the country to the other end, regular long distance tours must be conducted so as to foster emotional integration among the young students of our country. Steps must be taken to see that, there are no sectional appeals so that disunity among the people does not increase manifold.
To bring about national integration, there are many techniques. It can be forced out, or can be made to strengthen from within the core of hearts. The result by way of exercise of power would always be weak, unsuccessful and it would be for a temporary phase only. But when the sense of national integration stems from within, it would be strong stable and ever-lasting.
British government brought about national integration by way of their needs. For the first time during the British rule, the whole of India came to be governed from one centre and all regions of the country from West to East and South to North obeyed instructions and advice from the central power. This was because the God of freedom was the same and realized all over the country. The national unity became more emotional when the country fought a united struggle for freedom. Emotional integration is the basic foundation on which the main structure of national integration can be created.
There is a rich cultural heritage in India. All of us are inheritors to several grand treasurers in the fields of music, dance, drama, fine arts and paintings, sculpture and theatre. Our seers and sages have left behind a tradition of piety, penance, conquest of passion and spiritual greatness. Our cultural unity is further exemplified by the great temples of the South, the caves of Khajuraho and Ajanta and Ellora which are glittering examples of proficiency of India in the field of architecture and sculpture. India classical music is built on the concept of ragas and talas. Each raga is regarded appropriage to a certain emotion, a certain mood suitable for a specified time of the day or night. In the modern times, people like Pandit Ravi Shanker have taken the Indian music to great heights in the whole world and thus have bridged the gap between the East and the West in the field of music.
Today the intellectuals of Indian society can give the right direction as the country is standing at the crossroads of failures and achievements. The intellectuals must come out of their narrow cells of detachment and awake up to their responsibilities towards the general masses. Through national integration, we will prosper and flourish and dominate the others who are characterized by divisive forces. We will carry with us, a power and strength, solidity and solidarity and an element of cohesiveness which will impart to us further permanence and stay in present struggling world.
Indians already have suffered for long periods, the pangs of enslavement and servitude. It is India in the whole world which has to suffer under foreign rulers for more than seven hundred years. The separatist tendencies among people and kings have always resulted in the fall of our kingdoms. Our country was always divided into large number of small kingdoms which were mostly at daggers end. There has been a lack of national consciousness. The internal disputes among the Rajput kings allowed Muslim invaders to establish their foothold here. Then the Britishers were able to create rifts between various kings and princes and thus established their supremacy. It was only overthrown when Indian nationhood joined together by unparalled acumen of some great Indian leaders who became creators of history.
There is a need to make efforts for creating emotional integration or a sense of unity. The need of the hour is national integration. It should be taught at the very beginning, in all schools and colleges all over the country that India is one and only one. The difference between various cultures are just superficial and basically it is only one. What is needed is superior interpretations, synthesis of the power of the mind that can give rise to a vision of the whole and oneness. The school and college teaching material should be suitably revised wherein importance and need of oneness should be emphasised. From one end of the country to the other end, regular long distance tours must be conducted so as to foster emotional integration among the young students of our country. Steps must be taken to see that, there are no sectional appeals so that disunity among the people does not increase manifold.
To bring about national integration, there are many techniques. It can be forced out, or can be made to strengthen from within the core of hearts. The result by way of exercise of power would always be weak, unsuccessful and it would be for a temporary phase only. But when the sense of national integration stems from within, it would be strong stable and ever-lasting.
British government brought about national integration by way of their needs. For the first time during the British rule, the whole of India came to be governed from one centre and all regions of the country from West to East and South to North obeyed instructions and advice from the central power. This was because the God of freedom was the same and realized all over the country. The national unity became more emotional when the country fought a united struggle for freedom. Emotional integration is the basic foundation on which the main structure of national integration can be created.
There is a rich cultural heritage in India. All of us are inheritors to several grand treasurers in the fields of music, dance, drama, fine arts and paintings, sculpture and theatre. Our seers and sages have left behind a tradition of piety, penance, conquest of passion and spiritual greatness. Our cultural unity is further exemplified by the great temples of the South, the caves of Khajuraho and Ajanta and Ellora which are glittering examples of proficiency of India in the field of architecture and sculpture. India classical music is built on the concept of ragas and talas. Each raga is regarded appropriage to a certain emotion, a certain mood suitable for a specified time of the day or night. In the modern times, people like Pandit Ravi Shanker have taken the Indian music to great heights in the whole world and thus have bridged the gap between the East and the West in the field of music.
Today the intellectuals of Indian society can give the right direction as the country is standing at the crossroads of failures and achievements. The intellectuals must come out of their narrow cells of detachment and awake up to their responsibilities towards the general masses. Through national integration, we will prosper and flourish and dominate the others who are characterized by divisive forces. We will carry with us, a power and strength, solidity and solidarity and an element of cohesiveness which will impart to us further permanence and stay in present struggling world.
Indian Politics Today
Today the Indian political culture has touched a new low and the struggle for power has assumed an ugly aspect. As a result, there are daily splits, new alignments and misalliances and turn – abouts. It is an occasion that we must now think for a close scrutiny of the dialectic of desertions and darknesses that makes nonsense of not only the electoral code and ethics but also of the spirit of our constitution. Undoubtedly, the politics involves worsening of the human sensibility and moral erosion cannot be avoided except in those rare cases where a visionary leadership helps slow down the process of prosperity and integrity of the country. It is the black consciousness which creates the nexus between power and evil. In the recent years, a phenomenonal growth of black money is seen which is the result of the dead consciousness.
Most political parties, despite their track record of corruption and skull duggery, manage to deviate into a show authenticity with rhetoric and a suitable agenda to extract the best out the particular occasion. Under such an atmosphere, the innocent people before they go to vote, are offered a feast of half-truths and equivocal dreams as also a whole plate of platitudes and rationalizations. Of course, the darkness and the plague spots are kept hidden so as to be out of the public vision those evil practices and policies which the other party in power had converted into an electoral art.
There is a new political turn to the play of politics with the requirements of the times. A perverse kind of transparency in the politics of manipulation, double deals, wild ambitions and treachery has emerged. Those who are bent upon capturing power at the centre would not stop at nothing and moreover, would drop all the fig-leaves of the earlier postures and pretenses. This can be described as the politics of utter shamelessness. It would promote political profligacy and promiscuity. As on date one party has lost its dynamics, and even its primal impulse and the Indian scene now demands a culture of coalition. As such, the scramble for numbers in a hung Parliament is generating political promiscuity where the lust for power will drive scores of members of parliament into new liasions again and again. Under such circumstances, strong rules under the constitution are needed to stop coalition governments from turning into a circus of political dissolutions. In fact, it is a matter for the political pundits to ponder upon. If time and again such scenarios emerge and precipitate a similar crisis, then the only way out is a change in the constitution towards establishing a strong but accountable presidency.
Moral principles and parliamentary codes are a luxury for the political parties these days and they can forego all this in the face of hard realities. They are proclaiming faith in pragmatism which is a philosophy to bypass the question of ends and means and concentrate on the practical side of things. But the expression in relation to politics has acquired a certain kind of acceptability. Real deals are needed and not the theories of dreams to run the present governments. If the chaos that is cooking now and threatens to overwhelm our polity is to be avoided the low type of pragmatism has to be countered well in time. And intelligentia (serious about the matter) have to see that they do not follow the easy going route to power but honour their own known credentials. They should get into the strenuous mood and face the ordeals of labouring spirit.
Now is the time of crying need of honest polarization. The people are divided between those who stand for nationalism and those who advocate regionalism, between those who propagate casteism and those who don’t, between those who want to change India into a strong Nuclear force and those who want to knowtow to the West. Also the people seem to be divided between those who want economic emancipation for the masses and those who wish economy for the MNC. Instead of polarization on these extremely vital issues, there is a single issue how to grab power. The politicians and parties have brought about a fraudulent philosophy. Aided by a class of penpushers and professional theorists, this is unfolding of a great new era, an era of colitions in which ideologists and one party governments have no place, it is also called true federalism where regional parties, even one man outfits, must rule over one thousand million people.
It is true that in the end, the Indian culture and heritage would prevail over every type of circumstances, in case accountable presidencies come to be established in our country. It may not be forgotten how the Gandhi dynasty has been shown the door twice in a most crushing manner. But cost meanwhile could be very high in terms of an interregnum of regressions, retreats and repression on a massive scale. Though corporate consciousness asserts its power in the end and it seldom creates a state of vigilant opinion on its own. And that is precisely where the nation’s intelligentsia, academicians, writers and the media persons come in to play their respective roles. They have to create the nation’s new consciousness. The inherent energies of the people and their instinctive longing for the justice and equality would do the rest.
Most political parties, despite their track record of corruption and skull duggery, manage to deviate into a show authenticity with rhetoric and a suitable agenda to extract the best out the particular occasion. Under such an atmosphere, the innocent people before they go to vote, are offered a feast of half-truths and equivocal dreams as also a whole plate of platitudes and rationalizations. Of course, the darkness and the plague spots are kept hidden so as to be out of the public vision those evil practices and policies which the other party in power had converted into an electoral art.
There is a new political turn to the play of politics with the requirements of the times. A perverse kind of transparency in the politics of manipulation, double deals, wild ambitions and treachery has emerged. Those who are bent upon capturing power at the centre would not stop at nothing and moreover, would drop all the fig-leaves of the earlier postures and pretenses. This can be described as the politics of utter shamelessness. It would promote political profligacy and promiscuity. As on date one party has lost its dynamics, and even its primal impulse and the Indian scene now demands a culture of coalition. As such, the scramble for numbers in a hung Parliament is generating political promiscuity where the lust for power will drive scores of members of parliament into new liasions again and again. Under such circumstances, strong rules under the constitution are needed to stop coalition governments from turning into a circus of political dissolutions. In fact, it is a matter for the political pundits to ponder upon. If time and again such scenarios emerge and precipitate a similar crisis, then the only way out is a change in the constitution towards establishing a strong but accountable presidency.
Moral principles and parliamentary codes are a luxury for the political parties these days and they can forego all this in the face of hard realities. They are proclaiming faith in pragmatism which is a philosophy to bypass the question of ends and means and concentrate on the practical side of things. But the expression in relation to politics has acquired a certain kind of acceptability. Real deals are needed and not the theories of dreams to run the present governments. If the chaos that is cooking now and threatens to overwhelm our polity is to be avoided the low type of pragmatism has to be countered well in time. And intelligentia (serious about the matter) have to see that they do not follow the easy going route to power but honour their own known credentials. They should get into the strenuous mood and face the ordeals of labouring spirit.
Now is the time of crying need of honest polarization. The people are divided between those who stand for nationalism and those who advocate regionalism, between those who propagate casteism and those who don’t, between those who want to change India into a strong Nuclear force and those who want to knowtow to the West. Also the people seem to be divided between those who want economic emancipation for the masses and those who wish economy for the MNC. Instead of polarization on these extremely vital issues, there is a single issue how to grab power. The politicians and parties have brought about a fraudulent philosophy. Aided by a class of penpushers and professional theorists, this is unfolding of a great new era, an era of colitions in which ideologists and one party governments have no place, it is also called true federalism where regional parties, even one man outfits, must rule over one thousand million people.
It is true that in the end, the Indian culture and heritage would prevail over every type of circumstances, in case accountable presidencies come to be established in our country. It may not be forgotten how the Gandhi dynasty has been shown the door twice in a most crushing manner. But cost meanwhile could be very high in terms of an interregnum of regressions, retreats and repression on a massive scale. Though corporate consciousness asserts its power in the end and it seldom creates a state of vigilant opinion on its own. And that is precisely where the nation’s intelligentsia, academicians, writers and the media persons come in to play their respective roles. They have to create the nation’s new consciousness. The inherent energies of the people and their instinctive longing for the justice and equality would do the rest.
Democracy in India
Democracy in India, according to Abraham Lincoln, is measured as a two – thirds democracy only. In India, we have a government of the people and by the people but it is not for the people. For a full – fledged democracy in India, there are three things need. Firstly, the citizens must be educated and literate to understand the politics so the government is really effective. Secondly, the government must be transparent. And lastly, the citizens must have the freedom of information and access to that information.
If Indian democracy has to be really on these lines we have to build the National Information Infrastructure. Every public call office must provide access to the data with the government both at the Centre and in the states freely, and also, all this data must be available in Indian languages. But to achieve this meaningfully and also the type of growth rates the Asian Tigers achieved, despite the recent temporary setback on the currency fron,t education is the key. A nation which is half illiterate cannot face the challenges of the 21st century. Education is the route for a variable democracy as well as the economic development of the country. We need to focus on the spread of the primary education for all the masses living in remote areas of the country. But in today’s scenario, it is seen that there is a close linkage between the local politicians and vested interests. Starting from the appointment of the teachers and their transfers to the required places of interest, it is evident that in many states, primary education and perhaps the secondary education too is highly politiczed. We find that even though attractive salaries are given to the primary school teachers, many of the single teacher schools are not at all effective in creating interest in people towards need of education. At the same time, there are reports that even the poor parents want their children to go to public school and study. They are prepared to pay even higher fees for the same.
In a democratic country like India, nothing happens unless there is a political will. The government must think definitely at this point. The Indian democracy will get organized only under two circumstances. The first one is if there is acrisis. The second situation is when there is a perceived and immediate advantage in terms of electoral gains. After all, unemployment is a national problem and to the extent we are able to provide avenues for removing unemployment, it will be a politically popular vote gathering measure. It is seen that under the various employment generation and poverty alleviation schemes like Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojana and the Integrated Rural Development Programme, thousands of lakhs of rupees are being spent. Instead of spending such huge amounts without any effective results, the educated youth can become teachers and give tuitions to the poor masses in the villages and they can be given the same amount available under various schemes. In this way, the funds will be better utilized and there will also be a direct link between efforts for the removal of unemployment and illiteracy. All this would be best to establish a good democracy in India.
Parliamentary democracy all over the world has become largely Prime ministerial systems of governance and are in effect quasi presidential. Prime ministers now tend to be a great deal more than first among equals. As an inevitable consequence of rise of political parties as the key to electoral systems, the focus of real power has shifted from parliament to the cabinet and from the cabinet to the Prime Minister. Today bureaucracy has wielded real power behind what may be called the cloak of cabinet dictatorship. Historically, the greatest contribution of our struggle for independence was to give India a strong political and democratic sense of nationhood. The constitution of India was based on that sense of one nation. That is why the preamble of the constitution speaks of “We the people of India” with a singular solidarity; that is why the lok sabha and the rajya sabha are based on demographic proportions and not on the basis that the India union is some confederal alliance of states; that is why Union Parliament was meant to be the grand inquest of the nation. That is why the distribution of powers between the states and the centre tends to learn decisively in favour of the Centre.
Over the years, it has been endeavoured to find functionally better democratic federal balance without impairing the one nation concept. The institution of the prime minister and his or her election by the majority in the lok sabha is an institutional expression of that concept. Freedom of inter-state commerce throughout India and freedom of movement and residence anywhere in India is the hallmark of our common citizenship.
If Indian democracy has to be really on these lines we have to build the National Information Infrastructure. Every public call office must provide access to the data with the government both at the Centre and in the states freely, and also, all this data must be available in Indian languages. But to achieve this meaningfully and also the type of growth rates the Asian Tigers achieved, despite the recent temporary setback on the currency fron,t education is the key. A nation which is half illiterate cannot face the challenges of the 21st century. Education is the route for a variable democracy as well as the economic development of the country. We need to focus on the spread of the primary education for all the masses living in remote areas of the country. But in today’s scenario, it is seen that there is a close linkage between the local politicians and vested interests. Starting from the appointment of the teachers and their transfers to the required places of interest, it is evident that in many states, primary education and perhaps the secondary education too is highly politiczed. We find that even though attractive salaries are given to the primary school teachers, many of the single teacher schools are not at all effective in creating interest in people towards need of education. At the same time, there are reports that even the poor parents want their children to go to public school and study. They are prepared to pay even higher fees for the same.
In a democratic country like India, nothing happens unless there is a political will. The government must think definitely at this point. The Indian democracy will get organized only under two circumstances. The first one is if there is acrisis. The second situation is when there is a perceived and immediate advantage in terms of electoral gains. After all, unemployment is a national problem and to the extent we are able to provide avenues for removing unemployment, it will be a politically popular vote gathering measure. It is seen that under the various employment generation and poverty alleviation schemes like Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojana and the Integrated Rural Development Programme, thousands of lakhs of rupees are being spent. Instead of spending such huge amounts without any effective results, the educated youth can become teachers and give tuitions to the poor masses in the villages and they can be given the same amount available under various schemes. In this way, the funds will be better utilized and there will also be a direct link between efforts for the removal of unemployment and illiteracy. All this would be best to establish a good democracy in India.
Parliamentary democracy all over the world has become largely Prime ministerial systems of governance and are in effect quasi presidential. Prime ministers now tend to be a great deal more than first among equals. As an inevitable consequence of rise of political parties as the key to electoral systems, the focus of real power has shifted from parliament to the cabinet and from the cabinet to the Prime Minister. Today bureaucracy has wielded real power behind what may be called the cloak of cabinet dictatorship. Historically, the greatest contribution of our struggle for independence was to give India a strong political and democratic sense of nationhood. The constitution of India was based on that sense of one nation. That is why the preamble of the constitution speaks of “We the people of India” with a singular solidarity; that is why the lok sabha and the rajya sabha are based on demographic proportions and not on the basis that the India union is some confederal alliance of states; that is why Union Parliament was meant to be the grand inquest of the nation. That is why the distribution of powers between the states and the centre tends to learn decisively in favour of the Centre.
Over the years, it has been endeavoured to find functionally better democratic federal balance without impairing the one nation concept. The institution of the prime minister and his or her election by the majority in the lok sabha is an institutional expression of that concept. Freedom of inter-state commerce throughout India and freedom of movement and residence anywhere in India is the hallmark of our common citizenship.
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