★ 1.5 PROBLEMS OF INDIAN SOCIETY IN THE CONTEXT OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT :-
The Indian society is very old with strong social, cultural traditions marked by immense diversities and disparities and a history of gross discrimination based on caste, class and gender. There is diversity in language, customs and habits. Though this makes India culturally rich but at the same time, this diversity brings problems in the national development. People fight on the basis of castes, class, language and religion. It becomes difficult to maintain the social fabric.
The world has become a global village. Western culture has influenced Indian culture. Connotations of different concepts have changed. Some of the issues which were not accepted in ancient time have become normal like inter caste marriage, multilingualism, pluralism and women’s participation in different areas. Therefore, the problem of national development in India needs to be seen against this diversification. Let us now study some of these problems in details.
★ 1.5.1 Gender Inequality - 1 :-
Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perception of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in gender roles constructed socially as well as biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal differences.
Gender inequality consists of inferior views, discrimination and prejudices about girls and women. For several centuries, women in India have been occupying a status inferior to men in all walks of life. The situation has slowly but surely changed. It has to be seen in reference to health, education, economic and political inequalities between men and women in India.
Gender inequality and its social causes; impact India’s sex ratio, women’s health over their lifetimes, their educational attainment and economic conditions. Gender inequality in India is multifaceted. Some argue that some gender equality measures place men at a disadvantage. However, India’s population is examined as a whole; women are at a disadvantage in several ways.
★ 1.5.1 Gender Inequality - 2 :-
This kind of discrimination between genders is against our democratic system Nature of Indian Society of Indian society. Various reasons include patriarchal society, preference for sons, dowry system, marriage laws, etc.
According to the Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum in 2011, India was ranked 113 on the Gender Gap Index among 135 countries polled. Since then India has improved its ranking on World Economic Forum. The Gender Gap Index has come down to 105/136 in 2013. The efforts of government are appreciable. Women are given many constitutional rights and government is trying its best to lift their status in the society.
Different States and Union Territories, in cooperation with the Central Government, have initiated number of region-specific programmes targeted at reducing gender inequality during the last few decades. Some of these programmes are: Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna, Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna, and Awarneess Generation Projects for rural and poor women, Kishori Shakti Yojna, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, Balika Samridhi Yojna, Serva Shiksha Abhiyan, and Ladli Laxami Yojna.
★ 1.5.2 Problem of Maintaining Secular Status of the Country - 1 :-
As you are aware that India is a land of diversities in caste, colour, religion, customs, faith and so on. After independence, India was given the name of democratic secular republic. The concept of democracy and secularism was introduced in order to strengthen the unity amidst variations and differences and to uphold the solidarity of the nation. Secularism means independent from any religion. A secular country treats all religion on equal footing, from neither interfering with nor promoting any religion.
Basic ideals of democratic pluralism upheld by the Indian Constitution are Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. In other words, intercultural education in India has to be based upon five basic principles.
1) Every individual in India has a worth and dignity of its own.
2) Society exists for the individual and not the individual for the society.
3) Equality and majority rule ought to work in a mutually supplementary, not supplanting manner.
4) Discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or language is intolerable in societal living.
5) Every group in India has a right to protect, conserve and promote its own culture.
★ 1.5.2 Problem of Maintaining Secular Status of the Country - 2 :-
The secular nature of our Country has to be maintained. Secular based education is needed to bring pluralistic outlook of the individuals. Betterment of the society and the world also depends upon secular based education. Secularism is needed for the development of democratic qualities like justice, liberty, equality, fraternity and cooperative living.
Our educational system today promotes secular attitudes and values through its broad based aims, curricula, enlightened teachers and appropriate activities, all emphasizing open-mindedness and equal respect for all religions.At the end, it is the duty of all to have healthy approach in order to maintain secularism.
Check Your Progress 3
Note: a) Write your answers in the space given below:
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of the Unit.
8. Define gender inequality.
9. What are the basic principles on which the intercultural education in India should be based?
★ 1.5.3 Upholding Democratic Principles - 1 :-
Our Constitution has some vital provisions. It is the duty of each and every citizen to understand those and to abide by those provissions. After the declaration of our country as a “Sovereign Democratic Republic” we are bound by all the provisions of our Constitution.
Article 46 of the Indian Constitution lays down the following Directive Principle with regard to social justice: “The State shall promote, special care, the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people particularly Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and shall provide them social justice and protect them from all forms of exploitation.” The concept of social justice as enunciated by the above Directive Principle has led to the formation of many voluntary organisations to safeguard the interests of the members of these backward castes. Under the context of democracy these organisations assume a strong political power in the Indian society.
The adoption of the fourfold ideal of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in our Constitution has been incorporated for the elimination of social inequalities, economic disparities and political privileges. These ideals were needed to purge our disparity, diversity and a division on the basis of some artificially created social hierarchy. Our Constitution lays down that in the eyes of law everyone should have an equal status, to no one should justice be denied, everyone should have liberty of thought, expression and to practice his own faith and belief, and the dignity of each individual should be assumed.
★ 1.5.3 Upholding Democratic Principles - 2 :-
The greatest force of Indian democracy is the spirit and provisions of the Indian Constitution. These provisions mean that in imparting education, we have to create an atmosphere in the educational institutions, in which there will no social stratification.
The dignity of the individual and unity of the nation can only be assured when recognition is equally accorded to the preservation of the fundamental rights of a citizen on one hand and the needs of the socialistic pattern of the Nature of Indian Society society on the other. The Directives of the State policy indicate a positive approach, which is necessary for helping the citizens to secure for themselves the highest standard of living economically, socially, culturally and politically.
A study of contemporary events in Indian social and political life indicates a strong trend towards the theme of democracy percolating down to the bases of Indian culture and, therefore, it has to be a great unifying force in the country today
★ 1.5.4 Linguistic Diversities :-
Another feature of the Indian society is the presence of more than a dozen languages and an almost impossible number of dialects. Different languages are spoken in different parts of the country in India. These are Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Kannada, etc. There is no harm in each linguistic group trying to improve its own language, but when the difference is made the basis of conflict, tension and many difficulties arise.
Linguism is the tendency which encourages a linguistically united group to extol the virtues of its own language to the denigration of all other languages and linguistic groups. This tendency is as harmful for the nation as any other -ism. This linguism is the root of the language problem in India and it is steadily becoming more and more virulent and intense. This diversity in language sometimes becomes the cause of demonstrations, conflicts violence and consequent tensions.
Linguism obscures all clear thinking on the language problem and makes it impossible to adopt an objective attitude to it. Certain fundamental problems are in the root of linguism – which language should be the link language in the country? which language should be considered the national language? what status should English language have in the pattern of education? etc. Because of regional affinities, people advocate the case of their own language as the national language. Thus, the varieties of Indian language pose situations of difference in the Indian social life.
★ 1.5.5 Regional and Cultural Diversities - 1 :-
Before we discuss regional and cultural diversities, we should be clear about the meaning of cultural diversities. First of all, culture is not synonymous with society. Culture includes both material and non-material elements, all of which are products of human society.
♦ What is regional diversity?
A region may be defined as a territory, the habitants of which have an emotional attachment to it because of commonality of caste, customs, and common way of life, tradition, language, religion and socioeconomic and political stages of development. By regionalism we mean the existence of a variety of regional groups within a society. There are many causes at the root of this regionalism like: geographical, psychological, cultural, lingual, historical, political and economic. There is regional imbalance which means disparity in the standard of living of the people residing in different regions of the country.
Regional imbalance occurs due to many reasons like non-availability or nonutilization of natural resources, lack of educational facilities, lack of economic opportunities and lack of strong will among the people for development, neglect of region by the government, etc.
★ 1.5.5 Regional and Cultural Diversities - 2 :-
♦ Cltural Diversities In India, we know that people belong to different cultures. Their ideologies vary. It can be described as the existence, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultural traditions within a single jurisdiction, usually considered in terms of the culture associated with an ethnic group. Due to the influence of mobility, the people of different cultures come across. Cultural diversity is the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society. The phrase, “cultural diversity” is also used sometimes to mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region or in the world as a whole.
It is imperative for all to understand that valuing our diverse cultures is all about understanding and respecting the beliefs of others and their way of life, as we would expect someone to respect ours. It should be realized by all that appreciating and respecting cultural diversities is essential. In this way we can make our nation strong.
Check Your Progress 4
Note: a) Write your answers in the space given below:
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of the Unit.
10. What is the greatest force of modern Indian democracy?
11. Which Article of Indian Constitution lays down the Directive Principle with regard to social justice?
12. What is Linguism?
13. What is regional imbalance?
इस्का सर हिंदी मिल सकता है
उत्तर हटाएं