8/20/2019 Essay on Social Problems in India

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/essay-on-social-problems-in-india 1/5

Essay on Social Problems in India

On September 14, 2013 By Vivek !rarka "ate#ory$ Social Iss!es in India

%&e social problems in India today &ave t&eir roots in t&e diversity o' reli#ion, lan#!a#e, re#ion, c!lt!re and caste( )ttac&ment to one*sre#ion, lan#!a#e, reli#ion is a nat!ral sentiment b!t +&en t&ese attac&ments #ro+ to an e treme level to breed intolerance 'or ot&erreli#ions, re#ions or lan#!a#es, problems are bo!nd to rise(

In common parlance reli#ion and sec!larism are -! taposed as op.positional 'orces and comm!nalism is vie+ed as t&e de#eneratemani'estation o' reli#ion( %&!s, t&e term comm!nalism is !sed pe-oratively and is believed to be a ne#ative social 'orce in contemporaryIndia( "omm!nalism &as come to be perceived as t&e tendency on t&e part o' a reli#io!s #ro!p to a''irm t&at it is a political entity(

%&e social problems in India &ave risen beca!se o' a #ro+in# intolerance o' diver#ent vie+s( /&at &as #one +ron# +it& t&e Indiansociety and c!lt!re +&ere tolerance +as so deeply embedded in people*s conscio!sness

"omm!nal ivide in India, partly o' co!rse, res!lted 'rom t&e involvement o' masses o' people in t&e 'reedom str!##le, divided alon#comm!nal lines, ens!red t&e descent o' comm!nal tension o' t&e elite level to t&e base o' society(

Since Independence India &as e perimented +it& an e tremely modern political system, namely, m!lti.party parliamentary democracybased on !niversal ad!lt 'ranc&ise( o+ever, t&is very modern system in India is o'ten operated +it& pre.modern !nits o' mobili ation(

%&!s t&e c&oice o' candidates by most political parties is dictated by t&e caste or comm!nal or lin#!istic composition o' constit!enciesand t&ese identities are 'reely !sed in mobili in# votes and s!pport(

"aste is not a nat!ral instit!tion, b!t caste attac&ment based on kins&ip is one o' t&e most '!ndamental 'actors to reckon +it& in t&eIndian society( "aste system is a ma-or social problem in India( Practically all ot&er reli#ionists in India, sometimes incl!din# at&eists, #oby caste considerations even +&en t&ey do not s!bscribe to t&e t&eory o' caste system( %&e caste system is t&e root ca!se o' poverty inIndia ( %&e ot&er caste based problems in India are !nto!c&ability, caste con'licts, reservation policy, caste barriers and casteism(

"omm!nalism mani'ests itsel' +&en attac&ment to one*s reli#io!s comm!nity spills over to ot&er sp&eres o' li'e and blinds people to t&ebasic need to maintain &armonio!s social relations +it& people o' all reli#ions( "omm!nalism in India &as res!lted in comm!nal riots o'increasin# 're !ency in di''erent parts o' India( In India, t&ere is need o' "omm!nal &armony in India(

5an#!a#e problem in India mani'ests itsel' in t&e 'orm o' dislike o' ot&er lan#!a#es and lin#!istic #ro!ps, claim o' s!perior stat!s to onelan#!a#e compared to ot&ers and imposition o' indi and Sanskrit on !n+illin# people( /&en lin#!isim demonstrates itsel' t&ro!#&political actions and pro#rammes, lin#!istic 'anaticism res!lts( 5an#!a#e riots, anti. indi a#itation, anti.En#lis& a#itations are t&emani'estations o' t&e lan#!a#e problem in India(

Prevalence o' racism in s!btle 'orms is proved +&en some )ryans assert t&eir s!periority over t&e native races o' India and propa#atet&e vie+ t&at t&eir c!lt!re is t&e basic c!lt!re o' India( i''erences in dresses, 'ood &abits, 'easts and 'estivals, 'olk arts and classical artsetc( are nat!ral and &ealt&y si#ns o' re#ional diversity in India( B!t dislike o' people o' ot&er states and re#ions, sons o' t&e soil t&eory,interstate border and river disp!tes etc( are t&e mani'estations o' re#ionalism( %&e problems arisin# o!t o' diversity in India can bee''ectively dealt +it& only i' t&e modern norms o' e !ality and social -!stice are not merely preac&ed b!t e''ectively practiced( /ron#interpretation o' t&e nat!ral attac&ment to one*s lan#!a#e, re#ion and c!lt!re as somet&in# in&erently bad &as to be #iven !p even +&ilepromotin# t&e sec!lar val!es o' e !ality and social -!stice( India is a lar#e co!ntry and t&ere is need o' 6nity in iversity in India(

E !ality o' opport!nity in ed!cation and employment, e !al promotion o' all lan#!a#es and c!lt!res by t&e state and red!ction o'ine !alities are important components o' e !ality7 +&ereas reservation o' seats and posts 'or back+ard classes, protection to minorities,prevention o' e ploitation o' t&e people o' one re#ion by o!tsiders etc( are essential components o' social -!stice(

Some o' t&e practical steps t&at may be taken to promote national inte#rationare$

use of formal education to inculcate the spirit of tolerance;informal education through schools and media to promote national integration; andfamiliarizing the people of one state with the traditions arts and literature of otherstates.

8/20/2019 Essay on Social Problems in India

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/essay-on-social-problems-in-india 2/5

%&e Indian nationalist perspective advocates t&at t&e m!ltiplicity o' c!lt!ral identities s&o!ld be dissolved in 'avor o' a !ni'orm 8nation*identity, t&e content o' +&ic& is essentially political( %&e nationalist perspective seeks to establis& t&e &e#emony o' t&e state(%&ere is needo' social and comm!nal &armony in India, +&ere t&ere is coe istence o' di''erent c!lt!res + it&in t&e same nation( India is a co!ntry o'6nity in iversity ( 9o c!lt!re is in'erior o' s!perior, and &ence t&e need and possibility o' t&e coe istence o' social c!lt!res in India(

NATIONAL INTEGRATION

National integration is the awareness of a common identity amongst thecitizens of a country. It means that though the individuals belong todi erent communities, castes, religions, cultures and regions and speakdi erent languages, all of them recognize the fact that they are one. Thiskind of integration is very important in the building of a strong andprosperous nation.

National integration means creating a mental outlook which will promoteand inspire every person to place loyalty to the country above group loyaltiesand the welfare of the country above narrow sectarian interests.!" #orothy$impson%andit Nehru had once said, %olitical integration has already taken place butwhat I am after is something much deeper than that, an emotionalintegration of Indian people so that the two may be welded into one strongnational unity, maintaining at the same time all our wonderful diversities.!&s we know, India is a very large country. 'e have the second largestpopulation in the world. & uni(ue feature of our country is that all the ma)orreligions of the world are practiced here such as *induism, Islam,+hristianity, uddhism, $ikhism,

-ainism, and oroastrianism. Its %reamble includes unity and integrity of thenation as a ma)or

ob)ective. It also stipulates that every citizen has the fundamental duty touphold andprotect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. The +onstitution re/ectsrespectfor diversity of the country, but it tries to ensure that the unity and integrityismaintained. 'hich is why, it has made provisions for a centralized federationandopted for a strong central government. 0ou may have noticed this whilestudying the1essons on +entral government and $tate governments.

2any provisions under 3undamental #uties reinforce national integration. Thefollowing are important4It shall be the duty of every citizen of India "

5 to abide by the +onstitution and respect its ideals and institutions, theNational3lag and the National &nthem;

5 to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle

8/20/2019 Essay on Social Problems in India

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/essay-on-social-problems-in-india 3/5

for freedom; 5 to defend the country and render national service when called upon to doso;

5 to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all thepeople of India and respect religious, linguistic and regional or sectional

diversities; 5 to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women; 5 to value and preserve the rich heritage of our culture; 5 to safeguard public property and to re)ect violence; 5 to strive towards e6cellence in all spheres of individual and collectiveactivityso that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of achievement.

Challenges to National IntegrationA. Communalism

+ommunalism has been one of the most comple6 problems that India hasbeen facing. This is generated when individuals belonging to one religion develoe!cessive a"nityto their religion and hatred to#ards other religions . This kind offeeling promotesreligious fundamentalism and fanaticism and proves to be dangerous for theunity andintegrity of the country. It is more so for a country like India where peoplepractiseall the ma)or religions of the world. ut India has been su ering from

communalismsince independence. &s we know, we faced worst kind of communal riots ontheeve of independence, and even after. There have been many communal riotsin variousparts of the country, in/icting immense su erings on the people.$. Regionalism7egionalism is another obstacle in the way of national integration. 8n manyoccasionsit encourages people to promote regional interests even at the cost ofnationalpriorities. In spite of over si6 decades o% lanned develo ment& allregions in our country have not been develo ed in the desiredmanner. &long with other factors, the lack of e6pected socio9economic development results in demands for creation ofnew $tates. &ggressive regionalism is still more dangerous,as it leads toseparatism. 'e have been e6periencing such feelings in certain parts of$tates of &ssam and -ammu and :ashmir.

8/20/2019 Essay on Social Problems in India

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/essay-on-social-problems-in-india 4/5

C. Linguism' &ll of us know that India is a multilingual country. %eople ofIndia speak nearly <<< languages and dialects. This plurality has beennegatively used on many occasions, #uring those con/icting years in orderto satisfy various language groups and to promote national integration, a

Three 1anguage 3ormula was evolved. The formula includes the study of

a modern Indian language, preferably a South Indian language, inaddition to Hindi and English in Hindi speaking States and of Hindiin addition to the regional language and English in the non-Hindi speaking areas. &lthough e orts have been made to assimilate it inthe school curriculum of the country, it is yet to be fully implemented.(. E!tremism' The e6tremist movements going on in di erent parts of thecountry are yet another challenge to national integration. 0ou must haveheard about Na6alite movement or2aoist movement. The basic reason %or ta)ing u arms by the youth isthe continuing state o% socio*economic de rivations. +oreover& theday*to*day humiliation& denial o% ,ustice& human rights violations&

various )inds o% e! loitation and olitical marginalization rom tthem to ,oin the Na!alite movement. $ut the e!tremist activitieshave been threat to la# and order and eace%ul living o% the eo leresiding in the a-ected areas.

actors /romoting National Integration'A. Constitutional /rovisions' +itizens have been empowered withfundamental rights and their fundamental duties have also been prescribed.

The #irective %rinciples of $tate %olicy directs the $tate to promote e(uitableeconomic development, eliminate social discrimination, and promotion ofinternational peace and security. &nd above all, the provisions related to

variousinstitutions and processes have been geared towards national integration.$. Governmental Initiatives' & $ingle %lanning +ommission preparesplans for economic development of the entire country and one =lection+ommission conducts elections.C.National estivals and 0ymbols' 'e also observe theNational Integration #ay on >? November every year and take a pledge. Thisdayis also known as @aumi =kta #ivas!. 2oreover, our National $ymbols likethe National 3lag, the National &nthem, and the National =mblem also helpto remindus that we all have one identity. 3or this reason we stress on the importanceof showing proper respect to these symbols. These act as strong unifying forcesbothin times of celebration and adversity. They remind us of our commonnationality.(. All India 0ervices and Other actors'

8/20/2019 Essay on Social Problems in India

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/essay-on-social-problems-in-india 5/5

2oreover, the &ll Indian $ervices AI&$, I3$, I%$ and othersB, uniCed )udicialsystem,postal and communications networks, including radio and television, and theinternetpromote the unity and integrity of the Indian nation. 0ou may be aware that

themembers of the &ll India $ervices are recruited centrally, but they work in$tates.2any of them, after having long e6periences at the state level come to workin the+entral government and be a part of policy decision9making for the entirecountry.%ostal and communication network deCnitely binds the nation. 0ou also mayhavelistened to radio broadcasting national events or watched those events ontelevision.

Is it not true that people of all parts of the country do soD