By M L Satyan
Coimbatore, Oct 12, 2024: Every day news headlines, both in print and digital media, give us terrible shocks.
News about murders, robberies, human trafficking, cheatings, corruption, atrocities on women, sectarian violence, caste-based discrimination, abuse of nature and natural resources, and delayed justice raise many questions in a responsible citizen’s mind.
Are we really living in a civilized world? Where is our society/country heading to?
The socioeconomic, cultural, political and religious scenario at panchayat, district, state and national levels makes us restless these days. On the one side we boast of the modern civilization and use slogan like ‘incredible India,’ but on the other we see just the opposite.
We literally live amid contradictions. We should honestly examine our attitude, behaviour and lifestyle to find answers to the questions.
These days we have higher income and we spend it lavishly to live a comfortable life. At the same time, a vast majority lives below the poverty line.
We often call ourselves educated and boast of our knowledge on various subjects. But we have lost our capacity to judge things rightly. We keep increasing the number of educational institutions. We take pride in achieving 100 percent academic results. Yet the school dropout rate is between 60 and 70 percent. Moreover, these centres of excellence do not give due priority to ‘character building.’
Under the banner of globalized economy multinational companies continue to set up their manufacturing units in various parts of the country. We get intoxicated by consumerism that makes us greedier. On the other side are people whose basic needs are yet to be met.
We preach too much but practice little. All the religious leaders preach about the basic human values in public but most of them fail to practice such values in their life.
We boast of having reached the Moon and climbed the Himalayas. We have conquered the outer space. We have control over science and technology and their inventions. But we have lost our inner space. We have little self-knowledge. We have failed miserably to control ourselves.
We live in a high-tech world where artificial intelligence has become a buzzword. We use highly sophisticated electronic communication gadgets and social media platforms. But we have lost our connectivity with our own selves and family members. Family bonds are breaking and divorces are on the increase.
We have increased our food production many folds. Our warehouses overflow with foodgrains, but major portion of them get rotten or are eaten by rats. While the rich and middle class suffer obesity because of over-eating. The poor, on the other hand, do not get even square meal a day.
Today we have modern and high-tech medical facilities. But we have poor health. A vast majority of the population is deprived of these medical facilities. Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) are on the rise.
We boast of one nation with diverse cultures named as “Unity in Diversity.” But we fight in the name of language, geography, culture, caste and creed. People belonging to the same region, religion and political party are divided and continue to fight in the name of caste, religion and language.
We are also proud of our Jal, Jungle, Jameen (Water, Forest and Land). Only a few selected corporate companies enjoy these resources with money and muscle power, while keeping the majority of the population away from these resources.
The political parties are elected to ensure good governance as the custodians of the Constitution. But their only motto seems to capture power and squander wealth while in power. Destabilizing governments through horse-trading and intimidating the opposition parties takes place in various parts of the country.
In the name of urban development, the slum dwellers and the poor on the footpath are evacuated and harassed. Villages that are considered as the backbone of the country remain underdeveloped and abandoned.
We have the Army, Air Force, Navy to protect our country. Yet international criminals smuggle drugs, fake currencies, silver and gold into the country. Robbers break open bank lockers and ATM machines despite hi-tech, computerized security systems. The hard-earned money of the people has no security.
Various religions co-exist in India. The purpose of every religion is to strengthen love and fellowship among people. But today we are divided in the name of God and religion. Religion is reduced to meaningless rituals and ceremonies. God is converted into a commercial commodity. Our religious leaders have become business men or women selling God by exploiting people’s ignorance.
We have a tradition of revering women and we worship various goddesses. Many of our rivers have female names. We revere our country as Mother India. In the same country, female infanticides, women trafficking, forced prostitution, wife beatings, dowry deaths, and rapes take place continuously.
With all humility and sincerity, we must admit that we are not civilized in the right sense. We are directly or indirectly responsible for this shameful civilization. We need to make a sincere and continuous effort to make the present civilization meaningful. Being humane and becoming better human beings is the need of the hour.