Monday 17 December 2012
Friday 14 December 2012
Religion as the basis of the Social Reconstruction in Gandhian thought
Religion as the basis of
the Social Reconstruction in Gandhian thought
India, Our
country, has a rich tradition in religion that it is not a matter of doctrine or
dogma or rites. This has been the tradition that has come down to us from our ancestors.
We welcomed all religions and not only tolerated other religions but also
appreciated them. We considerably borrowed from all religions and so religion
and spirituality are rooted in the minds of Indian people. Hence, we can say
that religion is the soul of Indian life and the decline of our nation, to a
great extent, is due to its retreat from religion.
We are living in a period of
disintegration of faith and growing disillusionment about the traditional
values which have come down to us. These are values which are embodied in the
spirit of India
and helped our country to survive to this day. These are the values which came
to us through the great religions and our culture is a mixture of all these
cults. It is this religion that we require in the contemporary situation.
Mahatma Gandhi understood the mind of Indian people in which religion is a
sustaining forces pertaining to all the spheres of their lives. Hence he
expressed his social, political, and economic ideas in religious terms. He said
‘Man without religion is man without roots. Religion is the basis on which life
structure has to be erected if life is to be real.’1(Gandhi,
Harijan, 2.7.46). He held that public, social, political and economic life
would be much purer if we do it in the spirit of religion. Here in this article
our attempt is to show how Gandhi had placed religion as the basis for his
social reconstruction programme and the dedication of all his work in social,
political and economic fields in the name of God.
Gandhi gave a practical color to the lofty
principles of religion not only in the individual life but in the social plane
also. Truth and ahimsa were regarded as the highest values from the Vedic times,
but these were not always applied in the practical life. They were given the
highest place and practical shape by Mahatma Gandhi. He considered them as a
means of achieving political, social and economic ends and there by as means of
social reconstruction. Here our attempt is to recapitulate how Gandhiji had
used Truth and Ahimsa in his nation-building work and how religion played an
important part in every sphere of his activity.
Religious Philosophy of Gandhi:-
Mahatma Gandhi cannot be regarded as
originating any new system of philosophy. He only tried to assimilate in his
own way the teachings that appealed to him. He tried to apply these teachings
not only in his personal life but also to social, political and economic
problems and he dedicated all his work He told that the whole gamut of man’s
activities constituted an indivisible whole and we cannot divide it into
social, economic, political and purely religious work into watertight compartments.
It provides a moral basis to all other activities which would otherwise lack
reducing life into a maze of ‘sound and fury signifying nothing’. This is the
essence of Gandhism. Thus he wanted religion to be the life force or that
guiding factor of all human activity.
Mahatma Gandhi’s view of religion
is highly practical as he believed that one could reach God only by service to
man. He could not find God apart from humanity. His mission was not only to humanize
religion but also to moralize it. He would reject any religious doctrine that
was in conflict with morality. As it was stated by Gandhi “Let me explain what
I mean by religion. It is not the Hindu religion….but the religion which
transcends Hinduism…which changes one’s very nature, which binds one
indissolubly to the truth within and which ever purifier”2 (Gandhi,
Young India,12.5.20).True religion and true morality are inseparably bound with
each other. If religion in the sense of spiritual realization along with social
advancement and freedom is the end; morality is the means. For Gandhi, “God is Truth,
Love ethics and morality”3. (Gandhi, Young India, 5.3.1925)
He regarded non-violence as the means to morality. He held it as the supreme
virtue and the guiding factor of all affairs of life. It is also the means to
attain Truth which is another name of God.
Truth and Ahimsa:-
Ahimsa and Truth are the guiding principles of
Gandhian philosophy and religion. Ahimsa according to him is the practical
expression of Truth. There is no religion higher than Truth. Gandhiji held that
Truth is the ideal of life and all his activities whether social, political or
humanitarian were directed to the end of the search of Truth.
Gandhiji’s assertion that Truth is God
carries with it a great value in our religious life. He insisted that religion
is based on Truth. The object of devotion should be Truth. This can help to
create a sort of universal brotherhood in respect of religion because worship
of Truth can unify persons belonging to different castes, creeds and religions.
He was of opinion that all persons including the atheist can be brought under
the religion of Truth. Again, reason could reject any thing but not Truth. This
led him to say that “if it is at all possible for the human tongue to give the
fullest description of God…then we must say that God is Truth …But I went a
step further and said Truth is God…”4 (Gandhi, Young India,
31.12.1931).Thus Truth provides common platform for all and it is the only factor
which is completely universal and comprehensive. This, more than anything else
lead Gandhiji to assert the primacy of Truth.
According to Gandhi, if Truth is God,
non-violence and Ahimsa is the way of realizing Him. It is the practical expression
of Truth. It was a part of the spiritual discipline in Indian thought. It was
Gandhi who transferred the ethics of Ahimsa from the individual to the social
plane. Gandhiji always held that “In the course of the search for Truth,
non-violence came to me. Its spread is my life mission. I have no interest in
living except for the prosecution of that mission.”5 (R.K.Prabhu and
U.R.Rao,The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi.p.43).Thus an account of Gandhi’s theory
Truth necessarily takes us to the consideration of his views on the nature of
non-violence.
According to Gandhi, Ahimsa is natural to
man. And once the spiritual side of man is awakened, his non-violent nature
becomes apparent. Ahimsa in its positive aspect is nothing but love and love according
to Gandhi is that energy that cleanses one’s inner life and uplifts him. Ahimsa
demands a sincere effort to free mind from feelings like anger, malice hatred,
revenge, jealousy etc because these create obstacles in the way of love. Thus
for Gandhi we see that the positive aspects of Ahimsa are more basic than its
negative aspects since it represents an essential quality of mankind.
The practice of ahimsa requires an inner
strength, which can only be generated by a living faith in God. The love of God
would turn into a love of humanity because a sincere faith in God will make man
see that all human beings are fellow beings and essentially one. Gandhi thus
showed that the realization of man’s essential oneness with the entire creation
and beyond that, with Supreme Reality or the Truth, is the fulfillment of human
life. Hence we see that the method of reconstructing a non-violent society is
based on the principles of Truth and non-violence. The details to be followed
show how Gandhi put his religious principles based on this Truth and
Non-violence into practice in the different fields of social, political, and
economics.
.Religion and Politics:-
As Gandhiji was a politician
with unshakable religious convictions he was of opinion that politics cannot be
separated from religion since according to him both had the same ideal of
service to mankind. By introducing religion into politics Gandhiji wanted to
introduce morality into politics. He said, “…that is why my devotion to Truth
has drawn me into the field of politics; and I can say without the slightest hesitation
and yet in all humility, that those who say that religion has nothing to do
with politics do not know what religion means”.6 (Gandhi. The Story
of My Experiments with Truth.p383).He clung to the moral and religious
considerations even in the fields of politics. And he did not hesitate to say
that “my politics and all other activities of mine are derived from my religion”7.
(Gandhi, Harijan, 2.3.1934). Thus Gandhiji clearly points out that his
political outlook was influenced by the spirit of religion.
The principles of Truth and non-violence
which forms the pivot of Gandhi’s political activity are basically religious
principles. He brought down these principles from the heights of
spiritualization to the day to day life of common man. By this he wanted to
show that there is nothing bad about politics if it was guided by moral and
religious principles. Hence He stated that,”…for me there is no politics devoid
of religion. …politics bereft of religion is a death trap because it kills the
soul”8. (Gandhi, Young India, 3.4.1924 p112). He firmly held that success in politics
should be achieved only by truthful means. Thus Gandhiji revolutionized
politics by introducing the maxims of ethics and religion.
Satyagraha as the method of Truth in Politics:-
Satyagraha was introduced by Gandhi into
politics as a technique of Truth and Ahimsa. From the very word it follows that
it is ‘ agraha’ of ‘satya’ and thus it means holding fast to truth. As a means
it implies sticking to the truth while endeavoring to procure the end through
such non-violent methods as non-co-operation and fasting. It was in the
political field that Gandhi made successful use of this means.
In fact, Satyagraha appears to Gandhi
almost as a religious pursuit. It rests on a religious belief that there is one
God behind everything and being, and as such the same God resides in every one
of us. Satyagraha demands selfless and sincere pursuit of Truth without any
consideration of any advantage or gain. Gandhiji describes it as a force
against violence based on love. There must be love for the opponent. Thus Satyagraha
is based on the conviction that through love ahimsa and conscious suffering the
forces of evil an be neutralized because this is the Divine way, the way of
Truth. Gandhi believed that this technique is universal in its applications. It
is the most powerful weapon to resist violence and secure social, economics or political
emancipation
.Impact of Religion on Gandhian Economic thought:-
The real force behind Gandhiji’s economic reorganization
can be traced back to India’s
spiritual tradition. Love for all mankind finds expression in Truth and
non-violence and these forms the basis of Gandhian economics. As poverty leads
to moral degradation, Gandhi strove to uplift India’s economy. He dreamt of an India
which is happy economically as well as spiritually. Providing the basic
necessities of human life to poor and hungry millions was the first concern of
Gandhiji’s economic thinking. Material progress should be achieved by
preserving the essentials of humanity and religion.
The economic basis of society must be a moral
one, i.e., society must be based on love and trust. This would naturally
prevent economic exploitation. Gandhiji takes personal effort as the primary
need for the economic growth of the individual as well as the nation. In other
words, one has no right to eat without any labour in any form. For earning his
own bread one must do some manual work. Thus Gandhian economic programme was
based upon the ideal of self sufficiency.
Gandhian socialism as inspired by religion:-
Gandhiji considered economic
equality as the main key to socialism. The religious influence in Gandhi has
moulded his idea of socialisms in a different perspective. He gave a simple and
practical idea of socialism which was different from western trend. Other
socialists like Marx were never bothered about the means to achieve socialism,
but Gandhiji insisted that it should be achieved by non-violent peaceful means.
Socialism as Gandhi believed should be evolved out of the traditions and
culture of the country. So Gandhiji tries to introduce religious principles
like Truth and non-violence. According to him Truth and ahimsa must incarnate
in socialism.
Again,
Gandhi was against western type of socialism because it suppressed freedom of
the individual. About western type of socialism he opined that “I want freedom
for full expression of my personality. Under socialism, there is no individual
freedom. You own nothing, not even your body.”9. (Gandhi, Harijan,
4.8.1946). Freedom, according to him, is necessary in the pursuit of truth. His
philosophy was based upon the long standing religious belief on the freedom of
human soul. He believed that freedom was the chief postulate of morality and
religion.
But he does not subscribe to the view that
complete individual freedom altogether devoid of social obligations is an
essential condition of civilized society. It is only in society that man’s
aspirations, interest and goals are realized in the true sense of the term.
This reciprocity of relation between man and society was well recognized by
Gandhiji. He held that moral resistance through the principles truth and
non-violence must be the guiding principle to regulate the relationship between
the individual and society. Thus it is evident that even in his idea of socialism
Mahatma Gandhi takes resort of the ideas of Truth and Ahimsa. Hence we can say
that Gandhiji’s religious thought paves the way to a higher life through this
world.
Concluding Remarks:-
To conclude, we can say the greatest
contribution of Gandhi lays in transforming religion from a system of ritual
into a practical code of conduct. This was the new interpretation that he gave
to religion. This trend of socializing religion started in India during
the time of Sri Ramakrishna and was further advanced by Swami Vivekananda and
culminated in Mahatma Gandhi. He himself gave a religious color to every field
of action. The political system that is guided by the forces of religion can
withstand the most difficult circumstances.
In
the realm of reality which he expressed as ‘Truth’ he maintained that reality
is neither wholly material nor wholly spiritual but a combination of both. We
can also say that in the religious stand point Gandhi successfully synthesized
theism and atheism when he declared reality as ‘Truth’. In the field of
morality and values Gandhi sought to bring about a synthesis between ends and
means.
From the above account it is clear that if
leaders of today are influenced by similar virtues of religion, it will go a
long way in reducing the present crisis in India. Political life as we find
today stands blind to all religious values. Our age needs politicians who are
not merely motivated by the considerations of power and economic gains but by
human considerations. As it is said in the last chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita Gandhi
wanted the spiritual vision and social service to go together .Here he
indicated the double purpose of human life i.e.; personal purpose and social
efficiency. Gandhiji tried to emphasize this particular point to bring about a
peaceful condition of human existence. It is expected that this Gandhian
technique will bring about a revolution in the near future, if not immediately.
Reference:-
1. Gandhi, M.K, Harijan, 2.7.46
2. .,
,, Young India
12.5.20, p.
3. ,,
,, ,, ,, 12.3.25.p
4. ,,
,,,, ,, 31.12.1931.
5. R.K.Prabhu and
U.R.Rao, The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi,
p.43.
6. Gandhi, M.K, The story of My Experiment with Truth.p.383.
7. Gandhi, M.K, Harijan, 2.3.1934.
8.,, ,, Young
India 3.4.1924,p.112.
9.,, ,, Harijan,4.8.1946
Dr.P.I.DEVARAJ,
Dr.SYAMALA.K,
SPIRITUAL HUMANISM
The development of the productive
forces of science and technology has come to our rescue for ensuring material
prosperity and improving the quality of life. The standard of living of the
people has risen along with multiple amenities of a comfortable living. Science
has achieved astonishing progress. But, in spite of all the achievements, man
can no longer rest upon secure foundations. There is something beyond the
scientific positive knowledge, and no thinking person can ignore it. Modern
man, in trying to pursue science, ignores its linkage to humanism and his
tendency is to judge even values-moral, aesthetic and spiritual- in terms of
science and its modes. Here he forgets the fact that science and humanism are
two complementary aspects of human endeavor for the fulfillment of human
aspirations. Hence, an attempt for their proper integration is the most urgent
need of mankind today. In order to know how to use science properly, there is a
need for the development of the philosophy of humanism.
Humanism is the philosophy in which
man occupies a central place. It is a total commitment to fulfillment of the interest
of human beings, wherever they live and whatever be their status. Hence we can
say that it is not only a constructive philosophy but also a healthy attitude
towards fellow beings. In modern Indian Humanism we find a synthesis of ancient
Indian values and modern Western science. It appears to be an attempt to bridge
the gulf between faith and reason, between spirit and matter. An integral
humanism is possible only on the basis of the spiritual insights of the
traditional Indian thought. This is an identity of humanity with divinity,
spirituality is complementary and contributory to human development and many
people consider it as the remedy to the particular unrest felt by man even when
he is fully equipped with all the best in his life.
The modern Indian thinkers looked
upon the traditional value system as the foundation to build up a well
integrated scientific super structure for the entire human family. This harmony
between scientific and spiritual temperament was capable of solving most of the
human problems. Thus, these thinkers labored for the reawakening of the Indian
mind in order to activate a genuine humanistic outlook to meet the needs of the
time. Universalism, secularism and spiritualism are the three important
characteristics of the contemporary Indian humanists. They tried to unveil the
hidden spirit of Indian religion and philosophy to the west. Their
re-interpretation of Indian humanism dispelled the false picture of Indian
value system. They asserted that the human race could survive only by living
together in a common bond of brotherhood. This spiritual experience of the
divinity inherent in all living beings is the basis of universal brotherhood.
An important task of philosophy is to
discover, justify, and uphold the genuine and sublime moral values which will
enable man to realize his inner spiritual essence. This will help man to
achieve healthy progress. This was made clear by Swami Vivekananda when he
said, “each soul is potentially divine and the aim of life is to realize the
divinity”. His assumption of human purity elevates the place of man in society
and universe.
Man possesses in himself infinite
power because of his divine nature and so we can say that each individual is a
postulate of spiritual humanism. It transcends all spheres of life and thus
leads to a great vision of oneness of all existence. It is because of this fact
that humanism assumes that man is by nature good. According to it, evil rests
in society in the condition which surrounds man and if these are removed man’s
goodness will emerge and progress will be achieved.
“At the dawn of the 21st
century we can see four major trends in the human situation all over the world.
One of these is the tremendous influence of science and technology on human
life. Another is the globalization of economy. A third trend is enlightened
humanism, in the form of awareness of rights of deprived people and protest against
all forms of exploitation, injustice, tyranny and suppression. The fourth trend
id gradual awakening of the spiritual consciousness of humanity.”Signs of this
spiritual awakening may be seen all over the world in the forms of interest in
spiritual life, popularity of spiritual teachers and the coming to the
existence of many spiritual centers and organizations. There is a growing
awareness that the problems of the society can be solved only through spiritual
life.
Spiritual knowledge is the only thing
that can destroy our miseries for ever. Any other knowledge satisfies wants only
for a time. It is only with the knowledge of the spirit that the faculty of
want is annihilated for ever. So helping man spiritually is the highest help
that can be given to him. Until there is spiritual strength in man even
physical needs cannot be satisfied.
Spiritualism is the outlook that
prevents the mind from ending in despair and generates its final optimism. This,
when combined with humanism which is an attitude that attaches primary
importance to man and his faculties, affairs and aspirations, becomes spiritual
humanism. Here we can see that the third and fourth trends mentioned above
merges together and it elevates man above everything else and over the rest of
the creation. It recognizes the infinite potentialities of man. This is an
attempt to explore ways and means to bring about common welfare and progress of
mankind. Thus the practical outcome of spiritual humanism may be summed up in
the ideals of social service, divinity in man, universal religion and gospel of
love and peace. Hence it can be held as a panacea for all the evils in society
as it spreads the message of international friendship and essential brotherhood
of mankind.
Dr.
P. I. Devaraj & Dr. Syamala.K
pidevaraj@rediffmail.com
Sunday 9 December 2012
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: A ROAD TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
“Women themselves have the right to live in dignity, in
freedom from want
and freedom from fear” ---Kofi Annan
The equality of men and women in the matter of
right cannot be detached from the perspectives of national development since
they form an integral part of development. In spite of the equal rights
conferred to them, women are still second class citizens as they have been
deprived of opportunities for participation in the development process. Without
full and informed participation of women, development projects are unlikely to succeed.
If we want women to contribute their maximum to the development of the nation
and to the reconstruction of the society it becomes imperative that the disequilibrium
suffered by them is removed. Hence the need of the hour is to create an environment
that ensures dignity to women by helping her to overcome feelings of
powerlessness, face the challenges, and enjoy fully her human rights. Women,
also have to realize their inner potential and strength.
India has been working for the
empowerment of her women ever since independence. The government has been
pushing ahead with programmes and policies that aim at imparting education to
women, giving them better health care and providing them with means of
livelihood. But despite these measures in favor of Indian women, they continue
to suffer from societal discrimination. While reservation in panchayats or
parliament is important, the real challenge is to ensure that women are
involved in the decision making process at home and in society. This was made
clear by Ms. Anupama Hazra when she stated that “reservation of seats for women
in panchayat or in parliament, however, is only the first step to ensure that a
certain number of women will be involved in decision-making process of the
government. Very next task and challenge will be to develop their capacity so
that they can perform their role properly and can make a difference”1.Since
women look at development in a different way they must be involved in the
planning and implementation of all development programs. The lack of female
representation and participation is a failure of democracy because they
constitute half the population of India. In this paper our attempt is to look
into the reasons for this inadequate participation of women in political
affairs and to suggest some measures to alleviate some of the problems of
women’s low participation so as to make them equal and effective partners in
the political process.
Role of
women in the political sphere of India
The first impetus of Indian women
to come into the mainstream of social life was given by the freedom movement.
According to Gandhi, “Woman is the companion of man gifted with equal mental
capacities, she has the right to participate in every minute detail in the
activities of man and she has an equal right of freedom and liberty with him”.2
A number of women participated in congress meetings and activities and they
contributed significantly to the Swadeshi
movements and Home Rule League. This marked the beginning of a new era for the
Indian women.
Women leaders who had
functioned as equals of their male comrades in the freedom movements decided
that absolute equality in the political process would be the ideal remedy to
realize women’s status in society. The Indian National Congress under the
leadership of Mahatma Gandhi decided to ensure legal and political equality for
women in free India. Hence with independence women were granted equal status
with men. The government made all efforts to raise the status of women in the
various fields through legislation. Compulsory education, the Hindu marriage
Act, raising the marriage age, the Adoption Act, Dowry Prohibition were all in
favour of women. As a result of these series of laws, the legal and political
position of Indian women improved considerably. The special attention paid to
the needs and problems of women and recognition of political equality was
undoubtedly a radical departure from the norms that prevailed in traditional
India. But as far as the participation
of Indian women in the political arena is concerned, a number of constraints
have tended to severely limit their participation capability. Indian women
suffer from poor nutrition, shortened life spans and extremely high rates of
illiteracy. Thus we can see that Indian women are on a very weak footing with regard
to health, education, mortality rate or any other development parameter. The
most urgent need is to involve women in the development process, which will
strengthen women’s capabilities and thereby instill a sense of self-confidence
in them.
Political participation is a necessary ingredient
of every political system and in democracy it assumes greater importance. But
“women constituting 50% of the population have long been neglected in their
role as beneficiaries in the process of development. They are lagging behind
economically, socially and politically in the society”.3So if our
country has to progress unimpeded, women who form half of the population has to
become equal partners with men in shaping free India. When women themselves
realized that they were heavily handicapped in society, they began demanding
reservations.
The 73rd Amendment of our
constitution in 1993 was a major milestone which ensured reservation of not
less than 1/3 of the seats for the women. The impact of reserving 1/3 seats for
women in the PRI’s has been fruitful to some extend. It was expected as an
important measure to draw women into the political process and into the
leadership positions in the three tier government system. The Amendment aims to
remedy the constitutional and legislature weakness which had impeded the
participation of women in the political process. It was expected to ‘empower’
women and bring them into the mainstream of social and economic development. It
has provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of panchayats and
municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in
decision making at the local level.
In the political arena, a fundamental
reform of democratic governance has been set in motion with the 73rd
and 74th Constitutional Amendments. By providing 33% reservations
for women in panchayats, government claims that they have empowered women. The Act also seeks to delegate political
authority to women to implement schemes which affect their lives most. Thus
gender based reservation is expected to act as an enabling mandatory measure to
draw out women and enhance their participation. By this reservation it was
believed that Indian women can share the responsibilities in PRIs and can persuade
the members to adopt the policies in favour of them.
The Women’s Reservation Bill 2010,
approved by the Upper House of Parliament is another major step which aimed at
giving more political space to women and ensures their active participation in
the development process. Through this Bill, it is intended to reserve one-third
of all seats in national and state legislatures for women. This has been hailed
as a historic step towards a constitutional amendment that would ensure
significant representation of the women in the Indian Parliament. If this bill
is implemented the number of women representation would increase three times so as to reach 181.There is no doubt that
democracy will be strengthened with the presence of more women in the political
arena through reservation. But the members of various political parties have
exposed themselves in their true colors by opposing the bill for women’s
reserved seats in Parliament and State Legislatures. Their objection that the
bill did not provide for reservation in favour of women of the backward classes
and the minorities is a façade for their real grievances that men would lose so
many seats. Men need to be educated and made conscious of such male chauvinism
which exists in spite of their formal education and cultural sophistication.
Reservation policy and some other measures taken for the empowerment cannot
bring about a change in societal outlook towards women and women’s issues. This
is because even though these initiatives have created the political space for
women, they have not been able to guarantee a non-discriminative or conducive
environment for women to participate in the political processes. Reservation
will not actually make a difference to overall empowerment of ordinary women.
As it is stated by Anchal Singh and Monica Srivastava “reservation becomes
meaningful only when women can sustain their political activities through
repeated election or make their presence feet in the decision making bodies of
all strata”4. The Bill if passed will not pave the way by itself to
the all-round improvement and amelioration of the women’s position in society. Because
social acceptance, sensitivity to equality and education for a girl child
though being the cornerstone for the empowerment of women has been a neglected
field in the post independent India. . To improve their conditions it is a must
that they should be drawn to the decision making processes.
Women’s
Empowerment:-
To define it simply empowerment means women’s control over resources and
the power to take decisions on all major issues concerning her life. According
to Dr. B. Vanitha “Women’s empowerment is a process whereby women become able
to organize themselves to increase their own self reliance, to assert their
independent right to make choices and to control resources which will assist in
challenging and eliminating their own subordination. The goal of women’s
empowerment is to address issues related to women’s subordination, inequality
and equity”.5 Empowering women enhance their ability to influence
changes and to create a better society.
There is urgent need for
improving access of women to national resources or for ensuring their rightful
place in the main stream of economic development. Educational attainment and
economic participation are the key constituents in ensuring the empowerment of women.
So to raise the status of women, women must be economically, socially and
politically empowered. A glance at the below table clearly denotes that number
of seats occupied by women in Indian Parliament is comparatively low to men.
General
election & Women’s Representation in the Parliament
|
YEAR
|
TOTAL NO: OF SEATS
|
NO: OF WOMEN
MEMBERS
|
PERCENTAGE TO TOTAL
|
|
1952
|
499
|
22
|
4.4
|
|
1957
|
500
|
27
|
5.4
|
|
1962
|
503
|
34
|
6.8
|
|
1967
|
523
|
31
|
5.9
|
|
1971
|
521
|
22
|
4.2
|
|
1977
|
544
|
19
|
3.5
|
|
1980
|
544
|
28
|
5.1
|
|
1984
|
517
|
44
|
8.1
|
|
1989
|
544
|
27
|
5.2
|
|
1991
|
544
|
39
|
7.2
|
|
1996
|
543
|
40*
|
7.4
|
|
1998
|
543
|
43
|
7.9
|
|
1999
|
543
|
49
|
8.8
|
|
2004
|
543
|
45
|
8.2
|
|
2009
|
543
|
59
|
10.1
|
*One
member was nominated by the president of India.
These 59 members who have been elected to the
15th Loksabha form only 10% of the total members. A majority of 23
MPs are from Congress and the BJP has 13 members. The following table clearly
indicates that Indian political parties have shown little commitment to women
representation.
Party wise position of Women Members
in 15th Lok Sabha
|
Congress
|
23
|
|
BJP
|
13
|
|
Trinamool
Congress
|
04
|
|
BSP
|
04
|
|
SP
|
04
|
|
JD(U)
|
02
|
|
NCP
|
02
|
|
Akali
|
02
|
|
CPM
|
01
|
|
DMK
|
01
|
|
Shivasena
|
01
|
|
RLD
|
01
|
|
TRC
|
01
|
Courtesy: ‘Third World Impact’, Vol.XX, No.182
This low representation of women
is because they are not encouraged in the field of politics. Due to the lack of
encouragement, their interest turns to household work. The above analysis shows
us that Indian women are comparatively in a poor state of economic, social and
political empowerment. “The continuing under representation of women prevents
their proper participation in the decision making process in the country. The
success of a few in reaching positions of power and dignity may, to the
uninformed eye, suggest the existence of full opportunities for such
participation, but we have shown that this is far from so in the political
process or in economic activity, in education and in general social status.”6
Despite efforts to raise the social status of women for more than a century,
India still ranks 118 among the 177 nations on gender equality according to the
Human Development Index for 2008. Women form a significant proportion of our
population and represent sources of untapped potential- a cause and consequence
of our country’s slow progress. Governmental programmes have been launched
towards the empowerment of Indian women but only effective and strict implementation
through the political participation of women will help us to achieve the
desired goal.
POLITICAL
PARTICIPATION
The key points in the empowerment
programme include right, awareness, participation and integration. A symbolic
representation of this is shown in this diagram.
Integration
Participation
Awareness
Rights
Individual
Courtesy to Ms. Ranjana
Kumari
Just as rights do not automatically
guarantee awareness, awareness does not automatically guarantee women’s
participation. Special attention must be given to the crucial link between
awareness and integration. Participation is the point where women are taking
decisions along side men equally. To reach this level, however, mobilization is
necessary. By organizing themselves and working collectively, women will be able
to increase their representation which will lead to increased empowerment and
ultimately to greater control.
Participation of the women
in planning their own programmes and identifying issues and implementing
activities for them will lead to involvement of women in all phases of
development. So we should mobilize women and ensure their participation in all
programmes and developmental activities and politics is no exception. This was
rightly pointed out by Ms.Ranjana Kumari when she stated that “Without adequate
awareness on the part of women of their own power and importance in the
political process, they are unlikely to exert the pressure necessary to
transform male-oriented projects into integrated ones”.7 Women’s
voice should be heard in all matters and when they are given the chances they
come out with useful suggestions. When women’s leadership inputs are sought out,
a number of women will find the time for development activities. Overcoming
barriers to women’s participation in the development process constitutes the
greatest challenge in drawing out and involving women in the policy and
decision-making process. So, our strategies to integrate women more effectively
into development programmes should include,
(1)
Education and technical training,
(2)
Moving women into decision making positions through local
bodies,
(3)
Making sufficient opportunities available to them to enable
them to get access to socio-economic resources and a sense of self confidence.
This will encourage women
to participate in policy and decision making bodies and ensure their
broader-based participation in socio-political development at all levels.
Conclusion
To conclude, we can say
that unless women are brought in the decision-making levels directly, important
issues will never be tackled with the consciousness they require. Beside
illiteracy, dominance of patriarchal values in the society, lack of access and
control over income and other resources, restrictions to public spaces and
insensitive legal systems continue to impair their effective political
participation. Women’s political efficacy is thus very low due to a combination
of educational, social and financial constraints. If the current situation
continues, India will have to face a gloomy future. Hence what is needed is
that the government has to provide a good social environment to promote women
to participate in political activities. More efforts should be taken to bring
about good self development among women right from their childhood. Increasing
female literacy, empowering women to make independent financial decisions,
encouraging women help groups and opening markets for their outputs,
formulating women friendly policies at both state and central levels will
definitely go a long way in helping the women to participate in the political
issues and have an influence on decision making processes of the country. This
will help to remove the existing inequalities to a great extend and bring about
gender equity in the political arena also.
Reference:-
1.
Hazare, Anupam : “The Women Reservation Bill: Can we hope for
gender equality”-
Kurukshetra, June 2010, p.10.
2.
Gandhi, M.K :
“India of My Dreams”, Ahmedabad : Navajivan,1947,p223
3.
Nelasco, Dr. Shobhana : “Status of women in India”, New Delhi
:Deep&Deep,2010,p.2
4.
Singh, Anchal & : ‘Women Reservation Bill is it is a mode of
empowerment or just
Monica Srivastava another
reservation’ -Kurukshetra, June 2010, p .25.
5.
Vanitha. Dr.B : ‘Micro-Credit & women’s empowerment with
special reference to
Swarnajayanthi
Gram Swarozgar Yojana’-Social Welfare, March, 2010, p.26
6.
Towards Equality, Report of the
Committee of the status of Women in India: Delhi, Ministry
of
Education and Social Welfare, 1974, p.356.
7.
Kumari, Rajana, ed: “Women
in Decision making”: New Delhi, Vikas Publishing House,
1992 p.11.
Dr.P.I.Devaraj,
Dr.Syamala.K,
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