Saturday 12 January 2013

NEO-VEDANTISM





The Neo-Vedanta philosophy assimilates, comprehends and synthesizes the truth and principles of ancient Vedanta and western scientific thought in a comprehensive manner. The new profile given to the ancient Vedanta by Swami Vivekananda has come to be known as Neo-Vedanta. A humanistic interpretation of the traditional philosophy constitutes one of the most important features of Neo-Vedanta. Vedanta stands out as the most significant and clear philosophy of India. It answers at once the strict demands of metaphysics and the deep requirements of a sound religion. However, the system of Vedanta derives its doctrines from the Prasthana traya which comprises the three great text books namely the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita  and Brahma Sutra. Vedanta is the clearest and most comprehensive summary ever made of the perennial philosophy; hence its enduring value is meant not only for Indians, but for all mankind.
   The quintessence of the Vedanta philosophy is found in the four great declarations (Maha Vakya) of the four Vedas. They are a ranged in the following ascending order;-
  1. Laksana Vakya- Panama Brahma-Consciousness is Brahman. (Aitareya Upanishad-Rg Veda).
  2. Upadesa Vakya- Tat Tvam Asi- That Thou Art. ( Chandogya Upanishad. Sama Veda).
  3. Anubhava Vakya- Ayam Atma Brahma- This Self is Brahman ( Mandukya Upanishad. Atharva Veda).
  4. Anusandhana Vakya- Aham Brahma Asmi- Iam Brahman. ( Brhadaranyaka Upanishads- Yajur Veda)
 The first Maha vakya gives an objective definition of Truth. It declares that the consciousness, the Spiritual core which makes one’s personality. The second Maha vakya is addressed by the master to a disciple after having defined that Brahman is Consciousness. Thus, in the first two Maha vakyas we find the definition of Truth and relation between Truth and Man. The other two gives us an assurance that truth is realized not partially but totally.

The basic principles of the Neo-Vedanta philosophy  are, Each and every soul is potentially divine, the aim of life is to realize this divinity, and every true religion in the universe preach the same truth and leads the destination.
By 
Dr.P.I.Devaraj

The Inspired Alphabets In The World Of Vivekananda




Awake! Arise! And stop not till the goal is reached.
Bless men when they revile you.
Conquer yourself and the whole universe is yours.
Do not merely endure; be unattached.
Eat to Him, Drink to Him, sleep to Him, see Him in all.
First to get rid of the delusion I am the body.
Give everything and look for no return.
Homogenity, saneness is God.
Incarnations like Jesus, Buddha, and Ramakrishna can give religion.
Jnanayoga tells man that he is essentially divine.
Knowledge exists: man only disposes it.
Look at the ocean, and at the wave.
Man as Atman is really free, as man, he is bound.
Never turn back to see the result of what you have done.
Out of purity and silence comes the word of power.
Perception is our only real knowledge or religion.
Quarrels in religion are always over the husks.
Religion without philosophy runs into superstition.
See no difference between ant and angel.
The more our bliss is within, the more spiritual we are.
Unchaste imagination is as bad as unchaste action.
Vedas cannot show you Brahman, you are that already.
We are human covering over the divine.
Xian you will be when you see the Christ.
You are good, but be better.
Zeal with faith (sradha) has this and everything is bound to follow.


Dr.Devaraj P.I

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: A SARVODAYA PERSPECTIVE





              Status of women in any society is a significant pointer to the level of culture of that society. To achieve the goal of real social development it is essential that women must be brought into the main stream of national development programmes by empowering them in the economic, social and political fronts. Empowerment refers to the enhancement of the intellectual, political, social economic and spiritual strength of people and communities to make them a part of the main stream of the society. It implies that empowerment of all sections of the society is a pre-requisite for the creation and maintenance of a sound society and achievement of sustainable development.
              Gandhian philosophy of Sarvodaya is regarded as India’s distinctive contribution to the world. It is looked upon to stand for the welfare of all beings irrespective of age, sex, race, region and religion. In totality, it covers the well-being of all living beings. It means making all happy by removing suffering and poverty with the help of scientific knowledge. It is a vision that looks forward to the creation of a welfare state and society. In Sarvodaya society there is no scope for exploitation, discrimination, violence and inequality. Hence Gandhi gave a totally new perspective regarding the role of women in Indian society. He wished that in social, economic and political spheres women should be given full freedom. He believed that in Sarvodaya society women should not regard themselves as dependent, weak or helpless. Gandhiji wanted men and women to have equal status with men.
             This paper is an attempt to analyze how far the empowerment of women will help to raise their status in society and thereby leading to a Sarvodaya society wherein they enjoy an equal status with men in all walks of life.
Sarvodaya:-
              The idea of Sarvodaya is the apex of Gandhian socialism. It advocates the concept of organic unity where all individuals have equal importance and the raise of everyone is dependent on the rise of every other. Gandhiji’s Sarvodaya ideal thus implies the meaning of the universal welfare and integrated development of all. It can be considered as the only way to solve the problems of unemployment, unequal distribution of wealth, growing corruption in public life etc. A study on the nature of Gandhian Sarvodaya society reveals his clear cut views on social, political and economical orders, which are closely inter-related and inter-dependent. Status of women is one of the main tenets of Gandhian scheme of social order. Through Sarvodaya he wanted to rebuild the nation ‘from the bottom upwards’ and establish a new social order based on freedom, justice, equality and fraternity.
             Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest votaries of women’s liberty and rights, had deep faith in women’s power, abilities and their pivotal role in the reconstruction of society. He believed that the inclusive growth could be achieved only if all sections of society, including women participate in development. So we can say that in order to bring about a Sarvodaya society it is highly necessary that position of women in the society should be enhanced so that they can function as equal partners with men in the process of development. It was with this aim that many schemes like that of political reservation, MGNREGA etc were introduced in India. Through these programmes it was meant that women would be empowered politically as well as economically. Now let us have a brief look into these programs to find out how far these programmes have helped in the empowerment of women so as to bring about a Sarvodaya society.
Women’s Reservation policy as a method of political empowerment of women
                   India has been working for the empowerment of her women ever since independence. The government has been pushing ahead with programmes and policies aimed at imparting education to women, giving them better health care and providing them with means of livelihood. Framers and founders of free India resolved to improve the quality of life of women by implementing multi-dimensional development projects and policies. Through such policies they wanted to provide minimum needs of food, nutrition, health, security, drinking water, sanitation, environmental protection, shelter etc. They also envisaged the creation of gender equality and a casteless society where people might live in harmony. The makers of free India dreamt of a society, which besides keeping its traditional value and practices intact, accommodated the latest development processes. They tried to create a Sarvodaya society where nobody is left out of the development process. But despite these measures in favour of Indian women they continued to bear the brunt of societal discrimination.
                  Gandhi strongly favoured decentralization of power and authority and in this regard he had immense faith in women’s capacity. And his dream of decentralization of power was also aimed at enabling rural masses including women to join the main stream and participate in the process of their own development and governance. In independent India, the question of women’s limited representation came up for consideration at the national and state level from time to time. The constitution after guaranteeing equality to women in all spheres left their political representation to their own willingness, opportunity and support. The Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India (CSWI) stated that “the right to equality has not enabled women to play their roles as partners and constituents in the political process. Instead these rights have helped to build an illusion of equality and power which is frequently used as argument to achieve their just and equal position in society”1. What is needed is the emphasis on the need to involve women into the development process, which will strengthen women’s capabilities and thereby instill a sense of self confidence in them. To raise the status of women they must be economically, socially and politically empowered. 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 control resources which will assist in challenging and eliminating their own subordination”.2 Thus empowering women means to enhance their ability to influence changes to create a better society.
                   The 73rd Amendment of our Constitution in 1993 was a major milestone which ensured reservation of not less than 1/3rd of the seats for the women. The impact of reserving 1/3rd seats for women in the PRI’s has been fruitful to some extend. 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 developmental process. If this bill is implemented the number of women representation would increase three times. There is no doubt that democracy will be strengthened with the presence of more women through reservation. The lack of female representation is a failure of democracy, and a proper implementation of seat reservation will establish equality between men and women over time. Since women look at development in a different way they must be involved in the planning and implementation of all developmental programs. However it needs to be examined whether this massive rise in the numerical strength of women has brought about substantive changes in the status of women in India.
                    With the introduction of reservation or quota system in the Panchayati Raj Institutions, a great beginning has been made in the direction of legislative empowerment of women. As it is written by Ms. Sangeetha Krishana, “Panchayati Raj can be the best system for empowering women and marginalized communities given the facts that it is at the local level that many women are able to function without upsetting their house hold responsibilities.”3. Generally, whenever women are in positions of power, there is considerable improvement in governance in terms of efficiency, transparency, planning and accountability. It is observed that the representation of women had resulted in greater priority for issues such as drinking water supply and installation of pumps, the construction of wells, playground, roads, public toilets, health, sanitation and other community infrastructure.
                But there are so many constraints- social and institutional like caste and class inequalities, gender-based discrimination, family and social outlook, violence, lack of political experience, lack of knowledge and skill, lack of community support, bureaucratic apathy and so on which disturb the process of participation and level of performance of women. Hence we are forced to say that the implementation of the Act alone cannot bring wonders by effecting change overnight. However, we see that reservation has provided an opportunity for women’s entry into non-traditional space and possibility for erosion of traditional gender, caste -class roles and hierarchy. Women are generally doing well, leaving aside a few exceptions.


MGNREGA as a method of economic empowerment of women:-
               The 1920s and 1930s represent a transition in Gandhi’s views on women from the concept of women’s rights to the far more dynamic one of role. Because of his immense faith in women’s power, he stated that “the economic and moral salvation of India thus rests mainly with you (women). The future of India lives on your knees, for you will nurture the future generation…”4 Hence it can be said that Gandhiji helped to change the path of Indian women through his peaceful yet firm ways. He included women in his activities to bring about social, political and economic changes.
                  The basic aim of Gandhian economics is to provide full employment for the poor, really for all potential members of the work force, so that these workers can provide for their own necessities by their own efforts, in dignity, without depending on charity. It envisages the key role of manual labour and labour intensive modes of production. In a market economy, the basic requirement for poverty eradication is to ensure that the poor have the purchasing power. This is not to be achieved by distributing cash to those who need it, because what people need is not cash as such, yet goods and services and these needs are to be produced. The way out, therefore, is to provide employment to any one who needs it at a reasonable wage rate, to ensure that such employment generates goods and services that will come to be demanded by those who are employed newly. Thus, in a basically market-driven economy, productive employment for the masses is the most reasonable and surest way to lift everyone to a tolerable level of living.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act:-
                     The main aim of National Rural Employment Guarantee act enacted in September 2005 was to enchase the purchasing power of the rural people. It addresses mainly the rural poor and their right to work with dignity. It also aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by generating 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to rural household who volunteer to do unskilled manual work. NREGA was renamed as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on 2.10.2009. The work guarantee also serve other objectives like generating productive asserts, protecting environment, empowering rural women, reducing migration to urban areas and fostering social equity. Thus MGNREGA is a significant step towards realizing the right to work, which has been one of the goals of our constitution.
                        MGNREGA, as said earlier, aims to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment every year for at least one adult member of a household at the stipulated minimum wage rate of each state. But this minimum of 100 days is the current maximum. The intention is to create durable assets and livelihood resource bases on which the poor can rely upon.
                     MGNREG scheme has several gender dimensions such as one-third of the beneficiaries are to be women, ensuring of locally available employment, equal pay for men and women and space for child care at the work site. Women’s participation in the scheme is over 40% at the national level with the southern states accounting for very high rates. In some state like Kerala, MGNREG works have come to be stigmatized as women’s jobs unworthy for men. As it is pointed out by Dr. John Moolakkattu,  “Gender in employment guarantee schemes as focused on two areas. The first relates to women’s equitable access to jobs… The second relates to the design services delivered are focused on poor women”5. All these are implemented because the earning of women are critical not only for her but also for her family.
The Act stipulates that priority shall be given to women. In terms of implementation it mandates that a minimum of one-third of the beneficiaries are women who have registered and have requested for work. The highest women participation for the financial year 2008-09 was reported in Tamil Nadu 80% and in Kerala 84%. According to Dr. S. Vijay Kumar “MGNREGA is yielding better results compared to earlier poverty eradication programs… while the targets of this Act is to provide employment for 1/3rd (33%) of women in the country, it exceeded this target and it is close to 50%”.6  The scheme thus has become beacon light in the empowerment of rural women and contributed substantially for the increased living and economic conditions by creating equal wages to male and female workers and increasing the minimum wages.
                     Even though the scheme has now emerged as one of the important tools for rural development and for combating hunger and unemployment, now it faces various challenges and criticisms. There are some shortcomings pointed out like misappropriation of funds and that most of the works are confined to paper only and quality is not being maintained. But if it is implemented transparently, corruption will be eradicated and it will certainly enhance the standard of living of the rural people and become a real boon to them. I am sure that MGNREG scheme has the potential to lead to the economic empowerment of women and usher in greater democratization, if the opportunities thrown up by the scheme are put to effective use. When implemented properly, it can strengthen Panchayati Raj, lead to women empowerment and to contribute to democratic deepening.
Conclusion:-
             From the above account I would like to conclude that what Gandhi had envisioned about a Sarvodaya society which seems to be partly translated into reality through the participation and empowerment of women in the political sphere through the Reservation policy and in the economic sphere through the MGNREG scheme. The need for the hour is the establishment of Sarvodaya society in the full sense of the term. For this, I think there is an urgent need to adopt the Gandhian model of development and to ensure that the development programmes should be need-based rather than greed-based. Women are capable of managing these kinds of Gandhian programmes of development. Gandhian vision of development and approach to rural uplift thus can provide a more humane and equitable model of development thus leading to a Sarvodaya society.
References:-
1. Govt. of India: Report of the Committee on the Status of Women, Govt. of India (CSWI) N.Delhi, 1974 p.32
 2.Vanitha.B.Dr ‘Microcredit and Women’s empowerment with special reference to Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana’- Social Welfare March 2010.p.20.
3. Sangeetha Krishna, Ms , Gandhi, Women and Rural Development: An Empirical Exploration Gandhi Marg, Vol. 33, No: 3, Oct-Dec 2011, p.363.
4. Gandhi. M.K. “To the Women of India” Young India, 11.8.1921, CWMG, Vol.20 pp.495-99.
5. Moolekkattu John, Dr. NREGA: Issues and Implications, Gandhi Marg April-June 2008 Vol.3.No.1 p.11
6. Vijayakumar, Dr. S   MGNREGA: A Review, ‘Kurushshetra’ ,Jan 2011,p.32.
Dr.P.I.Devaraj & Dr. Syamala. 



Sunday 6 January 2013

Relevance Of Gandhian Ideals In The Scheme Of Value Education

The importance of providing value education is felt necessary today because the present system of education cannot contribute much to the individual and social development. Value-oriented education does not mean preaching of mere moral sciences or propagating particular religious tenets, but it is imparting knowledge of values considered functional for both individual as well as society.
Gandhi's philosophical, religious, economic and social approach and a number of contemporary Gandhian perspectives are relevant to an understanding of human values and social change today. By Gandhian ideals in the education policy, we will be able to inspire the whole world by his ideas of truth, nonviolence, peace and love.
Gandhi frequently asserted that mass illiteracy is a curse that hampers the development of a nation. He wrote: " I am a firm believer in the principle of free and compulsory primary education for India". Gandhi felt that education should not only increase knowledge but also develop culture in heart and hand. Another of Gandhi's interests lay in character building. Education without character building was not education according to him. He considered a strong character as the basic of a good citizen. So the issues of character building through value-based education on the one hand and that of integrating science and technology on the other hand have to go together.
So we, in the contemporary situation, have to draw a balanced evaluation of science because its progress has a great role to play in determining the directions of value education.
In order to bring about social change we have to channelize human values through education. Truth and nonviolence can generate human values. Declaring the importance of nonviolence, he said: "Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my reed."1 He further added: "Without Ahimsa it is not possible to seek and find truth, Ahimsa and truth are so intertwined that it is practically impossible to disintegrate and separate them. They are like the two sides of the same coin."2
Development of peace and security through cooperation seems to be essential for the modern society's progress and prosperity. This is possible because values and improvement are intertwined.
Value education in the sense of gaining knowledge of values is not enough but have to be realized and loved by selecting the values which are relevant and best suited to the needs of our country. Gandhi infused in us a hope through his ideals of love, tolerance, truth, nonviolence and service of mankind which are even more relevant today than they were in his own time and they will continue to exercise a lasting influence in our society.
It may be said that the foundations of an ideal civilization as conceived by Gandhi was based on Truth and Nonviolence as the integrally related means and ends. They are values central to any society because all human relations in the social, political as well as economic spheres are influenced by them in one way or the other. They are to be the standards and goals of our society. These can also become the foundations of a more peaceful and happy world order which is very much the need of mankind today.
P. I. Devaraj & Syamala K