A Book of Essays

A Book of Essays
Contributions by
Sunita Biswas
Rohit Sharma
R. Vidya
Kumar Vikram
Sabina Chawla
Ajit Kaur
Avinash Purohit
Isha Kapoor
Kalpana Rajaram
Editor
Kalpana Rajaram
2017
Spectrum Books Pvt. Ltd.

A1 291, First Floor, Janakpuri,
New Delhi 110 058
Editor’s Note to the Readers
This new edition of A Book of Essays comes in a new size, and

the essays have been revised and modified to incorporate fresh
facts and figures, even as obsolete information has been
discarded. In the process, several essays have been rewritten.
Several new essays have been added; there is also a new
set of essays on issues of current importance.
For the rest, the book covers a wide range of topics as
well as styles, and acquaints the reader with the nuances of
writing an essay.
A special feature of the book is the section containing a
large selection of quotations from various famous people and
their works. These have been classified alphabetically by subject
to allow easy access. They will be of help to students—if used
with caution, in context and with full understanding of the
meaning.
The earlier editions of this book have met with wide
appreciation, and we hope readers find this new edition even
more intellectually stimulating.
We are open to suggestions for improving the book.
Kalpana Rajaram
July 2017
Preface to the First Edition
Anything and everything under the sun, and beyond it,

qualifies as a subject for an essay. And each of the topics
can be written in a dozen different ways. In this book of
essays we have chosen topics from varied fields of
interest—politics, economics, social issues, scientific and
environmental study—and presented them in different
forms and styles. The aim is not to be comprehensive or
exhaustive, but to give an idea of how a subject may be
treated—how to begin, how to develop the theme, and how
to end.
It is to be emphasised that none of the essays claims
to be the only way in which a topic can be tackled.
Furthermore, readers would do well to develop their own
perspective, their own way of saying things. An essay, more
than any other form of writing, must have a personal touch.
These essays will certainly give the reader ideas on each
topic, besides knowledge of stylistic features. The topics
have been chosen to present particular viewpoints or to
argue a case. While most of them pertain to issues of
current interest, some have been included for their universal
and eternal relevance. Some hackneyed topics have been
deliberately excluded as plenty of material on them is
available elsewhere. A few essay outlines have been given
to enlarge the range covered.
It is sincerely hoped that the readers will gain an
insight into the art of writing an essay even while gleaning
some useful information by reading this book.
Kalpana Rajaram
1993
Contents
INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY 3

Forms 4
Approaches 5
Organisation 6
Style 9
Some do’s and don’ts for good writing 10
MODEL ESSAYS 13
Paradoxes of Democracy 15
Democracy Implies Tolerance of Dissent 19
The Role of Opposition in a Democracy 23
Role of Judiciary in a Democracy 27
Judicial Activism 31
Corruption in Public Life 37
Politics and Religion 43
The Politics of Communalism 47
Should there be Reservations? 50
Women should have Reserved Seats in Parliament 56
Is India ready for a Uniform Civil Code? 59
An Apolitical Defence Force 62
India’s Defence Needs in a Technological Scenario 68
United Nations—Role and Future 72
Can Human Rights be Universal Rights? 75
Human Rights and the Indian Armed Forces 81
Torture : The Living Death 87
The Changing Face of Terrorism 92
Can Terrorism be Justified? 97
Economic Liberalisation—Challenges before India 102
Privatisation of the Economy 107
India’s Population and Its Economic Implications 112
(v)
The Two-Child Norm for Population Control 116
People’s Participation in Development 120
Tourism : Potentials and Problems 124
The Changing Face of Indian Society 129
Changing Idea of Family 134
The Problems of Old Age 138
Law as an Instrument of Social Change 141
Morality and Law 147
Education in India—Lacunae and Remedies 151
Child Labour 157
Problems of Working Women 162
Violence against Women 166
Women need Empowerment 171
Ragging should be Curbed 175
The Rights and Wrongs of Free Expression 179
Advertising and Social Responsibility 184
Indian Cinema and Social Responsibility 189
Challenge Before Television in India 193
Television and Teenage Violence 197
The Scientific attitude rather than science is the need 201
of the day
Are science and art antithetical to each other? 206
Science and Literature 210
Science without religion is lame, religion without 215
science is blind
Information Revolution 220
Cyberspace and Internet—Boon or Bane 223
Sustainable Development and Environment 228
Pollution 232
Humans are the worst culprits in environmental 238
degradation
Biodiversity 242
What freedom means to me 247
Euthanasia : Can death be a therapy? 250
Non-Violence 255
Leadership 258
(vi)
Leisure—Its Useand Abuse 261
If the British had not colonised India... 264
On Good and Bad Neighbours 267
Superstitions 270
Sports sans Sportsmanship 274
Ethics in Sports 279
Men have failed; let women take over 283
The Indian Republic 286
Generation Gap 290
The Child is the Father of Man 293
Compassion is the basis of all morality 297
Our deeds determine us as much as we determine 299
our deeds
Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole 302
Be the change you want to see in others 305
Truth may be eclipsed but not extinguished 309
Crime : New Dimensions 313
Capital Punishment 319
Material Progress and Human Values 324
Animals too have rights 327
Growing Flexibility in Gender Roles of Men and Women 330
Relevance of Gandhi Today 333
ESSAYS ON CURRENT ISSUES

Cooperative Federalism in India 339
Election Funding in India 343
Water Disputes between States in India 348
Digital Economy 352
Near Jobless Growth in India 356
Sting Operations: Issue of Privacy vs. Public Interest 360
Media Freedom and Individual Privacy 364
Can technology take over human beings? 368
Rising Competition and its Effect on Youth 371
Are we a racist people? 374
Should there be liquor prohibition? 379
(vii)
ESSAYS IN BRIEF 381
History repeats itself 383
How free are we? 385
Democracy in India 387
Road Rage and Democratic Values 389
Laughter, Truth, and Universality 392
Protection from Internet Abuse 395
Terrorism can never lead to democracy 397
Is teaching just a job? 400
The world needs more tolerance 402
Criminalisation of Politics 404
Is the nation-state dying out? 406
The test of democracy is in the freedom of criticism 408
The great end of life is not knowledge but action 410
Why should smoking be banned in public places? 412
Education is Freedom 414
The tragedy of old age is not that one is old but 416
that one is young
Is government going out of fashion? 418
Indians are non-violent by nature 420
Indians are not non-violent by nature 421
Death penalty solves nothing 423
Don’t ban capital punishment 424
Violence on the Increase 425
Examinations are a necessary evil 426
Pleasures of Reading 428
Can television affect society? 430
Science: Blessing or Curse? 432
FROM THE WORLD OF QUOTATIONS ...

Quotations 435
(viii)
Introduction
Introduction to the Essay 3
Introduction to
the Essay
E
ssay. The word comes from the French essai (an attempt), first
applied in 1580 by Montaigne to his short writings. The chief
implication in the word being “a tentative study”, an essay
is often of a few pages, but there is no fixed length. (In an
examination, however, a word limit is usually given; if not, the
time limit governs the length. In a matter of three hours you could
be expected to write an essay of about 2000–2500 words.)
The literary genre allows a great variety of styles: from
Bacon’s pithy erudition to Lamb’s chatty and personal ramblings,
to the impersonal, formal analysis of Locke’s ‘Essay Concerning
the Human Understanding’. Today, the essay is no longer “a loose
sally of the mind, an irregular, indigestible piece”, as averred by
Dr. Johnson. It is a short literary composition, well-organised,
governed by a broad controlling idea on a subject—indeed, any
subject, so long as it is something of meaning in the life of human
beings.
Before we go on to discuss the general characteristics of an
essay and the do’s and don’ts, we may ask what teachers and
examiners expect when they assign an essay. Obviously an essay
must be literate; it is hard to imagine “correct” ideas expressed
in “incorrect” language. If the language is not right, how does your
reader know what you are talking about?
You are also expected to know what you are talking about.
Occasionally you may be asked to write from personal experience;
usually, however, you would be using facts, figures, theories and
ideas that you have culled from others. Clearly, this is one aspect
of academic writing— research. You have to gather the information
you may require, and this can be done only through wide-ranging
4 A Book of Essays
reading, serious thought and discussion. Listening to radio and

watching television discussions/development programme also
help widen your intellectual grasp. The information you gather
should cover several areas of interest, as the subjects for an essay
are practically limitless.
However, whatever you know on a subject is expected to be
dexterously organised and presented. The point—the thesis—of
the essay should be clear to the reader. An essay is not a shapeless
mass of ideas and feelings, facts and figures, incidents and events,
but a well-designed piece of penmanship.
To meet these expectations, you will need to develop the
skills associated with the different stages of essay writing.
Forms
Although there are, indeed, an infinity of subjects, there are only
a handful of forms in which problems can be assigned.
Describing
The simplest assignment of all is to describe something. Here you
have to concentrate on only element. Descriptive essays are pen-
portraits of people, scenes or events. Descriptions can be static or
dynamic.
Comparing and Contrasting
There are two elements here. Whatever the wording, if you are
asked to handle two items, your approach is the same: to find
out (a) what links the items together; (b) what distinguishes them
from each other; and (c) to work from there to a conclusion. Some
topics of this kind could be: Indian Economy—Before and After
Independence; Population Concerns in Developing and Developed
Countries; Democracy and Dictatorship.
Defining
Defining means to pin down a concept with great exactness—
saying what characteristics it has, and what characteristics it lacks.
The number of elements you introduce here is up to you. Such
an approach would be called for in the topic ‘What is meant by
Democracy?’ or ‘What is Scientific Temper?’ or ‘What is Religion?’
Investigating Causes
Here you are requested to probe into the roots of a problem. It
takes a given situation and asks how or why it has come about.
‘Why is there a resurgence of fundamentalism today?’ and ‘Account
for the growing violence in society’ are examples. You are free
to discuss as many elements as you want to or possibly can in
a limited time.
Classifying
Some subjects treat an endless array of elements, and all of them
(at least the most important) need to be discussed. Some examples:
‘Ways of Tackling Terrorists’, ‘Attitudes of Teenagers towards
Authority’, ‘Politicians’.
Making a Case
You might be asked to argue for or against a certain point of view.
Making a case is not simply a matter of stating your opinion, take
it or leave it. You will be expected to convince the reader. Weak
or illogical arguments will destroy your case. You must consider
arguments for the other side, how far they are valid and how far
they can be demolished. When you consider your own point of
view, it is wise to locate and consider its weaknesses as well before
playing them down, showing that they do not destroy the main
thrust of your argument. ‘Should smoking be banned?’; ‘Is space
research relevant to a poor country like India?’; ‘Should mothers
go out to work?’—these essays demand that you take a stand and
argue its validity.
A Bit of All Things
There is no watertight compartmentalisation between one form and
another: a certain amount of description is bound to intrude into
an essay in the form of argumentation; similarly, a certain amount
of comparison and contrast may come into an essay basically in
the form of definition. What is to be kept in mind is that the
overarching form chosen should be one.
Approaches
Whatever the subject and the form it is to take, there are different
approaches to it, different frameworks in which you will ‘define’,
‘describe’ or ‘classify’.
You may use the discussion mode—ask what and how, and
consider consequences that emerge from the theme of the essay.
In the concentric approach, you will proceed from one focal
point and move to widening concentric circles; this is what you
will do if you are looking at a title from different levels of
consciousness, say from the levels of childhood, adolescence and
maturity.
6 A Book of Essays
Some titles can be examined in the chronological order, from

the ancient to the modern times or from morning to night.
There can be an empirical framework which, however, requires
illustrations or examples in whose context the title can be examined.
This framework can relate to countries, geographical regions or
communities according to what the title demands.
You may define, classify or describe in a structural context;
for instance, the title can be examined under the categories of
political, social, economic, and cultural aspects. Or it can be put
in a sociological context—the perspective of rural-urban or the
classes (rich, poor, middle class, management, workers, and so on).
The form or framework is the skeleton of the essay giving
support and weight to the ideas that flesh it out. It keeps the flow
of ideas in check and sees to it that the essay does not become
a haphazard collection of statements. A work of art involves
imagination and sensitivity, but it is a disciplined imagination and
sensitivity.
Organisation
Whatever the form of the essay, the subject needs to be presented
in an organised manner. Organisation is not a goal in itself; it is
a means to an end. In an essay, organisation serves to make the
point or thesis clear to the reader. There is difference of opinion
on the writing process: some would say, draw up a formal outline
and follow it strictly, while others would advise “free writing”.
A compromise is best—think out a preliminary plan and try to
stick to it, but do not let the plan stifle your creative flow.
An essay, as pointed out earlier, is no longer a loose rambling,
but a structured piece with a beginning (introduction), a middle
(body) and an end (conclusion). Within this broad structure, the
development of the thesis may vary. If you choose to present your
thesis as a theorem, you may state it at the very beginning as a
hypothesis to be proved. This, however, should be followed by
firm logical proof, to be concluded with an affirmation of the thesis.
Most topics for essays, however, do not accord well with this kind
of treatment, as unarguable proof is rare outside the pure sciences.
Usually, you are required to work with more controversial
arguments. When this happens, the appropriate form is an inquiry.
An inquiry begins with a problem. It evaluates the available
evidence and reaches a conclusion. It raises questions, overt or
implied—the what and the how and possible consequences (good
or bad)—that emerge out of the title of the essay. The ensuing

discussion leads to the conclusion which is the statement of the
thesis.
Understand the Title
The first step in writing the essay is to understand the title—know
clearly what is being asked. Consider, for instance, the topics—
‘The Status of Women in India’, ‘Problems of a Working Woman’,
‘Should a Mother Go Out to Work?’ All three are related to women,
but each one is different from the other. It is necessary to dovetail
your arguments and ideas to the topic as given. Elaborating on
the position of women will be out of place in an essay dealing
with the specific issue of mothers going out to work.
Make an Outline
Once the title is clearly understood, decide on the form of the
essay. You must have a clear outline showing the progressive
movement of the essay, paragraph by paragraph. An outline helps
to keep you from straying into irrelevancies; it gives you an idea
of how each paragraph is to carry forward your thesis. Obviously,
outlining is closely linked with paragraphing.
The Broad Contours of an Essay
The Beginning An essay should let the reader know at the
outset or early enough what it is about. It is not enough for the
title to say it; you must spell out the topic in the essay itself. The
introduction should be striking enough to catch the reader’s
attention. There are several ways of opening an essay:
● You could give a general statement of the topic from which
you could then proceed to the particular aspects.
● You could start with a quotation. But the quotation should
be relevant and naturally lead on to a discussion of the
topic.
● The technique of starting with an anecdote could be
striking if used cleverly. The anecdote should be short and
have some bearing on the subject. Indeed, if it were
possible to make a natural transition from anecdote to the
subject, it would be all the better. The anecdotal beginning,
however, suits the lighter form of treatment or a not very
formal context.
● A beginning could be in the form of a rhetorical question
which does not require an answer but is simply a trick
for sweeping the readers off their feet.
8 A Book of Essays
● You could begin by giving the conclusion first (the danger

here being that the writer is often unable to make a smooth
transition to the next paragraph).
Experiment will help you more with openings than will
guidelines, however. Just keep the aim of a good beginning in
mind: it tries to hook the reader’s interest, to suggest that the essay
is worth reading. But the introduction should be brief.
The Body Develop the ideas as jotted down in the outline
into major paragraphs.
How to structure paragraphs? There are no rules— but there
are certain common sense guidelines. First, the reader should be
told fairly early in the paragraph what it is about. (The sentence
announcing the topic is traditionally called the topic sentence.) The
paragraph usually contains information or argumentation that goes
well beyond this opening statement. Finally, on completing the
paragraph, the reader should know how it fits in with the overall
structure of the essay; clarifying the point of a paragraph is called
pointing. These three “requirements” can be breached for a good
many reasons, but, taken as they stand, they offer a classic three-
part paragraph:
● What the paragraph is about—topic sentence.
● What the paragraph has to say about the subject—
information or argument.
● How the paragraph fits in—pointing.
The paragraphs in an essay must be crafted to fit a master
plan. Without pointing, you may create a string of paragraphs, but
it will not be an essay. The structure of a paragraph calls for unity,
with the sentences in it contributing towards explaining or
supporting the thesis put forward by the topic sentence. And this
should be done logically, sequentially.
The length of paragraphs vary, indeed must vary to avoid
monotony, in an essay. Depending on its purpose a paragraph
could run into a single sentence or a multitude of sentences. (A
transitional paragraph, for example, need not exceed a sentence
or two.)
Linking Paragraphs By contributing to the thesis of the essay,
each paragraph is linked to the other by the unity of idea.
However, unification among the paragraphs is also to be achieved
structurally, through transitional words and phrases. These words
or phrases help to show the progress of the essay. Some such words
and phrases and their purpose are as follows:
Addition or continuation : next, besides, further, again, moreover,

likewise, in addition.
Comparison : similarly, somewhat similar, in a like manner,
likewise.
Contrast : however, but, on the contrary, after all, nevertheless,
still, and yet, notwithstanding, at the same time.
Concession : although, after all, naturally, it may be admitted, of
course.
Exemplification : for example, for instance, in particular, specifically,
in fact, incidentally, in other words.
Result, consequence : thus, as a result/consequence, in short,
hence, therefore, accordingly, then.
Passage of time : of late, since, until, thereafter, soon, meanwhile,
while, shortly, immediately, at length, from this point.
Summarisation : to conclude, to sum up, on the whole, in a
nutshell, in brief.
Miscellaneous : without doubt, the question which arises, so far
so good, in spite of, paradoxically, at the outset, as a matter of
fact.
The paragraphs combine to build up the thesis of the essay.
Neither the sentences nor the paragraphs can be thought of as
independent units. An essay is an organic whole in which each
part is fused into another.
The Conclusion A clever lawyer does not sum up a case
simply by repeating the established facts. Instead, the lawyer
hammers home the conclusion to be drawn from the facts: the
unquestionable guilt (or innocence) of the accused. Try to think
of your closing paragraph on similar lines.
The conclusion of an essay should carry the natural climax
of the subject. It must grow out of the body of the essay and not
be abrupt or seem imposed or forced. It should either put the point
of the essay in a fresh light or embody the thesis that has been
developed through the essay. It is best not to be categorical, but
the conclusion should give a sense of finality to the composition.
Style
The subject and its organisation may not be enough to make your
essay leave an impact on your reader. How you present the matter
is equally important. Part of the presentation is, of course, the form
or framework you adopt. It has to be suitable for the subject at
hand. Logical development of ideas is important, too. The tone
10 A Book of Essays
or perspective—humorous, ironic, serious, meditative,

argumentative—should harmonise with the subject matter. Besides,
attention must be paid to the mechanics of writing—spelling,
punctuation, grammar and usage.
Some do’s and don’ts for good writing

● Consider the title carefully—what it means and what its
scope is. Is it asking you to generalise, establish a particular
view, or take your own stand? If you do not agree with what
a title states categorically do not attempt the essay, for
generally you are not expected to argue against the title.
(Some writers, no doubt, can do it but it requires flair and
self-confidence.) In this context, you may compare these two
titles — “India is not fit to be a democracy” and “Is India
fit to be a democracy?” The first requires you to support
the statement, while the second allows you the choice of
your own view.
● Select a perspective and a pattern for developing your thesis.
Jot down your points and arrange them in the pattern
without losing sight of your perspective.
● Use words effectively. This does not mean using difficult
words or ‘flowery’ language. What it implies is that each
word should contribute to the development or explanation
of the idea. It is best to avoid archaic and obsolete usage;
some examples—albeit, ere, methink and trow. Foreign
words, unless they have achieved currency in English, had
better be left out. Also to be avoided is slang, even what
is known as journalese, i.e., words coined by journalists and
newspapers for effect. Above all, if you are not sure of the
meaning of a word, do not use it; ‘malapropism’ has no place
in your writing. A recent edition of a standard dictionary
will help you to identify such slang expressions. Effective
use of words also requires you to know which word to use
and where. There are several synonymous words, but they
are not always interchangeable.
● Stay clear of cliches or time-worn idioms, such as “keeping
the wolf from the door”, “from the frying pan into the fire”.
Sayings such as “variety is the spice of life”, “there is no
time to stand and stare” have been over used and are thus
hackneyed.
● If you have a good memory, you may be tempted to strew
your essay with quotations to emphasise your point of view.

Resist the temptation firmly. Quotations become dangerous
props indicating by their presence the writer’s lack of ideas
or inability to express what he or she feels. If you have to
use quotations, use them rarely and only in context where
they give depth to an idea.
● Check your writing for unnecessary repetition. Some
avoidable repetitions are given below:
Arun is never late for work; he is always either early or on
time.
Mrs.Gupta kept her house spotless, and it was perfectly clean.
The butcher was very thin. This thinness was commented on
by many of his customers. His customers commented on it
because it seemed so inappropriate in a butcher. What would
be more appropriate in a butcher, they felt, was a sort of jovial
chubbiness.
In all these cases, the effectiveness of what is being said can
be doubled by saying it only once.
The passage below exemplifies the kind of mindless use of
words you should avoid. Mistaken for argumentation, it merely
epitomises the art of saying nothing in so many words.
This paper will attempt to document the way in which the Industrial
Revolution changed the lives of so many people. The great
technological upheaval known to us as the Industrial Revolution
altered the way in which almost all levels of the society of the
time functioned. Without this extraordinary Revolution, none of the
changes that have made our lives what they are today would
have occurred. Probably this period left untouched the life of no
one who lived through it. What we are confronted with here is
a staggering volcanic eruption in technology, science and
manufacturing techniques of every kind that caused the most far-
reaching reversals in the life, the existence, the day-to-day habits
and the most profound beliefs of almost every soul on this planet.
Yes, our society in all its ramifications was destined never to be
the same again. No life, however high or however humble, passed
through the Industrial Revolution unscathed. In the whole previous
history of the world nothing had wrought such an unforeseen,
such a revolutionary effect. Let’s take some examples. How many
cities and villages, how many families large and small saw the
familiar old way of life that they loved and knew so well slipping
away from them as the new ways took over? No subject has
attracted more research or more detailed scholarly comment than
12 A Book of Essays
this: we know more about this period than perhaps about any
period before or since. In conclusion, what this mass of evidence
points to is the extent to which the Industrial Revolution did indeed
inexpressibly affect the hard but rewarding lives of so many of
our American forebears.
● Check your writing for correctness. There is no place for
ungrammatical sentences in an essay. And do not risk using
words, phrases, expressions about whose meaning or
correctness you are not sure. Avoid long and rambling
sentences in which you as well as the reader may get lost.
● An essay is certainly bound to reflect the personality and views
of the writer. However, it would be pragmatic, from the point
of view of an examination, to keep extreme opinions to oneself
and not express idiosyncracies.
● Be clear, lucid and simple.
Model
Essays
Paradoxes of
Democracy
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Democracy has become a popular term today.
2. The dilemmas of democracy are rooted in the difference
between theory and practice.
3. The freedoms of democracy can be carried too far;
result will be tyranny or chaos.
4. Liberty and equality—basic tenets of democracy are in
themselves incompatible if taken to their extreme
implications.
5. Conditions for democracy to succeed call for a
compromise between different forces.
6. The balance between different forces, if upset, makes
democracy appear full of paradoxes.
E
VERY nation in the world today either desires to be a
democracy, or claims to be one. With the dissolution of the
communist bloc, ‘democracy’ is the magic word. Democracy
has been defined variously by various people. The essential
elements in all these definitions that may be said to characterise
democracy are legal equality, political freedom and rule of law.
Intertwined in all this is the concept of human rights. It is seen
to promise everything good—politically, socially and economically.
And yet, if we only think a little, democracy is full of dilemmas,
contradictions and paradoxes.
The basic problem is that theory and practice are not necessarily
identical. The conditions for the success of democracy rarely exist.
The rights that democracy so liberally bestows on everyone need
to be balanced by certain duties and limitations if democracy is
to succeed. Democracy assumes human beings to be basically
good, rational and capable of self-restraint; assumptions that are
often belied in reality. So the freedom is often misused.
16 A Book of Essays
Democracy prides itself on the freedom it gives to dissent.

In what other system could one freely write a book on how to
topple governments? However, this dissent can be carried too far,
even to the extent of proving dangerous to the unity of the country
and its social fabric. And then a democratic system faces the
dilemma of how to control it. Forced to use force, its hands are
tied, for it cannot use too much of it; if it does, then democracy
would die. But if it lets dissent go uncontrolled, then too it would
be destroyed.
A liberal order gives basic autonomy to human beings and
institutions but this often makes cohesive orderly living difficult.
One cannot quite see how autonomy graduates into secessionistic
desires, but it often does. Groups, sub-groups, and even smaller
groups begin to seek ‘independence’. A legitimate question that
comes up is: when and at what point should these sub-divisions
cease? We have the experience of the various regions and groups
of people within states seeking and demanding autonomy and
then separate statehood for themselves. To what extent will these
be workable? Democratic impulses towards freedom to live one’s
own way here clashes with principles of political and economic
viability. Beyond the demands for separate statehood, there are
cries of ‘azaadi’ in demonstrations: even if one is not clear as to
what kind of azaadi or freedom is being desired in all such
sloganeering, in some cases it is clear that there are calls for
secession from India. Here there is a practically irresoluble
dilemma: whose right to freedom is to be granted? That of the
secessionists or that of the people who don’t want to leave? Both
sides represent the ‘will of the people’ so quintessential of
democracy. There is the equally compelling political need to keep
a nation united so that democracy can survive and a split into
unviable little warring nations is avoided.
Democracy confers certain rights on the people. But more
often than not these rights are abused in the name of resisting
oppression. An unbalanced insistence on one’s rights without a
corresponding realisation of one’s duties creates indiscipline and
disorder and, in reality, an erosion of the democratic principle.
When terrorists demand their ‘rights’ with the aid of guns and
bombs, and the people in general—even the majority—succumb
to that force, not willingly but out of fear, whose rights are to be
respected? If the State resorts to force, in the circumstances, and
terrorists are killed, the issue of violation of human rights comes
up. It is pointed out that no one will take up arms if the State
is sensitive to people’s needs—though this is a debatable point,

some political ideologies being based primarily on the use of
violent means to achieve their ends. Democracy allows these
elements also to flourish. So, do democratic rights include the right
to the freedom to kill so as to achieve a goal—which is what the
terrorists assume? And what about the rights of those who are
coerced by threats? A dilemma not easily resolved.
Liberty and equality are both basic to democracy, but are not
these two concepts intrinsically opposed? Can liberty, which allows
a human being to develop his or her individuality, expand
mentally and acquire what he or she desires to the full, be
reconciled with equality, which by its very nature puts a check
on such individual aspirations for the welfare of a group, a
community, a collectivity? Democracies resort to ‘positive
discrimination’ on the one hand, and turn a blind eye to monopolistic
concerns, on the other, in trying to reconcile such contradictions.
The success of democracy requires certain conditions.
Individuals have to learn tolerance and understand that freedom
is not unbridled but dependent on not harming another individual’s
well-being. Democracy demands from the common person a
certain level of ability and character: rational conduct, an intelligent
understanding of public affairs, independent judgement, tolerance
and unselfish devotion to public interest. Democracy assumes civic
capacity on the part of its citizens, as pointed out by J. Bryce, and
this capacity involves intelligence, self-control and conscience. The
citizens must be able to understand the interests of the community,
to subordinate their own will to the general will and must feel
their responsibility to the community. What happens in reality is
that indolence makes itself felt in the neglect to study and reflect
on public issues; private self-interest reveals itself in class legislation
and corruption; party spirit kills independent judgement. Democracy
is based on certain theoretical values but human imperfection
prevents them from flowering in practice.
In practice democracy is the rule of ignorance. Indeed, Sir
Henry Maine went so far as to say that democracy can never
represent the rule of the many because, as a rule, the people
merely accept the opinions of their leaders. Parliament is rarely
“a mirror of the nation” it does not truly represent every element
and interest in the nation in proportion to its relation to the whole.
And as Voltaire said, equality is a myth—“it is as impossible for
men to be equal as it is impossible for two professors of theology
not to be jealous of each other”.
18 A Book of Essays
Democracy contains within it the seeds of dissolution and

decay, as well as of life and progress. It is very much possible
that it may lead to the despotism of a collective mediocrity,
resulting in the negation of freedom, the free play of self-interest,
and the deterioration of individual and national character. But
under favourable conditions, democracy encourages the intelligence,
self-reliance, initiative and social sense of free people by placing
the ultimate responsibility for government on the citizens
themselves; it makes authority a trust, and ensures equal
consideration for all.
Democracy in truth calls for a balance between different forces,
between self-interest and consideration for others, between rights
and duties, between individual freedom and the freedom of a
fellow being. A successful democracy manifests a reconciliation of
opposites. If this balance is not achieved or is not maintained,
democracy appears to be a bundle of paradoxes.
Democracy Implies
Tolerance of Dissent
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Democracy by its very nature incorporates a variety of
opinions and, by implication, accommodates dissent.
2. Minority views must be considered even if decision is by
majority in a democracy.
3. Dissent has a positive role, and exists even in non-
democratic systems.
4. Suppression of dissent is dangerous.
5. Extreme dissent can cause harm to democratic system,
so checks put on various ‘freedoms’.
6. Dissent in various spheres of public life—political, social,
cultural..
7. Conclusion: without dissent, the system would not be
democratic.
T
HE ancient Greek word ‘democracy’ literally means ‘rule
by the demos’. The term ‘demos’ is generally translated as
‘the people’, and the ‘people’ implies the whole population,
particularly the adult population, of a tribe, a territory or a country.
The entire population or the collectivity obviously comprises a
multitude of individuals as units. It is well-known that no two
individuals in a collectivity, mechanical or organic, can be alike:
their needs and aspirations differ even as their physical and mental
compositions differ. Naturally, their views, notions, beliefs and
habits are not similar and yet the concept and practice of and the
rule of/by the people, however disparate, is very much in
existence.
In practice, by ‘the people’ we mean the majority of the
people. As such, in a democracy, whatever the majority decides
is carried out by the entire population. This, however, does not
mean that the majority is entitled to lord it over the minority.
Rather, democracy thrives only on the willing co-operation of the
20 A Book of Essays
minority and on the protection guaranteed to the rights and

freedoms, and tolerance of, if not agreement with, the views and
beliefs of the minorities. It leaves much scope for dissent, i.e., there
may be people who think differently from official ideas or the
ideas of the majority.
Dissent is not necessarily a negative concept; it offers an
alternative to the prevailing ideas, institutions and system, and
exists even in non-democratic systems. The views of Boris Yeltsin
were at one time expressive of dissent from the dominant and
established socialist principles in what was then the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics. There was always a dissenting voice
against the monarchical form of government in Nepal. In a healthy,
working democracy, the voice of the minority is given a full
hearing, even if decision is by the majority. Debate and discussion
not only clear the air, but also help to bring about a compromise.
There is a certain amount of accommodation of even opposing
viewpoints.
Should the positive phenomenon of dissent be suppressed,
there would be resentment and growing anger. Frustration would
lead to a revolt against the established system. And finally there
might be a revolution, involving great violence, bloodshed and
destruction of all sorts. It is, therefore, better to tolerate expression
of dissent, which would provide a ventilation of the different views
and pent-up feelings, in the larger interest of democratic set-up.
Extremes of dissent can, however, cause havoc in any system,
more so in a democracy. As such, it has always been advocated
to fix a permissive limit of dissent. In a democracy, people enjoy
various kinds of freedom: of economic pursuit, belief (political,
religious and others), expression, association, etc. But these
freedoms of an individual or group of people cannot be permitted
to cause injury to another individual or the collectivity, or to
adversely affect the social or national fabric. Fascism cannot be
allowed to take roots, although some people may be tempted to
support it on the grounds of dissent or as an alternative system.
For if democracy is for the people, dissent that goes against the
people in general must be checked. One of the vulnerable aspects
of democracy is that its liberality can be taken advantage of by
those very people who, in the end, subvert the system by
suppressing the voice of dissent if it goes against them.
In the political arena, one can witness dissent on two levels—
intra-party and inter-party. Intra-party dissent implies that though
the party has a corpus of rules and discipline and a particular

modus operandi, some party members may put dissenting notes to
some of the provisions or may not agree with the style of
functioning of the leadership. This dissent has to be accommodated
by the leadership, otherwise the party will have an authoritarian
image amongst the masses, or may split. At the same time, the
dissent should be expressed only on the party platform, not
publicly, otherwise the party will be weakened. Similarly, democracy
permits the establishment and continuation of political parties of
various hues and views. If the strong suppress the weak, there
will come a time when a one-party rule under a dictator would
be established. Thus, the democratic structure will collapse.
Whenever the political parties in India showed an intolerance of
dissent, they themselves broke up or the people were forced to
experience a bitter bout of authoritarianism. The existence of
various parties like Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal, the
Communist parties and other national and regional parties clearly
manifests the requisite tolerance of different points of view.
People in a democracy have freedom of vocation and economic
pursuit to earn their livelihood. And this results in various
vocations. Here, too, dissent may appear, more specifically regarding
the macro-economic policy. For example, some may advocate
liberalisation, others mixed economy or capitalism while yet others
support nationalisation and the socialistic approach. All the
dissenting views have to be tolerated and given a hearing, even
if not entirely accommodated within the official view. It is respect
for opposing viewpoints that prompts ministers and official
spokesmen to clarify or sometimes even modify policies and
programmes, facilitating a wider plan of action.
In a democratic society, one group or class may differ in its
form and structure from the majority. But the majority should not
interfere in that form or structure or resort to value judgements.
As human nature has it, every form and composition of a social
group is found comfortable by its members and any forcible
attempt from outside to alter it would defeat the very objective
of democracy. Should a particular group of Kerala or the North-
East be asked to change its matrilineal form of family just because
it does not conform with “mainstream” practice? Can democracy
be valued if anyone tries to impose the social norms of one group
upon other groups? ‘Live and let live’ is a basic principle of
democracy.
22 A Book of Essays
Cultural diversity is a common phenomenon in almost every

part of the world; India is no exception. A variety of religion,
custom, food habits, dress-styles, languages, dance and other art
forms, exists in India. Some of the cultural units are just microscopic
minorities and may appear to others as awkward and ridiculous.
But we can never hope to keep the national fabric intact by making
fun of them. A temple, a mosque, a church and a gurudwara are
equally sacred to the respective religions: one cannot stand or fall
at the cost of another.
Given the nature and philosophy of democracy, we can infer
that there is something wrong, something missing, in the society
or a country that claims to be democratic, but in which dissent
is conspicuous by its absence.
The Role of
Opposition in a
Democracy
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Place of ‘opposition’ in various forms of government and
origin of the concept.
2. Opposition and the party system.
3. Functions of opposition in a democracy—form alternative
government; check government arbitrariness; build up
public opinion and get it incorporated into policies; bring
up priority issues for attention of the policy-makers;
ensure the upholding of the Constitution.
4. In times of national crisis, a democracy gains strength
as government and opposition act in concert.
5. Responsible behaviour required if opposition is to work
for the nation’s good.
6. The opposition is the check on absolutism.
S
OME forms of rule cannot tolerate opposition, and root it
out wherever it arises. Other forms not only tolerate it, but
make room for it within the institutions of government. This
feature of ‘internalised opposition’ has sometimes been taken as
a mark of limited, as opposed to absolute government, and also
as the mark of politics, as opposed to coercion. It is hard to imagine
the feature without extremely complex institutions and constitutional
devices: it is one of the principal problems of political thought
to discover what makes such opposition possible. The use of the
term ‘opposition’, to denote forces within political institutions that
resist the ruling officers or party, is comparatively recent.
Although the term ‘opposition’ was used as far back as the
eighteenth century to refer to a party or a caucus within an
assembly, the suggestion of an established opposition is relatively
new. It is now, however, quite normal to refer to a ‘loyal
24 A Book of Essays
opposition’, and to imply that the interests of the State are as well
served by the opposition as by the government itself.
The ‘opposition’ in the modern British Parliament consists not
merely of opposition parties or factions, but also of a ‘shadow
formation’. The offices of government are imitated within the
opposition, which thereby forms itself into a body prepared to
substitute for all the occupants of those offices at any time. The
opposition has its leader, its base organisation and committees,
and usually responds to every move of the government with
counterproposals, representing, in theory, what it would do if it
were in office.
Even in countries with high levels of repression it is rare to
find no trace of opposition. In single-party systems, the opposition
may exist as an underground movement or an opposition may
engage in armed struggle. Undue repression of the opposition
often results in bloodshed and even change of government through
violent means.
In democratic systems, the opposition is officially permitted
and recognised. Even the leader of opposition is given an
honourable place in the system. In Britain, the position of the
leader of Her Majesty’s opposition is formalised in statute and
he or she has certain rights, such as the right of reply to prime
ministerial broadcasts. In India, too, the opposition leader has been
given certain rights and privileges on par with a cabinet minister
if he/she commands the support of the required number of
Parliament members.
The concept of opposition in the modern democratic state is
closely connected with the idea of the political party. A political
party is a more or less organised group of citizens who act together
as a political unit, have distinctive aims and opinions on the
leading political issues and problems in the state, and who, by
acting together as a political unit, seek to obtain control of the
government. The opposition comprises the party (or parties) out
of the government at a given point of time.
Why does democracy demand the existence of opposition?
An opposition party always looks for an opportunity to replace
the party-in-government, and implement its own policies and
programmes. As a result, it serves two purposes. One, the
government of the day eschews being arbitrary in its actions and
negligent of the interests of the people in general; on the other,
the people of a democratic country are offered an alternative in
governance of the country in their own interests.
The opposition parties also enable men and women who think
alike on public questions to unite in support of a common body

of principles and policies and to work together to see that those
principles and policies are adopted and implemented by the
government. The opposition makes articulate the inarticulate
desires of sections of the masses. This goes a long way in checking
violence and political crimes which are, in reality, fatal for the
healthy survival of democracy.
Out of the innumerable problems which call for solution in
a state, the opposition is expected to select those which are
comparatively urgent, study them, think out solutions and present
them to the people and to the government. And, thus, it acts as
a ‘broker of ideas’ as Lowell says. It preserves a sense of continuity
in public policy, organises and educates the electorate, and helps
to carry on and necessitate regular elections. It also dramatises
politics and keeps the nation politically alive. It keeps the
government on its toes.
The opposition, like the judiciary, is an agent for safeguarding
the Constitution in case the government wittingly or unwittingly
does something to violate it. The opposition also necessitates
periodic interpretation, re-interpretation and amendment of the
Constitution to suit changes in times. The opposition’s views are
usually taken into consideration in legislating on socially-sensitive
matters. The opposition has the capacity to instil in the government
the confidence and ability to deal with national crises. Here, the
opposition’s support means that the entire country is behind the
government in the hour of crisis. Moreover, the opposition also
gives credence and authenticity to measures of the government
taken in the interest of the people and the State. The parties outside
power extend support to certain measures as they cannot afford
to be regarded as anti-people or anti-nation as they, too, have
ultimately to face the praise or wrath of the public. Thus, the
opposition does not always have to oppose the government.
Sometimes, the parties in opposition oppose the government
measures merely for the sake of opposition. This delays even the
progressive steps of the government and results in waste of time,
money and material. It also misleads the masses. Not infrequently,
the leaders in opposition resort to demagogy which is harmful
for the nation’s health. Howsoever politically ignorant the people
may be, they do not easily forgive such irresponsible and
delinquent behaviour on the part of an opposition party.
In a democracy, the modus operandi of the opposition involves
going to the people and criticising the government, giving press-
statements, debating and discussing issues in Parliament, arousing
26 A Book of Essays
public opinion, both national and international, and placing no-

confidence motions against the government. In India, submitting
a memorandum to the President is also a common practice. All
these are commensurate with the democratic norms and contribute
to the consolidation and stabilisation of democracy in the social
and political system.
An opposition that is obstructive in parliament, rushing to
the well of the house in defiance of the speaker/chairperson,
tearing up memoranda, shouting and holding up proceedings
proves damaging to the spirit of democracy; besides, it holds up
the progress of the nation. An opposition needs to behave
responsibly even as it puts pressure on the ruling dispensation
to accept its just demands.
If democracy has come to stay, it is not because it is the perfect
form of self-government. Unlike dictatorship or totalitarian systems,
it does not believe in self-evident principles. No plan or policy
can benefit the people if we look only at its ‘pros’ and deny the
‘cons’. Only the opposition can provide those ‘cons’. Above all,
it is the opposition that puts a rein on the power of the government
and checks it from becoming absolute.
Role of Judiciary
in a Democracy
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Concept of separation of powers in a democracy.
2. Independent judiciary a must in a democracy.
3. Role of the judiciary—judge the validity of laws passed;
decide on the right and wrong of executive actions;
uphold the Constitution and resolve constitutional
deadlocks and dilemmas.
4. Judicial verdicts have brought down rulers in a
democracy.
6. Limitations on judiciary.
6. The Indian situation.
7. Summing up.
T
HE theory of the separation of powers, implicit in the
writings of Aristotle but first given independent expression
by Harrington and Locke, is known in its modern form
largely through the writings of Montesquieu. Following
Montesquieu, the three powers normally considered to be separable
in the exercise of government are the legislature, the executive,
and the judiciary. The first formulates policy and enacts it as law,
the second carries out policy in action, and the third applies and
tests the law according to rules of procedural justice and resolves
disputes. The sign of the despot is to subsume these powers under
one. The despot will never permit an independent judiciary. In
despotism nothing in the structure of power acts as a brake upon
power, and hence no freedom, the hallmark of democracy, can be
guaranteed. In order to limit power, the three constituents of the
state must be separated as much as possible, and balanced against
each other.
It was only as democratic principles began to disseminate in
the nineteenth century, and as democratic governments began to
be set up in the twentieth century (especially after the Second
28 A Book of Essays
World War), that the role of the judiciary came to be increasingly

emphasised in the consolidation and perpetuation of the democratic
institutions and democratic norms. As legislature and executive
in a parliamentary democracy are generally dominated by the
same political party, sometimes they may act without any regard
to the people’s will and interests. In that situation, the judiciary
remains the only institution to which individuals may appeal for
help.
In any healthy democratic state, the independence of the
judiciary is sought to be maintained through certain norms in
appointing judges along with a complicated procedure for removing
them from office, besides other provisions. The judiciary in a
democracy is expected to have the courage to protect its
independence and deliver impartial judgements free of the fear
of repurcussions on career and prospects.
In a democracy, there are institutional arrangements by which
courts can decide upon the constitutional validity of the laws
passed by the legislature or the actions taken by the administrative
and the executive authorities. Judicial review is essentially an
American institution and is based on the simple logic that the
constitution is supreme and confers limited powers on the executive
and the legislature and, if they overstep their limits, the judiciary
must restrain them.
Though every form of government has a constitution of some
sort, in a democracy the constitution is more steadfastly abided
by because of its paramount nature in the political set-up. The
judiciary is the institution that sees that the constitution is not
ignored or disgraced. Conflicts between individuals are decided
by the judiciary according to the prevailing law. The judiciary sees
to it that equality before the law as well as the rule of law is
upheld. The high courts and the Supreme Court are custodians
of the fundamental rights of the people – the cornerstone of a
constitutional democracy. When the units of the federation have
differences between themselves or with the federal government,
it is the judiciary that is required to resolve the issue. And in all
this it is expected to bring erudition and a sense of fairness to
its verdict. There are instances when a constitutional deadlock or
dilemma renders the government helpless and when different
interpretations are possible of a constitutional provision. The
judiciary here steps in as the expert and the authority on the
constitution to defuse the crisis. Lastly, as democracy leaves
sufficient scope for different opinions and beliefs, sometimes two
major and almost equally forceful opinions may surface that

contradict and conflict with each other, holding out little chance
of compromise. If the government adopts either of the opinions,
it can be called partisan. The judiciary being regarded, and
respected, as independent and impartial, its verdict is generally
accepted by all the parties, and the crisis is resolved.
Several instances can be cited of the leaders having been
dethroned or having had to abdicate because of judicial verdicts.
In Japan, the prime minister Nakasone and others had to resign
when they were found guilty by the court. In Bangladesh, the ex-
president, Ershad was thrown into prison because of judicial
pronouncements. The judiciary also takes over the reins of power,
though rarely, in case of a political vacuum or crisis as in Pakistan
after the resignation of both the president (Ishaq Khan) and the
prime minister (Nawaz Sharif). In India, the judiciary has many
landmark judgements to its credit. For example, the election of
Indira Gandhi was declared void in 1975 by the Allahabad High
Court, after which she ill-advisedly imposed national emergency.
Nevertheless, the role of the judiciary is generally limited
because of the balance of power tilting towards legislature in most
of the democratic systems and also because of the legislature, or
sometimes the executive head of the state, having power to make
appointments to the judiciary. The debate on this issue has been
going on for a long time and till now there has been no unanimity
on the least defective procedure in such appointments.
There are some problems that adversely affect judicial
independence in India. The politics of supersession, transfer,
demotion, extension of term on monthly basis as ad hoc judges,
non-confirmation of the High Court judges, among other things,
are disturbing trends in a democracy. Again, whenever the judiciary
declares any law passed by the legislature as constitutionally
invalid, there has been a hue and cry in the Parliament. The court
verdicts are often nullified by constitutional amendment.
All these odds notwithstanding, India’s judiciary has served
to stabilise, consolidate and protect Indian democracy by giving
many important verdicts. A typical verdict was in the Keshavananda
Bharati case because in this case the Supreme Court held that the
Constitution has a certain basic structure which cannot be amended.
This concept of ‘basic structure’ limited the amending power of
Parliament. Again, in the Minerva Mills case, by striking down
clauses 4 and 5 of Article 368, the Constitution Bench of the
Supreme Court has rightly restored the doctrine of Judicial Review
30 A Book of Essays
which the 42nd Constitution Amendment Act, 1976, had very

substantially curtailed. More recently, we have had striking verdicts
on the anti-defection acts.
The courts have often issued directions to the government and
administration to take decisions on important socio-economic
matters and environmental concerns to benefit the people, forcing
the powers that be to make suitable laws or take necessary action.
The judiciary plays an important role in the survival and
strengthening of the people’s resolve to rule themselves and to
protect their interests and liberty. It is true that the judiciary has
to depend on the executive for the implementation of its decisions
but it is equally true that the executive or even those sitting in
the legislature cannot afford to ignore such decisions. After all,
in a democracy the members of the legislature and the executive
have to go periodically to the people (at the hustings) who have
high respect for the judiciary in spite of occasional aberrations.
And as Justice Venkatachalliah opined, unless we have respect in
the judiciary, democracy cannot survive.
Judicial Activism
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Broad meaning of the term ‘judicial activism’.
2. Concept of the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution born
out of judicial activism.
3. PIL and judicial activism.
4. Judiciary as part of the three wings of polity; the roles
of the three wings and how judicial activism fits into the
picture.
5. Instances of judicial activism getting the desired results.
6. Judicial intervention inevitable—even necessary—when
Executive and Legislative fail to perform their duties.
7. Judicial intervention not the best way to get things done
in a democracy; negative aspects of judicial activism;
what if the judicial orders are not enforced?
8. Need to ‘redemocratise’ India so that balance of power
is maintained, and each wing performs its duty.
I
T is the current term in use—‘judicial activism’. In a way it
is an absurd term—if we have a judiciary it is to be hoped
that its members will be active; but the term ‘activism’, of
course, implies ‘intervention’.
Judicial activism involves innovative interpretations of the
nuances of law. According to Justice J.S. Verma, former chief justice
of India, “The role of the judiciary in interpreting existing laws
according to the needs of the times and filling in the gaps appears
to be the true meaning of judicial activism”. In other words, it
is judicial activism that helps to advance the cause of law, and
it has been a continuous process in India. Judicial activism is, in
fact, an essential part of judicial review.
It may be pointed out in this context that the doctrine of the
basic structure of the Constitution limits the scope of amending
power of Parliament in substantial ways. Some of the features of
this basic structure, though not actually listed, include rule of law,
equality, federalism, secular polity, and, most important, judicial
review. The judgement enunciating the concept of the basic
32 A Book of Essays
structure of the Constitution may be described as ‘judicial activism’,

and it came more than twenty-five years ago. A decade later came
the public interest litigation (PIL) in favour of social action and
the court’s accepting its validity and stepping in to set things right.
The PILs are a big weapon to the social spirited people, the seekers
of truth and the votaries of justice. The amount of support
rendered to the social issues through the public interest litigations
has come as a big shield against the government’s excesses as well
as apathy. Ideologically, such litigation and judicial intervention
born of it has transformed the ‘classical liberal rights model
enshrined in the Constitution (Part III) into a paradigm of people’s
rights’. Such litigation has indeed democratised the access to the
apex court. These cases have broadened the scope of fundamental
rights to include right to dignity, shelter, health, environment,
privacy; they have given rise to fresh forms of judicial scrutiny
of governmental institutions whether they be hospitals, prisons or
juvenile homes.
Outlining the guiding principles of judicial activism, Prof.
Jeffrey Jowell said that judges may intervene if the executive
exceeds the terms of power conferred on them. It is also to be
seen that policy is not sacrificed for principle. We live in an era
in which governments are weakened. Judges, in the circumstances,
provide better guideposts to the State so that policy is not ignored.
If the elected representatives betray the mandate reposed in them,
they surely should be brought to book. And the process is only
through recourse to courts. To bring back the rule of law in a
peaceful manner, and not through bloody revolution, judicial
activism is the first step.
Judicial activism becomes necessary to put a check on tyranny
born out of a temporary political majority in legislature which
might otherwise seek to rewrite the constitution in order to be
entrenched in power. In the same way judicial intervention
becomes inevitable when the executive and the legislature abandon
their duties and responsibilities.
There are fears in some quarters in India that the judiciary
is overstepping its authority, that it is trespassing into spheres
reserved for parliament and the executive. Policy-making and
administration or carrying on the business of government is the
executive’s job; to legislate (or change the law) is the prerogative
of the legislature, after due debate and discussion of public interest
involved. Indeed, Article 212(1) provides immunity to legislative
assemblies from any judicial action over conduct of business in
the house just as Article 122(1) gives immunity to the Members

of Parliament for proceedings in Parliament.
Instances of judicial activism prompted by public interest
suits range from cases of out-of-turn allotment of government
houses without proper reason, discretionary allotment of petrol
pumps and LPG connections to those having influence with highly-
placed bureaucrats/politicians, the fraud involving animal
husbandry scam in Bihar, and, of course, the (in)famous ‘Hawala
cases’; and the Supreme Court has given firm decision. Among
such initiatives have been the orders given by the Supreme Court
to the Delhi government to clean the polluted air in the city by
phasing out diesel-run public transport in favour of vehicles run
on CNG (compressed natural gas). Judicial activism also saw the
high courts go into the act in various parts of the country by
banning day-long general strikes because of their disruptive effect
on daily life or asking that political processions be restricted to
certain localities and certain specified periods. It was judicial
intervention that helped the Election Commission to insist on the
publication of the assets of candidates before contesting, and even
more important declare if any criminal charges existed against
them. These are citizen-friendly moves.
In some cases, however, it seems as if the Supreme Court is
venturing into policy-making and legislation. But former Chief
Justice of India, A.M. Ahmadi has opined: “The present situation
is not really a case of one democratic institution trying to exert
itself over another; rather, it is a case of citizens finding new ways
of expressing their concern for events occurring at the national
level, and exerting their involvement in the democratic process.”
In recent years, as the incumbents of Parliament have become
less representative of the will of the people, there has been a
growing sense of frustration with the democratic process. The
ordinary citizens have reacted in two ways. One group—whose
members constitute a large majority—has chosen to look upon
these developments as an unavoidable feature and has adapted
itself to these uncertainties while continuing to bemoan its destiny.
The other group—which constitutes a minority—has chosen a more
positive, innovative approach and has sought to achieve its
objectives through the judiciary. This it does by approaching
public spirited organisations and bodies, who, in turn, file public
interest cases before the courts. This would have been wholly
unnecessary if the issues were fully discussed in Parliament and
people were kept informed of developments. When such citizens
34 A Book of Essays
raise grave constitutional issues and exercise their fundamental

rights in invoking the jurisdiction, the Supreme Court is left with
little choice but to act.
Judicial activism may seem disturbing when seen to encroach
upon executive and legislative spheres of action. But what else
is possible, if the executive is lax or the legislators lack initiative
to mend outdated laws or remain impervious to public pressure
to bring about a change when public interest clashes with the
members’ collective self-interest?
The lack of concern by the legislature for some pressing
problems of the people and the near-disappearance of responsible
and responsive governance by the executive have compelled the
court to enforce the rights of citizens through novel and innovative
strategies to meet the needs of the times. Whether it is environmental
pollution, the scandal in allotment of government accommodation
or the hawala case, the court upholds constitutional rights; the right
to life in the first example and the right to equality in the others.
The decline in the role played by the other two institutions of the
State has inexorably changed the role of the court from being a
“sentinel on the qui vive” to a saviour on call. The Supreme Court,
as the final court of appeal, is known as “the court of last resort”,
but the wide writ jurisdiction enjoyed by it has often made it the
court of first and only resort. Self-restraint, tolerance for dissent,
and respect for institutional autonomy do not come easily to the
rich and powerful in India. As the eminent jurist Nani Palkhivala
once noted “let us not pretend that the rule of law is a concept
which can be regarded as a part of the Indian psyche.” The
judiciary is thus enjoined to attend to the difficult task of seeing
to it that institutions, groups and individuals do not cross the
limits.
The Indian Constitution allows a person to move the Supreme
Court directly for redress of violation of basic rights (Article 32).
In the circumstances, the doctrine of separation of powers can only
signify a division of functions. If the decisions of the coordinate
branches of government are constitutionally correct, the judiciary
has no right to interfere. But if a decision violates a right of the
Indian people, it is not constitutionally correct; hence judicial
intervention is valid. In cases of judicial monitoring of institutions
like jails and juvenile homes, it is wrong to say that the court is
administering these institutions; it is the executive which continues
to administer them but with the added duty of reporting to the
court. The situation has arisen because of the indifference shown
by the executive to the constitutional rights of citizens within these

institutions.
Judicial activism is feared even by conscientious and highly
knowledgeable citizens of India on the ground that it may lead
to a violation of basic principle of democracy—replacing an elected
government by a nominated body. Nani Palkhivala lamented that
we have lost all sense of propriety and are not only willing but
eager to call upon the court to decide those questions which is
the duty of the government to decide firmly and courageously.
We forget the elementary proposition that judicial pronouncements
can never be a cover for inadequacy of government.” In the
circumstances there is a fear about the very survival of democracy.
If today, the duty of governing the country can be shifted from
the government to the Supreme Court, tomorrow it may be shifted
from the elected representatives to nominated individuals. If the
government of the country can be carried on, not by the elected
representatives of the people but by individuals nominated by the
government, is there—from the viewpoint of democracy—much
difference between a government by lawyers appointed by the
government to be the Supreme Court judges and government by
military officers nominated to be in charge of the army?
The courts are considered the ultimate place of appeal. If
legislation is seen as faulty or executive action is considered
inappropriate, citizens can go to courts for redress. But if judges
make faulty policy decisions, for judges are also human and,
therefore, fallible, where can people go? The decision by the
Supreme Court in the matter of serving alcohol near highways in
an attempt to curb drunken driving has been seen by many
analysts as interfering in legislative and policy making spheres.
Is it the court’s jurisdiction to introduce prohibition, ask some?
And is the decision really going to curb drunken driving?
The judiciary itself seems well aware of the dangers of too
much intervention in governance matters. Several judges have
cautioned against frivolous PILs. In certain cases, they have
pointed out that the case refers to policy matters in which the
judiciary would not intervene. It is necessary that judges perceive
clearly the fine line between activism and populism.
In the words of Justice J.S. Verma, “Judicial activism and
judicial restraint are two faces of the same coin. Self discipline
is to be practised strictly by the members of the judiciary and
judges must refrain from commenting on policy matters.”
One major worry concerning judicial activism is, however,
real: what if the orders passed are not enforced? What is to be
36 A Book of Essays
done in case of delay—so common in judicial matters? The hope

awakened in the public will die out. To obviate such a situation
the courts must seek to enforce their orders—through the contempt
power, for instance, or by requiring senior members of bureaucracy
to be present during hearings.
It is also necessary that the effort to ‘redemocratise’ India is
not left to judges alone. It is the duty of every thinking citizen
of this country to help in this effort. The media, too, has a role
in educating the public and crusading for a clean and efficient
administration.
Awareness of laws and their shortcomings should be debated
in the media without political bias so that the true picture is
brought before the public, and the government is forced to correct
its policies if they are lacking in some way. Court judgements too
should be critically examined; after all, there is no issue of
contempt if judgements are examined on their merits and motives
are not imputed to judges. This is necessary if judicial activism
is to be effective and, on the other side, is not to slip into over-
reach and populism.
Corruption in
Public Life
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Corruption in public life bothers everyone.
2. Meaning of corruption in public life.
3. Not a new phenomenon.
4. Standards of morality have consistently gone down in
politics, bureaucracy, and law enforcement.
5. Every field imbued with corrupt practices.
6. Causes of corruption and their possible remedies.
I
F two or more persons meet and start talking about the present
society of India, the subject of corruption comes up inevitably
and they soon come to the conclusion that every system, every
institution of India is infested with corruption. Corruption has
become so common in public life that people can now hardly think
of public life without linking it with corruption.
But what does corruption actually mean? Corruption means
perversion of morality, integrity, character or duty out of mercenary
motives (e.g., bribery) without regard to honour, right or justice.
In public life, a corrupt person is one who bestows undue favour
on some one with whom he has monetary or other interests (e.g.,
nepotism). Simultaneously, those who genuinely deserve those
things as their right remain deprived.
Corruption in public life is not a modern phenomenon. It was
prevalent in the political and civic life even in the Mauryan period
as has been discussed by Chanakya in the Arthashastra. Similarly,
during the later Mughal period when debauchery was perhaps at
its peak and when the so-called mighty Mughal rule did not extend
beyond even the boundaries of the then Delhi, some of the
successors of the Mughals themselves indulged in all sorts of
corruption that included taking bribes and giving bribes to the
powerful nobles to seek their armed support against their enemies.
Corruption reached new heights during the British period. Many
38 A Book of Essays
of the East India Company officers posted in India were corrupt.

But even more corrupt than them were their Indian agents, such
as the notorious ‘gomasthas’ who made lots of illegal money by
clandestinely selling ‘dastaks’ to those who wished to indulge in
unfair trade practices. But it is only recently that corruption has
become rampant in our public life and caught public attention.
Most of the Indian politicians nowadays are anything but
honest. Records show that in India, from time to time, a large
number of big and small politicians are caught on the wrong foot:
while some are found guilty of making unlawful money through
dubious means, other corrupt politicians are found giving lucrative
government contracts to those undeserving people and parties who
fulfil their greed for money and other worldly desires. Incidentally,
in some of the instances, when even after cases are filed in courts
against these corrupt politicians, they continue to remain in seats
of power. Surprisingly, the common citizens do not punish them
by not returning them to power the next time. They, instead,
continue to vote for these very politicians ignoring their stained
record of blatantly misusing and virtually looting the Indian
taxpayer’s hard-earned money.
Corruption is not a uniquely Indian phenomenon; it is
witnessed all over the world—even in the West and in many other
developed nations. In India, like elsewhere, various types of
corruption are to be found. Besides bribery, nepotism, theft and
wastage of public money, dereliction of duty is also a form of
corruption commonly found in India. Favoritism, one of the most
widely practised form of corruption in India, exists in practically
every field; it ignores the suitability of worthy candidates for
appropriate jobs in favour of less deserving and less meritorious
candidates. Blatant negligence is another noteworthy type of
corruption. Government officials and police, not to mention
doctors and even teachers, are often found negligent towards the
people. The police often ignore criminal acts if the criminal is
powerful or influential and the victim is of weaker sections of
population. Educational system in India is also infested with
corrupt officials and administrators who make a mockery of the
sanctity of the hallowed precincts of educational institutions to
make a fast buck. Without giving hefty donations, it is tough,
perhaps impossible, to get admission in many a good educational
institute in India. Even the judiciary in India, of late, has been
accused of getting into the grip of corrupt elements who pull out
all stops to sabotage justice.
Various reasons are given for the existence and growth of

corruption in public life.
Given the vast size and population of India and the poor
economic infrastructure, most of the things required by ordinary
citizens in the course of their daily lives and activities are in short
supply. Corruption creeps in to jump a long queue, get a necessity
in short supply, be served with minimum waste of time. In a
growing environment of consumerism, almost everyone wants a
little more than what he/she earns, or have legally, so, the ‘side
money’ made by public servants for doing their public duty a little
more quickly or to favour one person over another.
Anyone interested in real estate will first have to deal with
a seller who is averse to showing the correct price on the
document, to avoid capital gains tax. To avoid unreasonably high
stamp duties and registration charges, even otherwise honest
people are tempted to show smaller sums for a deed.
Dr Upendra Baxi says, “The criminogeneity of corruption may
entail more than bribery offences between the giver and the
receiver and may spill further to the ‘misappropriation’ of bribes,
distortions in markets of corruption, intimidation and outright
violence to remedy unjust enrichment or for rendering of promised
services and even possibilities of counter-intimidation and
violence”.
Taxes are another provocation and the law should balance
between individual income and expenditure. Standard expenditures
incurred by the common people living in cities and towns should
be deemed to be the fair basis for imposition of direct taxes.
One cause of corruption among politicians and bureaucrats
in many countries has been the vast discretionary powers vested
in them, especially in relation to the economy. Although these areas
of discretion may get gradually reduced, with economic
liberalisation, there will always be some regulatory powers left
with the government. And, unless, political authorities are persons
of integrity and function transparently, corruption cannot be
reduced.
A major cause of corruption is election expenses which have
led to the most blatant hypocrisy among all parties. Our
parliamentary constituencies are by far the largest in the world,
which entail high election expenses. Upto a crore of rupees per
candidate is required to meet the election expenses. This money
has to be collected mostly from business houses and traders.
The greed of politicians is matched by the willingness of
unscrupulous businessmen who have mastered the art of building
40 A Book of Essays
up very successful business empires by paying the appropriate

political masters. Because of such implied obligations many honest
persons do not want to stand for elections. They know that they
cannot afford to discharge their obligations.
It has been pointed out that mega scams exemplify a complete
break of the social contract between the citizens and their
representatives (who are supposed to safeguard the former’s
interests) in a democratic country like India. And this occurs
despite constitutional and legal constraints.
Under the circumstances, it is difficult to escape the thought
that privatisation will be a means by which these corrupt public
figures will gift public resources to their friends, relatives and
clients. A study of economic reforms, therefore, cannot exclude an
analysis of political restructuring and reform. Indeed, an
understanding of the persistence of dysfunctional and corrupt
political institutions with an attendant quest for socially beneficial
institutional changes is a prerequisite for the market to succeed.
In order to get the political institutions right and to remedy
the inefficiencies that mark the bureaucracy, we cannot rely on the
market alone, because the present institutional failure is ascribable
not to the absence of market discipline per se but to the absence
or the abrogation of the disciplining force of democracy. For
liberalisation is not just a matter of delicensing: it envisages
empowering citizens by replacing government diktat by competition
within a set of fair rules.
Clearly, constitutional and legal checks and balances, though
essential, are not sufficient forms of protection against corruption
and bribery. In fact, the actual functioning of political institutions
cannot be read off from the Constitution. To ascertain the effective
institutional framework, we have to examine instead the overall
health of democracy in general and the local structure of governance
in particular.
Ultimately, it is the agency of the citizens expressed in the
form of pressure from below, that can provide the added safeguards
required to deter public officials from seizing public assets for
private gains. The grassroots-up approach is likely to illuminate
our understanding of the direction in which remedial measures
are to be sought, such that the lofty promises of the people in
power are translated into credible commitments.
The local-level community organisations which can function
as effective mechanisms of accountability include citizens’ watch-
dog committees, the office of local ombudsman and the Panchayati
Raj institutions, among others. The activities of such local democratic
units, working with, as well as putting pressure on the local

bureaucracy, can help limit the abuse of executive and
administrative power.
A certain sense of hopelessness develops when one considers
the poverty of our masses. People who are struggling for survival,
do not always exercise political rights and, consequently, the
politicians who fail to keep their promises are not necessarily
thrown out of office. To be sure, rights mean little unless
supplemented by a minimum of economic wherewithal and
security. Moreover, in situations of entrenched inequalities of
income, gender and caste (which prevail in many parts of the
country), local organisations tend to get captured by the powerful
and the wealthy. In such conditions of extreme inequality, the local
political structure may suffer from the same institutional failures
which afflict the supra-local bodies and thus block the rearrangement
of institutions in ways that are conducive to overall development.
So, is there nothing to be done? Positive action, however, is
possible: greater public activism and participation at the local
level, mobilised through public-regarding community and voluntary
organisations, local bodies and political parties, will hopefully
work to reduce inequality and thus enhance the economic security
of the masses; reduced inequality, in its turn, will ensure the fuller
exercise of political rights on the part of citizens forcing the
delinquent public functionaries to become more accountable and
responsive to public demands. Ultimately, both efficiency and
welfare purposes will be served by aligning market reforms with
institutional reforms that further democratic values.
Politicians must be accountable in the years in between
elections, and the law is supposed to ensure this. In fact the law
is not permitted to do so because the politicians themselves control
the police and prosecutions. There is now an unspoken agreement
between parties that, if at all possible, elected legislators will not
be prosecuted. So it is no surprise that dacoits want to become
MLAs and often do. Today, home ministers at the Centre and states
control the police and prosecutions. We need a new institution
independent of home ministers for the purpose. We need a
constitutional amendment taking away the power of crime detection
and prosecution from the politician, and giving this an independent
authority. The police have two quite distinct functions, maintaining
public order and catching criminals. The maintenance of public
order (including the checking of terrorism) is inherently a political
task, and must be performed by home ministers. But crime
detection (save for certain terrorist acts) should be independent
42 A Book of Essays
of the political process—there is no reason for it to be under

political control.
To an extent lower tax rates lead to higher tax revenue: as
lowering tax rates reduces benefits of evading tax. However,
beyond a certain limit, it is not possible to lower tax rates without
adversely affecting the functioning of the government. There
should be an impartial machinery to detect tax evasions.
Corruption will not be reduced as long as there is a demand
for illegal funds. This demand is fuelled not only by politicians
requiring election funds, or by those working in the real estate
field, but by social attitudes. If ostentatious spending is a mark
of social status, there is always a pressure to spend more than
what is possible after paying taxes.
In order to confine corruption to the criminal class, it is
imperative that the risks, and costs of being corrupt are sharply
increased. This cannot be done merely by increasing legal penalties.
Corruption must generate such a substantial loss of social status
that it makes any monetary gain appear insignificant. Such a loss
of social status will only be possible if common people believe
that those who break the rules of civil society deserve to be
ostracised. This will need a society where most people, if not all,
believe that the rules that prevail are fair.
A democracy will survive only if the rule of law is efficiently
and justly applied, and public figures act upon a high degree of
ethical principles. This is not idealistic, but a ground reality. Also,
a democracy, unless made up of an alert, morally firm people
capable of influencing public life in the right way, will degenerate
into a mobocracy.
Politics and Religion

POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. To see politics and religion related, not in negative but
in positive terms.
2. Ethical values of religion important for politics too.
3. Differentiation is necessary between the communal and
the religious.
4. Religion as a basis of identity poses problems in politics;
people find it convenient to seek communal identity in
order to get requisite attention from the State.
5. The special features of the Indian situation as compared
to the European.
6. Politics on the basis of religion can do harm to a
pluralistic society; could sabotage the democratic system
itself.
7. Desirable: neither complete merger of politics and
religion, nor a complete separation of the two, but a
healthy coexistence.
I
F politics is the last refuge of scoundrels, and religion,
the opium of the masses, any nexus between the two
is bound to spell doom. However, if we consider politics as
involving the recognition and conciliation of opposing interests
within a given unit of rule, and religion as the root of most of
the profound and permanent values of life, we cannot quite
dismiss the idea of the relationship between politics and religion
out of hand. Indeed, our problem today arises because we are
posing the wrong questions. The question should not be whether
religion and politics are related to each other, but what should
be their precise relationship?
Politicians invariably seek power, in whatever form of
government they intend to wield that power. When enlightened
and respected political leaders—Gandhi or Maulana Azad—claimed
to draw inspiration from religion, their concept of religion was
poles apart from that held by men who organise a separate
political party for their religious community and demand a
44 A Book of Essays
separate homeland for it. Gandhi considered the ethical values

imbuing every religion to be an important part of politics; that
was what he meant when he said that politics divorced from
religion becomes debasing. Religion to Gandhi did not mean
sectarianism. It implied a belief in ordered moral government of
the universe. In this sense, religion is much more than a matter
between human beings and their maker; it is, apart from a mode
of worship, also a set of ideas and values. Religion is then a source
of moral discipline for its followers.
Religion is also a system of theological beliefs and dogmas.
In this role, it may be deficient in rational content and many a
rationalist may condemn it as obscurantist. In the West much blood
has been shed on account of theological differences. But not a
single communal conflict in India can be traced to such differences.
The conflict here is more due to communal than to religious
causes.
Religion is also a vital basis for identity formation. Even those
who do not share its theoretical beliefs or follow its rituals and
are agnostics or even atheists form part of the community by virtue
of their family and social ties. It is this role of religion which poses
a problem in politics. For most of the religious communities are
tending to acquire socio-political aspirations. Development,
mobility, media and information explosion, politicisation and adult
franchise are further encouraging a sense of self-awareness among
the people. As class, political and ideological identities have not
grown fast enough in India, religious identities have filled that
vacuum.
Further, as the system is extremely inadequate to recognise
individual identities and to provide security and justice to them,
many people seek them through their communal identity. Thus
community is as important an entity in Indian politics as an
individual. In these circumstances, no secular system can be built
in India by dismissing altogether the reality of communal identities
and their claims in the economic and political fields. For instance,
a cabinet in any state or at the Centre which is composed of a
single community, caste or religion will not be acceptable to others
on the plea that merit of its individual members was the exclusive
criterion.
The real question is not whether politics should recognise
religious identities. How can politics ignore realities? The question
that needs to be debated and has not been properly debated is:
What is the legitimate field of these identities and the degree of
their autonomy? How are these identities to be related to one

another, to other forms of identities and to the national identity?
The debate on the subject has been much influenced by the
European experience which is not entirely relevant to India. First,
unlike the countries of Europe, India is not a uni-religious country.
Secondly, Europe has a history of domination of Pope over the
State and even now Christian political parties exist in many
countries. India’s own past is far more relevant in this context. For,
unlike Europe, India does not have a history of a theocratic state.
As far as Hindus are concerned, there is no treatise on politics
that is regarded by them as infallible. In fact, the tradition of Raja
and Rishi represents a clear distinction between a spiritual and
temporal role. The two roles were inter-connected but autonomous.
Eight hundred years of rule by the Muslim kings in India
is equally marked by its pluralistic character. Though the king and
the ulema interacted, secular authority always reigned supreme.
A third dimension of the Muslim polity, viz., Sufis carved out their
own autonomous domain, often in defiance of both the king and
the ulema.
The lesson of the Sikh history is no different. The fact that
spiritual and temporal affairs were conceptualised in the Sikh
tradition by two distinct terms peeri and meeri, respectively,
symbolised by two swords of the gurus and two separate forums
of Harmandir Sahib and Akal Takhat, clearly implied duality. Sikh
religion and politics, though closely related, were autonomous.
The autonomous character of their religious and secular leadership
and institutions became more pronounced after the gurus.
Any attempt to project a monolithic religious and political
identity of a community would, thus, not only be a negation of
the entire history of religious communities in India but would also
retard its future growth. Those who claim that religion and politics
are inseparable to the extent that all the members of a religious
community should belong to a single political party imply
subordination of religion to politics. To seek unity of a community
on the basis of complete political agreement means loss of political
freedom to its members. In an open society, under normal
conditions, it is the surest way of disintegration of a community.
For political ambitions of its leaders are bound to clash.
There is another serious implication of organising political
parties exclusively on the basis of religious communities. If all
voters remain faithful to their respective religious parties, the
system of elections would become redundant and political balance
would be frozen to the numerical strength of various communities.
46 A Book of Essays
This would lead to permanent political majority and political

minority. Which, in other words, would mean permanent domination
of the former over the latter. As the individual members of the
former too would not have any option, it would amount to their
regimentation and a goodbye to democracy.
Thus complete merger of institutionalised religion and
institutionalised politics into a monolithic forum would create as
anomalous a situation as their complete separation. In practice
members of every community need to associate with those of other
communities to promote their class, professional and cultural
interests through, say, organisations of workers, peasants,
occupational groups, writers, artists, etc. So far no religious leader
has objected to autonomy of such organisations from religion. Why
should not it apply to politics in the interest of intellectual freedom
of the members of the community and of a more abiding basis
of its unity? These fields can neither be put into watertight
compartments nor merged into a single monolithic entity without
emasculating them.
The Politics of
Communalism
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Conflict inherent to a society in transition like that of
India.
2. The pre-independence communal situation led to the
framers of India’s Constitution establishing a secular
state and accommodation of cultural diversity.
3. Communalism, however, could not be removed and it
now operates at various levels—individual, local,
institutional and national political levels.
4. Political parties have encouraged communalism to
establish support bases.
5. Socio-religious organisations have institutionalised
communalism.
6. Efforts are made to communalise education.
7. When a cultural identity takes a political form,
differences between communities get hardened. Lopsided
norms of integration lead to political tension and finally
even to demands of cultural self-determination.
8. Secularisation of politics has become necessary. It can
only be achieved through encouraging participatory
democracy.
9. Social harmony must be promoted at the societal level
rather than through state intervention.
I
NDIA is a nation in the making with a society in transition
which has various strands of social groups either in conflict,
or in temporary alliance with each other.
The bitter lessons of partition and the stinging implications
of the two-nation theory enunciated by Jinnah had led to the
conclusion that the survival of India as a nation-state depended
on the adherence to a set of political values having a universal
rather than a partisan appeal. The idea of separating religion
altogether from public life, however, was considered too utopian
a solution. Since religion is an inalienable part of public life, the
48 A Book of Essays
more viable solution was the separation of the State from all faiths
and providing freedom for the profession of diverse forms of
religious worship. This alternative was adopted by the framers of
the Constitution and they stipulated that the attitude of the State
towards religion should be one of neutrality, and equal treatment
should be given to all faiths. The fundamental rights in our
Constitution forbid any kind of discrimination on the basis of
religion.
Thus, national unity was sought to be maintained through the
constitutional way which provides for federal structures to
harmonise Centre-state relations. Political unity was envisaged
even while providing space for regional parties to balance loyalty
to region and religion and loyalty to the nation. Social unity was
to be fostered by accommodating cultural diversity.
Notwithstanding all this, communalism has been
reinforced in many ways. Communalism operates at different
levels—ranging from influencing individual relations and interests
to determining local, institutional and national politics to causing
communal riots. In other words, it could range from being a state
of consciousness of an ideology or competition for scarce resources
to being an instrument of power. The selective appropriation of
the cultural past, for instance symbols from a particular era, is a
communal attempt to carve out nationalism from particularisms.
Since independence, most political parties have carefully
carved out for themselves combinations of support bases in which
the units of mobilisation remain principally caste, religion and
linguistic groups. In the last few decades, we have witnessed the
rise of militant fundamentalist organisations, and not all of them
have sprung as a consequence of Hindu orthodoxy. The reasons
for the growth of these organisations can be traced back to the
days of partition wherein the fears of being a minority and leading
a ghettoized life developed. It is equally important to note that
communalism of any kind shows contempt for plurality of views—
whether within the religious group or among other religious
groups.
On a different plane, several social service institutions,
especially religious ones, have institutionalised communalism by
openly following practices sometimes objectionable to members
of other communities. Moreover, communal violence can also be
seen as a means of protest or a demand for political space. It can
also be seen as a reaction against the slow breakdown of a
degenerated system and the inability of the ruling groups to create
a new system which can incorporate the aspirations of all.
When a cultural identity takes a political form differentiations

between ‘we’ and ‘they’ get sharper and hardened. In the process,
prejudices become pronounced and boundaries for interactions are
redrawn. While, on the one hand, commonalities between different
communities are ignored, on the other, internal socio-cultural
differentiations within a particular group are underplayed by
religious leaders to carve out a unified monolithic religious
identity. Towards such an end, symbols are evolved and history
is reinterpreted. Thus, norms of integration, if lopsided, result in
political tension and insecurity which lead to demands for cultural
self-determination and complicate the already existing problems
in a heterogeneous State like India.
In a country where several religious groups co-exist,
secularisation of politics can take place by sustaining participatory
democracy to ensure bargaining and consensus. Participation of
people on a large scale provides legitimacy to governmental
authority and helps in subordination of primordial loyalties to
civil authority.
There is a need to promote social harmony between various
communities. But this should be managed by multicultural, multi-
religious committees at the societal level rather than by the state
structures such as the National Integration Council. Education,
apart from being value-based, should be made relevant to the
present context and contain elements of secularisation and scientific
and rational thinking.
50 A Book of Essays
Should there be
Reservations?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Democracy’s basic principle is equality.
2. In India caste-based distinctions are deeply entrenched.
3. Reservations for SC/ST and other backward classes is
allowed to an extent by the Constitution; but caste
issues have increasingly tended to dominate the scene.
4. ‘Class’ and ‘caste’ distinctions are not easy to make in
India.
5. The Mandal Commission recommendations have drawn
objections mainly on the grounds of merit being ignored
and injustice to those who lose because of the quota.
6. Reservations strengthen the caste divisions within the
society.
7. Reservations have not done much for the progress of
those classes on the whole.
8. Other positive actions are needed besides reservation;
the State as well as private sector have to work on
this.
9. The right kind of education has to be imparted to
change the condescending attitude of the ‘elite’.
10. Summing up.
T
O whatever extent a society may claim itself to be democratic,
the truth is that the fundamental principle of democracy,
namely, equality of all citizens in the society, remains an
ideal and not the reality. In the modern era, in which democracy
has come to be considered the be-all and end-all of all political
systems, societies continue to be plagued by inequalities rooted
in race, class, creed, caste, religion, and gender. If in the United
States it is racial discrimination that gives rise to social conflicts,
the bane of our society has mainly assumed the garb of class and
caste inequalities. These are deeply-rooted facets of the Indian
society.
Caste-based distinctions continuing to flourish through the

centuries have become deeply entrenched in the Indian psyche.
It was to put an end to caste prejudices and their repercussions
in an independent India that our Constitution-framers sought to
award ‘temporary’ concessions to those people (namely, scheduled
castes and scheduled tribes) that had for centuries been victims
of the cruel injustices of the upper castes. Once the reservations
brought in a determined effort to eliminate the backwardness of
and the bias against these marginalised people, the concessions
were to cease. But after many decades of independence, this dream
remains a dream.
Caste issues, instead of taking a backseat, rule the political
scenario of modern India. Though the metropolitan societies all
caught up in the wave of modernisation may not readily
acknowledge caste concerns, class- and caste-based vote banks are
the backbones of political parties and every new government that
comes to rule. In rural India, the ‘essential’ India, caste and class
factors play a crucial role in society. These factors have only
become more pronounced with the hue and cry over reservations.
So how do reservations propose to bring about class and caste
equality in a society that has been dominated by inequalities for
so long? Are reservations justified? Are they the right answer to
curing the society of ills arising from caste divisions? Are they
the path to true reform?
Reservation of seats in educational and professional institutions
and of jobs in government services is to a certain extent permitted
by our Constitution itself in order to improve the status of the
suppressed masses. Earlier, job reservation for only Scheduled
Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) was a specific constitutional
obligation. Article 15 makes a special provision for advancement
of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or
for the SCs and the STs. Now, after the 93rd Amendment, other
socially and educationally backward classes could also benefit
from reservations if the State chooses to make a law to the effect.
Article 16 (4) permits the State to make “any provision for the
reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward
classes of citizens which in the opinion of the State is not
adequately represented in the services under the State.” But ‘caste’
cannot be a ground of discrimination. This is made clear in Article
15 (1) that prohibits discrimination on grounds of caste and place
of birth. Also, Article 16 provides for equality of opportunity to
52 A Book of Essays
all citizens in respect of any office or any other employment under

the state. Thus, reservation is for backward ‘classes’ (not ‘castes’).
It is clear that poverty is not the basic criterion for reservation as
only socially and educationally backward classes have been taken
into consideration. But clearly ambiguities have arisen. Moreover,
the recommendations of the commission set up to identify the
backward classes based on which reservations would take place—
the Mandal Commission recommendations—are flawed in certain
respects.
First and foremost, it is to be noted that the caste and class
differentiation apparent in the Constitution has been based on the
Western definition of the terms ‘caste’ and ‘class’. They are seen
as different forms of social divisions whereas, in reality, in the
multilayered Indian society ‘caste’ and ‘class’ are practically
inseparable. The upper castes, by way of owning a superior status,
comprise the majority in the upper class and the lower castes form
a large bulk of the population belonging to the lower class.
Defining the word ‘backward’ itself has proved a problem. Coming
to the Mandal recommendations, not only have they not taken the
economic criterion into account but failed to list many castes/
communities coming under the socially and educationally backward
classes.
Some of the classes noted as backward have witnessed
progress through the decades. This would happen in the future
as well. Once a backward class has achieved some kind of
progress, it would not require protection any more. But it is not
known whether any classes (castes) have been deleted from the
list of backward classes after review. Often, the powerful and
articulate sections within an identified backward class may end
up reaping the benefits of reservations so that the needy continue
to suffer. The Mandal recommendations failed to provide any
system of elimination for disqualifying the affluent upper crust
from accumulating the benefits of reservations. The Supreme Court
judgement in November 1992 sought to settle the controversy by
fixing a ceiling of 50 per cent for total reservations while excluding
the ‘creamy layer’ among the backward class from reservations.
Now the problem is one of identifying the ‘creamy layer”. No
doubt the balanced and well-intended ruling is to help the
suppressed classes and castes forced to suffer socio-psychological
discrimination for ages. But can one overlook the fact that the
reservations in their very essence violate the principle of equity
and the necessity of rewarding merit?
Why should some persons be denied the rewards of hard

work, skill and the requisite qualifications just because they belong
to the middle or upper strata of society? Even these people are
citizens of the country in every respect. The applicant in such a
case may well ask a valid question: why is ‘he’ being punished
for the ‘backwardness’ of some others even though this
backwardness may be a result of atrocities perpetrated by his
forefathers and ancestors and not himself?
By not recognising merit, the country will lose out on ‘quality’.
To have the best in every field it is necessary to choose the best—
those with the right knowledge and the necessary skill and talent
to participate in the various functions of the state. If a country
by its own choice is to possess doctors, engineers and other
professionals who do not exactly comprise the best of the stock,
then certainly the progress and advancement made will be less
than justified by its resources. In a world where different countries
are competing among themselves to emerge with the finest in
every field, what India needs is the use of the greatest of talent
and potential which are surely not lacking.
Reservations have also strengthened the already existing caste
divisions within the society. The frustration and anger of the upper
castes in being treated unfairly have promoted caste conflicts. It
is largely among the youth that bitterness is building up. Many
talented young persons are increasingly seeking better opportunities
abroad. The concessions are also furthering vested interests among
those in political power and the powerful belonging to the upper
divisions within the backward classes and castes. So the oppressed
within these classes who are meant to be the main beneficiaries
of reservations still remain the sufferers. Another disturbing factor
regarding reservations is that they may continue for decades at
length. For matters of social justice rarely appear to earn due
attention in our country. And over the years, more and more ‘caste’
groups are demanding reservation for themselves.
Despite there being constitutional provisions for job
reservations and quotas in government-run educational institutions
for removing social and educational backwardness, the problem
remains. This is a clear indication that the solution lies not in
reservations but somewhere else. The socially oppressed lack
modern facilities that would help them maintain good health and
living so that they can take education seriously and derive
advantages from it. It is also seen that the backward classes are
54 A Book of Essays
not generally aware of the importance of education. Even the

economically well-off among them tend to ignore it though they
can afford it. The need for self-education must be emphasised.
Social development programmes that would lessen the daily
burden of these people would allow them to spend time on
education as well. Thus, the path to true reform is through
education, more so at the primary level itself.
Equal educational opportunities would ensure the upward
mobility of the backward in society. The discriminatory education
systems that deny underprivileged children their right to equal
opportunities at present must be done away with. The education
provided to these children must be such that they can compete
with the children of the elite on the same level for seats in
universities and professional institutes and later for jobs. Here the
private sector has to do its bit and provide free or concessional
training facilities. The urban monopoly over modern education
needs to be broken. An acute problem faced by the backward castes
is discrimination in ordinary life brought about by the superior
attitude of the upper classes and the higher castes. Here again,
it is only education that can encourage people to give up their
narrow views and prejudices bred by some traditional norms and
practices which run very much against the universal spirit of
humankind. Education is not simply learning to read and write,
being able to attend schools and colleges, and having satisfactory
jobs; its real essence lies in helping people to live as better humans
by respecting each other and learning to treat each other equally.
Special provisions have been allowed by our Constitution for
the SCs, STs and backward classes who have been victims of
oppression and injustice. But will reservation of quotas for them
solve the problem? There are two views on this. One view is that
it has not done much in the last few decades. It may not accomplish
much in the future except for widening caste divisions and
increasing caste conflicts. The other view is that reservation has
helped bring the backward into the mainstream educational and
working fields. It has contributed to a more egalitarian and
inclusive social scene. With such people in good positions, policies
for the backward have become more relevant and sensitive to their
needs.
But most thinking people are agreed that reservation should
be for a limited period. And economic poverty should also be
taken into consideration. The ‘creamy layer’ exclusion should be
followed so that a broader and needier section of the backward

gain the benefit of reservation. We need to think beyond reservations.
The solution lies in providing education to all without
discrimination. The quality of education imparted must be
comparable in the rural and urban areas. Various social problems
that deny members of the downtrodden classes educational
opportunities and their resultant benefits must be countered by
well-planned development programmes. So that the need to
reserve seats for the backward becomes redundant.
56 A Book of Essays
Women should have

Reserved Seats in
Parliament
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Representation by women in Parliament is low by world
standards.
2. Circumstances do not favour women getting into
Parliament on their own, unaided.
3. Why should women be present in Parliament?
4. Empowerment through natural evolution is to be
preferred, but that is a slow process.
5. Reservation for a limited period is needed.
A
democratic republic based on equality and liberty should
ideally have no reason to have reservation for any segment
of society in Parliament or elsewhere. However, we do not
live in an ideal situation. Reservation is usually defended on the
basis of the need to offer compensatory justice to rectify indefensible
discrimination against certain sections of society, and the need to
ensure equality through State intervention in support of the
‘deprived’ and the underprivileged. If we go by this justification
for reservation, we see that women are indeed a discriminated lot
as far as their representation in Parliament is considered, though
in population terms, women form almost 50 per cent of the total
number of people in India. In number terms, at least, the inequity
of representation is more than obvious. Such imbalances need to
be corrected, and women need to participate more actively in the
political process. So, why have more women not entered our
legislatures?
In the existing patriarchal male dominated socio-political
system that prevails in India, women are not likely to get the
opportunity to enter the political mainstream and be empowered.
One had high hopes that discrimination against women would end
Women should have Reserved Seats in Parliament 57
once India got independence and progressive laws were made.

Women have certainly made great strides in the economic world
with several holding lucrative and important jobs. But gender bias
in political circles is very strong, and most parties are reluctant
to give tickets to women for contesting elections. As a result, most
women are left out of the political process at the very stage of
selection of candidates. It is this reluctance that makes one feel
that reservation of seats for women alone will help, indeed, force
parties to give seats to women and seriously campaign for their
victory, so that they come to power.
Those who favour reservations also argue that only the
presence of a substantial number of women in decision-making
bodies would help in eliminating the centuries-old gender-based
discrimination in socio-economic and political fields. It is because
of the ‘invisibility’ of women at the decision-making level for a
long time that the concerns of women and their specific needs have
not been adequately articulated, leave alone addressed. In 1990,
the UN Commission on the Status of Women recommended a
critical 30 per cent participation threshold to be regarded as the
minimum for decision-making positions at the national level. It
is well recognised that women’s voices are seldom heard, and they
are often forced to make compromises. India, despite having a
growing number of women in well paid jobs, still ranks low in
the gender-related development index as calculated by the UNDP
Human Development Reports. Nor does it do too well in gender-
empowerment measures. Progressive laws have, no doubt, been
made, aimed at empowering women in employment, health,
education and so on, but their implementation has been tardy and
half-hearted. This suggests the absence of some vital catalyst, and
this catalyst could well be a more equal political space for women
in Parliament. Reservation for women could well create a new class
of politically aware women who would demand their rights with
the force of conviction.
Most women do feel that empowerment through natural
evolution of society as a whole, through the effects of education
and family welfare measures is to be preferred, but for that to
happen within a reasonable time frame the right kind of foundations
needed to be laid long ago. Most women also prefer getting better
representation without reservation. Since, however, that has not
transpired, and since everything cannot be left to time alone,
reservation has become a necessity. And practically every political
party solemnly affirms that this is so. Not one is opposed to the
58 A Book of Essays
policy openly. But, and this is what is somewhat disturbing, no

political party is firmly acting on this ‘consensus’. Some excuse
or other is brought forward to postpone the introduction of the
bill, or if introduced to delay its passage. One wonders even more,
when the same kind of reservation was eagerly pushed through
at the Panchayati Raj level. One has a sneaking feeling that the
men appeared so benevolent precisely because they were convinced
that they were no longer concerned with jockeying for power at
that grassroots level. It could well have come as a shock to see
women readily coming out to contest and hold on to power. In
spite of negative reports about the panchayats being packed with
women related to the men in power, there is evidence in many
instances where the women have come in their own rights and
done good for their villages. Unfortunately, these positive
developments are seldom given the exposure they deserve. Any
way, it seems as if the men have realised that women can and
do win and make a mark of their own, and now they are loath
to give up even a minuscule amount of power. Political parties
could select more women candidates to fight elections. But
generally men do not want women representatives. And they
realise that in the present circumstances women would have to
put up the kind of fight most of them are incapable of in the
political arena—which is near brutish—without reservation. So, the
opposition to reservation.
Reservation needs to be introduced, but on an interim basis,
not to be extended as all such ‘positive discrimination’ measures
tend to be in this country due to vested interests. Alongside
reservation there has to be a concerted effort to train women and
equip them to fulfil their obligations to the people who elected
them. One premise for reservation is that certain characteristics
predominantly ‘feminine’, as they say, such as altruism, self-denial,
and caring—which have been under-valued in public life by
patriarchy—will find a wider expression in the political arena. If
that is so, we must go all out for reserving seats for women in
Parliament which has seen some forgettable scenes in the recent
past.
Is India ready for a

Uniform Civil Code?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Constitutional provision is a directive, not a compulsion.
2. Is the time ripe for such a code?
3. Pros and cons.
4. Opposition mainly from conservatives and vested
interests.
5. A step-by-step approach is necessary, with each
community’s code being gradually reformed.
A
RTICLE 44 of the Indian Constitution states that “the
State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a
uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”. This
being one of the Directive Principles of State Policy, clearly the
“endeavour” cannot be forced upon any community or communities.
With the Supreme Court’s reminder to the government of its duty
to enact such a code, the issue has once more moved into the
limelight. Reformists within each religious community having a
personal law of its own are unanimous in defending the significance
of such a code. But then, it is realised that there are a number
of important questions to be addressed before such a code can
become a reality.
At the time of India’s independence, when the country was
also partitioned, it was thought better to leave the issue of a
uniform civil law to later years when the country would attain
a certain level of political and social stability. This was also
important to reassure the minorities that their rights would be
safeguarded in post-independent India. However, India has
completed several decades of independence now. It is time the
issue is tackled.
The argument often extended in support of this view is that
in a country where the principle of equality of all citizens is
enshrined in the Constitution, different sets of personal laws for
60 A Book of Essays
different religious communities militate against this very principle.

Different rules of civil law on the basis of religious identity do
not justify the secular credentials of our country. Personal laws
are civil laws that deal with matters such as marriage, divorce,
custody, adoption, inheritance, etc. They relate to disputes within
relations of a social or commercial nature only. In a society, the
law for dealing with such disputes ought to be the same for all.
Also, personal laws, be they Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Parsi,
mete out unfair treatment to women. Thus there is a need to
replace them with a common law that dispenses with such
discrimination against women at the earliest. If the Hindu law
discriminates on the basis of gender on the issue of property, a
husband has unilateral and arbitrary right of ‘triple talaq’ under
the Muslim law. Under the Indian Christian Marriage Act of 1872,
a Christian husband can get divorce by proving his wife’s adultery
but the wife has to prove her husband’s adultery alongwith incest,
bigamy, cruelty, change of religion or any of the other mentioned
criteria. Parsi personal law, till very recently, denied converted
Parsi women, and not converted men, burial at the Tower of Silence
in Mumbai. At a time when reforms for strengthening the position
of women in society is being given the utmost significance and
attention, what is urgently needed is a new civil code that would
eliminate discrimination against women in society.
There are several arguments also to defend the view that this
is certainly not the right time for India to adopt a uniform civil
code. In India, unlike in many other countries in the world, religion
is not just a casual term for reference. People in our country attach
a lot of importance to religious life—in other words, religion plays
a primary role in the lives of the people. But at the same time,
the country recognises the existence of many religions and religious
communities. Thus, any code meant for the civil governance of
the various religious communities ought to take into consideration
their beliefs and sentiments and should not offend any community.
All this means that a common civil code would be possible only
after a lot of consultations and deliberations which, in all likelihood,
would take a long time. So now is not the time to implement a
common code, especially when the problem does not just involve
religious groups but also others. The Scheduled Tribes, for
instance, have expressed reservations about such a code, fearing
it would intrude into their lives by allowing property to move
outside their tribes. Such apprehensions, in one sense, are quite
natural given that our country has witnessed uneven social
development of different sections of the people.
The opposition to enforcing a common civil code in India,

especially at this point of time, arises not only from conservative
elements within each religious community but also from vested
interests. Many minority forces fear erosion of their own religious
values and the enforcement on them of the provisions of the
personal law of the majority community. The fear has grown with
the years owing to the growth in communal tension with the
passage of time since India’s independence. Their fears are being
aggravated by the play of vested interests, mainly political parties
and leaders, whose only major concern is the caste votes or
religious vote banks. It is feared, and rightly, that any debate on
the establishment of a common civil law would be hijacked by
politicians seeking to communalise the issue to gain personal
interests.
It is argued that there is nothing wrong with the way things
are now—believers of different religions having their own set of
personal laws. Rather, an option that would work to advantage
at the moment would be that of updating each community’s laws,
which would in turn pave the way for a common civil code. Thus
the change, if any, will come from within the community. However,
the areas of ‘personal law’ which discriminate blatantly against
women and are clearly unacceptable in a constitutional democracy
should be considered and suitably modified.
The whole issue of adopting a common civil code is tricky.
Such a possibility can be envisaged only in the long term after
intra-community campaigns to mobilise opinion in its support. In
other words, it cannot be hustled through. At the time of formulating
the code itself which is bound to be a Herculean task, a draft
should perhaps be prepared and made public so that any
misgivings about the law are removed at the initial stages itself.
62 A Book of Essays
An Apolitical
Defence Force
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Defence personnel have as many political rights as a
civilian citizen, but the defence force as a whole should
be apolitical.
2. In the past, political and military authorities were vested
in one person; today, the two powers stand separated.
3. Being apolitical does not mean lack of political
awareness but refraining from direct involvement in
political affairs.
4. In the pre-independence era, the British developed the
tradition of keeping the army away from the national
mainstream.
5. Still, the British Indian army helped in its own way in
the attainment of independence and preservation of
democratic values.
6. The Indian National Army played a significant role, but
its direct involvement in political affairs also put a
question mark on its loyalty.
7. An apolitical defence force is basic to democracy and
political stability.
8. Indian defence forces have maintained their neutrality in
times of crises, both external and internal.
9. This has contributed towards national integration.
10. There have been no attempts to politicise the army.
11. The size and diversity of India also discourage military
coups.
12. Close rapport between political and military
establishments a must, if national interests are to be
furthered.
13. The apolitical nature of the army is deep-rooted in the
fundamentals of democracy in India.
G
OOD governance is the right and expectation of every
Indian citizen. Citizens exercise their right to vote in the
hope and belief that the party they vote for will bring peace
and prosperity to the country and a better quality of life for the
citizens. Politics, therefore, is part of a citizen’s life, and as soldiers
are also citizens, they also have the right to vote. However, as far
as the defence force’s influence over the political establishment is
concerned, past and present bureaucratic leadership prefers the
defence force to be apolitical in nature.
Clausewitz, a great military thinker, considered strategy as the
employment of the armed forces to gain victory in war. He felt
that strategy borders on political science and at the highest point
the two become one. In the past, political and military authorities
were often combined in the same person. Alexander, Caesar,
Chengis Khan, Shivaji and Napoleon are some examples of such
authority. It was only after the American Civil War that separation
of military and political authority became the norm in most
countries. Today, political and military authority stand separated,
and control in these two spheres is exercised by different individuals.
What exactly do we mean when we speak of an
‘apolitical’ army? The balanced view of being apolitical should not
be construed to mean lack of political awareness or foregoing of
the right of a citizen to cast a vote in elections. On the contrary,
a truly apolitical army should be politically aware and its soldiers
interested in exercising their democratic right. However, this
political awareness should include a conviction that the army’s
direct participation in controlling political affairs or wielding
political power is counter-productive. Such a realisation is the best
guarantee for preserving the apolitical outlook of an army.
The British did their utmost to keep the Indian Army away
from the national political mainstream. Politics during British rule
invariably involved India’s quest for freedom and the British were
afraid that if the defence forces came in contact with the freedom
fighters, their loyalty to their British masters would be subverted.
Indian political leaders in the pre-independence era were also
reluctant to involve the Indian armed forces in the freedom
struggle. This, however, does not mean that the struggle for India’s
freedom had no influence on the armed forces. There were, in fact,
many instances when the soldier, sailor and airman, fully conscious
of their brothers’ efforts to free the country from the British, had
to choose between obeying their British officers and following their
64 A Book of Essays
conscience when it concerned issues that involved loyalty to their

own motherland. There were a number of occasions when Indian
soldiers refused to fire on Indians demonstrating against British
rule. These soldiers had to suffer the consequences—dismissal,
imprisonment and, in one instance, death sentence. Thus, the
Indian armed forces did make significant contributions in the
attainment of independence and in preserving democratic values.
However, this was done in an unobtrusive manner.
During the Second World War, the Indian National Army
emerged from the ranks of Indian Army personnel held as
prisoners of war. These soldiers declared that they no longer owed
allegiance to the British, and that thenceforth they would fight for
the liberation of India from the British. Their change of allegiance,
their fighting against the British, and their subsequent trial at the
Red Fort had considerable repercussions on the rank and file of
the Indian armed forces. Immediately after the War, the mutinies
of the Army, Navy and Air Force at Bombay, Jabalpur and Karachi
convinced the British that they could no longer rely on the Indian
armed forces to support them to rule India. What the British feared
all along ultimately proved true. It was the participation of the
armed forces in the political movements of the country that finally
sounded the death knell of the British Empire.
Notwithstanding the significant contribution made by the
Indian armed forces personnel who took part in the above events,
it is important to note that these personnel were not allowed to
return to the armed forces by the Indian government. Although
they were considered as heroes of the freedom struggle, their
reinstatement in the armed forces was vetoed on grounds that their
value as soldiers had been contaminated by their involvement in
politics, and their loyalty to any government in power was
therefore in question. They were rehabilitated elsewhere.
Going back to the foundations laid by the British in the
establishment of an ‘apolitical’ army, Field Marshal Philip
Chetwode’s exhortation to the officers of the army is significant.
He said: “An army can have no politics. It is the paid servant of
the people, and is at the disposal of the government of the day,
whatever may be the complexion or colour of its politics. Once
there is suspicion that an army, or any part of it, has become biased
politically, from that moment that army has lost the full confidence
of the nation that pays for it. It is no longer impartial, and that
way leads to chaos and civil war.” Stephen Cohen in his book The
Indian Army—Its Contribution to the Development of a Nation (1990)

says, “Military theorists have argued that democracy and a large
standing army are incompatible but India has managed both.” He
further says, “There can be no doubt that the paradigmatic Indian
Army has gloriously served that nation during the difficult days
since independence.”
After independence, India was very fortunate to have political
stability provided by mature political leadership with a strong
popular base. In this respect, the Indian experience was very
different from that of Pakistan, which till 1947 had shared a
common heritage with India. In India, an army, conditioned by a
tradition of several years of unquestioning acceptance of civil
supremacy, readily and enthusiastically welcomed the establishment
of democratic rule in the country. In the years after independence,
India faced numerous crises, both from across the border and
internally, but at no time was the civil-military relationship in the
country ever disturbed or the principle of civil supremacy
questioned. This fact is a tribute to the maturity of our political
leadership and the high sense of discipline in our army.
After independence, the Indian Army has been rendering
singular service to the nation, covering a wide spectrum of
activities. It has been contributing towards national stability,
national integration and national defence. During the riots after
partition, the army had to be used exclusively to maintain order
in some areas where the local civil administration had crumbled.
The army has been called out whenever any serious national
calamity has overtaken the country in the shape of floods, cyclones
and earthquakes. The contribution of the army in the management
of disasters has also helped considerably in establishing in the
national ethos the notion that the Indian armed forces are devoted
to the service of the people and to democratic principles.
The army’s apolitical character has contributed effectively
towards national integration. With personnel drawn from different
parts of the country and belonging to different religious, linguistic,
ethnic and cultural groups, the Indian Army has been a symbol
of national unity. When they retire and go back to civil life, they
take with them important values of respect for different religions,
communities, and cultures.
By not meddling in politics, and by serving the government
with professional competence, the army has played a significant
role in preserving democracy. The army’s apolitical attitude has
66 A Book of Essays
also, no doubt, been appropriately reciprocated by different

political parties in the country, which have so far sensibly refrained
from attempting to politicise the army.
It is worthwhile now to consider whether there could be any
involvement of the army in politics. India is a country of
continental dimensions, with wide disparities in both ethnic and
linguistic composition of the people. No large country of this size
and diversity has had a history of a military coup. Decades of
democratic functioning since independence have fully established
the tradition of the subordination of the military to the civil rule
in India. The civil power in this context is represented by the
elected representatives of the people and not any civil department
or the civil service.
Unlike Pakistan, which has had a succession of coups, and
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka which have had a taste of military rule,
India has not had such experiences, largely because the Indian
Army has remained consistently and steadfastly apolitical.
National interests demand close rapport and understanding
between the statesman and the soldier. According to John Adams,
“National defence is one of the cardinal duties of the statesman”
and, as we know it, national defence is the main role of the soldier.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, there should be no
confrontation between the statesman and the soldier. The soldier
must accept the supremacy of the statesman in power and the
latter, while exercising this supremacy, should not expect
subservience or blind obedience from the soldier. The top soldier
must have the right of direct access to the head of the government
and the liberty to fearlessly express views on military issues in
the prescribed manner. Expression of dissent cannot be considered
as an act of indiscipline. When the issues are vital and could have
grave repercussions, the soldier must, if necessary, resign to focus
the attention of the nation on those issues. As in other areas, in
the case of national defence, too, there may be differing views,
but these must be resolved within the framework of the supremacy
of the civil leadership and in accordance with the prescribed
norms.
Today, the Indian Army continues to be one of the biggest
volunteer forces and apolitical army in the world. Its apolitical
nature is a product of history and is in conformity with the heritage
of the Indian people. The political culture developed since
independence has reinforced these traditions. The parliamentary
form of government, of which civil supremacy over the military

is a necessary adjunct, stands firmly established in India. The four
important ingredients of a functioning democracy—fair elections,
an independent judiciary, a free press and an apolitical army—
have taken deep roots in the Indian system. Thus, unlike the
political situation in most third world countries, Indian politics
will remain free from military intervention and the tradition of
civilian control over the military will continue.
68 A Book of Essays
India’s Defence Needs

in a Technological
Scenario
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Technological advancements have revolutionised means
of warfare.
2. Though milestones have been achieved in missile and
nuclear technologies, some basic areas of warfare need
to be developed.
3. Needs in the new nuclear scenario.
4. Use of information technology for strategic advantages.
5. Counter-measures for protection against chemical and
biological warfare need to be developed.
6. Defence R&D should be strengthened.
I
N the last century, science has transformed the world in almost
all areas of society. It follows that the corresponding economic,
political, demographic and technological changes would also
affect the military factor. In fact, the demonstrated relationship
between the advance of science and technology and defence is so
strong that the future of warfare has been revolutionised. The
world today, particularly the developed world, has progressed far
ahead in the technological advancement of war. History has
demonstrated that nations that fail to anticipate and adapt to
change get left behind. They leave themselves vulnerable to being
conquered by others.
India’s defence industrialisation and scientific know-how is
widely acknowledged. It has, however, not attained the required
degree of success as a self-reliant sustainable entity capable of
meeting the needs of the country’s armed forces and steering itself
into the next millennium. Although the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved remarkable
milestones in the area of nuclear and missile technology, it has
India’s Defence Needs in a Technological Scenario 69
failed to meet the basic needs of the infantry soldier, as was

demonstrated by the war in Kargil. Priorities have gone wrong
somewhere and unless defence planning and management strike
the right balance, the potential of India’s technological base may
not be able to meet its defence needs. In the current and future
technological scenario India has a wide spectrum of needs to cover.
Some of these are—nuclear warfare, information warfare, satellite
technology, missile technology, chemical and biological warfare,
high-altitude warfare, desert warfare, air and naval warfare,
counter-insurgency, mobile warfare, high speed communications,
underwater technology and cyber warfare.
India first needs to ensure that its nuclear weapons and its
delivery systems are invulnerable to a first strike by nuclear
weapons either by Pakistan or China or jointly by both of them.
Secondly, it should have the capability of inflicting noteworthy
damage on the enemy. In this respect, not only is the development
of the medium range missile ‘Agni’ essential but what is also
needed is a focus on its ability to strike targets even more
accurately. In order to make its nuclear weapons invulnerable to
first strike, India will have to disperse its nuclear strike forces,
create a strategic air command, protect nuclear weapons sites,
develop nuclear submarines and deploy anti-ballistic
missiles.
Warfare today has changed radically due to information
revolution. With the use of computers and modern communications,
it has become increasingly important to ensure acquisition and
security of information. The rapid growth of technologies to
acquire and store information and the promise of improved
command and control have generated the idea of ‘dominance in
the field of information’. The ability to see, hear and understand
the enemy’s command and control systems, intelligence sources
and sensors have produced a new discipline known as ‘information
warfare’. The information revolution and its related technologies
are affecting all three pillars of national power, i.e., political,
military and economic. India with its vast talented scientific
population needs to overcome potential vulnerabilities, tame the
microchip and use it to sustain tactical and strategic advantages
that are available in information warfare. Broadly, these include
dedicated military satellites for surveillance and communications,
reconnaissance and target acquisition systems, intelligence gathering
and decision support systems, airborne early warning platforms,
70 A Book of Essays
digitalised mapping, etc.

Although India has foresworn the use of chemical and
biological weapons, there are reports that chemical and biological
weapons, popularly known as the ‘poor man’s nuke’, are
increasingly being sought by certain governments as an alternative
to or in addition to nuclear weapons. Therefore, India needs to
recognise the growing threat of chemical and biological weapons
attack and take necessary steps for provision of counter-measures
to protect its defence forces and civilians against such weapons
of mass destruction.
Rapidly advancing technology and self-reliance go hand in
hand. Keeping this in view, Indian research organisations related
to defence need to tackle a variety of new challenges in the field
of basic battlefield needs. Higher levels of self-reliance in crucial
sectors can only be sustained by close collaboration between the
defence forces, who have to combat disruptive forces in a variety
of terrain and weather configurations, and the research and
development personnel, who have to meet these critical needs.
Good skills in design and manufacture have languished after
operational exigencies compelled direct buys from abroad and the
resort to licenced manufacture. Although the defence forces have
been advocating their needs over the years in basic items like rifles,
carbines, helmets, snow-boots and gloves, snow goggles, sound
ranging equipments and other basic equipments for specialised
operations, it is alleged that the DRDO has failed to deliver. This
was dramatically demonstrated during the Kargil conflict when
last minute purchases from abroad had to be resorted to while
the battles were being fought. The euphoria generated over success
in the field of missile technology now needs to be transferred and
transformed into effective capabilities for design, development and
production of more basic needs. Joint ventures could initially be
undertaken with selected foreign manufacturers leading eventually
to substantial self-reliance. China’s success in this area needs to
be emulated.
The evolution of new concepts of fighting are a direct outcome
of the impact of technology on the conduct of land, sea and air
warfare. The urgent needs of India’s defence forces in present and
future conflicts are—precision weapons, vastly improved means
of real-time information, surveillance and target acquisition and
improved clothing and equipment for high-altitude warfare.
Advances in communications technology, computers, information
systems, surveillance and target acquisition systems are critical for

command and control. Equally important is the utilisation of the
same means to destroy the enemy’s means of command and
control. Failure to meet these needs will have disastrous
consequences.
New technologies are transforming the way we conduct
warfare. To win, we need to adopt new war-fighting techniques,
and for that, our need for upgraded technology is absolutely
essential. Existing gaps in these areas need to be eliminated
without further delay.
72 A Book of Essays
United Nations—
Role and Future
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. UN was born more than 70 years ago.
2. UN role in conflict resolution and socio-economic
intervention, and its aim is to save the world from war.
3. Some of its successful actions, and some of its failures.
4. Most of its failures arose in trying to enforce peace in
conflicts within nations. Causes.
5. Many of its successes are on the socio-economic front.
6. Impact of changes in world order on the role of UN,
and the need for the UN to reinvent itself.
7. The UN needs reform, but it remains the best arbiter of
world peace.
M
ORE than seventy years ago many nations of the world,
conscious of both their global responsibilities and the
ever-looming threat of war, got together and pledged to
free mankind from the ravages of war. Fifty nations joined hands
and took an oath to abide by a charter signed by these countries
on June 26,1945. And so the United Nations (UN) was born as a
successor to the largely powerless League of Nations.
The various roles of the UN can be broadly divided into two
categories. The first group consists of activities like resolving
conflicts, peace-making, and peacekeeping. The second group of
activities are in the socio-economic front and also include welfare
programmes. The Economic and Social Council of the UN also
coordinates as many as sixteen UN-related intergovernmental
agencies.
The United Nations, which succeeded the League of Nations,
resolved to save subsequent generations from the ravages of war.
Other important purposes of the UN include maintenance of
international peace and security, prevention through collective
measures of member-nations of threats to peace, peaceful
negotiations of international disputes, promotion of decolonisation
and self-determination, and international cooperation in social,

economic, cultural and humanitarian fields.
The United Nations, when established, was not formed with
the intention to enforce peace in conflicts within a nation arising
from civil war situations. Recently though, it finds itself increasingly
involved in such situations. Some of these situations are further
compounded by across-the-border support to warring factions in
a civil war. In the case of Cyprus, for example, Turkish troops have
been stationed in the northern portion under Turkey. The UN has
been helpless for several decades in this situation, as in the
incident of NATO’s assault on Kosovo. Despite its vehement
protests NATO, backed by the US, continued with its attack. Such
incidents call into question the UN’s relevance and effectiveness
in today’s world. But the reason does not lie solely in the UN’s
incapacity to deal with this new trend of internal disputes. The
UN suffers from a gross lack of funds and absence of a standing
force.
In contrast, the UN has been very active and successful on
the socio-economic front. It has provided adequate assistance, both
financial and otherwise, in several famine and other disaster-
affected areas. UN organisations have been very active in controlling
diseases and helping the economies of developing countries.
Certain changes have also occurred in the world order. The
end of the Cold War has entirely redefined international politics.
One can perhaps for the first time think of a universal world order.
The United Nations itself has grown to have some 190 members.
The USA has emerged as the dominant military and economic
power. The East-West axis has now been replaced by a North-South
axis. Within the South itself, sharp economic disparities can be
observed. The emerging trend throughout the world is of
liberalisation and increasing economic cooperation. Democratisation,
economic liberalisation and market economics have nevertheless
also affected political stability and led to turmoil in certain
countries. In this new context, it is quite clear that a single nation
cannot emerge as a dominant power. The only viable way in which
global participation and cooperation can be ensured depends on
the emergence of the UN as a truly international body with
increased participation of nations from the South.
But why the need to revamp the United Nations? The main
issue which has prompted the restructuring debate is the feature
of permanent membership and the attached veto power in the
Security Council. The effective participation of the UN has often
been hindered because clashes of interests have led to vetoes being
74 A Book of Essays
moved by one or more of the five permanent members of the

Security Council. These are the USA, China, Russia, France and
UK. Many member nations feel that the Security Council and the
United Nations have been reduced to an instrument in service of
these handful of countries, especially the US. This US-dominance
trend has been severely criticised. Precedence awarded to West-
dominating issues has resulted in a sense of bias and the very
purpose of a ‘United’ Nations has become suspect. Amongst the
developed nations, Germany and Japan have been consistently
striving for a permanent seat in the Security Council. Their
contentions rest on their large and powerful economies and their
large monetary contributions to UN operations. India has also
staked a claim to a permanent seat, basing it on regular and large
Indian participation in UN operations and on its being a
representative from South Asia. India’s large economy also backs
its claim.
Demands from certain other sections have been made to open
up and modify the original UN charter. While certain demands,
like the removal of the ‘enemy state clause’ from the charter, are
justifiable, is there really a need to completely redefine the UN?
On the contrary, the United Nations, with probably a few
modifications, has now the potential to emerge as the best and
most efficient establishment promoting peace, security and
development.
To a large extent, some of the most developed nations of the
world are to be blamed for the ineffectiveness of the UN in dealing
with conflicts. Many of these nations, during the Cold War years,
have encouraged and indulged in weapon supplies to developing
nations. It is these very weapons which, in many cases, have been
used against UN-peacekeepers, forcing them into inactivity. The
second biggest threat to world peace comes from the nuclear
arsenals of many nations of the world. And nuclear disarmament,
as India has always pointed out, has to be equitable: it does not
mean that some countries remain privileged possessors of nuclear
arms while the others are made to disarm. The UN needs to do
much to bring about an agreement on this issue.
Steps for increasing the efficiency of and decreasing corruption
in the UN have simultaneously to be coupled with nuclear
disarmament and participation of third world nations. Only then
can lasting peace be achieved. The UN is still our safest institution
and the best arbiter of world peace, and we should not allow it
to disintegrate.
Can Human Rights

be Universal Rights?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Certain rights are basic to human beings.
2. UN Declaration of Human Rights—how it came about
and what it promises.
3. Other conventions reinforcing the UN Declaration of
Human Rights.
4. The UN as monitor of human rights violations.
5. Human rights in the context of terrorism and ethnic
violence; Indian scene.
6. North-South divide perceptible in the matter of human
rights.
7. Do human rights matter where basic necessities are
lacking? Views of South and South-East Asian leaders
and what human rights activists say.
8. The West is not perfect.
9. Individual rights versus collective rights.
10. Can rights be applied selectively? The answer is No—on
the moral, human, legal, societal and even spiritual
levels, human rights have a value in themselves.
A
universal recognition of human rights was articulated in
the wake of the atrocities by the Nazis and misgovernance
by the Fascists in the 1940s, and it led to the adoption of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was
drafted by a committee of the UN Commission on Human Rights
set up in 1946, and 58 member-states of the UN General Assembly
adopted the declaration on December 10, 1948. India was also a
signatory. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has served
as a Magna Carta for all humanity since then.
The declaration recognises that the “inherent dignity of all
members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice
and peace in the world”, and is linked to the recognition of
fundamental rights which every human being aspires to—the right
76 A Book of Essays
to life, liberty and security of person: the right to an adequate

standard of living; the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries
asylum from persecution; the right to own property; the right to
freedom of opinion and expression; the right to education; freedom
of thought, conscience and religion; and the right to freedom from
torture and degrading treatment among others. These rights are
to be enjoyed by all human beings of the global village—men,
women and children, as well as by any group of society,
disadvantaged or not; they are not gifts to be withdrawn, withheld
or granted at someone’s whims and fancies.
These rights have been reiterated and adopted in various UN
conventions. The Convention on Elimination of Racial
Discrimination was adopted in 1965. Similarly, in 1966 the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights were
adopted. Likewise, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women (1981), Convention Against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Punishment or
Force (1984), Convention on Rights of the Child (1990), etc., have
been adopted. Most countries of the world are members of UN
General Assembly which has adopted these conventions and
therefore these are universally applicable, though in different
degrees in various parts of the world.
In addition to these conventions, the UN has been actively
monitoring human rights violations in various parts of the world.
Terrorism and denial of basic rights to individuals now pose a
big challenge to the UN. The problems of ethnic violence,
increasing exploitation of women and children and the issues of
hunger, illiteracy, disease, poverty, and unemployment are also to
be seen in the context of human rights. Even in the so-called
advanced countries of the West, human rights are often violated
by the practice of racial discrimination.
India is not immune to these problems. Terrorism has resulted
in the denial of several basic rights to the people of Kashmir and
the North-East. Casteist violence in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh
and Andhra Pradesh has also terrorised the people of these states.
The minorities and even other individuals often become victims
of religious fundamentalists. Child labour and child marriage are
very much a part of our society. Atrocities on women, such as
assault, rape, forced prostitution and domestic violence, flourish
in India. India has a large number of illiterates. True, India has
established a National Human Rights Commission. The people

have been guaranteed human rights under various provisions of
the Constitution like the Fundamental Rights and Directive
Principles. India is also a signatory to the UN Declaration and has
been active in the human rights activities of the UN. What is
lacking and what is required, therefore, is political will to provide
people with their basic rights.
A former UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, once said:
“Rights have been asserted where regimes once ruled; justice has
been delivered where impunity once reigned; and memory has
been honoured where the powerful once enjoyed immunity. If only
every fear were to offer such hope, and prove to all that human
rights cannot be denied where human beings live and breathe. But
that is our challenge. To make it so. To make every day matter
in the fight to broaden the horizon of human rights until that day
when no man is tortured, no woman is abused, and no child is
denied his dignity—when all human beings enjoy their human
rights.” That is the ideal; the reality on the ground, however, is
more complicated.
There is a North-South divide in world economy; now there
seems to be an East-West divide in the matter of human rights.
As western countries and their allies in the East (Japan, for
instance) are stepping up their campaign against human rights
violations, certain Asian countries voice a different view: “When
millions are thrown out of jobs and people go without food
because of the currency depreciation and inflation, there are socio-
political problems on hand. If the government and its agencies
crack down on dissent and protests, we have large-scale violation
of human rights,” a member of Indonesia’s National Human Rights
Commission has said.
China has a special place in any discussion on human rights.
Freedom of speech and expression are, of course, under curbs;
more than that, the detention of political dissidents has drawn
worldwide attention. Every now and then, apparently to satisfy
a visiting foreign dignitary, a prominent dissident is released. The
Tiannanman Square crackdown will remain a blot on the human
rights record of China. And the future moves on the human rights
front in China seem vague.
In South Asia, there are some ‘conflict zones’, with terrorist
organisations or secessionist groups fighting for ‘liberation’. In
contrast to South-East Asia, where societal and national interest
78 A Book of Essays
take precedence over individual rights, many South Asian

governments try to put individual fundamental rights first. Here,
too, there are problems because of the history of frequent military
rule or coups as in Pakistan or Bangladesh; a continuing civil war
and ethnic strife (till very recently) in Sri Lanka and the terrorist
battles in Kashmir and militancy in some north-eastern states and
eastern states of India. Under these conditions, the protection of
human rights ceases to be the government’s priority.
Human rights organisations are convinced that a democratic
and open society is the only answer to continued violation. “If
a government becomes more accountable to Parliament and the
people, it will obviously respect human and fundamental rights
better,” they argue. The argument is that violation of human rights
tends to increase under an authoritarian regime or under a despot
who has seized power. Similarly, when one-party rule becomes an
accepted practice, the ruling elite does not respect rights.
Human rights activists draw attention to a few basic Articles
in the Universal Declaration—discriminations, arbitrary arrest or
detentions, seeking political asylum, arbitrary deprival of property
and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
Most of the problems in Asia centre on these provisions.
The West is also perceived as practising double standards:
Western countries are quite willing to blink at violation of human
rights if the offending nation happens to be a lucrative market for
them—witness how USA is willing to relate with China, Pakistan
and several other countries ruled by dictators.
It may be recalled that in the 1980s, many non-aligned
countries believed that the declaration was being abused to
condemn poorer countries—many of them under dictatorial rules.
These countries demanded new rights that would impose obligations
on Western states also. In 1986, the declaration on the right to
development was adopted, requiring international disarmament
and assistance for developing countries, among other things.
“European states stress individual rights and values, while
Asian countries esteem collective human rights and obligations to
the family and society,” said Mr Qian Qichen once the Chinese
deputy prime minister. Using these citizens’ duties to back the
national campaign against hunger, the government often tries to
legitimise anything to suppress unrest and prevent production
bottlenecks.
Without defending the Asian governments or justifying their
violations, many of the rights activists charge that ‘discrimination’

on the basis of religion, colour, race and sex persist in the US and
many European countries which see themselves as the ‘champions’
of human rights. It is their contention that instead of “lecturing,
sermonising or imposing” standards on Asia, the West will do well
to address the causes of these problems. The sudden slide into
poverty of millions of people may spark a spurt in the violations
of human rights because of the social tensions. The terrorist or
separatist groups tend to prosper in these circumstances, playing
on the frustration and anger of the poor. Without harping on
human rights issues, the West and organisations such as the UN
could help these people by focussing on human issues and
empowerment instead of browbeating their governments into
accepting standards that they cannot implement.
Can rights, then, be selectively applied? If we consider the
issue dispassionately, the answer is “No”. Human rights, howsoever
one looks at it, belong to all human beings. The simple proposition
that a person possesses rights because he or she is human cannot
be empirically proved or tested against some concrete evidence.
That people are entitled, because they are human, to assert their
rights to something is a proposition whose morality is self-evident.
When we assert an ethical proposition, we are in effect choosing
sides or announcing our stand—this is how human beings should
be treated, below this we cannot allow ourselves to fall.
Then, if rights accrue to human beings by virtue of their being
human, then every human being is entitled to assert his or her
rights. Equality is built into the rights proposition and it is this
property that makes rights such an attractive proposition.
Human rights set up a critical standard to gauge the legitimacy
of particular laws or conventions. This implies that whereas
conventional legal and contractual rights can vary from place to
place, human rights are constant and immutable as they supervene
upon something we call human nature.
Rights provide protection against calculations based on some
notion of social good or against utilitarian computations of what
is beneficial to some sections of society. Correspondingly, rights
as an integral part of political morality hold that individual
entitlements are of such overriding importance that they eclipse
all other considerations. Rights are a non-instrumental and non-
derivative part of morality.
Though it is true we cannot guarantee that individual rights
80 A Book of Essays
will not be violated in a given society, what we can do is to institute

a norm that rights are of such primary importance that whosoever
violates them should have good reasons for doing so. The onus
of proof should be on those who violate rights.
Rights bestow status upon each human being irrespective of
his or her talents or the lack of them. They imply that each human
being counts purely by virtue of the fact that he or she is human
and that he or she is entitled to be treated in a particular way.
In any society that values human beings as worthy of regard
and respect, rights will be valued.
Human Rights and the

Indian Armed Forces
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Both terrorism and anti-terrorism operations infringe upon
the human rights of affected civil societies.
2. Provisions for protection of human rights exist both at
the international and national levels.
3. Several international laws are aimed at restricting the
use of violence against those not involved in fighting.
4. Terrorism cannot be tolerated but at the same time
human rights have to be safeguarded.
5. While the terrorist has no concern for human rights, the
armed forces are under tremendous pressure to protect
such rights.
6. Some excesses are committed by the armed forces, but
studies show most of the claims are exaggerated. If
found guilty in court, defence personnel are punished.
7. Strict rules and procedures of conduct are in place for
armed personnel in the context of human rights.
8. Armed forces play a significant civic role in insurgency-
hit areas.
9. Human rights of the armed forces are often grossly
violated. This needs to be corrected.
10. Conclusion—armed forces also realise that cooperation
from the civilian population will come only when human
rights of all are respected.
H
ISTORICALLY, armed violence against civil societies was
the regrettable fallout of wars between nations. Today, the
unfortunate reality is that the targeting of civil populations
has become the scary strategy of the new breed of terrorism
unleashed by fundamentalist forces. Innocent men, women and
children become hapless victims of such violence and are caught
in the cross-fire between the terrorists, on the one hand, and the
security forces, on the other. While the freewheeling terrorists have
no restrictions on descending into the worst methods of medieval
82 A Book of Essays
mayhem to achieve their aims, the soldiers of the Indian Army

face the daunting task of performing their duty in accordance with
a high code of conduct and strict norms of behaviour with all odds
stacked against them.
It was the appalling crimes against humanity by Nazi Germany
in the extermination of millions of people that horrified the
civilised world and aroused the collective conscience of the
international community to do something to protect humanity
against the violence perpetrated by man against man. This resulted
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted
by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10,
1948. The Declaration generally states that all human beings are
born free and equal, that their lives, liberty, security and dignity
need to be protected. This is the document of the large body of
human rights jurisprudence that has since come into being. In
India, the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 defines human
rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity
of the individual as guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied
in international covenants and enforceable by courts in India.
International humanitarian law deals with protecting victims
of armed conflicts from violence and other violations of human
rights. Standards have been codified in the Geneva Conventions
(1949) for the protection of war victims and two additional
Protocols (1977). The combined goal of these instruments is to
restrict the use of violence against those who are not engaged in
armed fighting and to prohibit methods of warfare that cause
unnecessary suffering. The conventions that cover the armed forces
relate to the treatment to be given to sick and wounded military
persons in the field, to sick and shipwrecked members of the
armed forces at sea, treatment of prisoners of war and protection
of civilians in time of war.
Since Independence, the Indian armed forces have been
engaged in four wars and in prolonged and continuous engagement
in counter insurgency operations against terrorists and insurgents
in Jammu and Kashmir and some north-eastern states. While
combating insurgency, the army is very alive to the fact that it is
a battle for the hearts and minds of the insurgents and that
harmony between the interests of the individual and the State is
essential. The problem arises when the dangers from across the
border and from terrorism cross reasonable limits.
A nation and a society cannot tolerate terrorism when it
endangers the security of the State and the welfare of its people.
The State is bound to take stringent measures. The dilemma is
how to execute such measures without disregarding the human

rights aspect. It is here that the insurgent holds the trump card.
The insurgent and terrorist use terrorism as a weapon which
obtains for them disproportionate benefits in the political and
military arenas. The terrorists are aware that the politicians are
concerned mainly with the vote banks of their constituencies.
Anything that disturbs chances of coming back to power disturbs
them. The terrorists, therefore, depend upon premeditated false
statements to alarm the politicians. False evidence and outright
lies are the weapons they use to degrade the capacity of the armed
forces employed against them. It becomes incredibly difficult for
the soldiers to be restrained when they see their comrades being
killed, even as human rights organisations are swayed by the
propaganda of the terrorists. Regrettably, the press often publishes
the version of the terrorists, perhaps because it is more easily
available. The terrorists therefore use the politician, the press and
the public to get the human rights organisations to back them.
Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir have often fired at soldiers from
within crowds of women and children, secure in the knowledge
that soldiers will hesitate to fire back; or that if they do, then it
is the armed forces who will get the flak.
It would be untruthful to say that there have never been
excesses by the armed forces. There have been a number of cases
where uniformed men have been found involved in serious
violations of human rights of the civilians. In the guise of searching
homes for the supposedly hiding terrorists, rapes and molestations
of women by the men in olive are also not unheard of.
However, before, examining the record, one must also consider
that when one uses the term ‘armed forces’ it includes not only
the army but also the BSF, CRPF, ITBP, Assam Rifles and other
paramilitary forces operating in the area. The fact that, in the Indian
system, the Army is only called out when the police and the
paramilitary forces cannot handle the situation also needs to be
noted. Air commodores R.V. Kumar and Group Captain B.P.
Sharma in their book Human Rights and the Armed Forces have stated
that less than one per cent of the complaints made against the army
personnel are found to be valid.
The Army deals with human rights violations with a very
heavy hand and where army personnel are found guilty, they are
awarded severe punishment quite swiftly through court martial.
In one case, death penalty was awarded. Nonetheless, some people
say that court martials, even while punishing the culprit swiftly,
84 A Book of Essays
often do not do full justice vis-a-vis the gravity of the crime

perpetrated by the guilty men in uniform. What makes matters
worse is that the defence administration jealously maintains a
complete secrecy and often shields the personnel concerned from
the hounds of the media and the society for the sake of the so-
called dignity and honour of the forces.
The Army is very conscious of the effect of the infringement
of human rights by its personnel on the overall morale, discipline
and motivation of the armed forces as a whole. It has, therefore,
initiated a series of measures to educate its personnel in human
rights awareness and correct procedures to be followed. There is
a comprehensive list of do’s and dont’s during, before and after
military operations. In addition, human rights awareness is promoted
by running various training courses. More importantly, situational
courses are run in counter-insurgency areas that take into
consideration the on-the-spot factors that could vary from one
situation to another. Although this training focuses on situations
of counter-insurgency, provision is also made for the conduct of
armed forces personnel during war.
The Indian army personnel assigned for UN peacekeeping
operations are given training not only in human rights but also
on how to react to various situations they are likely to encounter.
In order to sensitise the entire Army on human rights, the records
of personnel are monitored and taken into account while considering
promotions and postings to sensitive appointments.
Organisationally, the Army has instituted human rights cells.
The charter of these cells is to monitor, receive complaints,
investigate and submit reports for further action and also to be
in touch with the National Human Rights Commission and NGOs
working in this field with a view to minimising human rights
violations.
The Chief of Army Staff in 1993 issued his Ten Commandments
for strict compliance for forces engaged in counter-insurgency
operations, which included, among others: no rape, no molestation,
no torture, death preferable to military disgrace, no meddling in
civil administration, maintenance of correct relations with the
media, respect for human rights, and fear only of God, to uphold
the path of righteousness.
As a corrollary to these Commandments, the corps commanders
concerned further issued Ten Directives for strict compliance which
included: display compassion and humanity towards the local
populace; do not look down upon local customs and traditions;
there are no insurgents here—only misguided countrymen; never

molest women—they are our sisters and mothers; do not harm
children—they are our heritage; no reprisals under any circumstance;
treat apprehendees with respect; honour democratic norms and
adhere to human rights.
The role of the armed forces in civic and welfare work in
insurgency and disaster-hit areas—both natural and man-made—
must not be forgotten. According to an assessment, the termination
of the insurgency in Punjab was facilitated by the humanitarian
work done by the Army when it was called out to assist the police
in counter-insurgency operations. Army personnel attended the
sick and wounded villagers, shared their rations with the villagers,
and conducted classes in village schools. The Army gave free
education to thousands of children, distributed free of cost rations
worth millions of rupees and helped in the construction of
hundreds of kilometres of roads and tracks. The Indian Army is
reputed to meticulously follow the Geneva Conventions in the
treatment of war prisoners.
K.P.S. Gill, who as Director-General Punjab Police contributed
substantially to the curbing of insurgency in Punjab, has highlighted
a growing aberration which has received little public attention and
is stridently denied by the human rights lobby. This is the
systematic adoption of human rights litigation as a weapon against
the agencies of the State by terrorists, insurgents and criminals who
themselves reject democracy and seek the overthrow of lawful and
elected governments. An overwhelming proportion of ‘public
interest’ human rights litigation is today being initiated by front
organisations of virulent underground terrorist movements in a
systematic strategy to harry and paralyse security forces and the
police. Hundreds of such cases and complaints have been found
to be utterly false. But there are no effective penalties attached
to this abuse of the process of the law—though statutes exist for
malicious persecution, they have never been applied in a single
case of this nature. This perversion of judicial process has to be
countered to effectively resist the forces of destabilisation in the
country.
It must also be borne in mind that personnel of the armed
forces operating in areas of insurgency are also Indian citizens and,
as such, are entitled to protection of their human rights. As a matter
of fact, they face the grossest violation of several of their fundamental
rights. They are constantly exposed to danger and torture of the
worst kind. However, human rights organisations have never ever
86 A Book of Essays
protested against such acts. This has an adverse effect on the

morale of troops who are kept on a tight leash when operating
against insurgents with their own lives in danger, but have no
support when their rights are violated. This needs rectification if
the human rights issue is to have a balanced perspective.
The armed forces understand that they can function more
effectively and smoothly if the civilian population is with them
in their endeavours. This need of the armed forces makes them
more sensitive to civilian needs and human rights. This awareness
will help in curbing the temptation to use more than minimum
force and encouraging them to exercise restraint. It is desirable
that the armed forces continue to emphasise the importance of
human rights in the execution of their duties.
There is no place for the kind of events that have taken place
in Kashmir and Manipur, for instance: in the former, several
innocent young men were killed as ‘terrorists’; in the latter, a
woman was allegedly abducted, raped and killed for ‘being in
touch with insurgents’. Equally, the armed forces too need our
sympathy for the violation of human rights they constantly face
with none to bring public attention to their plight.
The media can play an effective and important role in this.
Instead of giving coverage to the human rights violations—both
genuine and fake—of only those who pay scant attention to their
victims’ rights in the first place, they must also give coverage to
the violation of human rights of the armed forces personnel, so
that the morale of the uniformed men are kept high.
Torture : The
Living Death
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. It takes a war or custodial death to make the subject of
torture topical, only to be soon forgotten. But it is a
practice continuing from the past to this day.
2. In the past, torture was a legal procedure to extract
confession or to punish.
3. Historical overview of torture under various kinds of
regimes shows its universal practice and similarity in
forms.
4. Examples of forms of torture.
5. Torture is now also a political weapon.
6. Antithetical to democracy, it at times assumes the
euphemism of ‘official investigation’.
7. Proclamations against torture notwithstanding, state-
sanctioned torture prevails in many countries. There is
no international ‘law’ to counter the situation.
8. Examples of torture victims.
9. Lacunae exist in India—vicious political links.
10. Conventions—UN, Geneva, etc.—exist but are seldom
followed in practice.
11. The psychology of a torturer.
12. Each one of us should guard against succumbing to the
use of torture.
T
ORTURE is, undoubtedly, the most barbaric form of human
punishment. It takes a war or a custodial death to revive
the discussion on the subject. The horrendous stories of
torture appear in prime slots of television channels, magazines and
newspapers with passionate and furious critics adding to the
fervour. Disappointingly, these stories remain just stories for the
masses to read, lament on and eventually dismiss as yet another
subject beyond the reach of law. With the changing social and
political milieu, concepts and ideas have acquired new dimensions.
But torture was and is to this day most certainly used by people
in authority, and there is no strong shield against it.
88 A Book of Essays
Torture is infliction of physical or mental pain, often to obtain

information, to punish a person or to control the members of the
group to which the tortured person belongs. Its sole purpose is
to induce shock and passivity in individuals or an entire community.
Dating back to ancient times, torture was primarily a legal
procedure for extracting a confession to be used as legal proof.
The early Greek and Roman law limited its use to slaves,
foreigners and people considered dishonourable.
In the late 400s, the use of torture declined after the fall of
the Roman empire. But in the 1100s, certain Roman legal procedures,
including torture, were revived in many parts of Europe. Thereafter,
torture was legally employed by civil and religious courts to
obtain confessions until about 1800. Around that time torture was
abolished after being criticised on moral and legal grounds. This
inhuman act gradually reappeared during the late 1800s and 1900s.
Its abuse in the hands of military forces, police and other groups
with public authority, began when people were tortured illegally
to be punished and controlled and to gain secret information about
civil, military and political matters. The 1900s witnessed the boom
in torture during political revolutions and the world wars when
political beliefs were placed above human rights.
Dictatorial governments used torture without any qualms to
control the masses. Freedom of speech, assembly or press was
outlawed or limited and revolts were suppressed with a heavy
hand. In 1935, Hitler declared German Jews as citizens with lesser
rights and tortured a majority of this population to death. Six
million Jews were mass-slaughtered in concentration camps. Soviet
prisoners of war were starved and worked to death. The use of
gas chambers to suffocate prisoners to death was considered the
most advanced means of torture. Jeffry Benzian of the apartheid
era was notorious for extorting information out of his victims in
less than 30 minutes. He employed the “wet bag” treatment—a
bag soaked in water pulled over the head of a victim and twisted
tightly around the victim’s neck, cutting off the air supply. The
bag would be removed only when the victim showed signs of
wanting to talk.
History is replete with incidents of torture, and it leads one
to conclude that torture is a blanket phenomenon associated with
the human race. Surprisingly, even the methods of torture employed
across the length and breadth of continents show similarities.
Some common forms of physical and psychological torture
are: isolation, “falanga” (blows to the soles of the feet), electric
shocks, suffocation (example: victim’s head forced into water

containing excrements), pulling out teeth, burning by cigarettes or
red-hot iron bars, mutilation (nails pulled off or parts of body
amputated), sexual torture, mock executions, letting detenues
torture each other and even pharmacological torture.
An effort to suppress revolt through torture was made by the
British before 1947 in India. The women freedom fighters were
brutally tortured using all possible means to dissuade them from
taking part in the freedom struggle. The torture began with verbal
abuses, followed by stripping or hanging the victims upside down.
Electric shocks were administered to fingers and nipples of
women. Some of these women were even raped.
With changing times, torture has made a transition from being
a means of punishment to a potent political weapon. This is
evident from the addition of newer categories of groups of people
to the list of potential victims of torture. While in early times only
prisoners of war, criminals or slaves were tortured, today refugees,
innocent people trapped by law enforcement agencies, spies, the
political opposition and student leaders, journalists and ethnic
minority leaders are also the victims.
Conceptwise, torture is antithetical to democracy since it goes
against the freedom of speech and expression and the right to
political dissent. The purpose of torture is to silence the tortured.
In new democracies, the victims of torture can be counted in
millions as it is a means of individual power abuse by law
enforcement personnel. In most of these nations freedom is new
found and those at the helm of affairs often lack the true qualities
or requirements of a ruler. But they do not want to relinquish
power. So they choose to be on guard against dissenters, or have
a diktat against them. Complicating the matter further is the fact
that torture is no longer used overtly but in the garb of “official
investigations”. This infamous form of violating human rights is
paradoxically the most rampant weapon in the hands of law
enforcement agencies.
Human rights activists the world over condemn what the
United Nations calls “the most loathsome form of human
communication and interaction”. The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1947 proclaims—”No one
shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment.” But the sad fact is that government-
sanctioned torture is prevalent in several member-states of the UN.
In India, too, torture is a weapon employed by those in authority,
though it is not legal.
90 A Book of Essays
Article 21 of the Indian Constitution guarantees: “No person

shall be deprived of his life and personal liberty except according
to the procedure established by law.” Judicial interpretation has
established that this right cannot be taken away from a prisoner
save by methods right, just and fair. The Indian government
enacted the Human Rights Act, 1993 and set up the National
Human Rights Commission under the Act as a watchdog against
any violation. Then there is the Indian Penal Code. Section 330
of the Code makes “anyone in authority resorting to torture on
persons in custody for extortion of information liable to penal
action”. Sections 15 and 16 of the Prisoners’ Act provide means
to protect prisoners from unlawful punishments. However, under
the doctrine of sovereign immunity enshrined in the Indian
Constitution, no government official can be prosecuted, without
the permission of the government, for an act “committed in the
course of his duty”. Moreover, the perpetrators of torture are
confident of their safety because they know that doctors linked
to the state can be relied upon to produce ‘friendly’ medical
reports. Thus, incidents of lynching and custodial deaths are
frequent, and are often glossed over by the authorities.
As for the prisoners of war, the Hague and Geneva Conventions
require that warring nations keep their prisoners of war in safe,
sanitary camps. But the Kargil war told a different story altogether.
The Pakistan army gouged out the eyes of the captured Indian
soldiers, burnt them with cigarette butts, shattered their legs and
spines, chopped off their noses, ears and genitals before finally
shooting them.
The UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the Convention Against
Torture) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1984. It
obliges the State to criminally punish those responsible for torture
within its territory.
Torture is slow, painful death. Research has proved that the
after-effects of torture are shockingly damaging. The degree of
trauma undergone by the victims is so high that very often the
psychological effects overshadow the physical ones. Worse still,
not only the victim but also the family and friends of the victim
are caught in the ordeal. Without treatment, individuals and
families get stuck in the horrors of the past.
The treatment of torture victims has now become a field of
specialisation. Today, there exists profound information on torture
methods, effects of torture, how to diagnose and rehabilitate
victims.
June 26 has been marked as the UN International Day in

Support of Torture Victims. However, efforts are needed at the
grassroot level to curb this malice. Individuals need to protest
against the use of torture and governments ought to enshrine
stricter laws and ensure their enforcement. Individuals and nations
ought to school themselves against torture, which, if not checked,
is bound to go down to future generations in all the more heinous
forms.
Psychologists say that those who torture others are not
necessarily evil; nor do they have perverse sadistic traits. They
are obedient, nurture a blind trust in authority and like to be good
at their job. Mika Haritos-Fatouros, a professor of psychology at
the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, observed, “every
single one of us could become a torturer.” He studied torturers—
police interrogators, who worked under the military junta in
Greece from 1967-74, death squad members and military police
who have worked in Brazil—and said, “The good torturer sees
his job as a vocation, and takes pride in it like everyone else.”
Each one of us placed in certain circumstances could end up
using this cowardly but extremely powerful weapon. Conventions
can be made; obedience to them has to be self-initiating.
92 A Book of Essays
The Changing Face

of Terrorism
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon.
2. Recently terrorist attacks have increased and have
manifested changes : they are by smaller groups, more
brutal, more sophisticated with technological advances.
3. There is more interaction among terrorist groups
facilitating operation and making it difficult to tackle.
4. Shift of focus from ideology to ethnic, religious or
‘nationalistic’ or even ‘economic’ variety.
5. Support from legitimate foreign governments adds
complexity to the problem.
6. Tackling terrorism needs action on three lines—political,
law and order, psychological.
7. Democracies are specially vulnerable to terrorism’s new
form.
T
ERRORISM is not a new phenomenon. It has been with us
for aeons. Even in the very first century there was the Sicarji,
a terrorist group based on religion, operating in Palestine.
The ‘Assassins’, fed on hashish, terrorised the population in the
eleventh century. But over the years the face of terrorism has
changed. It has become more lethal, more widespread more
difficult to control.
A CIA publication defines terrorism as the “threat or use of
violence for political purposes when such action is intended to
influence the attitude and behaviour of a target group other than
the immediate victim and its ramifications transcend national
boundaries”. Contemporary terrorist groups are less organised
than their forebearers and their depredations are unorganised acts
with political motivation. At the same time they are more implacable,
less structured and more difficult to predict and penetrate. The
unpredictability magnifies the effect of violence and makes it
difficult to combat.
Terrorist groups have sprung up everywhere and there are

too many targets. And if public places such as airports are watched
over by security forces more vigilantly, the terrorists shift the focus
to soft targets—schools, market places, trains, buses.
Technological advances have helped the modern terrorists to
arm themselves with small, portable easy-to-operate weapons. The
entire range of weaponry available for national defence is more
or less there for the terrorists as well. Terrorists are also increasingly
making use of bombs and explosives. Sophisticated timers are
available to set off the explosives as and when the terrorist wants.
Detection of the perpetrators becomes almost impossible. Human
bombs have been increasingly and successfully pressed into active
service to eliminate a target. In Tamil Nadu, a live human bomb
from LTTE, the dreaded terrorist outfit of Sri Lanka, killed the late
Indian prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi. ‘Semtex’ was the awesome
and gruesome weapon of earlier terrorists. Now it is RDX and
other advanced and much more lethal things. Modern terrorists
are constantly devising advanced and deadly ways to terrorise
their targets. Deadly chemicals introduced in the water supply
system, germs deliberately released into the air to cause disease
epidemics, biological methods of adversely affecting the ecology—
these are no longer confined to the realms of fiction; today,
terrorists have the knowledge and capability to actualise them in
this world. There were reports suggesting that modern anti-US
terrorists were planning to paralyse the US by indulging in ‘agro-
terrorism’, i.e., by deliberately introducing animal and plant
diseases in the country.
The most worrisome trend in modern terrorism is its
brutalisation. These terrorist groups are without compassion or
ethical considerations. Moral scruples do not weigh with them;
they are mostly cold-blooded liquidators for whom there are no
innocents. Most of the attacks are directed against people rather
than property. It is clearly because attacks on people get full media
attention.
Today, terrorist groups have global networks or establish
contact with groups in different countries. The Al Qaeda, the
terrorist outfit of Osama Bin Laden that was brought into existence
in 1988, has ‘branches’ in practically every part of the world,
notably in the Islamic nations. This organisation maintains a
workable link between Muslim fundamentalists in various countries.
This, in fact, becomes easy if states support various groups with
94 A Book of Essays
finance, training and weapons. In the not too distant past, Pakistan
apparently helped the Khalistanis. At present, it is very active
behind the militants of Kashmir. This networking not only facilitates
terrorist operations but also makes the task of combating it more
difficult.
In the recent past, the IS—Islamic States as they call
themselves—is posing a threat. This group is trying to capture
power in the strife-torn middle east, and trying to influence
Muslims to join their forces all over the world, and that includes
India.
The focus has shifted from the ideological and anarchist brand
of terrorism to so-called nationalist, separatist, religious and ethnic
variety. Both religion and ethnicity have become dynamic forces.
India has to contend with this kind of terrorism in different regions.
For instance, in the Northeastern part of the nation, the militants
are battling the Indian security forces on the ground of ethnicity.
Another form is ‘economic’ terrorism which includes mass
counterfeiting and mass fraud. Reports suggest that a number of
Pakistanis are active in India minting and circulating fake currency
to destabilise the growing Indian economy.
The economic disaster that constant terrorist attacks are
capable of wreaking on a country today can be as appalling as
that brought about by war. Even the USA which is a powerful and
rich nation found it tough to cope with the economic blow inflicted
by the daring 9/11 attacks.
The nexus between terrorists and drug barons is another
alarming trend. The Shining Path in Peru was an open example
of terrorist-narcotics-smuggling link. The nexus is more covert, but
certainly exists, in India. That the country is placed between two
drug-producing regions—the golden triangle of Myanmar, Thailand
and Laos, and the golden crescent of Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Iran—is a cause of concern to the authorities. It has been pertinently
observed that the route for passage of drugs worldwide is full
of violence. India, being a passage country offering a narcotics exit
in Mumbai, lays itself open to the terrorist-smuggler nexus. An
ideology is grafted on to give the trade a certain legitimacy.
Narcotics dealers have enough funds to finance the terrorists who
require ready cash to procure weapons. These weapons are also
easily brought in with the help of the infrastructure set up by the
drug smugglers. International banks are there to launder the drug
money.
Terrorists are today adopting mafia tactics. They extort

protection money from businessmen to fund their activities.
Sometimes, ethnopolitical terrorist groups get succour from foreign
governments which exploit the genuine or imaginary grievances
of the terrorists. However, hostile governments cannot create the
necessary grievances or potential terrorists where they do not exist.
It is unfortunate, perhaps, that the conditions—political and socio-
economic—that encourage the growth of terrorism are now in
existence in several regions. Religious revival grows out of
dissatisfaction rising out of corruption and consumerism. It soon
grows into a rigid mould of what is termed ‘fundamentalism’.
Political infighting and instability again provide a suitable ground
for the growth of terrorist groups. Socio-economic conditions of
rising unemployment, lack of opportunity to earn a living, growing
awareness of inequality in distribution of wealth and well-being,
exploitation at the hands of powers that be—these factors create
a situation which encourages youth to join terrorist groups, and
others to support them. In the north-eastern part of India, militancy
is widespread on this very ground. A growing number of people
of this region believe that successive Indian governments have
deliberately neglected the economy of this region with a view to
denying them the economic rights which by virtue of being Indians
they rightly deserve. With the proliferation of such conditions,
there is a spread and growth of terrorist groups in several regions
of the world.
It needs to be emphasised that most of these groups lack the
ideological and moral fervour that prompted the terrorists of an
earlier era. The idealism is superficial now; beneath the veneer
the main impulse seems to be the lust for power. This explains
the mushrooming of many terrorist groups espousing the same
cause—witness Afghanistan or our own Kashmir.
Democratic states find it difficult to deal with terrorist groups.
Because of freedom of movement in a democracy, more targets
are exposed to terrorist attacks. The terrorists take full advantage
of the rights and freedoms granted in such a system and cynically
exploit them. The media, too, publicises terrorist attacks and gives
the groups the publicity they desire. The terrorists of today find
it smooth going with human rights groups speaking up for them
and with modern means of communications and transport within
their easy reach. There have been numerous instances when some
of the human rights groups and activists in India are known to
96 A Book of Essays
zealously safeguard the supposed violations of the human rights

of the terrorists. And blaming the State for everything on the
ground.
The terrorist groups are now decentralised and can spread
their tentacles anywhere and everywhere. The modern face of
terrorism can be combated only by a superior intelligence network.
Indeed, intelligence is the key to decide the tactics to be employed
to deal with the actual threat. The law enforcing machinery has
to gear up — think faster and anticipate the moves of the terrorists
— if it wants to meet the challenge. But ultimately, whatever short-
term tactics are employed, the conditions that give rise to terrorism
should be tackled and that can be done only on a political plane.
Can Terrorism
be Justified?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Incidents of terrorism and definition of terrorism.
2. Examining the causes and growth of terrorism world-
wide.
3. Differences between terrorist activity and other acts
involving violence.
4. Focus of terrorist violence—innocent people—which is
what is unjustifiable.
5. Terrorism in its fight for rights shows no respect for
others’ rights—so it cannot be justified.
6. It is not the only way to achieve an end.
7. Practically always unsuccessful in achieving its objectives,
so unjustifiable even on that score.
8. Terrorism cannot be justified.
M
UNICH, 1972: a dozen athletes of the Israeli Olympic
team were kidnapped from an Olympic village and
brutally murdered by terrorists. Lebanon, 1983: a suicide
attack on the US marine barracks resulted in the death of 241
marines. In May 1990, the Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi,
was ruthlessly blown to pieces by a terrorist. More recently we
have had the terrorist assassination of Sri Lanka’s President and
later its foreign minister. The shocking attack on the World Trade
Center in New York on September 11, 2001 gave rise to the term
9/11. In Chechnya, a school was held hostage and several innocent
children were killed by separatists wanting Chechnya to secede
from Russia. In Delhi, a major disaster was averted when a
terrorists bid to bomb Parliament House was foiled. But innocent
shoppers were not so lucky in 2005 when bomb blasts ripped
through crowded market places on the eve of Diwali and Id. As
for Jammu and Kashmir and places like Manipur and Assam,
ordinary people there have become chronic targets of terrorists.
These are merely a few examples of terrorist activities around the
98 A Book of Essays
world. Terrorism is the random use of violence to achieve political

ends that inflicts damage on innocent people and property, creating
terror or fear in them. An individual who commits violent acts
to seek public attention for his cause—which he thinks justifies
his violence—is a terrorist.
The terrorists aim at focussing attention on their problem by
destroying innocent people besides property. They see themselves
as engaged in an ‘unofficial war’ with political objectives and
identify their cause with the fight for human rights. To the terrorists
themselves, of course, the means they adopt are justified. However,
we would have to consider the causes and the gamut of responses
to terrorism before we can agree or disagree with the terrorists’
view.
Today, almost every country faces the threat of terrorism in
varying degrees. Why has terrorism become so popular a means
for achieving ends? Political, economic and social causes can be
identified for the mushrooming of terrorist groups.
Political desires and ambitions conflicting with those of the
government are expressed through violence so that they would
be better heard. Growing political unrest and dissatisfaction erupts
in the form of terrorist activities as the State itself is seen as the
seat of sin and corruption. The constitutions of most democracies
provide for equal rights but often these may be denied to one
group. Some statutes of the law may not be rightly enforced or
enforced at all. Criminalisation of institutions leads to a general
sense of discontent. To a large extent, it is such a scenario which
is responsible for the deterioration of the social and economic
conditions. The formation of terrorist groups then is a reaction.
Aiming to revamp the social set-up or improve the economic
situation of ‘common people’, terrorist groups seek political goals
through the means of violence. It is again the wish to improve
one’s lot socially and economically, that drives ordinary persons
to terrorism. This is much the case in India.
Mistreatment in homes has also been identified as an important
factor. Joining terrorist groups is a way to express individual
grievances and private rage. A terrorist, once enrolled in a group,
is committed irrevocably to the ‘cause’, and is held to the group
by threats.
A genuine cause can, indeed, be identified with a terrorist
group or its members but it is rather rare. In such cases, it is a
blind, irrational devotion to the cause that spurs terrorists on so
that they not only commit violent acts but are even zealous to
justify the extreme violence. They may also find in violence an

adequate means to express private anger.
Terrorists often assume the garb of ‘urban guerillas’, ‘resistance
fighters’, ‘revolutionaries’ and so on. Terrorists, however, unlike
the guerilla fighter, do not attempt to totally destroy the enemy
regime. They do not seek to demolish political authority for the
sake of creating an improved authority in its place; their activities
are not outcome-oriented. Terrorist activities overlook conventional
distinctions of person and place while guerilla warfare is genuine
warfare against a stated enemy.
The randomly executed violence of terrorists puts them in a
category different from that of assassins. Political assassins single
out as their victims those individuals who are felt to be accountable
for alleged misdeeds or for their participation in unjust institutions.
While the assassin attempts to remove one office-holder so that
he would be replaced by another pursuing more acceptable
policies, the terrorist seeks simply to destroy. Terrorist acts may
sometimes include assassinations of a person or persons but all
assassinations cannot be regarded as terrorist activities.
Terrorists, more often than not, proclaim their killings while
the subversive postpones self-identification and bids for recognition.
Sometimes, acts of kidnapping and hijacking by a person or
persons can be mistaken for terrorist acts. The distinguishing
feature is that such person or persons usually demand money as
ransom and do not identify themselves with any terrorist group
or cause. On the other hand, all these activities may be employed
by terrorists for their own ends.
Though the goal of coercion cannot be built into the definition
of terrorism, the violence it employs is coercive in nature. The
terrorist resorts to sudden violence in order to achieve political
ends but this in itself cannot be enough to condemn terrorism,
for all violence is not necessarily unjustifiable. A list of situations
that might be held to justify violence would include cases of self-
defence, prevention of threats to one’s own life or others’ lives,
and protection of individual or collective right to liberty. Violence
cannot be condemned outright even if it is a type of force. Force
is a common feature of the political system itself and is used by
the legitimate authorities to ensure payment of taxes, control of
crime, and for upholding law and order. But terrorist violence is
deplorable mainly because it is randomly executed and is directed
most often at the innocent or ordinary people who are totally
unprepared for it.
100 A Book of Essays
The terrorists’ focus on ordinary people is based on the fact

that they are easy to reach and are susceptible to the deadly force.
Terrorists hope that the ‘spared’ innocents would recognise that
they might have been the victims of the terrorists’ ambitions and
so take them seriously. The terrorists ensure greater attention to
their problems by targeting the innocent. Terrorist seeks to justify
their acts by pointing out that the victims are not really innocent,
but are threats due to their financial or electoral support to an
institution or the State. Terrorists even hold the innocents punishable
for their crime of ignoring the terrorists and their cause. But such
arguments cannot be taken seriously; any individual has the liberty
to extend support or refrain from extending support to any group
or institution as long as he or she does not intrude upon others’
rights and does not act for the deterioration of the society or his
country.
The killing of ordinary people raises arguments that identify
destruction in wars as similar to that which results from terrorist
activities. The comparison is weak, for whereas wars are fought
for the sake of protecting the populace at large, terrorist activities
serve the interests of a specific group only.
Once we denounce the kind of violence adopted by the
terrorists, there is not much of a case for defending their acts on
grounds of morality. Terrorist violence shakes the framework of
morality because it amounts to doing things to people without
warning, mercy or recourse. It takes away the rights of the people.
The members of a terrorist group may be genuinely suffering
because of the denial of certain rights by the government or the
State. Ironically, they in their turn think nothing of exercising their
rights by extinguishing those of the ordinary people.
The problem posed by terrorism is that of achieving effective
respect for the basic human rights of the members of one group
by the violation of the basic human rights of another group. Strictly
speaking, rights should not be judged in comparative terms. No
single right can be suppressed for the sake of another. But where
rights conflict, their priority has to be taken into consideration;
some rights have to be seen as more basic than others. Even if
one sympathises with a terrorist’s ‘cause’, the sympathy is diluted
on the realisation that the terrorist does not respect another human
being’s rights as a human being. The terrorist’s violation of the
people’s right to live is the most serious violation because it
attacks the fundamental right of all—the right to live. This right
has to be safeguarded even if it means denying the terrorist one
of the comparatively less important rights, like the right to

expression.
There are rare instances when terrorism can be condoned and
hence justified. When the State itself resorts to terrorist activity
in the first place, then the terrorists’ activities can be justified as
a form of ‘counter-terrorism’. But again, it is difficult to justify the
killing of ordinary people who are as much victims of the terrorist
state as the terrorist groups. Terrorism provides legitimisation for
political repression and hence cannot be defended. Even on the
plane of practical reality, it is difficult to justify terrorism as it
rarely succeeds in achieving its objective. It is argued that terrorist
activities do succeed in acquiring the release of convicted and
imprisoned colleagues and in influencing the behaviour of the
public. But we can effectively argue against the “success claim”
of terrorist activities by pointing out that their basic purpose
remains unfulfilled, i.e., their political goals are hardly achieved.
There is no indication that damage to persons or property does
indeed advance political ends. Terrorists themselves are not
unaware that they cannot topple regimes by harming the innocents.
Some people extend the view that the terrorist’s aim is to
express support for political outcomes and not really to bring
about those outcomes. And so, it is said sometimes no group takes
the responsibility for an attack, leave alone present a list of
political demands. The terrorists claim to be content that their
activity is expressive in nature. But even if it is so, it does not
succeed, for it is viewed more as an act of horror that creates fear
and terror in the people than as the expression of a legitimate cause
with which the masses can sympathise. The expressive activity is
possible only at a very heavy price—the loss of human lives. When
the dissatisfied people have other channels like negotiated
settlement, non-violent civil disobedience, etc., open to them for
expression, their recourse to terrorism cannot be condoned. Nor
is it acceptable that they attempt to justify the desirability of their
cause by relating it to elimination of injustice.
Terrorists in their quest for ‘rights’ think little of destroying
the rights of others. However deeply we study the causes of the
growth of terrorism, even understand the motivation behind it, we
cannot justify it. Even if we leave aside the moral issues involved,
and look at it from the ‘practical’ point of view, we fail to find
a justification, for it hardly ever accomplishes its objectives; it
merely wreaks futile destruction.
Economic Liberalisation—
Challenges before
India
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Concept and origin of liberalised economy.
2. India’s liberalisation efforts and global context.
3. Purpose.
4. Impact—economic and social; criticism.
5. Challenges—factors that would influence the success of
the measures.
6. A cautious effort and good governance required.
A
S the Industrial Revolution entered its mature stage in the
Europe of nineteenth century, liberalism began to spread,
and with it the doctrine of ‘laissez-faire’ which advocated
that the government of a state should have no control at all over
economic matters. It was believed that maximum economic
performance was possible only where the power of market forces
of supply and demand were left to work themselves out. The
‘Perfect Competition’ theories of economists like Marshall and
Richardo tried to show that an economy consisting of many equally
small units of production would automatically work to maximise
social value.
Although laissez-faire claimed a total independence of the
economy and the political system, it was in fact dependent on
political support for established power relations. And the champions
of laissez-faire often demanded government protection in hours
of crisis, especially when faced by the outside competitor. As social
inequalities and mass poverty emanated from unbridled
industrialisation, a parallel advocacy for a command and directed
economy spread.
While certain countries opted for command economies with
full state control on the economic system, India after independence
followed the Nehruvian model of mixed economy which was

based on self-reliance, equitable distribution, socialism and welfare
state. This necessitated some state controls, curbs and regulations
on the economy. It certainly had its uses, for it helped create an
industrial base for the country. At the same time, it also created
a ‘licence raj’, with bottlenecks to development in the form of
bureaucratic controls. The time seemed ripe for some change.
Suddenly, almost, in the late eighties and early nineties, a whiff
of freedom seemed to blow over the entire world. A changeover
to democracy took place in most of the communist countries and
along with that came economic liberalisation. The transition to
market economics gathered pace all over the world as governments
dismantled state controls and opened new doors for participation
and entrepreneurial activity. To some extent, the globalisation of
economies resulted from the progress and transfer of technology,
spread of communications, and through UN organs and other
international bodies like the World Bank (WB) and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) which, at least in theory, aim at international
co-operation in the economic arena. And India, too, got bitten by
the liberalisation bug.
India’s efforts at economic reform started in 1985, when the
government eliminated some licence regulations and other controls
that had inhibited competition. But after this initial attempt, the
process slowed down. It was in 1991 that the new government
initiated a fresh wave of reforms. The government took economic
initiatives, as mid-1991 was a period of crisis as well as of
opportunity. Prodigal policies, quick changes in government,
corruption charges at higher levels, social tensions and an
unprecedented flight of dollars had pushed the country to the
brink of financial doom. Its battered credit rating saw all the
sources of short-term commercial borrowings dry up. There was
all-round panic. But lurking in the depths of despair was the big
opportunity—to unshackle the country from the chains of control,
to throw open its windows to the world, and to unlock its long-
suppressed creative energies. The Narasimha Rao government
chose to seize the latter to beat the former and put in place a long
term ‘solution’ which was in full accord with the IMF/WB
prescriptions. Serious efforts were initiated to integrate the economy
of the nation with that of the rest of the world. The trade policy,
the fiscal measures, the changes in economic legislations, et al, were
part of the single-minded determination of the government to
usher in a new era of economic liberalisation.
The rationale behind economic liberalisation is that India
cannot go on depending on the bounty of multilateral institutions

or on commercial borrowings. Indian industry must, instead, build
up export capabilities of the sort not possible in an economy tied
up in regulatory knots, fettered by red tape and locked out of
the world by a cocoon of protectionist policies.
The initial years of reform showed creditable progress with
the country recording a fast recovery from a deep macro-economic
crisis. Exports recovered and export earnings increasingly paid for
the major part of imports. The foreign exchange reserves achieved
a respectable look. The debt situation slowly but steadily moved
away from crisis point. Encouragement to foreign investment
resulted in foreign direct investment increasing at a hopeful rate.
The government also managed to control short-term capital inflows
and capital flight.
So far so good. But how have the reforms affected the people?
the masses? the ‘average’ citizen? Critics of the reforms, most of
them from the orthodox Left, charge that the process being
followed is anti-poor, that it helps only the rich to get richer. No
categorical statement on this issue can be made. Rise and fall of
the poverty line are not only linked with reforms; they are
dependent on other factors as well, such as drought and fall in
foodgrain production and resultant price rise. It may be argued
that the stabilisation programme certainly cuts into funds for the
social sectors and long-term economic programmes and thus
adversely affects the welfare of the masses. Figures put out by
the government, however, show an improvement in the poverty
situation.
Economic growth does spread, up and down and sideways;
to that extent the ‘trickle down’ theory is not completely to be
derided. However, if we merely wait for the benefits to trickle
down, it may take aeons for them to reach the masses, especially
the poor. Programmes targeted at the poor have to be maintained,
indeed streamlined to be effective. Some effort has been made by
the government in this direction, but more needs to be done.
The rural sector—which, to repeat a cliche, forms more than
50 per cent of India—needs to feel the positive impact of reforms
on a larger scale. Certainly several homes in rural India today boast
of cell phones, television sets and refrigerators and other gadgets,
but many more homes exist where there is no power and running
water. A health support system is practically non-existent, and
schools in villages are inadequately equipped even if they exist.
Unless these aspects are improved, economic reforms would not
give the required impetus to development. And development, after
all, cannot just mean economic growth or increase in per capita

income on an average; it must encompass equity or social justice,
at least in the minimal sense of satisfying the basic needs of all
members of the community within a reasonable period.
The reforms inevitably involve some hard decisions which our
politicians, used as they are to populist measures, will find it hard
to make. The reforms lack the popular ingredients of emotional
appeal and unalloyed idealism and are, therefore, difficult to sell
to the masses, especially the poor. Organised labour and trade
unions, politicised as they are, find it difficult to accept the new
economic policies which they see as encroaching upon their rights.
The ‘National Renewal Fund’, our euphemism for an exit policy,
has hardly been of use in reducing a bloated public sector to a
manageable size. On the other hand, no government can afford
a blanket exit policy that leads to largescale unemployment with
the resultant social discontent and unrest. As it is, with domestic
industry not picking up as fast as it was expected to do, the
unemployment problem continues to be formidable. But some
decisions have to be taken even if they prove unpopular in the
short term. It is an optimistic indication that, over time, practically
all political parties have veered round to the idea that economic
reforms are necessary and inevitable.
The major challenge before Indian economy is to increase the
agricultural and industrial strengths of the country. Agriculture has
to be modernised and diversified enough to enlarge its employment
potential. Obsolete laws and regulations need to be discarded and
the farmers given the independence and right to sell their produce
where they want to. Industry has to make itself quality-conscious
and technologically advanced to be competitive in global terms.
Competition, it must be realised, is the best available means of
arbitrating between the interests of various economic factors in a
manner that ensures overall social interest.
Our human resources have to be effectively harnessed for
economic development along the liberalised guidelines. In today’s
world, the right kind of skills and education have to be imparted
if the mismatch between the quality of the available job-seekers
and the demands of the industry is to be avoided.
Beyond all this lies the character of the country, its people;
our attitude to change and to work. Economic reforms cannot
merely be a matter of policies, nor can economic efficiency be an
automatic product of the right economic policies. If India has to
forge ahead, the power of vested interests and the resultant
corruption in every field—including education—must be curbed.
Some of our social practices that have mistakenly become ‘sacred’

under the garb of cultural tradition have to be bravely discarded.
Casteism, religious intolerance, parochialism, an increasing inability
(unwillingness?) to resolve disagreements through debate and the
concomitant haste to adopt violence to settle disputes, the tendency
to take every grievance to the street, the scant respect for law and
order matched by the scant effort by law enforcers to do their duty,
the readiness to disrupt work and destroy public and private
property, a general tendency to cut corners in going ahead by
means fair or foul—these are traits which have to be got rid of
if economic reforms are to be effective.
Liberalisation, universalisation, globalisation, etc., are by
themselves laudable concepts. Originally, these concepts were
intended to subserve a more just and equitable world order. They
pleaded for an economic system that would shed rigidities and
complexities so as to optimise efficiency and also end the
alienation of humans by providing them with new incentives.
Perhaps India has also started liberalisation in the same hope, but
it would not do to be oblivious of the obstacles and challenges
in the path and of the fact that forced liberalisation may bring
doom to its fabric. It is of utmost importance that in our quest
for growth, we do not forget the human face of development.
What is called for, in fact, is not a reduction in the role of
government, but making the government more responsive to the
needs of the people. Indeed, the popular base for economic reform
can only be built when ordinary people perceive an improvement
in the quality of their lives. Less governance is not to be a
substitute for good governance.
Privatisation of
the Economy
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Growing privatisation the world over.
2. Privatisation—meaning, forms, aims, causes.
3. Problems with privatisation.
4. Prerequisites identified.
5. History of privatisation—beginning with Britain.
6. India begins privatisation.
7. Reasons and circumstances.
8. An account of privatisation in India.
9. Problems with Indian privatisation.
10. Measures suggested.
11. Conclusion.
T
HERE is a lot of euphoria today over privatisation as a
panacea to fiscal deficits and other economic ills. However,
privatisation as a current term circulating all over the world
is a phenomenon which sounds deceptively simple and
operationally complicated. The craze for privatisation has soared
after the ideological defeat and disintegration of the ‘command’
economy of the socialist bloc. With this, as the world economy
tends to become one global village (driven by the incessant market
forces and considerations of efficiency), privatisation as a policy
norm seems to override political compulsions as an instrument
for achieving competitive efficiency and resource optimisation.
Following the world trend, the Indian government also introduced
privatisation. But, as elsewhere, the move has raised a hue and
cry: the resistance is as much political as attitudinal. And,
apprehensions are expected to persist for sometime till the effects
of privatisation become clear.
The term ‘privatisation’ broadly means any process that
reduces the state’s dominant role in directly owning and running
the economic activities of a nation. It could involve dereservation
of the erstwhile exclusively reserved industries for the public
sector, delicensing, decontrol. It can be generally termed as a way

of altering the relationship between the State and the private sector
to enhance the role of the private sector in the national economy.
At present, there are three discernible connotations of privatisation:
denationalisation, deregulation, and contracting-out. There is no
single model of privatisation. It can range from outright sale to
a private buyer to the transfer of shares to the employees.
Privatisation is today seen as a means of increasing output,
improving quality, reducing unit costs, curbing public spending
and raising cash to reduce public debt. Usually, the ground for
privatisation is that selling national assets is a means of raising
revenue to avoid the politically unpleasant necessity of raising
taxes. It is justified on the basis that it keeps consumer needs
uppermost, helps the government pay its debt, increases long-term
jobs, and promotes competitive efficiency and open market economy.
The privatisation witnessed on a growing scale in recent years
in many countries is a result of the painful realisation on the part
of governments that they must realign their priorities to mobilise
the skills and resources of the private sector in the larger task of
development. A principle motivation has been a general perception
that public enterprises are usually ‘white elephants’ that incur
heavy losses every year instead of accumulating surpluses or
supplying services effectively. Many now view privatisation as the
solution to all the problems of public enterprises, as these
enterprises, on being transferred from the public to private hands,
will become less politicised. Administrative corruption will cease
because its cost can no longer be hidden or subsidised, and
professionally trained management with the requisite accountability
will be established. Tax revenues from profits will also increase
and strengthen the public treasury.
The privatisation process has gained momentum all over the
world, but not everywhere has it succeeded. The record of the
more active privatisers, both in the developed and developing
worlds, is not always very encouraging. One of the principal
reasons why privatisation has not been successfully implemented
in most countries despite the best of intentions is the “insufficient
attention paid to planning the effort and putting into place an
appropriate administrative apparatus to carry it out”. Valuation
of assets in the absence of capital markets is the biggest hurdle
in the success of sales of public sector shares. Scarcity of domestic
capital and political resistance to sales to foreigners are other
difficulties.
The first step in any government’s privatisation programme
is to declare publicly the objective and scope of the overall

programme. The government must have a clear-cut policy on what
it intends to do with the privatisation programme. Newly privatised
companies need to operate in an ‘enterprise culture’ for there to
be any real progress. Indeed, cultivating this culture—by providing
adequate training for new entrepreneurs, for example, or ensuring
a competitive environment—is probably more significant than
changing ownership. And if the enterprise is still a monopoly after
privatisation, as is often the case with the utilities, it must be
subject to suitable controls. Otherwise, inefficiencies and monopoly
power will merely be transferred to the private sector, with the
costs being borne by consumers. Or monopolistic exploitation by
efficient private owners replaces the inefficiencies of public
ownership. Clearly the poorer countries, and those that have only
recently adopted the principles of a mixed economy, will find it
difficult to create such environments. They may also have limited
capacity to manage the privatisation process, and may have trouble
in finding suitable buyers for enterprises and ensuring that
resources are equitably distributed.
The speed of privatisation is also a matter of concern. Building
a suitable framework of institutions and regulations takes time,
so privatisation should not be rushed, even when there is pressure
from financial institutions during structural adjustment programmes.
Indeed, it may be better to gain experience by starting with smaller
enterprises before moving on to larger ones.
Due to economic circumstances such as a massive fiscal
imbalance and critical balance of payment situation during 1990-
91, India had to approach the IMF for substantial ‘repurchase’
facilities and the World Bank for structural adjustment loans.
Necessarily, therefore, the classical IMF-WB ‘conditionalities’
embracing almost every sector of the economy were required to
be abided by. This, inter alia, prompted the government to
introduce the new industrial policy in 1991, meant to clear the
massive cobwebs of licences, regulations, controls and restrictions
in favour of the private sector industries, which, under the 1956
industrial policy resolution, had to play a mere residual role.
Among the measures contemplated in the privatisation process
as adopted in India is the disinvestment of government’s equity
in PSUs and the opening of hitherto closed areas to private
participation. However, in India, privatisation is misunderstood to
mean only disinvestment. Privatisation offers several other options,
particularly relevant for developing countries, such as the sale of
assets with or without transfer of liabilities, placing PSUs under

management contracts with private companies, leasing as well as
several other initiatives in corporate restructuring of these
enterprises, which will remain in the public sector or be candidates
for privatisation later. Liquidation is also an option which needs
to be given some priority where non-viable enterprises in the non-
infrastructural sector continue to be a drain on government’s
resources—often owing to sheer inertia. Over the years, most of
the areas which were earlier meant only for the public sector have
been opened up for investments by the private sector, and the
exclusive list of industries meant only for the public sector has
come down drastically. In fact, there are fields which the government
should never have entered in the first place—such as the hotel
industry.
The Indian situation is particularly delicate as different
interest groups are locked in a fierce controversy over the putative
benefits of privatisation. Besides, the entire issue suffers from
politicisation. Of course, the usual problems of valuation of assets
and the ultimate beneficiaries of privatisation continue to dog the
policy makers in this country. But, one thing is certain, privatisation
per se need not necessarily mean all benefits to all people equally
without a heavy social cost to the parties affected. How far the
claimed benefits of economic growth and efficiency will materialise
with privatisation, is a moot point.
Where the important question of social welfare and job
security are concerned, most of the private players perform rather
miserably as compared to the public sector undertakings. Few
private players are much concerned with the welfare of society,
their main motto being to make as much profit as possible. While
employees in a public sector undertaking derive a whole range
of benefits, the ordinary employees are usually given the rough
end of the stick in private sector undertakings. This is the main
reason why the Left parties oppose privatisation of an organisation
or a group of organisations whenever such a proposal comes to
light.
Privatisation of the PSUs is not as simple as some make out.
Political parties are far from agreed on this question. For many,
the crores of rupees invested in the public sector is the tax payers’
money and no government has the right to ‘squander’ such assets
built over decades. Moreover, not everyone sees the public sector
as the epitome of inefficiency and corruption and the private sector
as the paradigm of all virtues. Still others believe that privatisation
may reduce lakhs of workers to paupers as a result of retrenchment

and layoffs devoid of even minimum safeguards. Thus, the success
of the privatisation process in India depends on the government’s
ability to balance the demands of economy and the reform process
itself with what is socially and politically viable. Successful
privatisation strategies must include complementary strategies of
public sector restructuring as well as private sector development
including financial sector strengthening.
A policy ensuring healthy competition between public and
private sectors and also between foreign and domestic private
companies, and a regulatory framework to curb inside trading of
shares and strengthening of the stock market are necessary to
ensure the success of privatisation. And to meet these necessities
the following do’s and don’ts may help greatly; don’t only
maximise revenue, create a competitive environment; don’t replace
public monopolies with private monopolies; don’t sell through
discretionary, non-transparent procedures, which invite allegations
of corruption and nepotism; don’t use sales proceeds to finance
budget deficits, or retire national debt; don’t crowd financial
markets with public borrowings at the time of public disinvestment;
don’t make fake promises to labour, but re-train them for new
industries; don’t rely merely an executive orders, create a political
consensus and public support.
As we have now moved beyond the stage of merely arguing
for and against privatisation, policy makers must resist the
temptation to see privatisation as a panacea for economic maladies.
Politically, economically and administratively, it is an extremely
difficult undertaking. At the same time, experience shows that
privatisation is both desirable and feasible in certain cases.
Therefore, creative and innovative thinking as well as systematic
and strategic planning are required to realise its full potential.
India’s Population
and Its Economic
Implications
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Billion-mark in numbers crossed in 2000.
2. Complexity of Indian demography.
3. Economic implications include impact of population
growth on economic development in the contexts of (i)
agriculture (ii) environment and (iii) quality of life.
4. Can we turn the numbers to advantage?
5. Conclusion: Planning necessary to stabilise population
level so as not to derail socio-economic development
process.
A
ASTHA was born on May 11, 2000. The date was a
landmark for India, for Aastha was not just another girl
child but, officially, the billionth Indian. According to
demographic projections, India’s population may very soon
overtake China’s in numbers to gain the distinction—perhaps, a
dubious one—of being the country with the largest population in
the world. Critics view the prospect of such a large population
with horror while the optimists speak of the ‘demographic dividend’
as the young in India’s population are in a majority.
India’s population is not just large but it is marked by a
diversity not found elsewhere. At least six major religions of the
world, besides other sects, have its followers in the country. The
people speak a multiplicity of languages, and each one has a rich
cultural history, literature and tradition of its own. This linguistic
diversity poses the problem of how to provide education at the
primary level and how to develop a national consensus on a link
language for the entire country. It also makes it a challenging task
to provide information on family planning to every section of the
population.
Beyond all these differences, India also shows large economic

diversity—in income shares, poverty levels, regional resources.
India has three distinct faces—the reasonably well-off middle and
upper middle class constituting about 20 per cent of the population;
what could be called the lower middle class, people who have
received some of the benefits of growth since independence and
manage a level of living, if not comfortable, at least not desperate;
the bottom 30 per cent or so of the population which lives in
considerable poverty. The economic disparities inevitably being
compounded by disparities in education and literacy, problems
in accelerating social development arise in many regions.
There is little doubt that the levels of growth in India’s
population put all kind of pressure on the economy. The material
quality of life of the vast masses suffers. There may be a steady
growth in GDP, but at least a third of that is neutralised by
population growth. The net increase in the general quality of life
is modest and given the skewed distribution of the benefits of
development, the hard core poor are practically left out of it. The
problem is not quite Malthusian, though the spectre of Malthus
does raise its head every now and then when some region suffers
from hunger, malnutrition and drought. The impact of
overpopulation is also felt in areas other than food production.
And the diversity of India’s population makes the problem of
overpopulation all the more complex, as it is difficult to formulate
a policy on demography in the circumstances.
One obvious economic implication of population growth is
the growing need of foodgrains. While India has quite disproved
the arguments in the international fora of the 1970s that the country
could not be saved from largescale famines and resultant deaths,
the problem of feeding the millions remains. Can India cope with
the kind of figures projected by demographers? All available data
suggest that the average Indian yields are among the lowest in
the world. There are regions—the Indo-Gangetic plains, for
example—which could be made to yield millions of tonnes more
of foodgrains than they do at present. The amount, according to
experts, would easily meet the needs of the projected population
levels. If technology and inputs improve, the potential could well
increase. So, even if there are occasional food shortages due to
erratic monsoons and so on, India’s ability for feeding its population
does not seem unrealisable. The very fact that agricultural demand
and growth will inevitably increase draws attention to the next
problem—that of environmental degradation. Agricultural
development on a large scale, with its attendant use of chemical

fertilisers and pesticides, waterlogging and other forms of soil
degradation, is bound to create environmental problems. The
pressure of population, especially in the Himalayan region, has
led to destruction of forests. Devastating floods take their toll in
the rich Gangetic plains and increasingly so.
There are other environmental problems created by
overpopulation. The unplanned urbanisation with the concomitant
lack of adequate civic infrastructure has already wreaked havoc
in many of our cities and towns. Much of this growth has been
in the form of slums and shanty towns harbouring ecological
refugees and those squeezed off the land. Natural resources—
especially water—are being depleted at an alarming rate because
of increasing population. Most cities of India are facing acute water
shortage; even underground water is being dangerously depleted.
The exploding cities could cause social tension and unrest, in turn
affecting economic stability. Pollution from automobile emissions
and industrial wastes has steadily, increased in the cities. Such
environmental degradation, in its turn, adversely affects the people
and causes health problems.
Poverty, it is said, is the greatest pollutant. It is marked by
an apathy that erodes self-esteem and any willingness to live life
to the fullest. It is also a major factor in the creation of a paradoxical
situation: hunger and malnutrition amidst plentiful availability of
food; the lack of purchasing power leading to starvation deaths.
Poverty is accompanied by lack of health care and nutrition. And
when these very basic needs are not met who cares about
education, information and awareness?
The population of a country could easily be turned to
advantage if it is highly skilled or trained so that it could be
utilised in development. India can hardly boast of such a population.
Given the monetary resources it has, it cannot quite meet the
condition of making its entire populace literate, leave alone highly
skilled.
Lack of resources, again, prevents good basic health facilities
being provided to every person in the country. If the population
were not so large, the resources could be made to meet the
situation. The same holds true for other human needs such as
housing.
In the long run, even a large population, if educated properly
and given the right skills, will only prove an asset to India. But
in the short run, uncontrolled growth of population will have
serious repercussions on the country’s economic development. It

is a kind of vicious circle: with a large population, available
resources are either too thinly spread to be of much use or they
get concentrated and produce a skewed development; ‘trickle
down’ of growth is a long and slow process, so improvement in
the standard of living of the masses is excruciatingly slow; natural
resources are strained to an almost irreparable level; all this leads
to discontent and social tensions; economic growth slows down,
so does development, and the people suffer.
It is necessary that India consciously plans to give a heavier
emphasis on social and economic development even as a policy
for stabilising the population level is put in place. Only then can
the population be turned into an economic asset.
The Two-Child Norm

for Population Control
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Population does put pressure on a country’s resources.
2. Large families both result and cause of poverty.
3. Prescribing two-child norm for panchayat leaders may
appear good but many arguments against such a move.
4. Analysis of causes behind large families and ways to
control population growth.
C
HILDREN covered in dust, with runny noses and matted
hair, begging at street corners or playing and lolling about
at construction sites, overcrowded schools, traffic jams,
slums, shortage of water, electricity and other amenities,
environmental degradation, indeed, any failure of the infrastructure,
and we attribute it to growing population. True, to a certain extent,
population does put pressure, immense at that, on limited
resources. Employment is just not possible to create for such large
numbers. So to that extent even poverty is an outgrowth of
unchecked population growth. At the same time, the tendency to
have a large family is also a consequence of poverty.
When the Haryana government legislated (Haryana Panchayati
Raj Act, 1994) that the candidate for the posts of sarpanch and
upasarpanch should not have more than two children, and the
Supreme Court upheld the decision, there was widespread approval
from the urban middle class, especially. However, with respect to
the court, the idea is undemocratic to say the least. India’s
population is undoubtedly growing at an alarming rate, and is
expected to overtake that of China—the most populous country
now— in a couple of decades. Also true is the fact that China has
managed to check the growth of its population by adopting several
incentives and, more significantly, disincentives. But then, as many
of our liberals never fail to point out when anyone speaks of
speedy economic reforms and change in labour laws, China as a
totalitarian state can accomplish many things that we, as a

democracy, cannot. So, if it is ‘go slowly, taking the people with
you policy’ for economic reforms, why and how are draconian
methods to be applied in the sensitive issue of limiting the family
size? China had no compunction about Tiananmen; will we accept
such an episode in India without protest? There appears to be a
subtle play of double standards here.
The problem with the decision to impose the two-child norm
is that it has not taken into consideration several factors that
impinge on the population issue. Why impose it only on prospective
members of Panchayati Raj, and then only on candidates for
political posts? They are expected to set examples to the people,
say the supporters of the decision. It is most unlikely, however,
that sarpanchs and upasarpanchs with limited families will
encourage family planning.
As it is, given the caste/class-ridden society we have all over
India and specially so in rural areas, the poor are even more likely
than before to be left out of the panchayat system with this norm
in place. Ironically, the decision is going to cut at the very ideal
behind the Panchayati Raj sought to be established—empowerment
of the downtrodden sections. Has anybody thought about the
women standing for election in the panchayati system? Seats have
been reserved for them, but how many of them will be able to
qualify for the two-child norm? Unfortunately in India, even
educated women with so-called economic independence have little
say in family size, so the less said about the poor rural women
the better.
The decision does not seem to take into consideration the
purpose behind the Panchayati Raj system, or in fact any political
democratic ruling system. The purpose is good governance,
efficient use of funds for the welfare of the people, implementation
of development projects at the grass roots level. The people who
are at the helm to try and achieve these goals should be judged
for their ability, their humane approach, their incorruptibility, their
broad vision, and not by the rather irrelevant norm of having no
more than two children. Ability to govern and serve for social
welfare goals is not necessarily linked to having a small family.
The decision could keep the poorer sections out of the race,
because everywhere it is the better-off, also generally more
educated, who, almost as a corollary, have fewer children.
Why do the poor tend to have more children? Expert opinion
has it that the poor do not know how many of their children will
survive. Nor are the poor well aware of contraceptive methods
or how to avail of them. At the root of our burgeoning population
is the indifferent, if not non-existent, health care services. Neither
maternal nor child health care has got the importance it deserves
in this country. It is easily seen that China, besides its totalitarian
system, also has a good health care system in place. So do most
developing countries that have achieved a modicum of success
in limiting population growth. Nor has education, the other
important impetus behind limiting family size, been spread to all
sections of the country’s population. It is the combined effect of
education and health care security that will make people aware
of the benefits of a small family and make them strive towards
that goal, knowing that their children will not fall prey to disease
and ill health.
Besides the health and education infrastructure, the cultural
traditions of this country have deep roots, and in that culture the
son has a place that is very difficult to dislodge. No effort has
been made to remove cultural deadwood from the minds of
people. Neither the media nor the political leadership has put in
a concerted effort to reinforce the equality of men and women that
merely exists on paper in the Indian Constitution. Educational
institutions and textbooks, on the other hand, reinforce retrograde
concepts of women’s secondary role in society, emphasising their
‘home-making’ image and the need for humility and respect for
men’s decisions. Deep-rooted beliefs, may be prejudices, have
never been tackled with the reformist zeal they require. The ability
to think independently and fearlessly, the spirit of questioning that
is basic to positive social change, and the courage to act against
the mediocre tide are not encouraged; in fact they are suppressed
in men and women alike. In the circumstances, the desire for a
son is almost universal. The son is seen, even in the light of
increasing evidence to the contrary in today’s social situation, as
the provider for old age. More deep-rooted is the conviction, at
least among Hindus, that the last rites must be performed by the
son in order that one may gain ‘moksha’. Compulsions to limit
the family has resulted, even among the so-called educated middle
classes, in female infanticide and foeticide. Technology—the
ultrasound facility—is unscrupulously used to identify the gender
of the unborn child and kill it off if it is female. This is specially
so if the firstborn is a girl. Two children may be ideal, but one,
at least, must be a son. The government has a law in place

punishing such acts, but looking at the problem as separate from
population control is rather unrealistic. Social attitudes are too
closely linked with concepts of family to bring in a law of
compulsorily limiting family size.
Changes in population numbers take place over time. The
change can be speeded up with better education, widespread and
prompt delivery of health care services, and constant efforts at
building up an awareness of religious superstition which had best
be discarded. Decisions such as prescribing two-child norm for
political candidates are cosmetic efforts that are more likely to
damage the polity and governance than encourage the small family
norm among the people.
People’s Participation
in Development
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. People’s participation in development becoming important.
2. Meaning of participation.
3. Ways, forms, and objective participation.
4. Participation as a means and an end.
5. Present lacunae in participation.
6. New hopes and openings.
7. Some suggestions and comments.
8. Conclusion.
P
EOPLE’S participation is becoming the central issue of our
times. The democratic transition in many developing
countries, the collapse of many socialist regimes, and the
worldwide emergence of people’s organisations—these are all part
of historic change, not just isolated events. People today have an
urge—an impatient urge—to participate in the events and processes
that shape their lives. And that impatience brings in its wake
dangers as well as opportunities. It can dissolve into anarchy,
ethnic violence or social disintegration. But if properly nurtured
in a responsive national and global framework, it can also become
a source of tremendous vitality and innovation for the creation
of new and more just societies.
Participation means that people are closely involved in the
economic, social, cultural and political processes that affect their
lives. People may, in some cases, have complete and direct control
over these processes—in other cases, the control may be partial
or indirect. The important thing is that people have constant access
to decision-making and power. Participation in this sense is an
essential element of human development.
Participation is certainly not a new term; it has been a part
of the development vocabulary since the 1960s, or even before.
But it has generally referred only to people’s involvement in

particular projects or programmes. But today participation means
an overall development strategy, focusing on the central role that
people should play in all spheres of life. Human development
involves widening their choice, and greater participation enables
people to gain for themselves access to a much broader range of
opportunities.
People can participate as individuals or as groups. As
individuals in a democracy, they may participate as voters or
political activists or, in the market, as entrepreneurs or workers.
Often, however, they participate more and more effectively through
group action—as members of a community organisation perhaps,
or a trade union or a political party.
Since participation requires increased influence and control,
it also demands increased empowerment—in economic, social and
political terms. In economic terms, this means being able to engage
freely in any economic activity. In social terms, it means being able
to join fully in all forms of community life, without discrimination
on religious, gender or other grounds. And in political terms, it
means the freedom to choose and change governance at every
level, from the presidential palace to the village panchayats. All
these forms of participation are intimately linked. Without one,
the others will be incomplete.
Any proposal to increase people’s participation must pass the
empowerment test—does it increase or decrease people’s power
to control their lives? This test applies to all institutions that
organise or affect human lives—markets, governments or community
organisations. Each must advance the cause of the people.
Participation, from the perspective of human development, is
both a means and an end. Human development stresses the need
to invest in human capabilities and then ensure that those
capabilities are used for the benefit of all. Greater participation
could thus help to maximise the use of human capabilities and
become a means of increasing levels of social and economic
development. But human development is also concerned with
personal fulfilment. So, active participation, which allows people
to realise their full potential and make their best contribution to
society, is also an end in itself.
The dangers arise as the irresistible urge for participation
clashes with inflexible systems. Although the achievements in
human development have been significant during the past few
decades, the reality is one of continuing exclusion. Very large

numbers of the world’s people still languish in absolute poverty,
and the gap between the poorest and the very small number of
rich is huge. Women still earn much less than men and, despite
constituting more than half the votes, have great difficulty securing
even ten per cent representation in parliaments. Rural people in
developing countries still receive less than half the income
opportunities and social services available to their urban
counterparts. Many ethnic minorities still live like a separate and
less developed nation within their own countries. Our world is
still a world of differences.
But many new windows of opportunity are opening. The cold
war in East-West relations is over, and there is a good chance of
phasing it out in the developing world. The ideological battles
of the past are being replaced by a more pragmatic partnership
between market efficiency and social compassion. The rising
environmental threat is reminding humanity of both its vulnerability
and its compulsion for common survival on a fragile planet.
People are beginning to move to centre stage in national and global
dialogues.
Many old concepts must now be radically revised. Security
should be reinterpreted as security for people, not security for
land. Development must be woven around people, not people
around development, and it should empower individuals and
groups rather than take away power from them. And development
cooperation should focus directly on people, not just on nation-
states.
Many of the old institutions of civil society need to be rebuilt,
and many new ones created. And because future conflicts may well
be between people rather than between states, national and
international institutions will need to accommodate much more
diversity and difference, and to open many more avenues for
constructive participation.
All this will take time, for participation is a process, not an
event. It will proceed at different speeds for different countries
and regions, and its forms and extent will vary from one stage
of development to another. That is why it is necessary to pay
attention not only to the levels of participation, but also to whether
participation is increasing.
The implications of widespread participation are profound,
embracing every aspect of development. Markets need to be
reformed to offer everyone access to the benefits they can bring.

Governance needs to be decentralised to allow greater access to
decision-making. And community organisations need to be allowed
to exert growing influence on national and international issues.
We must realise the fact that human development is the
development of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Unless and until we ensure people’s participation, democratic
development will remain elusive.
Tourism : Potentials
and Problems
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Tourism one of world’s largest industries.
2. Advantages of tourism.
3. Disadvantages of indiscriminate tourism.
4. Problems challenging the beneficial development of
tourism.
5. India’s position—despite great potential as a tourist
destination, the industry has not been as successful as
it could have been—reasons and ways to improve the
situation.
6. Economic condition of India requires tourism to be
developed.
T
OURISM has emerged as one of the world’s largest industries.
Since the end of the Second World War, it has developed
immense revenue and development potential and stands
today as a unique natural renewable resource industry. It not only
contributes to economic output but also offers employment on a
large scale in diverse fields.
Tourism—the travel-based recreation—provides people with
a change of place and a break from the monotony of daily life.
It brings peoples of different nations together, allowing them to
come into close contact with each other’s customs and other aspects
of life. It reveals the scenic beauty and past heritage of a country
to people belonging to other nations. The knowledge and experience
gained in the process can potentially lead to greater understanding
and tolerance, and even foster world peace.
The contribution of tourism to the economy is striking. A
study conducted by the United Nations has shown that developing
countries, in particular, can reap handsome benefits out of tourism
which greatly boosts national income. Tourism also helps in
healing the balance-of-payments situation. To ensure a circulating
economy, even countries not relying on tourism to a great extent
promote internal tourism. Tourism generates employment, and

adds to the entrepreneurial wealth of a nation.
While tourism has several advantages, it also has some
undesirable side-effects. Tourism can cause social, cultural or
environmental disruption. Of the greatest concern is the damage
to the environment. In order to attract more tourists, sprawling
resorts are built which take neither the local architectural styles
nor the ecology into consideration. Natural systems come to be
destroyed as a result of indiscriminate construction and efforts to
provide water and waste disposal facilities and recreational
arrangements to tourists. Tourist overuse of Himalayan trails, like
the Nanda Devi trail, has reduced them to a sad plight. The way
to the Himalayan peak is strewn with empty food tins. The
picturesque hill station of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh is a pale
shadow of its erstwhile pristine beauty. The flood of tourists and
the ever-growing avarice of the builders to construct more and
more hotels/lodges to accommodate visitors has defaced the
landscape. In fact, Shimla has now become a concrete jungle and
is slowly ‘dying’ with the passage of time. Unfortunately for
tourism, the concretisation of Shimla is fast turning away the
discerning tourists.
Damage is also discernible in wildlife parks which remain the
foremost sites of tourist attraction. Tourist vans and the visitors’
feet destroy the ground vegetation, thus affecting the feeding
habits of the animals and the landscape as well. Overcrowding
brings about congestion, leading to environmental and health
hazards. The site finally loses its attraction.
Monuments, too, have suffered from tourists. The Taj Mahal,
one of the seven wonders of the world, and the majestic Khajuraho
temples have suffered a lot of wear and tear from the trampling
feet of tourists. Unfortunately, the maintenance efforts are not up
to mark at these sites.
Some socio-cultural effects of tourism have been damaging.
Tourism often introduces new life styles; arrangements as desired
by tourists are provided in order to make them feel at home. The
emergence of this ‘other’ culture in various places has caused
dissatisfaction among the local people. The local people tend to
imitate foreign values, breaking away from their own traditions.
For monetary gains, the poor locals are sometimes tempted to
present themselves as objects of cultural curiosity, thus demeaning
themselves. Making matters worse is the fact that the bursting
wallets of the wealthy tourists lure young people into offering
themselves as ‘objects of desire’. Thailand, a beautiful country, has
become better known as a ‘hot’ destination amongst tourists round

the world for ‘sex tourism’. That this may hurt the pride of the
sensitive people of the nation is of no concern to the state
authorities, and those who use sexual attractions to make a fast
buck. Though this problem is not so widespread in India, here
too there have been disturbuing reports.
Tackling problems posed by tourism is necessary, for once
the natural resources and historical monuments are lost, tourism
itself will collapse. The world tourist industry has awakened to
this fact and has begun considering tourism-related environmental
issues. ‘Environment friendly’ or ‘green’ tourism has been stressed
in the Alps. To prevent overuse, tourism must be conducted within
planned limits, keeping in mind factors like ecological balance and
health safety.
To promote safe tourism while ensuring that it remains a
profitable industry, it is imperative to understand the factors that
hamper the growth of tourism and check them effectively.
General instability of the nation is damaging to tourism
prospects. Political disturbances, in particular, pose a serious
problem. The growing violence in the international scene and
increasing threat of terrorism affects the flow of tourists. Countries
like Sri Lanka, Israel, Palestine, and Afghanistan have been victims
to terrorist threats for long and have therefore suffered setbacks
in tourism. The growth in terrorism has also eroded much of the
charm of states like Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern
states that were once favourite spots for tourists owing to their
scenic beauty.
Economic factors like rising input costs inhibit growth in
demand. Non-availability of adequate resources for tourism leads
to a lack of infrastructural facilities. Keeping down costs and
consolidating the resource base is necessary while ensuring
quality.
Whatever the problems, India must work hard to reap the
benefits from this industry, for the country has everything to attract
visitors from far and near.
The monuments of a civilisation going back into the hoary
past are to be found all over India. Ancient Buddhist stupas and
Hindu temples, Mughal and Rajput palaces, forts and victory
towers, rock-cut caves with their admirable murals and paintings,
and elaborately laid out gardens—there are ever so many things
to see in India, wherever you go. And the variety is impressive.
The beautiful blend of architectural styles and scientific planning
of those old buildings is a marvel.
If the snowcapped Himalayas and the formidable desert of

Rajasthan do not appeal to all, there are the picturesque hill
stations in the lower hills. There are the vast beaches of the east,
south and west. There are forests and wild life sanctuaries. And
now there are adventure sports for those who want action—
trekking, and mountaineering, skiing, rafting and canoeing in the
turbulent Himalayan rivers, and hang gliding.
There are many cultural diversions to attract the aesthetic
sensibility. The cuisine offers enough variety to please diverse
tastes. India, perhaps, offers the greatest number of mouth-
watering cuisines among the countries of the world. The textiles,
arts and crafts offer wonderful glimpses of India and are lovely
gifts. In recent times, ‘medical tourism’ has become an attraction:
India offers very good medical facilities at a low cost to many
from the developed world who cannot afford such high standards
in their own countries.
In spite of India’s enormous potential the tourism industry
has failed to show as good results as could be expected. The share
of India’s tourism industry in the world at present is very low.
On the other hand, Malaysia and South Africa, which are very small
countries with limited tourism potentials, corner an impressive
share of the tourism pie of the world. This aspect is difficult to
understand, given the country’s attraction owing to its rich
historical heritage and the mystique of its cultural diversity. To
add to such attractions is the fact that India is one of the cheapest
vacation grounds. Then why does the country fail to utilise the
benefits of tourism?
One reason is the meagre financial resources available to the
tourism sector. There is a gross shortage of money for developing
infrastructural facilities. Inadequate and substandard hotels and
problems of hygiene and sanitation deter sensitive tourists from
making India their destination of choice. Even spots of cultural
interest, such as temple towns, lack basic facilities like safe
drinking water. Varanasi is a typical example. The city has
tremendous tourism potential. What Jerusalem is to the Jews,
Muslims and the Christians, Varanasi is to the Hindus and those
wishing to revel in the spiritual bliss of this great religion. Here,
although tourists from various countries can be seen in large
numbers, this number can become greater only if the administrations
take care to make the city more clean and tourist-friendly. The piles
of garbage everywhere, absence of good hotels and unhelpful city
administration make tourists’ stay in the holy city a virtual
nightmare. This is true of many other potential tourist destinations.
To overcome the problem of low finances, private sector

initiative has been urged. The return on investment in hotel
projects will make private investment an easy solution. A classic
example of the private sector achievement is in the case of Goa.
Goa, which was hardly known to foreign tourists till the mid-1970s,
has been converted into one of the major attractions in western
India. However, unregulated encouragement to tourism has also
led to serious problems such as drug trafficking in this beautiful
place.
Tourism has also suffered from poor packaging and promotion.
Marketing tactics in India have not been employed to project the
outstanding appeal of India in an attractive way. Greater market
segmentation and targeted marketing are required to yield greater
benefits for tourism.
Problems must be faced and clear-sighted solutions sought
to make India an attractive tourist destination. Tourism is
undeniably a major source of income—national as well as
individual—and its potential to encourage development in various
regions should be sensibly put to use. It offers employment, it
boosts creativity, it makes the world a small place. However, a
little individual effort is also needed to encourage tourism. If
shopkeepers and taxi drivers resolve not to overcharge the unwary
visitors, if the people on the street do not laugh at the dresses
and mannerisms of those who come from abroad, if each one of
us is warm and helpful to those who are new to a place, if the
anti-social elements who rob and/or terrorise—and in recent times
rape—the guests from abroad are kept in check, then India’s image
would improve greatly, and tourism too would be boosted.
The Changing Face

of Indian Society
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Contradictions in Indian society manifestation of change.
2. What is social change?
3. Factors responsible for change.
4. Changes in structure—family, caste, status of women; on
the level of ideas, attitudes.
5. The bright and not-so-bright facets of change.
6. Inevitability of change in a dynamic society.
I
NDIAN society traces its origin to the earliest times, going back
to more than 4,000 years. What has evolved is a society that
is complex and contradictory. Rooted in spirituality yet giving
way to materialistic attitudes that are downright unethical; voicing
its commitment to scientific temper, yet ardently nourishing faith
in miracles and superstition; equality among the various groups
of people being vouchsafed by the Constitution and yet with the
political set-up itself exploiting the caste, hierarchy and communal
divisions. All these contradictions cannot be explained away easily
but they can be seen in the perspective of a society in the process
of change, or a society in transition as academics put it.
Social change refers to alteration in the structure—infrastructural
facilities, their distribution among people—and culture, traditions,
norms of living, and the behavioral attitudes of a society. Change
is inevitable; the structure and culture of a society do not remain
static. Thus, social change is basically a transformation at the levels
of thought, behaviour and action that does not presuppose either
a strictly positive or negative impact. It cannot be limited to one
direction only; it may lead the society towards progress or
regression.
No single cause can be identified with social change. The
factors affecting social change can be classified as demographic,
technological, political, economic, cultural and legal. Social change
does not happen overnight or suddenly. It is a gradual process

as people are generally not so ready to give up or even modify
firmly established beliefs and notions.
Generally speaking, social conflict and growth of knowledge
give rise to social change. But there are diverse factors responsible
for social change in India. Demographic factors include high
population growth which leads to poverty, illiteracy, housing and
health problems, all of which affect the social climate. Technology
ushers significant changes within the society. Rapid industrialisation
has brought economic development and urbanisation but alongside
has come the growth of slums in urban areas as well as a great
disparity in standards of living. Economic upliftment has been
attempted through abolition of landlordism. This has reduced
exploitation of the poor at least in some regions, and has thus
been a step towards social equality.
Technological innovations have changed even the common
people’s way of life. Gas stoves and biogas lighting have brought
a different feel to more and more villages. Agriculture in many
regions makes use of machines and hybrid seeds. There was a
time when crossing the seas was considered a sin; witness the
affluent jetsetting all around the globe now. With distances being
reduced through development of roads and railways and means
of communications revolutionised with satellites, the general
awareness of Indians has enlarged. The exposure to outside
cultures—though not always beneficial—has served to open Indian
minds to new ideas and views which have certainly influenced
the way of life of many sections of the population.
Cultural factors like Sanskritisation—the process explaining
the upward mobility of a subcaste group in a caste system—have
brought about changes in the caste hierarchy, traditional attitudes
and customs of the people. The law, too, has acted as an instrument
of social change with its measures to deal with social evils. Even
political factors have heralded social change. Elections, for instance,
have not only ensured the participation of the adult populace
without discrimination in the government-forming process but
have also extended a politicised dimension to social entities such
as the caste system.
Family, the backbone of the social structure, has undergone
a transformation under the impact of industrialisation, urbanisation,
education and migration in search of jobs. Nuclear families have
been replacing joint families in towns and cities. But due to
problems like lack of social responsibility for children, the change

is slowing down. Structural joint families, i.e., those with common
residence and property, are being substituted by functional joint
families or those which continue to fulfil their obligations towards
each other and help each other.
Social inequalities like caste discrimination—a part and parcel
of the Indian culture—were discouraged by social reformers and
freedom fighters like Rammohan Roy, Jyotiba Phule and Gandhi
in the pre-independence days. Education and the coming together
of people from various sections to wage the independence struggle
heralded a new consciousness, and social problems like
untouchability were sought to be eradicated. Today, untouchability
is certainly on the wane, though, unfortunately, rather slowly; it
has not been eradicated as it was once hoped it would be despite
laws imposing penalties for practising it. If one analyses the
situation it will be seen that such iniquities tend to fade away
with urbanisation and mobility and mass transport systems.
Unfortunately, politicisation of castes for election and other political
interests is leading to a stronger demarcation between people of
various castes.
As for education, in the ancient Vedic civilisation, education,
restricted to the higher castes, was made to suit caste needs. This
principle got eroded with the emergence of new people and new
thoughts. Today, the theme of education for all is being stressed.
Adult education programmes in villages are being focused upon.
Free schools for children in rural areas are being opened in
keeping with this theme. Nevertheless, in the large towns and
cities, the cost of education has become a major problem for
families. Good education in urban areas is coming to signify costly
private education. Thus, money is becoming a governing factor
in education, and there is growing corruption in the field.
Accompanying change in family structure, there has been a
change in the attitude to work and the traditional male-female role.
The view that women as a class are inferior to men is slowly
changing. Today, women have begun stepping out of their homes
to take up gainful employment even in areas traditionally regarded
as male domains. Their role in the decision-making process is
assuming significance. Women have begun to raise their voices
against the social ills they have been subjected to in the past.
Incomplete social change has, however, also burdened women
further; for, in most cases, the change has been superficial, without
the accompaniment of the basic thought transformation. For

instance, though the woman’s economic ability is beginning to be
acknowledged and she is being allowed to strive for it, she is
denied the benefits such an independence ought to give. The
woman is even expected to hand over her salary to her husband
or in-laws in most urban families. Also, she still sweats it out singly
on the domestic scene and this is worsening her predicament.
Though enough women are provided with job opportunities, they
are in reality considered less competent than men. Thus, we
perceive that change in attitude is much slower than superficial
changes.
Change is very much apparent in the children of today. They
show an awareness and intelligence not evident in earlier
generations at that age. They are more vocal, do not show
unquestioning deference to their elders, take part in social work
activities, even as they appear a bit ‘wild’ to conservative eyes.
They are computer savvy and have minds of their own. They also
seem to mature much earlier, losing that innocence one associates
with children.
Again, when we take up the caste issue stigma, untouchability
may have been ‘banned’ on paper, but there has been no real
awakening in the minds of the masses regarding the system of
caste distinction. While a caste group, conscious of its traditional
lower status, tries to emulate the practices and beliefs of a higher
caste in order to raise its status, the upper castes have found
alternative bases of social status in a westernised life style, higher
education and migration to cities and even abroad. At the same
time, other forms of discrimination are appearing on the scene,
especially in the cities: superior class attitudes are developing in
the society, strengthening inequality. On the whole, change on the
mental level has been slow—ideas and beliefs, like habits, die
hard.
The changing face of Indian society has different expressions,
different moods. While the element of modernity in dress and
behaviour are noticeable, traditional beliefs—even if they are
redundant—refuse to give up their hold. Thus conflict is created.
Inequality in development, loss of values accompanied by a
greedy, grasping mercenary attitude, and growing corruption on
the part of the authorities and the ‘elite’ have given rise to violent
responses from the oppressed and downtrodden. If we see several
secessionistic movements in India today, much blame is to be
attached to the retrogressive changes taking place in the socio-

economic scene. On the cultural level too, sadly enough, while
obscurantist rituals are not discarded, age-old values of tolerance,
hospitality and warmth of attachments, humility and patience are
fast fading out. There is something wrong if we as a people
manifest a selectivity towards those traditional facets that had
better be left behind and adopt those modern elements that had
better be left alone.
Change is inevitable in a dynamic society but people have
to be enlightened enough to direct that change towards a better
future.
Changing Idea
of Family
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Family so far considered basic unit of human
community, but now faces eroding forces.
2. Disintegration of joint family and growth of nuclear family
and even single parent family—broad causes.
3. Impact of technological and economic changes on family
system.
4. Change in people’s attitude to family life.
5. Growth of individualism.
6. Erosion of authority.
7. Growth of the spirit of enquiry and freedom.
8. Bright and dark sides to ‘family’.
9. Change required.
T
HE family has for time immemorial been considered the
basis of society. The idea of this institution weakening or
disintegrating is so disturbing that the United Nations
declared 1994 the International Year of the Family. The family to
many of us is the ideal unit of the human community. And yet,
there are several forces eating away at its roots today.
Those who have experienced it look back nostalgically at the
joint family. Not just parents, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, even
great uncles and great aunts, and, of course, innumerable cousins
shared your happiness and grief, helped you grow up and played
with you. The problem of looking after children hardly ever arose.
However, with the rise of an industrialised society and the
mobility—both physical and economic—associated with it, the
joint family necessarily shrank in size. Contributing to the
disintegration of those large family units were other factors too:
inequality of incomes of its members and increasing number of
women going out to jobs, and the slow but steady breakdown of
the hierarchical notions of society.
In recent years, the family has shrunk to what is known as
‘nuclear family.’ But that is not all; we now have single-parent

families as well. Not merely as the result of widowhood or
increasing divorces, but because husbands are often absent on long
business trips, some women are virtually heading single-parent
families. Emigration and relocation have assumed quite a dominant
part in Indian homes, causing a disruption of family life.
Technological and economic changes have been rapid in the
recent past. They have had an inevitable impact on social attitudes
and values. On one level, certain cherished values have been lost,
leading to confusion in the social setting. On another level, the
pace of economic ‘progress’ and the veneer of modernity that
comes with it have not been accompanied by a matching change
in customs and attitudes. This is a paradoxical situation, and it
has led to disintegration of the family as a unit and disruption
in family ties.
With increased earning power and consumer culture, both
parents and children have altered their responses to family life.
The nature of parenting and the role of the spouses are no longer
uniform. Urban India clearly exhibits the changed and changing
situation of eroding family bonds. With so many youngsters going
abroad for studies and jobs, old parents are left to fend for
themselves. Even if economically well-off, these elderly people are
faced with an emotional loss and fear of a future in which they
may need, and not get, physical help.
Economic independence has brought in its wake individualism.
Women have learnt to assert themselves within the family, and
participate in the same professional spheres as men. At the same
time, the general social attitude to working women and their role
at home has been much slower to change. All this leads to conflict
and confusion, and loosens family bonds.
Authority is no longer unquestioningly accepted by children.
Often having an awareness much wider and deeper than their
parents, thanks to the information boom, the children of today no
longer stand in awe of parents or any elderly person for that matter.
Unfortunately, in the blitzkrieg of information, human values are
given a backseat if included at all. The moral values that a
grandmother inculcates in a youngster while telling a story have
been lost. The erosion of authority has naturally taken away the
conflict-solving power that families once had. Relations today are
increasingly based on mercenary terms. As a consequence, warmth
and obligations get eroded. Many a ‘joint’ family is maintained
today so that a convenient grandfather or grandmother can become
a much needed baby-sitter. But if such grandparents are not

available, working parents are in many instances alienated from
their children. Often not knowing what goes on in their children’s
lives, these parents substitute money and material comforts for
moral guidance and affection in their interaction with their
children. The result is not too happy. Everyone drifts apart till
finally family ties crumble.
The atmosphere of today’s world is one of freedom and
inquiry. In this age of individualism and the exigencies of study
or work, families which once dined together now eat at different
times. Even holidays which were once a combined affair are now
taken by different members at different times. The change is quite
irreversible.
The family has been almost universally considered the ideal
and perfect living arrangement for human beings—“a haven in a
heartless world”. But as Barbara Ehrenreich has pointed out in one
of her articles, there have always been two sides—the bright and
the dark—to the family. On one side, the family is expected to
nurture warm, loving feelings, untouched by greed, selfishness,
or hunger for power. It is generally only within a family that
individuals are loved for themselves, be they old and infirm or
eccentric. And yet, what about the violence that actually takes place
within several families—wife- (and sometimes husband-) battering,
child abuse and even murder, not by strangers but by trusted
relatives, the not-infrequent bruising of one another’s feelings, the
petty rivalries and jealousies? The family at its best teaches us
generosity and love, fine human feelings; at its worst it is also
the system in which we learn hate and rage and are made to feel
guilty for so many things. Charles Fourier, the French philosopher,
considered the family a barrier to human progress. British
anthropologist, Edmund Leach sees the family, “with its narrow
privacy and tawdry secrets” as the “source of all discontents”.
The family as an institution may have to change in keeping
with the winds of change and breadth of knowledge that the world
of today is experiencing. If a nation goes wrong these days, outside
forces think little of interfering in its affairs, ignoring protests of
sovereignty. Similarly, many families need outside interference in
the form of counselling and policing. To an extent, in small village
communities this was not only possible but a matter of routine.
Atrocities were not then dismissed as private family affairs. If the
love and generosity bred in a healthy family can be seen as ideals
for individuals to develop, universally, the reverse also holds true:
the concepts of human rights, equality, children’s rights, the

balanced mix of discipline and freedom which are increasingly
becoming part of the public philosophy should also find a place
within the private world of the family. Authority must give way
to understanding, dialogue must replace commands, and precepts
must be lived, not merely preached—only then will the family get
a fresh lease of life in the changed circumstances, and be the basis
of a good society.
The Problems
of Old Age
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Old age is seen as unavoidable and undesirable.
2. Compared to the past, old age is now perceived with
greater fear.
3. Why fear old age?—diminishing sense of importance;
feeling of redundancy; loneliness and neglect; reduced
physical and mental resilience.
4. Modern society forces an old person to live like an
island—often facing the loss of a spouse and old
friends.
5. There is little to look forward to in a changing world to
which one cannot adapt.
6. Ill health and thoughts of death disturb peace of mind.
7. Financial constraints can be worrisome, even
overwhelming.
8. Old age could be one’s best years, but problems cast
long shadows.
I
T’S funny how everyone wants to live long but no one wants
to grow old. Old age is viewed as an unavoidable, undesirable,
problem-ridden phase of life that we all are compelled to live,
marking time until our final exit from life itself.
Perceiving old age with fear is actually a rather recent
phenomenon. This fear seems to increase as each day passes and
the world becomes more complex and less comprehensible. Earlier,
when life was simpler and values counted for more, those who
reached a ripe old age held an enviable place in society where
they could really relax and enjoy their twilight years, secure in
the knowledge that they still commanded attention, respect and
affection, and that though they were well past their prime, all that
they had given their best for was still important—and so were they.
It is when one loses this sense of importance—whether in
one’s own eyes or in the eyes of others—that life becomes a
The Problems of Old Age 139
problem. And it is this diminishing sense of importance—whatever

the reason—that plays havoc with the lives of the elderly. Because,
if we analyse it, as long as one is valued and feels wanted, no
problem appears too difficult to grapple with.
When one enters the final room of life called old age, there
lurks a terrible feeling of redundancy in every corner of that room.
This begins right from the time when one must retire from
productive service at a not-so-old age, and when the next generation
grows up, moves away, emerges from gestation. There is, no doubt,
a sadness mixed with regret in handing over the baton, the keys,
the chair, whatever, to the next-in-line, but it is also a sadness
mixed with pride in watching a worthy successor take over,
knowing that the show will go on. It is not this that hurts but
the fact that, from now on, the world views one in the same way
as it does an ageing horse put out to graze.
It is unfortunate but whenever we think of old age, what
automatically come to mind are visions of loneliness and neglect.
And if we add to these failing health and illness, the picture takes
on darker hues of helpless despair. Although it is true that at no
stage of life is it ever smooth sailing and every stage has its own
attendant problems, those of old age seem insurmountable because
the physical ability and mental resilience to cope with adverse
situations are vastly reduced. And, to top it all, if there is no one
else around even remotely interested in whether the problem at
hand merits a solution, the fight becomes that much harder.
Throughout one’s adult years one is busy thinking of others,
caring for others, working for others, earning for others. Whether
or not one marries, has children, lives in a family—one lives
amongst people. But after years of it one suddenly faces days of
isolation and little to do. Now, solitude may be a good place to
visit but it is not such a good place to stay in. Although no one
is an island, modern society, more often than not, forces the old
person to live like one, and although Simon and Garfunkel tell
us that islands never cry, human islands do. Sometimes, one is
lucky to have one’s closest companion in life (which a spouse has
become by this time) helping one to believe “grow old with me/
the best is yet to be” as Browning seemed to believe. Sometimes,
one is not quite so lucky and then the days are longer and emptier.
While journeying through life, one has to make endless
adjustments with many unexpected, perplexing, difficult situations.
In childhood and youth, one has other adults around to guide the
way. As adults, the feeling that one is in charge helps in tackling
such situations. But the elderly have no one to guide and at every
step of the way they are made to realise that they most definitely
are not in charge—so where do they go from there? The problem
gets accentuated as the world ceases to have any resemblance to
what the elderly were once accustomed to and changes at a
bewildering pace with each passing day.
To make things worse, old age also means an old and failing
body which will simply not cooperate, and lets one down ever
so often. Even if one does not become sans eyes, sans teeth, sans
everything right away, one does begin to slow down physically.
Having rendered service for a lifetime, the organs and senses seem
to stutter, gasp, choke and wheeze before finally calling it a day.
Minor ailments and major diseases rear their heads, and waking
hours are preoccupied with symptoms and pills, diets and
therapies. A failing memory makes it difficult to take those vital
pills on time. Visits to the doctor become routine as, for the first
time, even for those who had been conscientious all along, health
and thoughts of impending mortality assume paramount
importance.
Illnesses must be diagnosed and treated with the help of
doctors, treatments, tests and therapies—and then the bills come
pouring in, and the financial burden becomes yet another problem
of old age. No matter how large the nest egg one has carefully
managed to put by, the sum remains constant while expenses
mount. It is not just medical bills but sky-rocketing prices of just
about everything one requires. In the ensuing struggle to balance
the books, many familiar trappings of life, to which one had
become accustomed, have to go—and this brings more despondency.
Added to this is the depressing anxiety of not knowing just how
far ahead one must plan or for how long one must make the money
last.
From the picture that comes to light it would appear that
Anthony Powell was not very far off the mark when he wrote,
“Growing old is like being increasingly penalised for a crime you
haven’t committed.” This is a grim reality though the contrary
should have been true. The twilight years ought to have been the
best years of a person’s life; freed from the responsibility of having
to make a living, one finally has all the time to actually live—
“sit in shade/ reliving the good old times/letting bad memories
fade.” In a few cases, that too is true. And that is a ray of hope.
Law as an Instrument
of Social Change
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Society changes; contrasts within it.
2. One of the factors responsible for change is government
support through legislation.
3. What is law?
4. Law’s necessity.
5. How law has influenced social change in various periods
in India.
6. Laws to reform society conspicuous under British rule.
7. Impact of laws on economic status of certain sections of
Indian society.
8. Post-independence era: some laws having impact on
society.
9. Laws have limited impact; the impulse to change must
come from within society.
10. Yet, some laws are of vital social interest, and these
need to be enforced; in the long term laws need to be
reinforced with mass education, spread of awareness.
E
IGHTEENTH century India and today’s India: what a contrast!
On the one hand, we have a stagnating traditional culture
and society, in fact, in a state of decadence not witnessed
before, a decadence condemned by most modern Indians from
Rammohan Roy onwards. On the other hand, we have a still
traditional society in the throes of a creative excitement, of
modernising itself, of emerging as a new nation, remaining
thoroughly its own and rooted in its culture, yet taking its place
in the contemporary world. The intervening nineteenth century
was pivotal in that it saw the initiation of this process that brought
about an enormous transformation in the religious, social, economic,
political and cultural spheres of Indian society. Many inter-related
factors were involved in this transformation.
The British Raj influenced Indian life through many channels:
administration, legislation, trade, new systems of communication,

inchoative industrialisation and urbanisation; all had great influence
on the society as a whole, because every measure, in some way,
interfered with some traditional patterns of life. The sum total of
these influences on the life and ideas of the people forced them
to adjust their patterns of life to the new circumstances, thus
effecting a continuum of social change. The socio-religious reformers
of India and the scholars, educators and missionaries of the West
also contributed to this transformation of society. But they often
needed the support of the government, the sole authority to enact
or repeal laws.
Law is generally defined as the set of principles and regulations
established by a government and applicable to a people, whether
in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognised
and enforced by judicial decision. It includes any written or
positive rule or collection of rules prescribed under the authority
of the State or nation, or by the people in a constitution.
In the light of the above broad connotation of ‘law’, it can
be argued that no society or civilisation can exist and grow without
a certain corpus of law. The Vedic society of ancient India was
no exception. It was by and large an egalitarian society with
sufficient equality between men and women. There was least
hierarchical division of society and very little class or caste
exclusiveness. In the later Vedic period, when the Dharmashastras
(law-books) appeared, women’s status vis-a-vis men declined, the
society witnessed hierarchical divisions; the fourfold divisions
along the varna-lines crystallised, kingship became the exclusive
preserve of the kshatriyas, the brahmin supremacy over other
castes was established. All these got the sanction of the
Dharmashastras with the support of the ruling authorities. Manu
imposed still more restrictions and deprivations on women and
the shudras. He also prescribed different rites, rituals and norms
on the occasions like birth, marriage, death, etc. The entire society
followed them. Gradually, Indian society got a feudal character
because of the law-givers during the Gupta and the post-Gupta
periods, when plurality of the society became pronounced.
With the introduction of Muslim customs and traditions,
though they more or less left the Hindu society untouched, the
Indian society saw vertical divisions. However, the rigidity of the
Muslim law helped introduce a certain degree of social rigidity
amongst the Hindus and led to further impositions upon the
women. The rule of conversion in the Shariat offered many a
deprived section of Hindu society an opportunity to improve their

lot by joining the ruling religious community. With the Muslim
law in prevalence, the brahmin supremacy and prominence in the
society dipped rather low, especially during the reigns of Firuz
Tughlaq, Sikandar Lodi and Aurangzeb. The imposition,
discontinuation and reimposition of the Jizya on the Jimmis,
according to Islamic law, was the determining factor in the
relationship between the Hindus and the Muslims. However, the
Law of Escheat in the Mughal period encouraged social mobility.
On the whole, however, in ancient and medieval times, law
was a declaration of age-old customs, a codification of practices
rather than an instrument of social change. Law and social reform
became linked with the emergence of concepts of liberal socialism
and the welfare state in political philosophy.
During British rule, several laws effected far-reaching changes
in Indian society. The Charter Act of 1833 removed the legal barrier
on the European colonisation of India. Discriminations of various
sorts in public appointments were removed. By Act V of 1843
slavery was abolished in India. The Proclamation of British Crown
(1858) brought all the Indian subjects on equal footing irrespective
of caste, sect or sex. The principles of the rule of law and equality
before law, as introduced by the British, gave a jolt to various
divisions and sub-divisions in the society. This led to the formation
of larger, social solidarity and people began to feel as a nation.
Obviously, the practice of casteism got mitigated, though only to
a small extent.
Various laws were passed that improved the conditions of
women. In December 1829, the practice of sati was declared illegal
and punishable by criminal courts as culpable homicide. This
helped to check the evil practice of sati, though stray cases might
have occurred here and there. The Bengal Regulations XXI of 1795
and III of 1804 declared infanticide illegal and equivalent to
committing a murder; and an Act of 1870 made it compulsory for
parents to register the birth of all babies and provided for
verification of female children for some years after birth. These
measures put a check on the killing of female babies as practised
among the Bengalis and the Rajputs, though they could not
eradicate the practice. The Hindu Widows Remarriage Act (1856)
legalised marriage of widows and declared issues from such
marriages as legitimate. In the long run, this Act profoundly
improved the status of women, changed the sacramental nature
of the institution of marriage and the structure of family in Hindu
society. The Sharda Act (1930) provided for penal action in the case
of marriage of boys under 18 and of girls under 14. This provided
legal protection to those individuals who resented early marriages.
To begin with, its impact on the society was negligible. But later
on, some individuals set examples by their success in educational
and career avenues, and Indian society, at least in urban areas,
followed the law.
The Permanent Settlement of Bengal (1793) eventually created
a new class of zamindars in the Indian society and consolidated
the position of the money-lenders. The revenue system of the
British government impoverished the Indian peasantry and
craftsmen and, consequently, their position in the social hierarchy
declined—from land-owners and entrepreneurs to agrarian and
industrial labourers. Later, the rule that only the English educated
people could find a place in public appointments led to the
emergence of a new middle class in Indian society.
There were many other legislations in the British period that
influenced the society—some for the better, yet others for the
worse.
In the post-independence era, the Indian government has
taken numerous measures that concern society. The Constitution
refuses to recognise the distinctions of religion, sect, caste, sex,
etc., in the matter of the opportunities of civil life. It has largely
mitigated a number of evils resulting from the pluralistic nature
of Indian society with regard to religion and caste. Freedom of
belief as a Fundamental Right has made religion a personal choice
rather than its earlier compulsive and all-pervasive nature for a
family or a group. Untouchability has been rendered a criminal
offence. Endogamous nature of casteism is now on the wane as
inter-marriages, even inter-religious ones (the Special Marriage Act,
1954) have been legalised. Reservations in jobs and freedom in
the choice of vocations have encouraged vertical mobility of many
families, irrespective of their caste or class affiliations.
The Hindu Marriage Act (1955) gave a jolt to the traditional
nature of the institution of marriage, i.e., marriage being indissoluble,
by incorporating the provision for divorce. The remarkable features
of the Hindu Succession Act are recognition of the right of women
to inherit property of an intestate equally with men and abolition
of the life estate of female heirs. This has also changed the family
composition as daughters and sons have been made equal even
in the matters of inheritance. The extension of maternity benefits
to unmarried women is also gradually changing the meaning of

family.
Various labour legislations like the Factories Act (1948), the
Industrial Disputes Act (1947), the Trade Unions Act (1928), etc.,
improved the status of the working class.
Some social thinkers opine that the mere enactment of laws,
and even their enforcement, has limited impact on the society. They
say that the rural areas are hardly affected by such legislations,
and even in the urban areas these laws are not successful on any
substantial scale. According to them, the transformation of society
is an evolutionary process, not a revolutionary one. So, a law may
lose its sanctity and grace because of the non-compliance on the
part of the society. What they emphasise is that unless and until
a law gets the sanction of the society as a whole it may have no
effect. And logically, if the collective psyche is ready for a change,
there is no need for a law. During the Mauryan and Mughal
periods, many laws were promulgated to effect changes in the
society. But once the individual ruler or dynasty left the scene,
all the laws in respect of society lost their strength. Authoritarian
governments are supposed to enforce laws more doggedly, but
they also have been seen to have failed in bringing about social
changes. To that extent, even the revolutionary laws brought in
by the British India government were made possible only when
enlightened Indians felt a need and campaigned for social reform.
Society always seeks to protect its interests. So, whenever
anything is done in its favour, it cheerfully accepts the offer. Unless
the law, therefore, reflects the hopes, aspirations and progress of
the society, or at least a significant number of its members, it cannot
be effective. Hence, a law as per the choice of a small group of
ruling individuals, without winning the confidence of the masses,
is bound to fail in its objective. We have examples of laws meant
to do good to the society having failed. But this happens only
when there is a wide gap between the governing authorities and
the people, especially in regard to communication.
If there is enough political will, progressive laws can effect
social changes. The European society today greatly owes its form
and colour to laws. Sometime back, a British court granted two
children the right to leave their parents and live on their own.
The modernisation of the Turkish society was the result of the will
of Mustafa Kamal Pasha who took hundreds of measures in the
very first year of his rule. The rule of Castro in Cuba is another
such example. And in a previous era, didn’t the laws compiled

in Shariat change the society from Zahiliya to the Islamic era?
However, it may be pointed out that the leaders of such movements
were very popular and could carry their people with them.
However, even if laws by themselves cannot effect social changes,
they can provide protection to those who endeavour to make
positive changes in society, or provide legality and validity to
those beneficial changes having already taken place.
The utility of law in reforming society depends on the
machinery to implement it. Furthermore, a traditionally diehard
society cannot accept change easily. No law can push it into
accepting change. If we consider the laws against child marriage
and female infanticide, we notice that these obnoxious practices
have not been wiped out. In such cases, we cannot wait for the
impulse for change to come from society at large: laws have to
be strictly enforced to get compliance. The enlightened must seek
to educate and spread awareness among the masses. In the long
run, unless ignorance is dispelled, laws will remain in the statute
books and no change worth its name will take place.
Morality and Law

POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Law and morality are not synonymous terms.
2. Differences in perceptions of ‘morality’.
3. Problems of law enforces becoming immoral as well as
illegal in their actions.
4. When state law and morality of certain groups clash,
there is a problem.
5. Concept of morality should be widened and should
evolve with time.
6. Law is related to morality, but that morality is of a
universal kind.
I
T is a common though erroneous perception that law and
morality are the same. However, while there are laws with roots
in morality, morality goes beyond law in that, at times, what
law forbids may be morally permissible or even obligatory.
Similarly, what is morally forbidden may be permitted, even
insisted upon by law. In the liberal way of thought, law is
essentially ‘public’ whereas morality may have a ‘private’ sphere
in which intrusion by law would constitute a violation of the rights
and freedom of individuals. In this way of thinking, sexual
conduct, for example, is a private matter. Hence, though some
forms of sexual conduct may be morally repugnant, they should
not be forbidden by law, provided—and this is important—no
harm is done to others, and there is ‘consent’ of the people
concerned. And so long as these people are adults.
Those who, unlike liberal thinkers, do not have much
confidence in separating State from society tend to see the State
as the guardian of the whole social order and the values—moral,
political, or religious—that the social order requires. It is argued
that moral sanctions need legal recognition to make them commonly
accepted, and it is only by their being commonly accepted that
society will remain integrated. In theocratic states, distinction
between law and morality—which is seen as divine law—seems
artificial; there is similarly no difference between the ‘public’ and
the ‘private’ as divine law regulates all human affairs. In a secular

and pluralistic democracy, which set of divine laws is one to
follow? Or which set of moral values ought to be ‘legalised’?
There are communities that still believe it is ‘moral’ to indulge
in ‘honour killings’. There are khap panchayats that give judgements
in this country on basis of caste affiliations and customs, all in
the name of morality. If we condemn these actions as illegal, by
what or whose standards do we do so? This is a danger one has
to take into account before one agrees to allow ‘policing’ of
morality. However, the actions are condemnable by moral standards
if we take morality out of narrow and rigid confines to mean
universal values such as kindness and considerateness. Many of
our customs and practices rooted in so-called ‘tradition’ suffer from
a lack of morality if we see morality in the light of human values.
Those women in Nagpur who broke the law by lynching a man
whom they knew at personal experience to be a dangerous rapist
but who constantly escaped the ‘law’ for some reason or other,
cannot be condemned on moral grounds. Now, which kind of
morality is the State to make into law, for, policing, by any
definition of the term, is associated with the enforcement of the
law?
Recent incidents involving the police in criminal activities—
the constable who raped a young girl in Mumbai, the two
policemen who molested a woman in Pune, the top police
personnel caught in scams of all kinds—show the abuse of power
which militates against all moral principles. The police are
entrusted with the maintenance of law, but when they themselves
break the law, or prevent the public from seeking action against
law-breakers, they are acting immorally. Yet not many are bothered
about this kind of immorality. Immorality is almost always seen
in sexual terms. What is more, the female of the species is
condemned a little more than the male. In the moral indignation
shown by the Maharashtra state government against the dance bars,
the ‘moral’ issue is the corruption of young minds by these
‘dancing girls’. One has a sneaking suspicion that the harsh action
against the dance/beer bars under the guise of ‘morality’ is to keep
‘outsiders’ out of Maharashtra, for many of these girls are from
other states of India, even from outside India. What is ironic is
that Mumbai has a huge population of prostitutes who themselves
are exploited by pimps and the criminals who run the brothels.
These criminals do not seem as immoral to the Mumbai police
or the state government as the girls who make a living by dancing
in bars that, apparently, are licensed. There is something obviously
wrong with this perception of morality that governs the actions

(or lack of it) of state officials and law enforcers.
Then, we have child marriages celebrated right under the
noses of district officials and political heavy weights, manifesting
a clear gap between the law and the concept of ‘morality’
determining certain communities. These communities—even the
so-called educated among them—think it would be immoral not
marry off their children, especially the girls, before puberty. Would
it be possible to leave law aside or modify it to suit such an
obsolete sense of morality which, moreover, causes direct harm
to the hapless children?
Then, again, those deciding cases on rape almost invariably
go beyond what the law states and calls for. The accused is never
judged on the evidence presented alone; the ‘moral’ character of
the victim is almost always brought in. A prostitute can apparently
never be raped by this moral logic. A woman of ‘loose’ character—
whatever that may mean, because a man does not ever seem to
suffer such an aberration—somehow deserves being raped. A
minor girl abducted and sexually exploited by many men for more
than a month was considered by the judges of a high court as
being “deviant” and not quite the “normal innocent” girl; as such,
her version of what happened could not be believed. She is alleged
to have spent money meant for her hostel fees and then tried to
pawn her jewellery to make up for the spent money. The court
wondered if her case was one of rape at all, and not a mere
escapade after which the girl was blaming all those with whom
she had sexual intercourse by “making convenient omnibus
assertions that they were all rapes”. In other words, the girl was
trying to cover up “consensual sexual intercourses”. All but one
of the accused was set free. The one who was convicted was
convicted on the count of procuring and using a minor for
prostitution. It was a case, one feels, in which patriarchal moral
values played their part in application of the law. Incidentally,
what of the other men who had sex with a minor? Does her
consent—even if it was given—hold valid in law?
Then there was the case of a hospital nurse who was not only
brutally raped and tortured, but had her eye gouged out by her
assailant, a ward boy in the same hospital. There was no doubt
about the crime committed or the criminal, but just before
judgement was to be delivered, there was a curious hiatus. The
accused put forward an application offering to marry the victim.
How generous of him! But he too (as well as his legal
representatives) seemed to be labouring under the traditional
mental attitude that a woman, whatever wrong has been done to

her, would be ready to overlook it if she is given the option of
‘settling down respectably’ in society. And what can confer more
respectability than marriage, even if it is with a man who has
wrought the worst kind of violence on her physically as well as
mentally. So, that rapist would, in fact, seem to be doing the ‘moral’
duty by marrying the victim. But what about the woman? Could
she feel safe with such a man, even if she were willing to accept
the atrocious proposal? Then, again, once married, it is the ‘moral’
duty of the woman to comply with her husband’s wishes; and
marital rape, it is assumed, does not happen. The rapist escapes
punishment in spite of the damning evidence against him; the
victim is condemned to a life with a man she could hardly have
dreamt of marrying on her own. The proposal, said the judge, in
the end was frivolous and mischievous. Indeed, it should not have
been entertained at all. If the proposal was entertained at all by
the judge, it reflects the lopsided ‘moral’ values held by this
society which sees in the rapist’s offer a virtue—of marrying a
woman ‘whom no one else will marry’.
There have been cases in which the rapist has been accepted
as a husband, but no one appears to have made a serious effort
to find out if the victim willingly accepted him. It appears as if
a rape victim suffers only in so far as having been rendered ‘unfit’
for marriage. This speaks of gross insensitivity to the trauma she
undergoes and the feeling of violation she has to live with all her
life. Even in this age, which we think to be modern, we hear of
feudal quarrels in which ‘punishment’ is dealt out in the form of
gang rape of the women of the family of the accused. The law
of the land does not tolerate it, but the ‘moral’ principles governing
some societies do. We can do without such ‘morality’.
Law is necessarily related to morality, but that morality
should be of the universal humane kind, not based on narrow
principles ordained by past customs that seek to oppress sections
of society, manifest an insensitivity to cultural differences, and
dominate—often brutally—over those who are considered inferior
on the basis of gender, community, personal affinities, profession
or work, and ‘position’ in society.
Education in India—
Lacunae and
Remedies
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. The true meaning and purpose of education has been
lost sight of.
2. Problems beset every stage—primary/secondary schools
and colleges.
3. Problems and remedies for each level of education.
4. Hope lies in realising problems and need for remedy.
V
OLUMES of books have been written on the importance
of education in life. The essence of all those writings and
views is that education means the fostering of the personality
through the unhampered development of innate qualities of a
human being. It also means the awakening of intelligence and
development of an integrated life. It aims to adjust the rhythm
of the individual’s life with the rhythm of the society. This
adjustment involves strengthening of character and consolidation
of the moral fibre. Today education in India, however, appears to
be at variance with these standards.
The situation in schools, colleges or universities is pretty
disconcerting with several forces competing with each other in
polluting the academic atmosphere. While educationists all over
the country recognise the malaise, they have not been able to
suggest a workable remedy, although suggestions for nostrums
have been forthcoming regularly. The malaise persists due to the
bottlenecks in the bureaucratic structure. Also, there is the absence
of accountability of the different players such as the teachers,
managements, government, students and even the parents. This
factor goes hand-in-hand with the performance and thus it leads
to the issue of evaluation.
Due to the heavy demands of the modern consumer civilisation,
even two-and-a-half-year-old toddlers are being pushed out of the

security and friendliness of their homes into the strange world of
the classrooms. The mushrooming of play schools at every nook
and corner testifies to the existence of a demand for such facilities.
Instead of being imparted natural learning through familiar persons
and objects, children are introduced at quite an early age to
textbooks and outlandish rhymes they are obliged to parrot. How
pathetic is the sight of children carrying heavy sacks of books on
their little backs! And as the competition increases every day, the
sacks get bulkier, and oppressive, not only physically but also
mentally.
Parents are often the contributing parties to the painful
experiences of the children. They plant in their wards a hawkish
competitive spirit, which can cause neurotic disorders. The violence
thus committed by the society on children has its own fallout.
Education which is supposed to be enriching, constructive, creative
and a dialogic process becomes monotonous and mechanical and
is reduced to a mere merchandise. The pleasure of learning seems
to be a thing of the past.
Remedial measures that can make children’s education more
creative and interesting and rescue both children and teachers from
the present burden can be devised. Schools from nursery to middle
level should be fashioned as children’s clubs. Oral and practical
learning should be given greater emphasis in the introductory
stage. We should let the children first know what ‘black’ and
‘sheep’ are, only then should they be asked to spell the words.
Rhymes at nursery and KG-levels should be in the mother tongue
so that the children can enjoy and learn them effortlessly. The
children’s natural curiosity of ‘how’ and ‘why’ can be given more
prominence than following the stipulated syllabus. Before teaching
anything, the teacher must create interest amongst the students.
The teacher should frankly appreciate the good work of students
rather than only scold or physically punish them for mistakes.
Again, the teacher should feel responsible for a student’s failure
to learn.
Today, the main problem that plagues secondary education
is our failure to treat it as a comprehensive educational system
in its own right; it is regarded merely as a preparation ground
for university education. A single examination evaluation system,
a syllabus which is not only unwieldy but often redundant,
educational boards that are at complete variance with the aspirations
of the students—these constitute some of the problems of secondary
education in India. It is a system that lays too much emphasis
on achievement rather than on developing the true potential of

a student.
Even the most innovative of schools which try to move as
far away from the curriculum as possible have to toe the line when
it comes to board examinations. The board examinations prefer
cramming to analysis and application. They lay too much stress
on content and too little on in-depth understanding. The pressure
to secure admissions into traditionally prestigious fields and
institutions of study by seeking percentages above the absurdly
high cut-off figures often puts students who do not have a natural
aptitude for these subjects in an unhappy predicament. Besides,
the multiplicity of boards (the CBSE, the SSC, the HSC and the
ICSE) only adds to the confusion.
It is well-nigh impossible to judge a student’s proficiency in
a subject through a single examination of three hours. The teacher’s
dereliction of duty in the classrooms can be measured by the
number of students opting for coaching classes or private tuitions.
Again, it is a sad irony that the best teachers are supposed to be
employed in government schools, while people send their wards
to the private schools.
Accountability, no doubt, seems to escape all except the
helpless students who remain unfortunate victims of a system that
breeds chaos and confusion. School education in India is in a maze.
One wrong step and you are lost for good.
What could be the possible way out of this sorry state of
affairs? An independent entrance test could be offered by every
institution that a student aspires to enter as the IITs already do.
This could reduce the anxiety about the unevenness of marks
offered by different high school boards. An independent
autonomous body like the US Education Testing Services, which
conducts the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), the
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the achievement tests in the fields
of the students’ choice (ACH) and the Graduate Record Examination
(GRE), could be set up. Private initiatives must be welcomed in
this area. Apart from offering a uniform testing and evaluating
system for all students, a score received from such an institution
could be used to supplement school-leaving examination results.
At the time of the appointment of teachers, besides their
academic achievements, their real interest in and dedication to
teaching should also be made a qualifying criterion for the final
selection. The present status of ‘poor’ school teachers should be
improved so that they command the same respect and dignity in
society, as do professionals like doctors, engineers or civil servants.

This would attract talent. Like civil servants and other professionals,
the teachers should also be on duty round the clock: this measure
can solve the needs of students for private tuitions. What is more,
teachers should be given a much higher salary than at present so
as to attract best talent.
After passing out of school, the students are pushed into the
harrowing experiences of seeking admissions into colleges where
there is no uniformity of procedure, in which various considerations
other than the intelligence of the students play a vital role. Even
those who manage to enter a college are not without problems.
The way academics manage their affairs has led to much cynicism
and even disgust on the part of the public.
Measures such as conferring autonomous status on colleges,
putting teachers through in-service training programmes in academic
staff colleges, and extending financial aid to enable them to pursue
research have not improved the scene to the expected extent. So
far the UGC has failed to curb rampant unionism and politics in
the colleges and universities. Nor has there been any improvement
in the miserably poor standards of higher education. Very few
university departments in the country can boast of offering courses,
both futuristic and internationally competitive. There are still some
campuses which reflect a serene academic atmosphere, but the
majority just do not fit into the mould of higher educational
institutions. Anti-social politically overactive elements have sneaked
into even some reputed institutions, and violence has become the
order of the day. Politics has so much spoiled the clean and
studious environments of some universities that sincere and hard
working students find it tough to pursue quality education
without hindrance or disturbance.
This picture is the consequence of indiscriminate proliferation
and also the unprincipled admission and recruitment policies
pursued by the so-called centres of learning. Today, there is far
too much inbreeding, regionalism and parochialism in universities
in student admission, faculty appointments and in appointing the
vice-chancellors. In many universities, teaching even at the post-
graduate level is now in the vernacular, but there are no good
books and journals available in many Indian languages. While
theoretically we say the medium of instruction should be in the
regional languages, we have not done enough to invest in
producing books and journals in these languages. Most importantly,
what the students are forced to learn in colleges and universities
is rarely useful in practical life, more specifically to earn their

livelihood. A majority of the jobs available with the government
are offered to those who can successfully do 250 or so multiple-
choice questions, covering General Knowledge, English language,
Basic Arithmetic and Reasoning, in a stipulated time. Then why
should one go in for other subjects? The position now is getting
more complicated on account of the resource constraints and the
deterioration in values on all sides.
Another noteworthy shortcoming in our educational system
is that science education is not imparted to students in the desired
way. Though children are naturally observant and curious, the way
science is at present taught in schools, instead of encouraging and
harnessing these advantageous traits, usually stifles them. Despite
the fact that India has produced, and continues to produce,
exceptional scientists, engineers, and doctors, the numbers are not
so great in the context of the country’s population, mainly because
science teaching in schools in India is in a pitiable shape. It is
quite well known that school system in India emphasises on rote
learning and science classes only instill the ability rapidly to solve
problems in competitive examinations. As a matter of fact, children
opt for the science stream in school not because they are in love
with the science they are learning but because they are told that
it is the favoured career path for brilliant young girls and boys,
the one that shows the way to entrance exams for medical and
engineering courses. With the rapidly growing value of science
and technology in the modern world, and for India’s own future
development, the system of teaching and learning science in
schools must be revamped on a priority basis. Students need to
be taught that science is not about memorising laws, ‘facts,’ and
formulae, but figuring out how to apply them. Science is also about
wondering why the universe is so and then setting about
scientifically to unravel the innumerable mysteries it holds. It is
also a means by which many socio-economic problems of this
country could be tackled.
The problems are many and their intensity is also growing
day by day. At least some ad hoc measures must be taken
immediately if we cannot devise effective and lasting solutions.
There must be a proper performance appraisal system for the
faculty members. We can take help from the experiences of the
West in this regard, though indigenous devices can also be
developed to suit our circumstances and students. Besides, healthy
and transparent criteria for admission of students, conduct of
classes, evaluation of their progress and optimal utilisation of the

staff are urgently called for. Teachers must cease to be just
employees with salaries guaranteed by the government but become
professionals with complete accountability.
Mindless commercialisation of education should be stopped.
This system in which the highest bidder is assured a place in an
educational institution is detrimental to the dignity and worth of
the Indian educational system which has to see that even the
poorest of the poor in India reaps the advantages of education.
The charging of capitation fee is a manifestation of the tendency
to extract maximum possible profit from what one calls the
education ‘industry.’ Education, after all, should come in the
purview of social responsibility.
Most of the problems are attributed to resource constraints.
Several suggestions like hike in tuition fees, introduction of
education cess, public funding and greater privatisation have been
made, and some have been adopted. Yet another suggestion is that
the fees can be charged on profit basis from foreign students who
should be encouraged to come to Indian universities in still more
numbers. Also, there are alumni associations which can raise funds,
not for running the universities but for development activities, for
funding scholarships and instituting chairs. As for regular
maintenance expenditure, that must be borne by the government.
It can also be obtained by raising the tuition fees. The universities
can also raise funds through consultancy services offered by its
faculty.
India cannot remain content with basking in the success of
the IIMs; all other institutions in the country have to achieve that
competence level.
Child Labour 157
Child Labour
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Child labour—harmful to child and society; a complex
problem in India.
2. Causes—poverty; adult lethargy and cruelty; employers’
preference for child labourers; lack of proper
implementation of law; lack of educational opportunities.
3. Historical perspective of child labour.
4. Fields of child labour in India.
5. Extent of the problem and consequences.
6. Existing provisions to curb exploitation—constitutional and
otherwise.
7. Need for other efforts.
8. India’s social milieu and economic situation complex;
short-term goal can only be amelioration, but long-term
goal has to be eradication of child labour.
9. Abrupt end to child labour may lead to more grim
exploitation.
C
HILDREN have always been taken for granted although
reams of documents have been churned out by international
and national agencies trying to better the child’s tomorrow.
Despite all the words written, promises made and conventions
signed, too little has changed. A good proportion of children
throughout the world, especially in India, form a part of the toiling
masses—destitute, deprived and disadvantaged. Millions of them
work in fields and factories, on street corners and in garbage
dumps, in private houses and in ‘public’ houses. Most do some
work from their earliest years, helping around the home or running
errands. With a low level of education and rundown sense of social
responsibility, such children can do much harm to society if they
are not given equal protection and opportunities to develop to
the best of their potential.
The existence of child labour in India is a complex reality,
a social crime, a crime against humanity. It is a symptom, however;
not the disease. It is but natural that one may be tempted to ask
why the problem still exists.
Poverty is the principal and parent cause for the prevalence

and persistence of child labour. Large number of dependent
children, parental illiteracy, unstable and poor income, and few
income-generating assets are the more likely reasons for children
ending up working rather than studying. Some studies reveal
higher incidence of child labour in poor single-parent families.
However, many children work not entirely because of poverty but
because of pressure from parents who themselves sit idle or
demand extra income to satisfy their various addictions. Ineffective
laws and, more often, lack of political will to implement them also
contribute to the problem. The inspection machinery is not efficient
and in many cases the parents are reluctant to support the relevant
programmes of the government because of their socio-economic
compulsions. Child labour is preferred by many employers mainly
because it is cheap, and comes without much of a liability.
Sometimes, the parents also offer their children to work for an
employer in lieu of a loan or debt.
The principle of ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ being largely
followed by school teachers, repulsive methods of teaching and
many social discriminations at village schools—if indeed, school
facilities exist at all—result in a great number of drop-outs; these
are naturally pushed into the labour market, rural or urban. Lastly,
the increasing industrialisation and urbanisation and soaring
materialistic aspirations have also a say in this respect.
The phenomenon of child labour is not, however, new or
recent. Even a long time back, children were being sold and
purchased as slaves of the rich. Poor children were also employed
in well-to-do houses. Generally, parents would involve their
children in their own professions. In the Gurukul system of
education, the students were asked to perform various tasks for
their teachers like begging for food, collecting fuel and milking
cows, though it was all a vital part of their learning. Exploitation
of children at work or making them work at the expense of
education has always attracted the flak of sensible people. According
to Manusmriti and Arthashastra the king was to make education of
every child compulsory. Despite that, children would do some
work either at home or in the field along with their parents.
Kautilya prohibited the sale and purchase of children.
Child labour in its present form made its appearance around
the mid-19th century when modern industries were introduced in
India. Disintegration of indigenous self-sufficient village economies,
and subsequent scarcity of food and soaring prices compelled the
villagers to migrate to the new industrial centres for livelihood.
Child Labour 159
The employers found children more sincere and easier to bully

into harder work than their elders; they could also be paid less.
The magnitude of child labour gradually began to grow, especially
in deep mines, factories and plantations. Simultaneously, their
conditions of work became more inhuman, more pathetic.
Many philanthropists began to denounce the modus operandi
of employers and the exploitation and abuse of children. This
resulted in the First Factory Act (1881) which laid down that
children between the ages of 7 and 12 years could not be made
to work for more than nine hours a day. (Today the hours seem
astoundingly hard and the age unbelievable.) Since then, several
constitutional and administrative measures have been taken at
international and national levels to ameliorate the conditions of
child labour and to ultimately eradicate it. Both the Indian
Constitution and the International Labour Organisation believe
that a human child should be given opportunities to enjoy the
pleasures of learning and play at least till he or she completes
14 years of age. But these remain utopian wishes.
Children are employed in agriculture, fishing, hunting,
plantation, manufacturing, maintenance, construction and transport
industries, trade and other services. The main pockets of child
labour concentration in India are bidi manufacturing centres,
restaurants and dhabas, lock-making, carpet industry, match and
fireworks factories, precious stone polishing centres, glass and
brassware industries, bangles and hosiery manufacturing centres,
and in almost all the tribal areas. Very often one comes across the
pathetic sight of children rummaging garbage dumps for rags,
paper and plastic pieces. Small children are engaged in various
activities like petty vending, shoe-shining and selling newspapers
at dangerous road crossings. The abodes of most of them are either
the streets and pavements, railway platforms, or squalid and
unhygienic slums.
India has more child workers than any other country and the
incidence is on the increase. Such children are denied opportunities
for growth, development, learning, health care, recreation and
deprived of much-needed love. They are forced instead to step
into the world of adult work with child wages. They are the only
kind of workers who have no representatives of their own in
legislatures, who have no union, hence no unrest, no demands for
better facilities or wage-hike. As a result, they are the most low-
paid and uncared-for workers in the labour market.
Hard long hours of labour thwarts the children’s world of
imagination, and kills their creativity by thrusting them into a
mechanised way of life. It chokes their mental and physical growth.

The result is disastrous. Soon, they start suffering from asthma,
tuberculosis, rupture of ear-drums, skin diseases; they may even
lose a limb or two while working. Some child workers start taking
country liquor and drugs to ward off exhaustion. Their disturbed
childhood also drives some to crime. Many of them fall victim
to sexual abuse, and many are thrust into prostitution. The whole
system, the inequitable socio-economic-political ambience, is
responsible for the plight of children. They are being punished
not for any fault of theirs but for that of their elders.
The Indian Constitution has made the protection of children
below 14 years a guaranteed and enforceable fundamental right
under Article 14—“no child below the age of 14 years shall be
employed to work in any factory or engaged in any other
hazardous employment”. According to Article 39 (e), the tender
age of children should not be abused and citizens should not be
forced by economic necessity to enter vocations unsuited to their
age and strength. Article 39 (f) states that children should be given
opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and
in conditions of freedom and dignity so that childhood and youth
are protected against exploitation. And now the right to free and
compulsory education till the age of 14 has been made a
fundamental right. An amended Child Labour Act was put in place
in 2016. According to this Act, children cannot be employed in any
job, except in family occupations, without schooling being affected.
Also, now, adolescents (those between 14 years and 18 years of
age) cannot be employed in hazardous occupations. Strict penalties
have been provided for violation of the law.
Constitutional provisions and legislations alone, however,
cannot combat the menace unless these are supplemented by
comprehensive socio-economic programmes and educational uplift,
and a significant change in the social psyche and attitude. The
government cannot be expected to achieve much on its own; it
is essential to involve in the effort various voluntary organisations
and the employers themselves. A joint committee of Parliament
can also be set up to constantly review the policies and programmes
regarding child labour. A strong parliamentary pressure group on
behalf of this unrepresented constituency will be an institutional
catalyst.
The legislative framework and policy perspectives on child
labour have, more or less, failed to mitigate the miseries of
children. The programmes formulated for their betterment remain
mostly on paper for want of adequate funds and political will.
Child Labour 161
Not many parents or employers have been penalised for exploiting

children. Very few alternatives for vocationalising have been
provided. Child labour is, moreover, embedded in the social
milieu and economic compulsions of India. The problem is far
more complex than the do-good foreigners, the Indian activists and
the government realise. It can be solved neither by punishment
nor by inducements alone. In a country fragmented by diversity
of religious, cultural, social and ethnic backgrounds, it is imperative
that the programmes cater to the felt needs of the people. This
means that the process of change will be slow, and India will have
to live with the problem for some time to come. In the interim,
mitigation is all one can hope for, but here the efforts must be
sincere and steady.
The West may salve its conscience by banning carpet imports
from India because of the tender hands that have suffered in
making them. But a practical thought must be spared for the plight
of the children if suddenly deprived of their livelihood. Crime,
prostitution and destitution can hardly be a better fate than child
labour.
Problems of
Working Women
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Working women are common but their problems have
grown.
2. Taking just one sector of working women, i.e., urban
women in paid employment, there are several problems.
3. Problem of getting work one wants.
4. Remuneration unequal.
5. Women workers are expected to work harder.
6. No social recognition for women’s work.
7. Working mothers have greater problems.
8. Sexual harassment faced by working women.
9. Most of the problems are rooted in the social attitude to
the position of women.
10. Social attitudes must be changed to give women a
better deal.
N
O eyebrows are raised today at the thought of women
going out to work. Plenty of lip service is paid to the idea
of equality of men and women. And yet no one would
deny that working women have to face problems just by virtue
of their being women. Women at home also work, no denying the
fact. Their contribution to the economy, unfortunately, goes
unacknowledged and unquantified. But their problems are of a
different kind. Here, when we are talking of working women, we
are referring to those who are in paid employment.
Social attitude to the role of women lags much behind the
law. This attitude which considers women fit for certain jobs and
not others colours those who recruit employees. Thus, women find
employment easily as nurses, doctors, teachers—the caring and
nurturing sectors; as clerks and secretaries or in assembling jobs—
the routine submissive sectors. But even if well qualified women
engineers or managers or geologists are available, preference will
be given to a male of equal qualifications. A gender bias creates

an obstacle at the recruitment stage itself.
Then comes remuneration. Once again, the law proclaims
equality, but it is seldom put into practice. The inbuilt conviction
that women are capable of less work than men or are less efficient
than men governs this injustice of unequal remuneration for the
same job.
The age old belief of male superiority over women creates
several hurdles for women at their place of work. Women on the
way up the corporate ladder discover that they must be much
better than their male colleagues to reach the top. Once at the top,
colleagues and subordinates often expect much greater expertise
and efficiency from a woman boss than from a male boss. What
is worse, conditioned by social and psychological tradition,
women colleagues, too, are not too supportive to their own sex.
Working in such conditions inevitably puts a much greater strain
on women than what men experience.
These problems tend to make women less eager to progress
in their careers. Indeed, many women choose less demanding jobs
for which they may even be over-qualified. But such compromises
do not work well for many, who become frustrated at jobs which
do not suit their talents, or listless because of the routine drudgery.
A woman’s work is not merely confined to paid employment.
She has to, almost always, shoulder the burden of household
chores as well, thankless unpaid work which could easily be put
under the maintenance of essential services act. And here tradition
has a firm hold, even as supposedly modern minds extoll the
‘labour of love’ which seems to be the women’s monopoly.
Perhaps the problems would appear less burdensome if at
least social recognition was given to the invisible input of women
in employment. But who cares to notice the routine work which
many a woman does as a matter of course—cooking, cleaning,
washing, rearing children and looking after the ill and elderly?
If it is noticed, it is dismissed carelessly as a part of her “duty”.
While the man can come home from a taxing day at office and
relax with a cup of tea and a newspaper or the television, a woman
is compelled to merely switch over from one kind of work to
another on reaching home.
It is a much more hectic schedule for a working mother.
Besides the regular housework, she is unfairly saddled with the
entire responsibility of bringing up the children. In the
circumstances, she has to face a high state of nervous tension and
worry besides the physical stress.
A woman could still bear up with these problems if she had

control over the money she earns. But in many families even now
she is expected to hand over her salary to the father, husband or
in-laws. So a basic motive for seeking employment—getting
economic independence—is nullified in many a woman’s case.
Problems because of gender bias beset women in the industrial
sector too. Technological advancement invariably results in
retrenchment of women employees. No one thinks of upgrading
their skills. Maternity leave is seldom given; it is much easier to
terminate the woman’s employment and hire someone else. And
trade unions do little to ameliorate the lot of women workers.
Women’s issues do not occur on the priority list of these labour
organisations.
Women going to work are often subject to sexual harassment.
Public transport systems are overcrowded and men take advantage
of the circumstances to physically harass women. Places of work
are little better. Colleagues offer unwanted attention which can still
be shaken off, but a woman is placed in a predicament if the higher
officer demands sexual favours. If refused, the boss can easily take
it out on the woman in other ways to make life miserable for her.
On the other hand, if a woman is praised for her work or promoted
on merit, her colleagues do not hesitate to attribute it to sexual
favours conferred by her on the boss! Though a sexual harassment
law is in place now, few organisations follow the norms and most
women hesitate to take up an issue of sexual harassment for
various reasons which are not easy to ignore. The psychological
pressure of all this can easily lead to a woman’s quitting her job.
In small or big cities, the working woman finds it difficult
to get suitable accommodation. House owners are suspicious and
hesitant to rent rooms to young (or even old) women on their own.
Hostels are rare and not enough to meet the demand. So the
woman is forced to seek non-transferable jobs and is thus restricted
in her choice.
Most of the problems that beset working women are, in reality,
rooted in the social perspective of the position of women.
Traditionally men are seen as the bread-winners and the women
as the house-keepers, child-bearers and child-rearers. This typecast
role model continues to put obstacles in the way of working
women.
A fundamental change is required in the attitudes of the
employers, policy-makers, family members and other relatives,
and the public at large. Marriage, pregnancy and child bearing/
rearing should be regarded by employers as a woman’s important

but not her only functions. The policy-makers must consider a
woman as a distinct personality, not as an appendage of the male
relatives. The family members, male or female, must share the
indoor work of a woman if she works outdoors like a male. The
public must regard and respect working women as significant
contributors to the well-being and prosperity of the society. We
all must recognise that providing good child care is a national
responsibility if the women who work are short of time.
Flexible working hours would go a long way in easing the
burden on employed women. The system of paternity leave, paid
or unpaid, can be introduced so that the father can share the
household tasks and parent the new-born babe. There is an urgent
need to evolve a comprehensive national maternity and child-care
policy incorporating the needs of working women in both the
organised and unorganised—industrial, agricultural or service—
sectors. Problems of harassment at the workplace need to be
seriously addressed. The offenders should be brought to book at
the earliest. All efforts should be directed towards making the
work environment congenial for the female employees.
In the final analysis, a clear-cut state policy, even if it cannot,
change attitudes and social perceptions overnight, can play a vital
role in influencing and moulding social opinions. The important
aspect about state policy is that since it has the authority of law
and sanction of the State behind it, it can change practices even
if it takes time to change attitudes.
Social attitudes sometimes lag behind social realities in a
period of transition. The roles of the primary care-giver in a family
need to be redefined to include male members. If the social
superstructure does not reflect the current needs then it has to be
changed. Perhaps it is time for a few determined pushes to take
the first step of reconstructing social structures so that they address
modern needs.
Violence against
Women
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Violence against women not a recent development. Also
cuts across all sections of society and cultures.
2. Historical perspective
3. Forms of violence against women.
4. Violence against women related to their position in
society.
5. Causes and consequences.
6. Remedial efforts.
7. Women have to help themselves and also draw in the
men to create a better world.
V
IOLENCE against women is not a new or recent
phenomenon. Women have been the victims of violence all
through the ages, in all societies, cultures, regions, and
religious communities in the world. It is, indeed, ironic that in
India, which has given rise to apostles of peace and non-violence,
women have to bear the brunt of violence—domestic as well as
public, physical as well as emotional and mental.
Violence against women can be viewed in the historical
perspective, for it is, to a large extent, linked to her ‘status’ in
society.
In the Vedic period, Indian women are reported to have
enjoyed a relatively comfortable position. Gradually, violence
against them began to be practised; the doors of educational,
economic, social, political and cultural opportunities were gradually
closed for them. The birth of a son came to be an occasion to
rejoice, that of a girl a matter of grief. Even their personal freedom
in respect of movement, diet, dress, marriage, etc., came to be
curtailed. Every effort was made to make them meek and docile.
Women also began to be enslaved and prostituted. All this brought
them to the level of chattel or cattle. They became commodities
which could be sold and purchased, which could be tailored to

perform different functions. Various obligations, restrictions and
regulations were imposed on them, and different penalties and
punishments were prescribed if a woman violated them. Thus
violence against women came to have a societal sanction.
Around the beginning of the Christian era, Manu laid down
the Hindu code. His laws insist that a woman must consider her
husband as a god; she should be kept in dependency by her
husband; the ideal woman is one who does not strive to break
these bonds of control; the salvation and happiness of a woman
revolve around her virtue and chastity as a daughter, a wife, and
a widow. Worse still, a widow’s right to life began to be denied
from around the sixth century AD with the practice of sati. Wife-
beating got religious and social sanction with the Matsya Purana
authorising the husband to beat his ‘erring’ wife (though not on
the head or the breasts) with rope or a split bamboo. Violence
against women further increased when young girls began to be
forced to serve as the devadasis in the temples. This also made
prostitution a part of religious life.
In the medieval period, when two major cultures— Islam and
Hinduism—encountered and interacted with each other, violence
against women increased manifold. It included new elements.
Even the purdah system which isolated the woman from the rest
of the world was, after all, a violence against woman. Girls began
to be married off at a tender age, and in certain communities the
new-born baby girls began to be killed by the parents themselves.
The British government, by and large, remained indifferent
to the violence against women except for the legislations they
brought in to prevent sati and infanticide. After independence
violence against women has only grown in all its dimensions.
Indeed, a few more forms of violence like female foeticide have
developed because of the progress in science and technology. The
dowry system has been with Indian society for a long time. But
today’s growing materialism has increased its severity which
results in a great number of bride-killings every year.
Today, violence against women in India has assumed alarming
proportions. According to one estimate, there are about thirty
specific forms of violence being committed against women from
the pre-natal stage to their death. Such forms include foeticide,
infanticide, deliberate check on the supply of sufficient or/and
nutritious food, medical neglect, deprivation of educational
opportunities, child marriage, sexual abuse of the girl child, forced
marriage, rape, prostitution, sexual harassment, pregnancies at
small intervals, wife-battering, bride-burning, cursing the widows,

witch-hunting, neglect of the old women, etc. One can see these
forms of violence in one’s own surroundings. These are also
frequently reported in newspapers and other media.
Most of the violence against women is related to and grows
out of their position in society. If a female foetus is destroyed,
it is because a girl child is seen as a burden. If a wife is beaten,
at least partly it is because women are seen as property—to be
treated as the husband, her owner, desires. On a broader level it
is also because a woman is perceived as the ‘weaker’ sex,
dependent on man, so he can bully her. It is a human tendency
to take out one’s frustrations on anyone willing to put up with
it or too weak or helpless because of circumstances to resist it.
Expected to submit to every whim of the man, the least sign of
resistance on a woman’s part invites use of violence to make her
comply. If she is uneducated, unskilled and economically
dependent, a woman seldom has any choice but to bear all the
atrocities heaped on her. And a man, fully cognizant of this
weakness, shows his power through more violence.
Domestic violence apart, women are victims of public violence,
more often and more humiliatingly than men. Rape is not just the
act of an individual man against an individual woman, a
manifestation of psychological aberration. It is increasingly becoming
an instrument, a weapon, to prevent women from raising their
voice against atrocities. In personal or family feuds or in wars,
rape of the women folk has always been a form of humiliating
the adversary, clearly signifying the position of woman as property.
Now, women, in their own right, are threatened with rape if they
dare to speak out against injustice or crime. The activist who, for
instance, stopped a child marriage in Rajasthan was gang-raped
by men from the child’s family.
The violence continues unabated because little social action
has been forthcoming. Legislation exists, but is seldom implemented
with care or readiness. Indeed, those very persons in charge of
protecting a woman assault her and humiliate her.
It is not just actual physical violence that is used to intimidate
women. Even the threat of it is enough cause for mental agony,
and that too is a form of violence. The fear of being beaten, having
to bear the pain, the humiliation and trauma of rape helps to keep
women in a state of subjugation. Furthermore, there is a peculiar
attitude in society and, worse, in our judiciary, that rape in the
case of a woman of ‘loose’ character is not quite so heinous a crime.
By a queer inverted logic, all raped women come to be looked
upon as ‘loose’ women. Can there be a greater violence against

a human being?
Violence against women is further complicated by other
factors in society. Caste, religious, communal and class factors also
play a role in the violence against women. Caste wars result in
rape or molestation of women. So do communal riots. Religious
fundamentalism imposes restrictions first on women, and they are
the ones penalised for trying to break out of blatantly unfair and
unrealistic codes of behaviour that have no relevance in the life
of today.
Sporadically, individual women react, returning violence for
violence. But on the whole, they suffer in silence. The effect of
violence on women, unfortunately not getting the attention it
deserves, is not confined to the women victims. It affects, directly
and indirectly, the immediate family, and ultimately, the society
itself. Children growing in a family in which the mother is violently
treated either develop violent reactions against the father or are
themselves inured to violence and get brutalised. This quality
spreads in society as a whole if it is indifferent to the violence
perpetrated on women.
Violence against women is also to be seen as an aspect of
the increasing violence in society, as a whole. In that context, the
causes of violence are rooted in the psyche of human beings—
their temperament and the desires they nourish. There are three
basic factors—accumulation of wealth, egocentricity, and basic
animal instincts—which have caused violence, either against women
or any group/section of society. As the race for owning and
accumulating wealth increases, violence too increases. The
competition for wealth is excessive, and so is the violence.
Egocentricity has tempted men to dominate others, including
women, on the strength of economic, political and social powers.
One of the major components of animal instincts is the use of
force—without bothering about its pros and cons, advantages or
disadvantages—for immediate benefits.
Hence, the remedy for violence lies within ourselves. What
we have to do is to leave the animal kingdom, be human, and
to give humane treatment to others. This will be the greatest fight
ever fought. But this fight is not between men and women, between
men and men; this is a fight between the human and the inhuman.
Utopia apart, however, in the short and middle term, there
have to be some practical steps to put a check on the violence
against women. The law-enforcing machinery must be trained and
made sensitive to the issue. Women must organise themselves in
groups and raise a collective voice against a system that turns a

blind eye towards, if not actually condones, violent acts against
women. Every public-minded person and the media must contribute
to spreading a civilised attitude in society. United effort can
certainly create a public opinion and outcry against situations
when women are humiliated by public officials or by others with
their connivance. Women, too, have to be persuaded to become
aware of their rights and stand up for them. For the more they
retreat inside their shell, the more ready are the predators outside
to seal that shell and suffocate the very life out of them.
Women must help themselves and each other in the fight
against violence. But it is, in fact, a social issue that affects many
others and the system as a whole. In a democratic polity and
society, violence against any section cannot be condoned. Right
thinking men, too, have to be drawn into the movement against
violence. Attitudinal change in society is required if women are
to live in the world as free human beings without fear.
Women need
Empowerment
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Women have for long occupied a secondary place in
relation to men.
2. Position of woman has changed over time; from a
relatively free status, she slowly came to be
subordinated to man because of physical and
environmental factors.
3. Women have been viewed in extreme ways—goddess or
devil. This is typical of feudalism. Home is considered
her confined existence. Patriarchy reinforces this view as
universally correct.
4. Women empowerment means that they should break
free of the mould set by patriarchal norms.
5. Mere legislation and constitutional provisions are not
enough; true emancipation is required at individual
levels.
6. Legislative means can, however, be a short-term remedy
or facilitator.
7. It is only through empowerment of women that
development of a society and the nation is possible.
F
OR a very long time now, women have in general been forced
to occupy a secondary place in relation to men; a position
comparable in many ways with that of racial minorities.
Women have been relegated to the margins in spite of the fact
that they numerically constitute at least half of the human race
today. This has resulted in women being unable to take a place
of human dignity as free and independent entities, associated with
men on a plane of intellectual and professional equality.
In the pre-agricultural period, women were known to work
hard and even participate in warfare. Unfortunately, however
strong the woman, the bondage of reproduction was a handicap.
Pregnancy, childbirth and menstruation reduced her capacity for
work and made her gradually become dependent on men for

protection and food. It was often men who risked their lives in
hunting and collecting food. It is quite ironical that superiority
is accorded in humanity not to the sex that brings forth life and
nurtures it but to that which kills.
With time nomads settled down and community life originated.
The community desired a continued existence beyond the present;
it recognised itself in its children, and institutions like property,
inheritance and religion also appeared. Woman now became the
epitome of procreation and was very often associated with the
earth. Children and crops seemed to be the gifts of god. Such
powers inspired in men a respect mingled with fear which was
reflected in their worship of women as goddesses. In spite of the
fecund powers that pervade her, however, a woman is fated to
be subjected, owned, exploited like the very Nature, whose
magical fertility she embodies.
“Woman, to man, is either a goddess or a wolf.” Such an
oscillation between pit and pedestal was common in a feudal
society. In the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the increasing
urbanisation made new spaces available to women hitherto confined
to feudal estates. Women’s sexual transgression is mapped out in
terms of her literal movement away from the symbol of privacy:
the home. In patriarchy, the possibility of mobility becomes an
aspect of female disobedience. There is an increasing need felt to
set a corrective to such notions of oppression.
By the time humankind reached the stage of written mythology,
patriarchy was definitely established. The males were to write the
codes for all times, and inevitably women were given a subordinate
position. A central feature of hegemonic ideologies is the projection
of the dominant viewpoint as universally true. Patriarchy, as an
ideological assumption, works on the same principle. And yet,
even in ages of strict dominance by males, society has thrown up
women of calibre who could match, even surpass, the skills of
men. The visible achievements of women—as teachers, as doctors,
as pilots, as soldiers and as explorers—have demolished the
patriarchal notions of confining women’s role to home and hearth.
But these achievements have been made mostly at individual
levels, at times at the cost of social criticism, indeed even
ostracism. Or, if appreciated, such achievements have been seen
as exceptions to the rule, not within the reach of every woman.
And, generally, women have accepted this view of them.
If, however, we pay some thought to the situation, we can
see how detrimental to progress it is to restrict women to specified
roles and subordinate them to men. Even to raise children in

today’s environs, to make them fit to face the challenges of a
competitive future, a woman needs to be fully aware of what is
going on and develop the ability to choose and decide. If she lacks
the power to equip herself to do this, the future would be the
loser. Incidentally, death of women while giving birth to babies
is quite widespread in the South Asia region in general, and India
in particular. And this is mainly because timely care is not
provided to women during and immediately after pregnancy.
The need for women’s empowerment is felt because of the
subordinate status they have been accorded since the beginning.
However, mere realisation of the error does not set things moving
in the right direction. There is a need to redefine the status of
women in society.
To an extent, a change in women’s position can be brought
about through the Constitution and supportive legislation. The
Constitution of India gives women a status equal to men. There
have been attempts to reserve seats for women in political bodies.
This is, no doubt, a step in the right direction: forced to contemplate
a situation and decide upon it could gradually inculcate in the
women the ability to judge and decide wisely. True, at least in
the initial stages, they might just toe the line set by the husbands,
the brothers, the fathers and the fathers-in-law; but experience
brings self-confidence and at some point in time these very women
tend to show the ability to judge for themselves. Indeed, research
studies of panchayati raj with women on the panels confirms this
view. However, merely allowing for reservation of women in
panchayats and legislative bodies without each woman being
‘liberated’ individually, falls short of actual emancipation. Women
have been excluded from centres of power as a result of systematic
‘conspiracy’ by patriarchal thought which has relegated women to
an allotted and confined space. A reorientation of our attitudes
towards women has to be carefully guided for their real
emancipation from the patriarchal norms.
The impoverished and illiterate status of most women in the
society is due to their inability to attain sufficient levels of
economic power. To sustain any level of empowerment, women
have to be educated to be aware of their rights and privileges in
a modern society. It is only when they become aware of their status
in society that they will be able to take full advantage of the
concessions offered to them as a corrective measure.
Empowerment of women has to begin with women’s active
participation. Michel Foucault, one of the foremost French thinkers
of the twentieth century, writes that woman has always been man’s
dependant and the two sexes have never shared the world in
equality. Man-the-sovereign would provide woman-the-liege with
material protection but she must accept the moral constraints of
confinement. According to Foucault, women’s empowerment
consists in refusing these constraints of male confinement.
Unless women throw off the shackles which suppress their
talent, their skill and their spirit, women cannot be empowered.
And unless they are empowered to take a decisive part in the
social, political and economic life of the country, the very
development of the country may be adversely affected. Thus, the
need to empower women.
Ragging should
be Curbed
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Widely prevalent.
2. What it means and implies.
3. An issue of concern because of the sadistic turn it has
taken; no longer mere fun.
4. Manifestation of beastly Instinct.
5. Offshoot of socio-cultural milieu and psychological
aberration.
6. Reflection of the violence around us.
7. How to tackle the malaise—long-term and immediate
steps.
8. Ragging is obnoxious, and the defence put up for it is
hollow; it should be curbed.
C
OME the months of July and August, and a new batch of
students enter the portals of our colleges and universities.
It should not surprise an onlooker if he sees an expression
of furtive apprehensiveness on many a face: they are anticipating
(not looking forward to, mind you) the traditional welcome their
seniors have in store for them. Ragging.
Opinion differs on the nature and use of ragging. Some say
that it is mere horseplay, just exuberant youthful spirit, only
innocent fun. It is often justified as a means of putting the confused
and inhibited ‘fresher’ at ease, a form of initiation ceremony which
builds a lasting bond between the newcomer and the seniors. The
dictionary explains the term as having fun or poking fun at
someone; to tease. Obviously, it implies some mild and harmless
jokes.
Ragging, however, would not be an issue of concern if it were,
indeed, only a form of fun. It might have been so once upon a
time. Admittedly, even now in most educational institutions,
newcomers are subjected to some teasing and innocent chaffing.
Hardly anyone would mind imitating a donkey or a favourite film

star to afford some fun and laughter to the onlookers. But in some
colleges, specially the professional institutes, ragging is not
confined to such mild forms.
No sane person can call it fun to make a fresher walk on the
ledge of a building and ask him to jump off. Nor can one find
anything amusing in asking a girl to strip in public. The boy fell
off the wall and suffered irreparable injuries and the girl went
through untold mental agony. It is rather difficult to even imagine
that such experiences would make youngsters “feel at home” in
their new environs and build a strong bond with their seniors.
What it does, instead, is to blight a bright career or even end it
altogether as the victim is driven to suicide.
And yet, this sadistic form of behaviour is gaining ground
in many of our institutions. A savage barbaric practice. R.K.
Narayan once compared this kind of response on the part of a
senior towards a newcomer to the behaviour of a wolf pack which
falls upon a new arrival in their territory and dismembers it. It
is a manifestation of the beastly instincts that lurks below the
surface of the seemingly civilised man.
In a way, ragging is a reflection of the kind of society that
exists today. Aping the West in so many ways and so indiscriminately,
the Indian youth has taken to ragging, too. Ragging, once rampant
in the West, is now on the wane there. But then, just as we are
ready to accept obsolete technology from the West, we adopt their
decadent practices as well, even if they have discarded them.
It is not just imitating the West, however, that is responsible
for the growth of sadistic forms of ragging. The problem has
psychological and socio-cultural roots.
Society today is beset by the competitive urge. With high
population and low employment prospects there is a nightmarish
scramble for the jobs available. Children are urged from a very
early age to study and do well. And at the school leaving stage
tension grips the children and parents alike as the future course
of action has to be decided. In the constant race to do better, the
child’s mind is overburdened and somewhere along the line there
is a sad loss of sensitivity, imaginative impulse and sense of
proportion. The less said of values the better; the goals that society
strives for are power and pelf by hook or by crook. In this milieu
an adolescent mind is often ruined.
Why is it that ragging takes the most atrocious forms in our
premier ‘elite’ institutions such as the IITs? The best brains and
brilliant minds are there; but most of them have reached that status
because of the goading of ambitious parents and most of them
are haunted by the spectre of failing in the social rat race. All this
may be expected to induce more hard work, but curiously enough
it does not. What happens instead is the development of a warped
mind torn by resentment at the constant goading and a deep wish
to defy it, and the tension born of the continuous effort to maintain
a winning lead in the heartless competition. The frustrations and
helpless anger find an easy outlet in the form of sadistic ragging
of a newcomer who is vulnerable.
We are living in an increasingly violent society, violent not
merely in action but in mental attitudes as well. Images of
bloodshed and terror confront us on all sides, making us immune
to violence. Cultural values have got confused and eroded. And
in the total emphasis on academic proficiency, humane ideals,
beauty and taste have been sidetracked if not completely discarded.
Vulgar ragging is only an offshoot of this chaotic world in which
there is a vacuum of values and meaningful outlet for energy and
creativity.
If this obnoxious phenomenon has to be stopped, it is clear
that our educational pattern has to change. Sensitivity to human
and social problems must be inculcated in our youth and their
imaginative creativity given a chance to develop along constructive
channels. This, of course, calls for a sea-change in attitudes in
adults—the parents and the teachers and the leaders of society.
Long-term efforts have to be, however, supplemented by
immediate firm steps to thwart the practice of ragging. Merely
banning it on paper is meaningless if that ban is not seriously
implemented. It is disturbing that most wardens of hostels and
professors tend to turn a blind eye on incidents of ragging, almost
defending it or at least excusing it on various grounds. And if
the perpetrators are caught, there is an unwillingness to blight a
bright academic career by suspension or expulsion. Academic
brilliance is surely no excuse or compensation for inhumane
behaviour. Indeed, this knowledge that they will go scot free
further breeds an arrogance in the students which is the very
antithesis of wholesome education. Incidents of ragging must be
firmly dealt with and the situation more carefully monitored by
the authorities as well as right-minded students themselves.
To an extent, ragging is part of a vicious circle. One batch
of students experiences it, and when it is in a position to hand

it out, it cannot resist the impulse. It is immaterial that those on
whom revenge is being taken are innocent of the original crime.
Nor does anyone want to realise that two wrongs do not make
a right. At some point of time, a spoke has to be put in that vicious
wheel; one batch of students has to be wise enough to desist from
ragging the ‘freshers’ for that first time. A cooperative effort is
required to solve the problem.
The Rights and

Wrongs of
Free Expression
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Putting ‘free expression’ in context.
2. Communication integral to the development of society
and civilisation, but complete freedom of expression
never possible.
3. Freedom of expression has two forms—giving information
and creative work; benefit of information, and of a free
press.
4. How bias enters presentation of information; the problem
of censorship.
5. Complex matter of setting limits on freedom of
expression; how free expression often clashes with the
status quo loving society, and how in the conflict is born
change, the basis on which society evolves.
6. Limits on freedom of expression should be set with
sensitivity and liberal outlook.
7. A one-sided approach can be a problem; a middle
ground also exists.
8. Liberal outlook not to be confused with licence or a
‘free for all’ situation.
9. Disagreement need not be acrimonious.
10. Rigidity to be avoided, and tolerance for different views
to be encouraged.
11. Free expression not an absolute entity.
T
HE first cry of a new-born infant is an expression of its
response to the outside world. The desire to express oneself
is a corollary to the human capacity for feeling, imagination
and thought. The need to give vent to our ideas and feelings is
at times so great that we have no hesitation in talking to ourselves,
when alone. The consideration of the rights and wrongs of free
expression, however, arise only when such expression takes the

form of communication—between individuals or among groups.
Communication of ideas has been basic to the very
development of society and civilisation. Exchange of thoughts
contributes to the growth of an individual’s personality even as
it helps him or her to understand the world around and the society
of which he or she is a part, and, perhaps, contribute a little to
that society. However, complete freedom of expression has never
been entertained in any society; indeed, it is doubtful if it could
ever be countenanced given the imperfect nature of human beings.
Freedom of expression relates to two forms of communication:
purveying of information which is a major function of the media,
and the creative aspect which involves the expression of an
individual’s imagination or ideas. There is no doubt that free flow
of information helps entire nations to progress, and this relates
specially to scientific and economic matters. In a democracy, a
vigilant press is considered to be an effective watchdog of political
behaviour: it plays an important role in both building up and
disseminating public opinion. And if a government has national
and social interest at all, it will be glad to get a true feedback
on its policies and their implementation.
In the presentation of information, however, bias can enter—
political, racial or social. The opinion of the controlling authority,
be it the government or a private party, often colours even what
goes by the name of ‘news’. The question of media censorship of
material which criticises the controlling authority or that which
does not agree with the declared ‘editorial policy’ is part of the
complex issue of media autonomy and editorial prerogative. But,
broadly speaking, the freedom of expression is not an absolute
freedom anywhere in the world. Our own Constitution puts
“reasonable restrictions” on it in the interests of “the sovereignty
and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations
with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or in relation
to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence”. A
pretty long list of restrictions, one would say, and yet it has not
been able to quite define the boundaries; the controversy over free
expression rages as furiously as ever.
No sane person would disagree if one requires freedom of
expression to stop short of abusing or maligning any person or
community. However, it is not quite so easy to set limits on
freedom of expression in so far as it conveys subjective ideas,
thoughts and views. One’s thoughts are free—at least one hopes
so—but can all one’s thoughts be expressed freely? If one has ideas
greatly in variance with what society believes in and cherishes,

there is bound to be a conflict between the individual and society.
Most people like a smooth routine and cling to old beliefs: it gives
them a sense of security; they look with suspicion on anything
that might cause a change. And yet change is essential for a society,
if it is not to stagnate and get fossilised. It takes a brave individual
to speak out—pour fresh ideas and views uncaring of consequences
on a personal level. Ironically enough, religion, which today is
made an excuse to curb free speech, has progressed mainly
because individuals have, from time to time, questioned existing
norms and tenets. The Buddha, Mahavira, Christ, Prophet
Mohammad, Sankara, Ramanuja, Nanak, Martin Luther—all dared
to express ideas which were at variance with the then widely
prevalent beliefs, and either reformed religion or set up new sects.
But their distinguishing trait was that they had something positive
to offer, and did not merely indulge in mockery or destructive
criticism of existent beliefs.
Generally, liberal and progressive opinion all over the world
is against attacks on freedom of expression, especially artistic
expression. It is averred that a prudish establishment can hardly
be expected to be an arbitrator on art and obscenity. Very few
people quarrel with the idea that crude vulgarity and unwonted
or pointless violence should not find a place in creative work.
However, when artistic expression appears to conflict with
conventional morality, liberal thinkers would want informed critical
opinion from respected persons in the arts to guide the restrictions
or any censorship. On the whole, people should be free to see
a film or read a book and arrive at their own opinion. By the same
yardstick, an artist has a right to express his or her viewpoint which
has its own validity.
If authorities bowed to the wishes of each and every group
to ban this or that work because it hurt some susceptibility or other,
there would come a time when little artistic work would be
produced, and that little would be insipid and not worth reading
or viewing. Of course, every individual or group has a right to
protest if it feels injured, and it would be within its rights to insist
that its views too be aired in a suitable media. But it is wrong
to insist that its views alone should be given importance and
anything opposing it should not be expressed.
In the debate over free expression and restrictions over it, the
champions of freedom tend to be seen as ‘broad-minded’; the other
side is supposed to be full of prudes and bigots. However, let
us not forget that a bigot is anyone who clings to the idea that
his or her group alone can be the arbiter of taste or decide what
is right and what is wrong. Today, we have bigots on both sides—
those who champion the cause of absolute free expression under
any and every circumstance irrespective of the audience or its
likely impact and those who are equally rigid in the view that
nobody has a right to question what is held sacred by the
‘believers’. Both sides seem to think that they alone know the
answers, and that these are valid for everyone, everywhere and
for all times. What we see today is a sharp polarisation of attitudes
on any issue, each side fiercely attacking the other as wholly wrong
and showing supreme intolerance for any view but its own. There
is no place for a viewpoint that is neither uncompromisingly for
nor uncompromisingly against an issue. Things are viewed as pure
black or pure white, and no place is left for grey where, even if
opposing views do not exactly meet they could at least talk to
each other.
A call for a liberal outlook is not to be confused with licence
to legitimise any and every point of view—one must guard against
fascism and racial and communal ideals on which compromise
must be avoided. But even if we cherish certain ideas, and some
things are basic to our identity, should we simply be debarred
from questioning them? We may love and cherish our parents and
friends, but in case they quarrel with others, would it be wrong
to want to hear the other’s point of view? It need not mean
condemning our parents or friends. Similarly, we can raise questions
about the limits of concepts like secularism and democracy even
while not invalidating them. But when we raise those questions,
the language and tone need not be acrimonious—the language of
combat, rude and offensive.
In an environment of liberal tolerance there would be freedom
of expression for all points of view and room enough for dissent
with all opinions, whether held by fanatics, intellectuals or the
ordinary person on the street. Religious fundamentalism and
intellectual fundamentalism are both examples of rigidity which
hamper a healthy exchange of views and ideas. Freedom of
expression should ordinarily be circumscribed by self-restraint,
just as freedom of movement does not allow one to deliberately
step on another’s toes. There are times when good sense requires
freedom of expression be checked, even if it goes against the grain
of liberal thinking. In a situation where communal elements are
waiting for the smallest provocation to set the country aflame,
perhaps artistic criteria and the principle of letting people judge
for themselves have sometimes to be set aside. The prevailing
cultural and moral ethos do exercise a restraint on freedom of

expression, though one may question whether such restraint is
justified. However, for freedom of expression to flourish and
contribute towards the improvement of human beings and their
milieu and society, there is a need not for establishing “competing
truths”—for truth has many equally valid facets—but for “open-
ended and flexible” conversation. And freedom of expression must
be exercised with caution, keeping in mind others’ sensitivities,
as well as the possibility of vested interests and rabble-rousers
taking advantage of the situation. Or the precious freedom may
be lost to all of us through misuse and abuse by those very persons
and means that are eager to emphasise its importance.
The rights and wrongs of free expression are not absolute;
what may be right today, or wrong, may not be the same tomorrow.
Perspectives change, social values change; free expression of ideas
can change those values, and one can only hope the change is for
the better.
Advertising and
Social Responsibility
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Advertising is important in a market economy, with its
inbuilt competition. Today, its reach has expanded widely.
And it has also become a lucrative field for the
unscrupulous operator.
2. Advertising informs; benefits economy.
3. Rooted in a social milieu, advertising has to maintain
the balance between hard selling and ethics.
4. Human imperfection has necessitated regulatory codes
for advertising, but conscience alone can guide
advertisers in twilight zones of what is right or decent
and what is not.
5. Honesty should be not only the best ‘policy’ but also an
imperative so that credulity and ignorance are not
exploited.
6. Ethical codes should be kept in mind while
advertisements are devised; these pertain to unfair
comparisons, sexual images, disproportionately emotive,
social health.
7. Advertising consumer goods could be detrimental in
creating a demand for fashionable goods at the expense
of necessities. (Compare developed and developing
countries.)
8. Conclusion: Advertising is necessary today but it must
be socially responsible.
T
HERE is much to celebrate about advertising. Wherever
there is a market economy there is competition, and the more
competition there is, the more important becomes the role
of advertising. It is the most visible sign of the lively competition
which results in satisfied consumers for whom it promises more
choice, better value, more new and improved products that are
widely available and easily accessible.
The reach and influence of advertising is truly mindboggling

as its tentacles reach into every home and heart, today. Competition
to sell goods and services through a relatively new medium, the
Internet and the web, is developing at a tremendous speed and
is sure to extend the boundaries of advertising manifold. It has
also become an attractive hunting ground for the unprincipled
operator as there are far too many obstacles to the enforcement
of codes, and self-regulation becomes doubtful.
Advertising is basically about informing consumers about
product availability, features and prices. Every product can be
distinguished from its rivals with the help of advertising, thus
helping the consumer to exercise choice. Advertising is thus
important in establishing brands that consumers can recognise and
rely upon. The economy too stands to benefit as advertising builds
up volume by creating demand, especially for new products,
which in turn can lead to lower prices.
While this proves that advertising (and its corollary,
competition) is highly beneficial to the economy and is accepted
as a fact of modern life, it is also clear that advertising works within
the social milieu. It must reach out to individuals in the community
in order to inform, convince or cajole. These individuals are a part
of the greater social fabric. So it becomes the responsibility of
advertising to make sure that in its efforts to attract maximum
consumers it does not tear or slash this tenuous fabric. Advertising
is all about reaching out to society just as much as society can
stand being reached out to. Essentially, advertising is justified
provided it strikes a balance between hard-sell and regulatory
ethics.
Unfortunately, imperfections which still cling to
human nature often tilt the balance in favour of stronger motives
of self-interest, rather than higher or loftier ones. E.F. Sehumachu
has described the market as “the institutionalisation of individualism
and non-responsibility”. The instinctive rivalry and strife to
capture the market, even though it may result in benefits to the
consumers, can prove detrimental to society as a whole. This
happens especially when the myriad morals, traditions, values and
principles upon which the societal edifice is based are sacrificed
without compunction.
The idea of advertising having to be “legal, honest, decent
and truthful” has been around for a long time and regulatory
bodies such as the Advertising Standards Authority have taken it
upon themselves to draw up regulatory codes to guide all

advertising. The problem is that there are many grey areas between
what is banned by law and what exceeds the standards of honesty,
decency and truthfulness as set out in the codes. In many cases
the approach becomes subjective and the conscience of the
individual advertiser is the only check on overstepping certain
unwritten limits.
The advertising legend David Ogilvy of Ogilvy and Mather
always believed that “good products can be sold by honest
advertising—because if you tell a lie you will be found out.”
Strictly speaking, this is not ethics but business prudence. But
honesty in its pitch should be one of the main principles of all
advertising. Advertisers should not exploit the credulity, lack of
knowledge or inexperience of the consumers. This is especially
pertinent in the case of advertisements relating to financial services
where there is a great deal of small print that the public fails to
read and understand. Exaggerated claims such as “best”,
“smoothest”, “whitest” are, of course, subjective and are part of
standard advertising practices. What is much more serious is the
concealment of relevant information, for instance withholding
statutory safety warnings for specific products such as tobacco,
paan masala and certain drugs, as also showing risky acts of
daredevilry and bravado encouraging false notions of masculinity
and heroism.
Advertisers show a lack of social responsibility in claiming
certain qualities for a product which they do not possess. This
is plain cheating, often, those claims turn out to be false. In some
cases the effect of the product concerned could even be harmful.
The advertiser, in such cases is culpable of misinformation. Of late,
questions have been raised over the extent of responsibility to be
borne by the ‘models’ who speak in favour of a product in an
advertisement. Specially, if those who seem to vouch for the
product are famous—mostly well known and popular film stars—
there is a greater chance of influencing the audience into buying
the product. Now, if the product is not much good, is not the
person who vouched for it in an advertisement also morally
responsible for propagating a falsehood that could harm a
consumer? Opinion is divided on this matter. However, considering
that these stars are paid exorbitantly for their endorsement of a
product, one does expect them to be more circumspect; they cannot
simply deal with it as a mere business proposition but also
consider the truth of what is claimed for a product, especially as

credulous consumers take their word to be true.
There is a phrase in advertising called “knocking copy”,
which in effect means unfairly attacking or discrediting other
products. Of course, comparative advertising is widely practised
and accepted but comparisons should be clean and fair because
an attack on rival products induces negative thinking in the
consumer. Many products are advertised by attempting to denigrate,
discredit or take unfair advantage of a competitor, as is found in
the case of soaps, detergents, drinks—soft and hard! This affects
public values as it encourages fault-finding attitudes.
Indecency in advertising tries to fulfil the ultimate objective—
to use shock tactics to draw attention to the product. The most
obvious example is the often irrelevant exploitation of sexual
images, especially those of women. Attitudes to indecency are
subjective and vary enormously. Nevertheless, such advertising is
increasingly being viewed as unnecessary and avoidable even in
the advertising world. Very often, only the titillating image remains
with the consumer who later has no recollection of the product,
which is, in fact, counter-productive for the advertiser. Besides,
even for the consumer who does not wish to be labelled a prude
or a feminist, such advertisements reflect bad taste and promote
moral laxity and licentiousness simply by the association of ideas.
Shocking claims and images are also used to instil fear,
especially by insurance companies, but raising such apprehensions
should not be disproportionate to the risk as it could result in
spreading panic. Instead, appeals to encourage prudent behaviour
or discourage dangerous or ill-advised actions would be more
acceptable ways to attract consumers.
In the modern world, advertising has an awesome impact in
its ability to influence lifestyles, attitudes and priorities of millions.
It has the power to create demand and make people believe they
must have something which they would have never dreamed of
before. This is significant in developing countries where newer
artificial needs are being created, often at the expense of necessary
public services.
Advertising has, no doubt, become an essential part of
modern life. But it must be made to act responsibly and abide
by certain values and ethical codes. It must stick to standards and
stay within bounds. Though it would be ridiculous to expect
advertisers to act as the moral guardians of society, any advertising
that shrugs off responsibility and rides roughshod over the

consumer is, ultimately, self-destructive. Socially responsible
advertising has the power to influence, educate, and motivate the
community towards positive and desirable behaviour and this
should be the guiding principle behind all advertisements. The
magical power of words and images should not be misused so
that caveat emptor or ‘buyer beware’ becomes a warning against
exploitation and manipulation of society by unscrupulous near-
sighted advertising.
Indian Cinema and

Social Responsibility
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Cinema—an important means of mass communication.
2. Different perspectives on cinema.
3. Social impact of cinema—concept of social responsibility.
4. Present state of Indian films—impact on impressionable
minds.
5. Profit motive alone should not guide film-makers.
6. What can be done to make Indian film-makers socially
responsible.
S
INCE its beginning in India with the film Raja Harishchandra
(1913), the cinema has remained a very important medium
of mass communication. In its ability to combine entertainment
with communication of ideas, it leaves the other media (except,
of late, the television) far behind in reach and appeal. Also, like
literature, it has mirrored different times and has left an impact
on successive generations. Any work of art reflects the conditions
of the society in which it is born, and the hopes and aspirations,
the frustrations and the contradictions present in any given social
order. Cinema is no exception.
There are different views regarding cinema. The producers
and financiers consider it a lucrative business. For the actors and
actresses it is a means of earning money as well as satisfying their
craving for glamour and fame. The director and other artists look
at it as yet another form of art. To some, it is an audio-visual
translation of literature and its message, if any. For the government,
cinema is a potential area of employment and revenue. But for
a majority of film-goers, it is a comparatively inexpensive and
interesting form of entertainment. Whatever it may mean to
different people, cinema is generally regarded as an art form meant
to entertain the people by presenting before them motion pictures
on the screen, incorporating a gamut of elements—story, dance,

song, thrills, feelings, comedy and pathos.
Beyond what the cinema means to individuals, however, the
wide mass appeal of the cinema has invested it with a great deal
of social influence. The nature of its influence—good or bad—
naturally depends upon the social awareness of the people
involved in it—the film-makers, the artists, the audience and the
government. Should cinema as an art form be required to have
social responsibility? Social responsibility involves behaving in a
manner that does not impair the values of society, does not lead
to disintegration of society or cause it to become degraded in any
way. Cinema may be socially responsible by depicting reality. At
the same time, with its power of influence—and here we are
accepting the view that the audio-visual medium has the power
to influence the viewer—it could easily gather support for
progressive changes even while castigating social evils. Cinema
can become a means of propagating new ideas as well as
challenging outworn beliefs.
Most of the early Indian films like Achhoot Kanya, Godan, and
Awara, pursued their themes with social responsibility. Business
or profit motive was certainly there—one cannot deny that, nor
can one object to it. But these films did not lose sight of the needs
of society at large. They tried to promote nationalism, communal
harmony, mutual cooperation and social solidarity. Films like
Paigaam strove to mitigate class-conflicts, while others attacked evil
social practices like caste exclusiveness, untouchability, and child
marriage.
Over the years, Indian cinema has lost touch with social
responsibility and has become a slave to the ‘box office syndrome’.
Now commercial considerations solely cloud film-making. It is all
a question of hits and flops at the box office. ‘Right’ ingredients
are squeezed in, necessarily or unnecessarily, into the films to
make a hit without thinking that these ingredients—sex, violence,
etc.—cause great injury to the social fabric and the people. At least,
this is the trend in commercial or feature films. To cap it all, some
film personalities have repeatedly asserted that their object is not
to reform society.
The low aesthetic quality of today’s films is directly
proportional to the large number of unscrupulous, fly-by-night
producers who are interested merely in profit-making without any
concern for the society. The financier who comes forward to back
the production of a high-budget commercial film pleads that if
he cannot be sure of handsome returns on his investment, he
would rather turn to something else; why risk his money on a

dubious venture? Worse are the distributors who will not touch
a film if it does not have the ‘right’ ingredients. The economics
of production have also sounded the death-knell for the ‘art’ films.
But the people concerned must remember that many films with
costly sets, top stars, sex, and violence, too, have flopped while
low budget films with light comedy, melodious songs and lacking
the so called ‘right’ ingredients have done good business.
Indian cinema, deeply influenced by the stage, began with
scripts based on mythological and historical plots. Gradually,
themes came to be taken from novels, plays and stories of leading
Indian literatteurs with a broad social and moral vision. This
tradition continued for a considerable time. Then the pious and
progressive messages of the books gradually made a silent exit.
Cheap scripts are now generally the norm, often openly plagiaristic.
Variety is lacking. Double meaning dialogues are another common
feature; at times, it is explicitly vulgar.
An audience’s right to entertainment is quite just. It is also
true that a majority of the audience today demands the entertainment
afforded by the display of violence, sex and obscenity in films.
The general public has little interest in realistic ‘art’ movies and
is only attracted by the big names: something the low-budget
movies cannot indulge in. The government also does not seem
to be truly concerned about the affairs of the cinema,
notwithstanding the ritualistic award-giving ceremonies, film
festivals and tax concessions for pious sentiments such as secularism
and patriotism. The Censor Board’s ambiguous standards do not
help matters much. For the Censor Board, kissing is obscene but
rapes, gruesome killing and vulgar dialogues do not invite the
scissors.
The overall result is that a majority of films today are devoid
of any social purpose, relevance or significance. The hero of a
typical Indian film generally seems to have little to do for a living.
His main occupation in life appears to be winning the heart of
his ‘dream-girl’ and fighting with the world for her sake. Or, if
he does something for a living, his life style is much at variance
with what he would earn from such a living. Similarly, the heroines
do little except sing, dance and cry with the hero. An effect of
this is that a majority of the youth outside the screen are turning
into incurable romanticists. This attitude forces the youth to turn
their eyes from the hard realities and essential duties in life. Such
youth cause harm to themselves as well as to others.
Today, the portrayal of women in Indian films has touched
the nadir. There are few films in which heroines have been required
to play stellar roles. She is an atrociously made-up piece required
to dance, sing, expose and vanish. Revenge being the leit motif of
most films, she is frequently raped and the hero vows to take
revenge. This reinforces the feelings of girls and women that they
are weak, unimportant, and the world of males is after their body
and vanity. A rape is often picturised in such a manner that instead
of generating pathos and horror, the scene produces sexual
excitement in the watcher. This perverse depiction of women as
glamorous props and objects of titillation and victims of violence,
and of this violence as an exciting and adventurous act could well
be partly responsible for the increasing atrocities against women.
We have always had genre-based movies abounding in
nauseating stereotypes like the long-suffering wife and mother, the
corrupt and lecherous politician, the avaricious landlord and
trader, a week-kneed judiciary and a thoroughly corrupt and inept
police. This trend is now reinforcing prejudices towards certain
sections of the society and encouraging cynical disbelief in the
entire system.
When films glamorise violence, the impressionable minds in
the audience feel tempted to imitate it in real life. Some fall prey
to criminal tendencies and get increasingly brutalised, while the
social psyche in general gets desensitised to the violent acts as
they see them repeatedly. It cannot be denied that violence holds
a natural appeal for exuberant but immature minds. However, the
heavy dose of violence dished out to them in the garb of
entertainment pollutes young minds and sows seeds of chaos and
anomie in public life.
In a country like India with a high percentage of illiteracy
and poverty, cinema has an important role to play. It has unqualified
potential to inform and educate people’s minds. According to Elia
Kazan, the famous film director, “Cinema is the most humanising
piece of expression that we have in the world today. It is the hope
of the world, where people are shown in all their humanity...
Through it you are made aware of the brotherhood of man.” Films
that try to live up to that idea can be of benefit to society. Films
need to entertain, but they should not ignore human values.
Challenge Before
Television in India
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Influence of television substantial; its reach has grown
tremendously in recent times.
2. Doordarshan—official channel—its problems.
3. Advent of satellite channels.
4. Popular programmes/entertainment versus ‘serious’ and
information-based programmes.
5. The need to improve content and style in both official
and private channels.
T
ELEVISION is admitted by everyone to have a tremendous
attraction for and impact on viewers. But it is the last few
years that have witnessed a stupendous spread of the reach
of this medium (especially in India). The last decade of the
twentieth century saw the beginnings of international satellite
broadcasting in India and the government started a major economic
liberalisation programme. Both these measures taken together
radically changed the country’s television environment.
Cable TV revolution in India started with the beaming of
the Gulf War—almost like the telecast of a ‘live’ cricket match—
by the CNN, courtesy Star TV, and the telecast of the mega
religious serials, Ramayana and Mahabharata, probably proved a
turning point for the Indian population. Almost overnight there
was a proliferation of cable operators in almost every block and
street corner, and all those with a television came to have an
immense choice of channels. The introduction of DTH (Direct to
Home) services has further given a boost to the popularity of the
satellite channels in India.
It is worthwhile pondering about what the Indian viewer
watches, given the multiple choice at the end of a button. There
is no clear-cut data available from authentic or reliable surveys,
but if one goes from the sounds coming from the houses in the
neighbourhood, it is films, film-based programmes, and more

films. Equal in popularity are serials, sports, pop and rock, and
crime and programmes about consumer goods. A little lower on
the scale of popularity are programmes on travel, adventure and
cookery. And any amount of screaming, ‘cultural invasion’ or
‘pollution of young minds’ is not going to change things. People
will seek entertainment, whether it is from Star or Zee or Sony.
With the passage of time and with a growing number of Indian
viewers in the cities and towns becoming more information
conscious and alive to happenings in the world and the country,
news, and information-based programmes shown on news channels,
and the so-called reality and chat shows shown on the numerous
Hindi and English channels have started dominating the scene.
Language does not matter in pop and rock, in sports and fashion
or in much of travel and adventure. Even people with a rudimentary
knowledge of English can and do watch, and avidly at that, serials
in any language. And, of course, dubbing can make many more
satellite programmes accessible to Indians.
The cultural modes that are exclusive will remain exclusive.
Indian classical dance and music, Chinese opera or Indonesian
Wayang Kulit will not, indeed cannot, become the rage globally.
They need a language, a base of traditional knowledge, and a
special taste. They cannot be easily transmitted elsewhere to
achieve wide popularity. This probably explains why DD Bharati,
Doordarshan’s channel on art and culture, has failed to find much
of an acceptance in the market. Even News, in comparison to the
entertainment programmes, fails to reach the top on the popularity
charts. Except, of course, when there is some sensational or historic
happening. And it also explains why newscasters on private
channels, in order to capture TRPs, shout and rant, giving even
ordinary incidents an aura of world-shaking importance.
Sensationalism is what attracts the eyeballs. Does this mean that
quality programmes, ‘minority programmes’ as they are often
called, have no future and will not be part of the cultural
spectrum?
In this context, it would be useful to recall the words of
Newton Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications
Commission of America. Talking of “public interest” with reference
to television, he pointed out that there was a failure in using
television for education and for children as well as in financing
public television properly. He was talking of American television,
but his questions—what can television do for our country? for the
common good?—are equally applicable in the Indian situation.
The Government of India and its Ministry of Information and

Broadcasting, however, have been reduced to taking a purely
commercial view of the entire television scene, bothered only
about how much revenue Doordarshan can make. Public interest
television does not figure high on the priority list. It is money
which is likely to rule programmes, money from sponsors,
advertisers and the film world. On finding immense opportunity
to make more money, Doordarshan began shifting the balance of
its programming from educational and information-based
programmes to entertainment-based programmes. The
commercialisation of Doordarshan saw the growth of soap operas
(Buniyad, Hum Log), situational comedies (Nukkad), dramas, musical
programmes, quiz shows and the like. By 1991, Doordarshan’s
earlier promise and grand plans to assist in the acceleration of
social and economic development process had been greatly
watered down. Moreover, what news Doordarshan purveys is very
often biased in favour of government propaganda and fails to be
objective.
Television must have programmes, and good programmes
require sound business management and a competent grasp of
technology. Both require correct policy measures to be successfully
harnessed. With the arrogance of size and population, India’s
policy-makers in communications for long considered Indian
broadcasting to have an automatic teaching and preaching role in
culture. Unfortunately, going by past experience this role has not
come India’s way. To a large extent, it is the government that is
to be blamed. Indian television has been used for the benefit of
the government and the ruling party, no matter what the complexion
of the government and the party. Propagandist, pedantic, conformist
and dull, news as well as programmes even now need to be
revamped in content as well as style, if the official Indian channel
is to even begin facing the challenge from the skies.
Completely commercial concerns, however, will not do in a
poor developing country like India. The educational role of
television cannot be lost sight of. The audio-visual medium has
the power of affecting the community through opinion building
and slant of views. But excellence in broadcasting, influence and
freedom emerge from the slow progress of history. However, they
cannot emerge if the interest of the public is not kept in mind.
On the other hand, private channels need to realise that
entertainment cannot rule in every sector. The concept of
‘infotainment’ should not degenerate into sensationalism
masquerading as information or in the serious being trivialised.
There is a tendency in news channels to flog an event into tatters,

or create an exaggerated impression of something or some event
that does not quite deserve that much of importance. There is also
a tendency to ‘break news’ of a trivial kind, as if it were an
earthshaking happening. The competition is great with the
mushrooming of several channels; while healthy competition
ought to improve the quality of programming, what we see is a
mindless imitation of one another in churning out more and more
of the same kind of programmes. In the attempt to be the ‘first
channel to bring the news’, haste works havoc with accuracy and
sensitivity.
In-depth analysis of news, wide coverage of important events
world over, a balanced picture of what exists in India—these are
aspects on which television channels in India need to work so that
their image acquires a credibility the media needs in order to be
a true fourth pillar of Indian democracy.
Money, talent, official policy and opportunities have to be
coordinated and made to work in cooperation if Indian television
is to successfully counter the challenges facing it.
Television and
Teenage Violence
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Crime by teenagers is on the increase.
2. Causes—urbanisation, breakdown of old values, influence
of mass media.
3. Effect of mass media, especially the television, is said
by many to be a major factor influencing teenage crime.
4. Research in the West has shown a link between screen
violence and real life aggressiveness.
5. Imitative factor also leads to teenage crime.
6. Unfulfilled advertisement-stimulated desires also lead to
unreasonable resentment in and criminal acts by
teenagers.
7. How to minimise the negative impact of television
violence—technical devices and practical means such as
a rating system and late slots for certain programmes.
8. Parents must play a positive role in guiding children.
9. Television producers too must practise restraint.
10. Media education must put contents of television
programmes in proper perspective for the children.
T
HE increasing trend in crime by teenagers is a matter of
serious concern. The world over, more and more teenagers
are involved in robberies, muggings, murders and rape. This
trend is visible in India as well. Aggressiveness and violence at
an early age have lead to shocking crimes: son battering his mother
to death, brothers killing one another, daughter poisoning her
parents, and all this over rather trivial issues for that major motive
for murder—money. Banks are looted by teenagers, children are
kidnapped for ransom, and killed if that ransom is not forthcoming,
cars are stolen, old people are cheated or even killed, and the
perpetrators are in their teens. Not a happy state of affairs, one
would say. Many factors like urbanisation, migration, breakdown
of traditional values, inadequate attention given to children by
parents and the influence of mass media, especially films and

television, are said to be associated with the rise in crime among
the young.
Today, we are living in a world dominated by the media. The
mass media, especially television, is increasingly occupying the
central stage in our lives. Most homes in cities have access to
television, indeed, more than one set to meet the needs of different
members in the family. With provision for 24-hour-telecast and
many channels, exposure to television is increasing and is
particularly high among children. Many concerned individuals and
organisations have raised their voice against the adverse effects
of television-viewing, particularly due to the excessive portrayal
of sex and violence, the common and dominant feature of
television programming. Many are of the view that such exposure
to television is contributory to the violent behaviour of the young,
even leading to criminal acts like murder and rape.
Although very little scientific research has been done in the
Indian context, there is an increasing evidence of association
between screen violence and actual aggressive behaviour emerging
from a very large number of studies in western developed
societies. That screen violence may prompt aggressive behaviour
was first suggested as early as the 1950s when television was in
its infancy. Since then serious debates have continued, with more
and more research findings pouring in, and high-powered
committees examining this vital issue from all angles. People who
watch more of televised violence have been found to exhibit
greater tendencies toward aggressive behaviour in both short and
long term.
Further, research shows that the primary effect of television
viewing is by way of imitation or emulation of the ‘action’ or scene
depicted on the screen. It is a common observation that children
enact the advertisements and emulate some of the popular
characters. So much so, a few years back a young boy lost his
life emulating the action shown to advertise a cold drink. Later,
the advertisement in question was withdrawn. It has now become
a norm to issue a warning before and after showing dangerous
stunts that they should not be attempted on one’s own without
proper training. In some of the sensational murders by teenagers,
investigation pointed to the youngsters having been prompted by
a film or television programme, so much so that the manner and
method of killing closely resembled the screen depiction.
A heavy diet of screen violence and aggression, even as a
feature of television news, formula films and many other television
programmes, causes fear and leads to desensitisation among

growing children. Often film and television shows present violence
as a justifiable means of settling disputes in daily life. Such
depiction, if continually shown, tends to inculcate among the
audience, particularly children, an increasing willingness to use
violence in real life. Television programming, in general, and
advertising, in particular, create an impression in the minds of the
viewers that others are living far more glamorous lives than they
themselves are. Based upon insights emerging from a large
number of studies, it is safe to say that unfulfilled advertisement-
stimulated desires lead to resentment towards parents and the
society as a whole. This, coupled with exposure to violence on
screen, further strengthens negative perceptions in growing children.
It has also been observed that many of those who watch television
for longer hours and come from a relatively deprived background
grow up perceiving the outside world as ‘unfair’, ‘mean’, ‘unfriendly,
‘hostile’. Often many of them become prone to aggressive behaviour
and actual violence as well.
Many steps are being suggested and debated on how to curb
this rising trend in the depiction of violence on the television
screen or at least minimise the negative impact on audiences,
especially young children. Methods include technical devices to
block out violent contents, rating of television programmes for
violence content and making it known publicly, and shifting of
programmes with excessive violence and sex to time slots when
children are not likely to be significant audiences. These proposals
are under active consideration in many developed countries, and
the first two of these proposals were adopted as part of the
Telecommunication Competition and Deregulation Act, 1996 in the
USA.
Systematic efforts are being made in Western societies to
determine the best possible and most efficient means of classifying
programme content and conveying that classification to viewers
so that they could exercise choice in their television viewing and
technically block “unwanted” or “undesirable” programme content
with an electronic device fitted in the television set itself. The
development of a systematic and socially and culturally acceptable
classification of television programme content suited to India
would help in dealing with not only the issue of violence on screen
but also with the problem of an increasing threat to our cultural
identity.
Perhaps, a more effective way of addressing this problem is
to guide the children in their selection of television programmes.
Researches have revealed that if parents share television watching

with their children and discuss the content, they can guide in a
subtle way the choice of programmes the children watch and
influence the impact of television in the desired direction. Thus,
to make the best use of television and minimise its negative
influence, one should share television with children and take active
part in their interests and discussions relating to television
programmes.
There is also a need for self-regulation on the part of the
television channels. Programme producers should exercise restraint
and examine the television content from the perspective of growing
children and the likely adverse effects of certain programmes. It
is true that sex and violence sell across all cultures and societies,
and a heavy dose of sex and violence in any television programme
means a more lucrative business. But should commercial gain be
the end in itself? Considerations of larger social good and future
of the new generation should also weigh equally, if not more, in
programming decisions.
Above all, there is a need for “media education” in addition
to formal education. The access and exposure to television is
increasing every day. With technological development and
breakdown of international barriers in space, children now have
access to Internet and numerous television channels. They can
virtually view anything. The television screen is increasingly
acquiring the place of a “third parent” and of a new “super
teacher” as well. As such, the role of television in child growth
and development is enormous even as some of the effects of
television could be adverse and detrimental to the healthy growth
of children. A well thought-out media education programme in
the school curriculum can help in putting the contents of television
in proper perspective by demystifying the ‘glamour’ and ‘action’;
children could then begin to understand early enough that the
make-believe world created on screen is mere fantasy and not real.
Demystification and proper understanding of the television content
will go a long way in minimising the adverse effects of television
and enhancing its positive contribution to child growth.
The Scientific attitude rather than science... 201
The Scientific attitude

rather than science
is the need
of the day
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. What the given statement implies.
2. Science has helped humans to progress both materially
and mentally—examples.
3. Mental or spiritual progress, however, is lagging behind
material progress.
4. The scientific method and the rational approach it
implies.
5. Human inability to adopt the scientific temper as
compared to its readiness to accept material changes.
6. Growth of scientific knowledge is so rapid that mental
adjustment to the changes it brings about is difficult; the
hold of tradition is deep-rooted.
7. Scientific attitude, however, is absolutely necessary to
dispel ignorance and backwardness; its spread will bring
a rational perspective to bear on social evils and
conflict, and could lead to a better world.
W
HEN one says that the scientific attitude rather than
science is the need of the day, one is emphasing on the
need to develop, promote and imbibe the tendency,
spirit and inclination inherent in the inquiry of science than on
the mere scientific achievements and inventions. The former
pertains to the inner world of the human beings, while the latter
to the external. The first reaches out to the significance of the social
or human values and norms, while the second is mainly concerned
with material progress and prosperity. The view expressed assumes
relevance today because an avalanche of religious fundamentalism
and superstition is threatening to destroy all civilised and orderly

life, not only in India but in many other regions of the world.
Much of the progress that humankind has made till now is
associated with science. Not only material progress but also the
mental outlook of humans has been influenced by it. Humans have
tried to unveil the mysteries of nature to the fullest extent. Humans
have been successful in shortening distances in the world and
reached out even beyond. Immense progress has been made in
communications systems; satellites have revolutionised our entire
life, making possible instant weather forecasts, remote sensing of
minerals or even fish, worldwide entertainment and communication.
Medicines are now available to mitigate effects of diseases;
scourges of the past have been wiped out by scientific development;
surgery has reached trouble spots in the heart and even the brain.
On a more mundane level, electricity has dispelled darkness and
humid heat and made the life of ordinary humans more comfortable.
Industry and agriculture have progressed to higher production and
productivity levels through scientific knowledge. However, behind
the discoveries and inventions of science lies the scientific attitude,
an attitude that seeks the truth behind natural phenomena and
works without bias or prejudice in seeking the truth.
School children learning science are told that a scientific study
includes some major steps: a hypothesis that something is likely
to be correct or wrong; the experiment to check the hypothesis;
the observation; and the deduction. This particular pattern of
investigation has emerged after centuries of practice of science, and
the scientific attitude lies somewhere behind it. The experiment
is set up to observe a certain phenomenon in several different
ways. The experimenter can, in many cases, alter the various
operating conditions, or the so-called experimental parameters, to
enable him or her to study the outcome in as many situations as
possible. Another objective of such experimentation is to eliminate
the element of human bias to make the results objective. It is often
necessary to detect a pattern in the observed results. Help is sought
from the statistical methods of data analysis to ensure objectivity.
Unfortunately, sometimes even statistical methods do not give
unambiguous answers. The scientist is then back to the drawing
board, designing new and better experiments. The last step is that
of deductions, that is, drawing conclusions from the experiment.
The scientist is, of course, not satisfied with drawing conclusions
from a solitary experiment. She or he makes predictions for other
situations not covered by his experiment. The purpose of this

exercise is to prompt future scientific experiments towards being
designed to test these predictions. This interplay between theory
and observation is what keeps science going. And, if the hypothesis
is negated by what the experiments show, the scientific attitude
is to accept the result.
We honour science and the scientists for being creative,
original and stimulating. Science is a humane endeavour because
it depends on cooperation, on people testing each other’s work,
and on people taking notice of one other. The wonder is that we
are reluctant to adopt these characteristic features of science in
various aspects of life, though the peoples of the world are
competing with each other in reaping the harvests of science.
Indeed, just as in the case of science, progress can be achieved
only when the scientific outlook prevails over innate conservatism,
so, in the case of a society of human beings, this outlook acts as
an antidote to the evils of prejudice and superstition.
Superstitions are born out of ignorance of how nature functions.
Science is dedicated to the unravelling of the mysteries of nature.
As a particular mystery is solved, we should expect the superstitions
based on it to disappear. Yet, this does not always happen in
practice because of the lack of scientific attitude in the typical
human being. For example, the early human societies ascribed
divine powers to planets. This assumption arose from ignorance
of what planets are and how they move. Now that astronomy has
answered most of the questions raised about planets, we should
expect this assumption to be regarded as groundless. Yet this has
not happened. Even in the technologically advanced countries the
belief in planetary influences persists among sections of even
educated classes. The cause of eclipses has been fully explained,
yet, people view eclipses as being caused by serpents and dragons.
Individually, or as part of a larger group, humans have always
lived by certain traditional beliefs. These beliefs are inextricably
mixed with cultural and religious heritage. Inevitably, conflicts
arise whenever the critical appraisal inherent in the scientific
temper is applied to these beliefs. Some conflicts arise because
the beliefs or the rituals had a rational basis in the olden days,
which they no longer possess today. Some rituals had a symbolic
meaning in the social ambience of several centuries ago, but today
they have become irrelevant. Also, everywhere in the world
conflicts between different belief systems are often witnessed. The
question arises: what should one do in case such a conflict arises?

The rapid inputs from science and technology in the twentieth
century have had severe repercussions for human societies the
world over. How to adjust to the rapid growth of knowledge, to
the many ways energy can be used to upgrade human existence,
to the many effective ways in which one may destroy human
existence, to the severe impact of all this on our natural habitat...?
These are questions which perhaps could have been handled had
the societies been granted the luxury of ample time. This,
unfortunately, has not been the case. The response has to be quick
to a rapidly changing scenario. How to absorb the ‘new’ while
holding on to the ‘traditional’?
On the ‘traditional’ side we have the traditional virtues of the
individual’s responsibility to the society, the society’s commitment
to ensure the well-being of its members, and jointly the individual
and social commitment to preserve the natural habitat. Armed with
these virtues, humans can assess what science has to offer: they
can take judicious decisions on what to accept and what to reject.
This is where the scientific attitude comes to their help — to weigh
all the evidence and then decide what is best. As has happened
in science, occasional ‘wrong turnings’ with false ideas have caused
deviations from the path of progress; so many an attempt to decide
what is best may lead to wrong decisions. But the self-correcting
tendency of science will operate here, too, telling us that we have
taken the wrong turning and we need to go back and rectify the
mistake. The scientific temper guides us towards recognising this
eventuality, and allows for mid-course corrections.
The scientific attitude is essentially a critical one—it will
probe, analyse, examine and then decide. Reason is its guiding
spirit and questioning existent practices, its basic instinct. Keeping
this fact in our mind, we can say that the inculcation of scientific
attitude may provide a panacea to all the caste, communal, social
and even international conflicts. Guided by reason, one is able to
observe social evils in their true perspective. One can examine,
for instance, the practice of untouchability, sati or the contempt
for widows in the light of socio-economic history, and realise that
their roots are to be found in selfishness, greed and iniquity rather
than divine inspiration. Analysis of blood tells us that there are
just four main groups and these have nothing to do with colour
or race. This understanding should root out racial discrimination.
If this rational and questioning spirit—basic to the scientific
attitude—is encouraged to spread and gain roots in the minds of

human beings at large, we could easily find a panacea to earthly
ills and conflicts, and encourage a cooperative spirit and collective
security for humankind.
Unfortunately, while science (with its corollary, technology) is
going ahead by leaps and bounds, the scientific attitude suffers
sudden lapses if not a steady decline in the populace in general.
What Jawaharlal Nehru observed decades ago holds true even
today: “The impact of science and the modern world have brought
a greater appreciation of facts, a more critical faculty, a weighing
of evidence, a refusal to accept tradition merely because it is
tradition .... But even today it is strange how we suddenly become
overwhelmed by tradition, and the critical faculties of even
intelligent men cease to function...”.
Are science and

art antithetical to
each other?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. ‘Facts’ are common to both science and art, but the
‘reality’ of the latter different from that of the former.
2. Difference in the matter of ‘accuracy’.
3. Difference in approach or ‘method’.
4. Scientific discoveries have spurred art into new
perspectives.
5. Technology’s use in techniques of art.
6. Has scientific endeavour ‘killed’ the joy of art?
7. Science is not cold reason, and life has several planes
of reality.
S
CIENCE, from the word scientia which means ‘knowledge’,
is supposed to concentrate on verifiable facts, reasoned
arguments and firm conclusions. Art, on the other hand, is
considered to be too closely linked with imagination, feelings and
emotions to stand the test of reality. However, facts certainly form
the basis of any work of art. Poetry is a writer’s response to reality,
outer or inner; novels weave social details and human characters
into a story; paintings depict a scene or a human being. But the
reality underlying art cannot be called the reality of fact. It is reality
transformed by the colours of the imagination, the permutations
and combinations in the artist’s mind, and given shape by the
magic of words, paint or sound. Reason is not excluded by the
artist but it is a regulatory factor, not the chief motivation as in
a scientific inquiry.
In yet another aspect, science and art seem to diverge: the
matter of accuracy. Science pursues accuracy with a single-minded
zeal. It aims at making its knowledge more and more approximate
to truth, and in this effort constantly revises its repertoire of
principles, formulae and theories. Art does not aim at that kind
of accuracy. A work of art does not reveal all that can be expressed
about a subject. Essence is more important to art, enabling the
reader, hearer or viewer to gather much more than what the mere
words or paint depict on the surface. Aesthetic joy is not confined
to superficial accuracy.
A scientist’s method is different from that of an artist’s.
Analysis—the breaking down of a phenomenon into its
components—is basic to the scientist’s way of trying to understand
reality. Looking at a star, he cannot rest content wondering about
what it is. He has to analyse its ingredients, and come to the
conclusion—
By the spectroscopic ken
I know that you are hydrogen.
The artist’s method is different. He looks upon and collects bits
and pieces of the outside world and experiences—a colour from
here, a smile from there, a song from elsewhere—and integrates
them all into a whole which cannot be dismembered into its
constituents. Of course, poems are ‘analysed’, and paintings and
musical compositions ‘dissected’ in order to be ‘critically
appreciated’, but the enjoyment of a work of art lies in taking it
as a whole.
Are science and art then truly antithetical to one another? The
gulf in attitude and approach may suggest that it is so. And yet,
there are so many ways in which the two interact, so many points
at which they meet. Many a great discovery of science has its roots
in the same intuition and imagination that find expression in works
of art. Truth is ultimately the subject of both science and art, only
perspectives may differ. Truth itself is no hard and fast single, dull
entity. It is multi-faceted and is approached by divergent paths.
If Keats found beauty and truth in a Grecian urn, Blake found
eternity in a grain of sand, and Einstein found it all a matter of
relativity.
It is a matter of interest that scientific interests and discoveries
have spurred art to look for new perspectives in beauty. Newton’s
Optics seems to have sparked off innumerable colour images in
English poetry. Before the invention of photography, the landscape
painter depicted with meticulous care what he saw in nature as
it was; after photography took over this kind of depiction, art
developed impressionism. The landscape was seen in terms of
light and vivid tones of colour. Psychological advances too have
had an impact on art. If James Joyce used the ‘stream of

consciousness’ technique, the surrealism of Salvador Dali opened
up entirely new possibilities in painting. Picasso’s portraits are,
indeed, considered as an attempt at space-time coordination in
painting. Shades of Einstein! Today, computer graphics show how
the artist’s imagination can be combined with scientific and
technological skill and precision to produce something totally new.
Technology has helped art in its various forms to reach the
masses. The printing press—and now the desktop printer—have
multiplied the accessibility of common man to the written word.
Radio has brought into the very homes the music of many lands.
Television and cinema have created vivid forms of entertainment;
indeed, the audio-visual media are justly art-forms in themselves.
Science has created tools which the artist in the human mind learns
to use with effect. The revolution in information technology has
revolutionised the reach of art forms as well. And since information
is a two-way process, the access to what is happening in remote
places also has a suitable influence on artists’ work.
Science with its cold clinical approach has killed the joy and
wonder of life, say some. Not quite. True, with the spread of
knowledge, one knows that the rainbow is merely light broken
up into its spectrum, and that the moon is made of rocks, but
that does not quite deaden our appreciation of the rainbow or the
rain clouds or kill our ability to enjoy Wordsworth and Shelley.
A poet could now rhapsodise over what a drop of blood looks
like under a microscope or the distant star through a telescope
and make a reader marvel afresh at the universe.
In any case those who reduce science to bare reason are doing
it an injustice. The human mind which is responsible for creating
a work of art is equally responsible for discovering laws of nature
and universe. Neither can be done without the spirit of imagination.
Science fiction exemplifies how the imagination creates worlds and
events that the science of the future renders into reality. Leonardo
da Vinci not only painted the famous Mona Lisa but also drew
models of flying machines. H.G. Wells looked forward to man’s
landing on the moon. Asimov’s robots are threatening to come
alive. And the very recent successes at experiments in cloning
found an artistic outlet in the creation of dinosaur clones on the
screen, though most people would rather not have a Jurassic Park
for real. The effects for that movie, incidentally, were created by
the most sophisticated computers in conjunction with the human
brain. What better illustration of the harmony of art and science

could be there than the fact that some of our most reputed
‘scientists’ have been great ‘artists’ as well? Einstein, after all, was
a good musician. Who can, in the circumstances, draw fine lines
to demarcate the end of art and the beginning of science?
Life is a many-splendoured entity, and reality has more than
one plane. Art and science, far from being antithetical to one
another, are part of the same reality. It needs a comprehensive
vision to see them as parts of a whole; to compartmentalise them
within narrow boundaries would be detrimental to human welfare.
The head and the heart are equally important for a meaningful
life.
Science and
Literature
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Confrontation between science and literature a relatively
recent phenomenon.
2. Differences between scientific creativity and literary
creativity: scientific creativity is objective, whereas literary
creativity is subjective; the value of a scientific product is
absolute, that of a literary product is relative.
3. Is science a product of reason only and literature that
of imagination?
4. Science and literature do not work at cross-purposes:
impact of literature upon science; impact of science
upon literature.
5. Human life and personality draw sustenance both from
science and literature.
Knowledge has killed the sun, making it a ball of gas with

spots... The world of reason and science... that is the dry and
sterile world the abstracted mind inhabits.
D.H. Lawrence
A public that does not understand how science works can, all
too easily, fall prey to those ignoramuses...who make fun of what
they do not understand, or to the sloganeers who proclaim
scientists to be the mercenary warriors of today, and the tools
of the military. The difference... between... understanding and
not understanding... is also the difference between respect and
admiration on the one side, and hate and fear on the other.
Isaac Asimov
T
O talk about science and literature is to talk about human
activity, broadly, in all its spheres, and also to talk about
spheres, which are, according to common perception,
antithetical to each other. The Random House Dictionary of the
English Language describes literature as “Writing regarded as

having permanent worth through its intrinsic excellence”. Science
is described as “a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a
body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the
operation of general laws”. The terms “intrinsic excellence” on the
one hand and “study dealing with a body of facts” may well be
the starting point for discussion. Here, roughly speaking, literature
and science have been defined as dealing with the inner and the
outer worlds of mankind respectively. Of course, one can cite
numerous instances of overlapping, but one does get the idea that
both science and literature, in a broad manner, are the two sides
of the same coin—the human faculty. Literary creativity as well
as scientific creativity have almost coexisted and developed with
the progress of human civilisation. In the ancient times there was
no clear cut demarcation between scientific and humanistic activities.
The paintings in the caves and the beginning of the use of fire
were more or less simultaneous and complementary activities of
humans.
With the progress of humankind there has been a growing
tendency to distance science from literature by the diehards of the
respective branches. One finds people making claims that science
would not have been there if there had been no literary activity.
It is so because, generally, literature is supposed to be about the
dreams of people, their aspirations to soar higher and higher, their
desire to catch up with the stars and the moon. Out of the dreams
are produced deeds which are always able to meet a mere fraction
of those dreams. Further, this leads people to associate science with
reason and literature with imagination. One has to see whether
both of them can be kept in such watertight compartments and
whether they have anything to do with each other. But before that
one has to analyse the similarities and dissimilarities between
literary creativity and scientific creativity.
Claude Bernard said, “Art or literature is I and science is we.”
A literary work has a very prominent personal mark about it. “The
mind which creates and the man who suffers,” to lift a phrase from
T.S. Eliot, both have a bearing upon the product of literature. On
the contrary, scientific creativity tries to obliterate all personal
nuances of the scientist. The focus is upon the created thing and
not upon the creator. In fact, a scientist, in the long run, goes into
oblivion because it is not always necessary to know about the
person in order to understand his or her creation. But the same
cannot be said about a poet or a novelist or a playwright.
Sometimes it is almost impossible to understand a work of
literature without knowing about the background against which

that particular poem or novel came into being. In other words,
one can say that scientific creativity is objective in nature, whereas
literary creativity is intensely subjective.
The other basic difference between science and literature is
that while the former has an absolute value, the latter’s value is
relative in nature. Newton’s Laws of Motion, Einstein’s Theory of
Relativity exist “there” separately and, in most of the cases, of
course with some exceptions, the merit of a scientific product is
established by “itself”. Pythagorus’ theorems are proved entities
and one does not have to compare them to Newton’s Laws to know
which is better! They exist in their own right. But in literature the
longevity and the merit of a piece of work have to be established
in relation to other existing pieces of work. It is so because whereas
science arrives at conclusions, at solutions which can have universal
application, in literature there is a “particular” tone about it which
can at best have a universal appeal. In order to have a better
understanding of Shakespeare, for example, it is almost essential
to refer to ideas of Aristotle on the tragedy and read the tragic
works of Sophocles and other writers. It is so because a piece of
literature is open to numerous interpretations, subjective as it is,
which may be even in sharp contrast to each other.
Though there are some differences in the scientific and literary
creativity, yet the notion that only reason is the guiding force of
science and imagination that of literature does not hold much
water. It goes without saying that dreams to be translated into
deeds have to have both reason and imagination, and deeds to
be concretised must have both faculties. Reason without imagination
and vice-versa cannot provide anything intellectually satisfying
and of permanent value. One must remember that before being
a scientist or an artist one is a human being—one who possesses
both faculties. To be a scientist or a humanist of some reckoning
both faculties have to bloom. If one observes a piece of scientific
product say, a motor car, one can come to know how much of
imaginative care has gone through in the making of that sleek car.
Similarly, an artist or a humanist has to develop his or her piece
of work in a logical manner, in a rational manner so that his or
her product satisfies both the intellect and the emotion of the
reader. The poems of the Metaphysicals, French Symbolists and
the Imagists, with their wit and scientific imagery, can be cited
as examples of this complex interactive working of imagination
and reason. In this context, one should necessarily recall the
theories of Aristotle about a literary work. Aristotle insisted that
a narrative should have “a beginning, a middle and an end”.

Further he insisted on following the Unities of Time, Action and
Place in a narrative. No doubt a literary genius like Shakespeare
could violate the Unities of Aristotle, but still even in the works
of such “violators” there has been a logical and rational
development of action because without this one cannot be
convincing and successful.
Locke’s theory, which appeared in the seventeenth century,
about “human understanding” caused a stir when it stated that
mind has no creative faculty of its own. It does not act, but only
reacts to the experiences which it goes through in the outer world.
This mechanistic explanation of human mind was resented, and
rightly so, by the Romantics like Blake and Coleridge who went
to the other extreme by hammering the point that man has a
creative, an imaginative faculty of his own—and that is more
important. Actually reality stands somewhere in between. At the
outset it was mentioned that science and literature broadly cover
all the aspects of human activity because they together cover two
major faculties of human mind—imaginative and rational. That is
why we have many instances of science influencing literature and
literature anticipating science.
Stories concerned with the flight of human beings to the
planets are very old in origin; the first was Lucian’s True History
written in the second century AD and others were written by Kepler
(1634), Bishop Francis Godwin (1638), John Wilkins (1638) and
Cyrano de Bergerae (1657). But these stories were only types of
voyage imaginaire and it was only in the nineteenth century that
romances featuring space travel on a pseudo-scientific basis
developed. The stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne and in the
twentieth century those of H.G. Wells produced a flood of that
kind of fiction. Many of the scientific advances these writers
imagined have, in fact, already been achieved. One can also say
that modern day aeroplanes and spacecrafts could very well have
been anticipated by the ‘Pushpak Viman’ in Valmiki’s Ramayana.
Thus these works are living testimony to the fact that literary
creativity sometimes anticipates and influences scientific creativity.
Similarly the Deism of the eighteenth century, reflected,
though not without reservations, in Pope’s Essay on Man, was at
least as much the result of the mechanist ideas implicit in Newton’s
Principia Mathematica as of Locke’s Essay Concerning Human
Understanding. In the nineteenth century the discoveries of the
geologists led by Sir Charles Lyell, reinforced later by the
evolutionary theories of Darwin and Huxley, led to a whole genre
of literature concerned in one way or another with the doubts

which scientific discovery was casting on fundamental Christian
beliefs. Another aspect of the literary relationship of science and
technology is the theme of social and industrial reform in a mass
of nineteenth century verse and prose fiction protesting at man’s
misuse of technology following the industrial revolution. The
novels of Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence, etc., in
English literature are cases in point. In fact, scientific temper crept
into English literary criticism also in the twentieth century. I.A.
Richards’ Principles of Literary Criticism and Practical Criticism tried
to do away with the background of a poem while evaluating it
and analysed it from a clean state. T.S. Eliot also advocated that
a critic’s focus should not be on the “poet but poetry” and he
wanted an artist to be as detached and impersonal regarding his
piece of work as a scientist is during the creative process.
Having said that science and literature are complementary in
nature, we can verify it with our personal experiences also.
Scientific discoveries and inventions have made our life—our
material life—quite comfortable. But material life is just one aspect
of human life. In fact, an overdose of materialism may make human
life almost animalistic and human personality shallow. In The Waste
Land, T.S. Eliot deplores the devastating impact of materialism. To
counterbalance it, to make human personality and life wholesome
there has to be an equal dose of things which enrich the mental
and the intellectual faculty of humans. If the sensitive aspect of
humans is not taken care of there is bound to happen an imbalance
between humankind and nature. Here literature and the humanistic
creativity do and should come to our aid. Notwithstanding the
claim of C.P. Snow, the novelist, in his famous and controversial
book The Two Cultures, that science and literature are two entirely
different “cultures”, to sum up, one can say that though the very
mass and intricacy of knowledge necessitates specialisation, yet
the search of all scientists and humanists alike is for truth. That
search can be best described in the following lines with which
William Blake begins his Auguries of Innocence:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in a hour.
Science without religion is lame... 215
Science without religion is

lame, religion without
science is blind*
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Apparent gap between science and religion.
2. Examining the connections between science and religion:
earliest religions closely knit with observation of natural
phenomena.
3. Wrong to view science as only materialism and religion
as only spiritualism.
4. Science’s influence on society—good and bad.
5. Religion has come to mean ritual and blind belief.
6. Scientific attitude and religious faith need to go hand-in-
hand if humankind is to progress.
A
CCORDING to common perception, a huge gulf exists
between science and religion. Apparently, no doubt, science
deals with things concrete, whereas religion is based upon
abstract ideals. Science implies fact, religion involves faith. Religion
is basically a matter of instinct and science that of reason. But these
are the broad characteristics of science and religion which have
meeting places also—and the first meeting place is in the human
mind and nature themselves. It is the human mind which proves
facts and starts believing in them and it is the mind alone which
nurtures faith and reverence and believes in some higher entity.
When one talks about two apparently divergent things like science
and religion or other seemingly opposite things, one has to keep
in mind the complexity of human nature. This very complexity
demands influences from antithetical ideas and makes their co-
existence necessary as well as feasible.
To use a term from the world of music, one can say that in
* The statement is attributed to Albert Einstein.

the initial stages of human civilisation human knowledge was of

the “mono” type, i.e., undifferentiated. The sort of complexity
which has crept into the human world in modern times was
lacking. Religion had scientific connotations also. During the
Rigvedic period the worship of gods and goddesses and the
subsequent beginning of many religious customs and practices
were inextricably woven with scientific purposes. For example, the
common practice of offering water to the sun-god during sunrise.
It is a fact that the first rays of the sun are beneficial to the eyes.
The practice of fasting prescribed by religion as a mark of
abstinence was also derived from the fact that it cultivates patience
and will-power (besides being good for physical well-being).
Similarly the custom of hawan during a puja or a yagya had its
origins in the fact that it purifies the atmosphere. But gradually,
with the increased influence of the priests and their tendency to
misuse religion for their own mercenary considerations the scientific
part of these practices got suppressed by superstitions and
nameless fears.
Since time immemorial, religion has been an integral part of
human life and life-style. Unable to understand natural phenomena
even as it was awed by them, the human mind ascribed everything
to a supernatural entity—omniscient and omnipotent. Wonder and
instinct prompted humans to worship the unknown presence.
Slowly, experience and widening thought processes eroded the
sense of wonder and awe. The development of modern science
is a relatively recent phenomenon. It is significant to note that in
Europe the major turning point both in the fields of humanities
as well as science came into being through the Renaissance only
after the Reformation in the 13th and 14th centuries. The
developments in scientific inventions and the urge of individual
freedom and quest for knowledge can be considered as a sort of
sharp reaction to the suffocating atmosphere created by the misuse
of religion. Somehow, it is to be seen, religion and religious
practices have this inherent lack of ability to meet the growing
aspirations of the people, to fall behind the fast-changing world.
It hankers after status-quoism and the tendency to keep people
in compartments. Once Jonathan Swift stated: “We have just
enough religion to make us hate, but not enough religion to make
us love, one another.” But actually the fault does not lie with
religion. It is human failing that religion is often not considered
as a matter of personal preference, but is sought to be imposed
upon all people. The role of a priest comes under a cloud all the
time because one can learn science from the scientist, art from the
artist but not religion from the priest.
The general notion that since science and religion represent
two different worlds of materialism and spiritualism they remain
in conflict is, however, not wholly correct. Had science only to do
with materialism and religion with spiritualism the conflict would
perhaps not have arisen. The problem starts when both encroach
upon each other’s field. But as the horizons of human knowledge
widen, the barriers to discussion start falling down. As civilisations
advanced, philosophers and scientists attempted to explain the
moving heavens in rational terms. Perhaps the first major
confrontation between science and religion came into being with
the publication of De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium by Copernicus.
Copernicus, against the general belief advocated by Ptolemy that
the sun moves round the earth, stated that it is the earth which
moves round the sun. This new theory upset the standard
philosophical and religious beliefs of the medieval era. It not only
meant the collapse of the concept of universe as described in The
Bible, but also meant that man no longer occupied a central place
in the universe. Man had been removed from his pedestal, and
his home was reduced to one of many planets. Goethe, the German
philosopher, stated that the theory of Copernicus made “a great
demand” upon mankind to accept the new facts. As he said:
What became of our Eden, our world of innocence, piety
and poetry...the conviction of poetic-religious faith?
What sort of treatment was meted out to the followers of
Copernican system, Galileo and Bruno, by the religious authorities
is well known to us.
The single most important influence on Christian society and
its religious beliefs has been that of Darwin and his Origin of Species.
Giving a crushing blow to the Christian concept that man is the
child of God, Darwin stated that man has actually evolved from
the stage of apes to human beings. His theory brought religious
belief and scientific temper into a direct conflict as never before.
Darwin’s famous theory of “natural selection” as a reasonable
explanation for the method of evolution put, as A.N. Whitehead
in his celebrated book Science and the Modern World said, “religion
on the defensive, and on a weak defensive”. Darwin’s work
enabled us to see the position of man and our present civilisation
in a truer light. Man is not a finished product incapable of further
progress. He has a long history behind him and it is not a history
of a “fall” but of an ascent. The progress in science had its direct

corollary in the dismantling of many baseless religious beliefs and
superstitions.
Science has certainly influenced society by altering the religious
thinking and attitude of the people. But science has its own
limitations. It has broadened the human reach, it has made possible
the things undreamt of, but somewhere along the line it has created
a psychological void. Scientific inventions have created for every
man a little world for himself. The communication gap is the ‘in’
thing. Surrounded by electronic gadgets, moving in the throbbing
car, man leads a prosaic life. And he feels the void. Can ignorance
be the only reason for the existence of many religious and spiritual
‘gurus’—fake or genuine? If that had been the case, one would
not have found rich and poor, educated, half-educated and
uneducated alike making a beeline for the ashrams, giving donations
and alms, going for pilgrimages, etc. For many it might be a matter
of faith, for many a way of relinquishing their burden of sins even
though remaining steeped in them—and for many just a matter
of ritual because their fathers and grandfathers have been doing
so for aeons. It reflects a sorry state of affairs that religion has
come to be generally identified with only these manifestations of
one’s religiosity—and science has to share the blame. It has to share
the blame because though it has influenced human life
tremendously, it has also, what Wordsworth said about the
Industrial Revolution, “blunted the discriminating powers of the
mind.” The discoveries of science and their applications have
created an atmosphere in which the baser element of man’s nature
has come to the fore quite prominently. The growing materialism
and consumerism have created two distinct classes of haves and
have-nots, fostering social and class tensions. And what is more
alarming, the situation resembles what W.B. Yeats describes in The
Second Coming:
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
In the Indian context the spread of communalism is a case in point.
Modern man has tried to develop science as his religion and
finds that inadequate. Science has yet to find the solution to the
question of First Cause. Every question which evades solution in
the material world comes under the purview of the spiritual.
Scientific attitude can at best improve the lot of mankind but to
preserve it one needs a religious attitude. An attitude which has
as its basic tenets tolerance, universal love and brotherhood, the
spirit of accommodation and respect for mankind as a whole. To

say this is not to say that scientific temperament has nothing to
do with the advance of mankind. If one develops scientific temper
which has as its basic tenets objectivity, impersonality, analysis and
reason, many drawbacks can be overcome. So the need of the hour
is the cultivation of a sense of proportion between scientific
temperament and a religious temperament.
All human endeavour is directed towards achieving perfection,
towards reaching, what Plato said, the “idea”. In that respect,
whatever human beings do in various fields cannot be supposed
to be totally contradictory and incompatible. The quest for truth
is the concern of both science and religion. Science takes the path
of analysis, of facts, of experiments; religion proceeds through
enquiry and personal experience and rests ultimately on faith.
Whether the matter is physical or metaphysical, whether the
method is analytical or enquiring its aim is and should be towards
bettering human life as a whole. Without the spirituality and faith
of religion, science would stumble and fall by the wayside
confining itself to the trivial and unimportant; without the vision
of science, its ruthless analysis of the fake or falsehoods, religion
would be blind and be swayed by superstition and lose sight of
the true path of enlightenment.
Information Revolution
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Major revolutions of civilisation—agricultural, industrial,
and now information.
2. How the agricultural and industrial revolutions affected
human life.
3. Characteristics of the information revolution.
4. Rapid changes—effect on society and ways of thinking;
not to the liking of everybody.
5. Challenges of the information revolution.
6. Effect on economy, political nationalism, world community.
7. Controlling flow of information virtually impossible; human
beings have to learn to deal with the revolution in a
mature, rational manner.
T
HE major revolutions that have marked the march of
civilisation before the twentieth century are the Agricultural
Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. Towards the end
of the twentieth century, came the most revolutionary of
revolutions—the Information Revolution. The Agricultural
Revolution changed human life—from nomads human beings
turned to living in settlements; the need to defend territory was
felt; feudalism with its forts and castles evolved. It was the base
for the growth of trade and commerce, cities and city states. Power
stemmed from the population, landmass and natural resources
with which countries were endowed. The Industrial Revolution
came in the wake of scientific and technological breakthroughs.
The strength of brute force was replaced by technological knowhow
and quality. Industrially advanced countries created rules to suit
themselves, and conquest for getting natural resources was
legitimised.
In the wake of the Information Revolution now comes the
‘network society’. It has opened new horizons, and tests to the limit
the ability of political and economic leaders to manage the
repercussions of the changes. And what changes! Suddenly those
great walls and formidable borders and barriers seem ridiculously
meaningless.
Information Revolution 221
The Internet leaps borders with impunity—a click of a button

(or key) and the material held on a computer in Indonesia gives
way to material compiled in Sweden. If Indonesia has different
rules of decency or probity from the Swedes, nothing much can
be done. Furthermore, in the network society the line demarcating
public from private communication simply fades away.
All this appears reprehensible to most of us, for change, and
that too rapid change, is not easily accepted by all. Easy, quick
and wide access to information in combination with the ease of
communication between individuals interested in the same fields,
the rapid advance in and simplification of many technologies have
all led to the empowerment of the individual. While this is seen
as a positive step by some, there are others who anxiously point
out the negative aspects. Crime has become easier; sitting in their
rooms, persons operating their computers have been able to spirit
away billions of dollars from bank accounts; easy access to
common chemicals and readily available knowledge have enabled
people to create explosive devices which have caused frightful
damage to life and property. And, of late, social media has been
used to instigate riots, recruit members to terrorist groups, spread
rumours and propaganda instantaneously.
The challenges posed by the Information Revolution are
serious. Governments are being thrown into disarray as they do
not know how to regulate or control the free flow of information
that transcends national boundaries. That is only too good, say
the liberalists, who feel that ‘market forces’ will ultimately put in
place the checks required, and government’s role in everything will
decline, and rightly so. It is not so simple, however. Some key
issues certainly demand attention. Without decisive policies in the
area of education and training, the gap between the knows and
know-nots is found to increase. The ‘network society’ could be
much less fair, much less socially cohesive, than what existed so
far. Individuals must be trained to keep up with technological
changes, and policies directed to this end must emanate from
government and implemented with the cooperation of the private
corporate sector.
The Information Revolution and the emergence of the network
society are at the root of the lightning speed at which capital flows
take place around the world. A permanent pressure is thus built
up to attract investment by providing an environment most
conducive for it. In the prevailing conditions, capital markets are
seen as dictating the course of events, practically forcing the hands
of policymakers. Today, manufacturing capitalism is being overtaken
by financial capitalism. Already the idea is gaining currency that

these changes have benefited the shareholders and financiers while
the workers were left to bear the costs. A certain amount of
‘inequity’ is felt. Tackling such issues is made more difficult with
the weakening of political power. The Internet enables the creation
of shell companies and transfer of finances to tax havens to become
easier. Financial fraud is becoming easier, too.
‘Privileged information’ was until recently a classic instrument
of power with governments. With the beginning of an era of
instantaneous and multisourced communication, this power has
suddenly slipped out of the grasp of governments. They are called
upon to act and react at a pace for which their structures and
modes of decision-making are, in most cases, unprepared. It is
worth repeating here that a flippant dismissal of government as
an anachronism will not do. Government’s role remains crucial to
help balance conflicting interests and ensure that the most vulnerable
sections of society get protection and necessary attention.
Governments will still need to cope with threats to security;
indeed, new forms of security systems will have to be devised
to cope with terrorists, for instance, who could safely operate from
beyond a national boundary and escape detection. True, out of
such a situation may grow a lasting and genuine cooperation
among nations working for mutual interest.
World organisations may have to be restructured to reflect
the new realities. The patriotism of the 19th century and the proud
assertion of “My country, right or wrong” are archaic, even slightly
ridiculous, in the present circumstances. A new consciousness of
a world community has to develop on all fronts.
It is true that, in many cases, existing laws can be used to
regulate the Internet. In others, it is quite possible that solutions
will emerge from usage: while the Internet may make it easier to
break copyright laws, it also makes it possible to find and police
the instances of abuse. Already there are service providers who
have devices to protect children from viewing offensive material.
Parents could choose such sources for their Internet access. Again,
dubious businesses may be easier to establish on the Internet, but
the readily available information makes it easier for consumers
to investigate such businesses. Of course, it means an empowerment
of the citizen to an extent hitherto unheard of. However, in the
process, individuals may grow more responsible, may be able to
take better and informed decisions, and use the freedom available
in a mature manner.
Cyberspace and
Internet—Boon
or Bane
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Concept of Cyberspace and the Internet
2. Transformation through the Internet
3. Communication purpose
4. Vast repository of knowledge
5. Entertainment, Internet TV such as Netflix etc.
6. Social Media through the Internet is transforming the
way governments communicate with its citizens.
7. e-governance and online services by the government—
Digital India Programme
8. Internet Banking
9. e-commerce
10. Disadvantages and solutions
— Cyber attacks on nation’s electricity and water grid,
financial system etc.
— Financial frauds
— Detachment from real world
— Privacy
— Digital divide
— Spreading false propaganda
11. Conclusion
T
ODAY the world is very different from what it was some
thirty years ago. We want to check our bank account, pay
a bill, apply to a college or for a job, check out the meaning
of a word, seek information on Timbuctoo or buy something, we
can do so sitting at home with a computer —or a cell phone of
the smart kind. This is a transformation in our way of life of a
kind we could never have imagined some thirty years ago. And
we owe it to the Internet and the use of cyberspace.
Cyberspace and Internet are closely related but should not

be confused with one another. Cyberspace is a symbolic and
figurative space, a virtual world of computers. Internet, on the
other hand, is a global computer network providing a variety of
communication facilities consisting of interconnected networks
using standardised communication protocols that communicates
through cyberspace. The terms are often, though erroneously, used
interchangeably.
Internet has transformed the way people communicate. Today
people can send to and receive e-mails from anyone in the world.
A person can chat with anyone throughout the world through
social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc. A person
can also video chat with any person in the world.
Internet has become a vast repository of knowledge. Anyone
searching for information on any topic can find out about it
through search engines such as Google and Yahoo. People can
watch videos for gaining knowledge.
Internet can also be used for entertainment. People can watch
films and television programmes on their cell phones through
Internet. A lot of people watch latest episodes of their favourite
shows on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon. Internet gives people the
flexibility to watch their favourite shows and videos anytime,
anywhere.
People make videos for various purposes such as education,
health, entertainment, etc., and post it on YouTube. The more the
number of viewers for a video, the more the money a person earns.
In this way, many people are making a living or a career by posting
videos on the Internet. In the process they even become mini
celebrities.
Due to the Internet, the entertainment industry has been able
to produce shows which are very different from what is shown
on television. These shows cater to a niche audience who want
different forms of entertainment.
Social media through the Internet is transforming the way
governments communicate with its citizens. Twitter and Facebook
have brought citizens and government in direct contact with each
other. Citizens can directly air their grievances through Facebook
and Twitter. The Ministry of Railways (India) is effectively using
Twitter to attend to people’s problems and solve their grievances.
The External Affairs Ministry (India) is using Twitter to attend to
the problems of Indians in foreign countries.
The government on its part is able to effectively publicise its

policies and programmes through social media. The government
can reach out to more people through social media rather than
through traditional forms of communications.
Internet is also transforming the working of the government
through electronic or e-governance. A person using e-governance
can apply for various services online, without visiting a government
office. A person can book an appointment with a doctor in a
particular hospital and choose his date of visiting the hospital. This
is done by visiting Government of India’s e-hospital website and
using Aadhaar number to book appointments.
The Government of India has started the Digital India
programme to transform governance in a big manner. The objective
of the programme is to provide governance and services on
demand and digital empowerment of citizens. Digital India also
aims to improve the internal working of the government.
Communication between different departments is being done
through e-mails. Government departments are digitising all
government records, including the old records.
The US government operates two websites for benefits and
loans. The benefits website provides for all information a US
citizen is entitled to under various schemes. Similarly, the loans
website is a one-stop website for all loans being provided by the
banks and the government.
Electronic governance would bring about faster and effective
governance and the Internet would play a big role in its
transformation.
The Internet has facilitated the use of digital banking. Using
net banking, people can transfer money to another account within
minutes. They can avail of a bank’s various services through net
banking. By using net banking a person is saved from the hassle
of visiting a bank.
E-commerce has grown all over the world due to the Internet.
Companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Alibaba and Paytm are selling
products through their websites. A lot of consumers prefer buying
goods and products through e-commerce companies because they
get everything under one roof and moreover they don’t have to
go shopping physically. Many entrepreneurs run websites for niche
products such as handicrafts, pickles, paintings, etc. The Internet
gives small entrepreneurs the opportunity to sell their products
worldwide at a relatively low cost.
The Internet and thus the use of cyberspace also have some
disadvantages. Security in cyberspace is the foremost problem. As
the world is getting inter-connected due to the Internet, cyber
attacks are on the rise.
A nation’s electricity grid, water grid, financial system,
security—all are prone to cyber attacks, now that their database
is on the Net. Individuals could have their bank accounts hacked.
These systems can be hacked and controlled remotely by cyber
terrorists or even as a prank. If an airport’s cyber security is hacked,
then cyber terrorists could control the operations of the airport,
creating chaos and confusion.
A robust cyber security system is needed to protect a nation’s
critical assets. India has created the Computer Emergency Response
Team (CERT) and the National Cyber Security Coordination Centre.
All countries along with the United Nations, must come together
and deal with the issue of cyber attacks. A robust international
mechanism is necessary to deal with cyber attacks.
People are now more prone to financial frauds as they
increasingly use the Net for banking transactions. It’s necessary
to train people to use net banking in a very safe and secure manner.
Digital divide is also a concern. For people to enjoy the
benefits of the Internet, they need to be connected with the Internet.
Poorer sections in society and people from remote parts of the
world are still not connected with this form of technology. Also,
older people may not all be comfortable with or able to easily
learn the new forms of communication, especially as these means
get obsolete and are replaced so quickly. Until and unless the
digital divide is bridged, the Internet cannot be called a boon for
all.
People, especially children are getting detached from the real
world. As they are busy surfing the Internet or social media, they
become less and less social. Relationships do not have the warmth
as they used to have earlier when Internet was not present.
Privacy is increasingly becoming a concern on the Internet.
Mobile applications and various social media have a plethora of
personal information of users which can be and is misused.
Specially children are vulnerable in these cases. Several cases have
come to light of women being stalked because of such information
being available to all and sundry. Users of social media have to
be cautious.
Internet has also been used for spreading false propaganda
or hate speech through social media. In a number of situations,

abuse of social media has created law and order problems.
Fundamentalist groups have been using social media to radicalise
the youth. The Internet has become a recruiting ground for their
organisations. There have been cases of sites that encourage people
to commit suicide, and some depressed people have actually been
led to take their own lives. Though it is difficult to oversee sites
visited by adults, at least those known to be in vulnerable state
of mind should be supported so that they do not fall prey to wrong
persuasions.
Internet overall has been a boon to humankind as it has
brought about an unprecedented inter-connectedness. Almost
everyone is connected to the digital world. It’s important to
understand the dark side of this technology and accordingly take
security steps only then can the Internet be a better and robust
system for the use of humankind.
Sustainable
Development and
Environment
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Introduction—controversies in India.
2. Meaning and concept.
3. Origin and history.
4. Why the concept has become significant?
5. Balance between development and exploitation.
6. Measures suggested.
7. Conclusion.
C
ONTROVERSY has surrounded many major developmental
and infrastructure projects in India, such as the Sardar
Sarovar dam on the river Narmada, the Konkan Railways,
the East Coast Road, etc. Objections to these projects pertain to
the extent of environmental destruction and uprooting of human
settlements such projects may cause. But these environmental and
social costs have been justified by the government and other
protagonists as essential for any kind of development. This
dichotomy reflects the essence of the debate around sustainable
development. The process of resolving the perceived conflict
between environment and development in all these issues, and
the actual solutions that are worked out, will indicate whether the
concept of sustainable development is implementable in a country
like India.
“Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future
generations to meet their own needs.” This definition has been
offered by the World Commission on Environment and
Development (WCED) in its report ‘Our Common Future’ (1987)
and widely accepted. Economists define it as an economic progress
in which the quantity and quality of our stocks of natural resources
(like forests) and the integrity of bio-geo-chemical cycles (like

climate) are sustained and passed on, unimpaired, to future
generations.
In its modern form, ‘sustainable development’ was born and
developed in the World Conservation Strategy produced jointly
in 1980 by the IUCN, WWF and UNEP. It aimed “to help advance
the achievement of sustainable development through the
conservation of living resources.” It declared that “conservation,
like development, is for the people”, and thus implicdty assigned
to all other species—plant or animal—a status of existence that
is primarily for human use. That is the way all future development
was to take place and be judged.
The concept assumed immense importance against the
backdrop of the growth of human population and modern man’s
indiscriminate and unbridled exploitation of the environment to
gratify his ever-growing hunger for prosperity. The two factors may
soon exhaust the environmental resources and the planet will then
not help in the survival of even human beings. People and
planners must accept that there is a finite amount of habitable land
and water on this earth. A specific concern is that those who enjoy
the fruits of economic development today may be making future
generations worse off by over-exploitation of the natural resources
and polluting the earth’s environment.
Adding to the problems caused by population growth is the
economic explosion. During the twentieth century, world economy
expanded twenty times and industrialisation increased by a factor
of five since 1950. This boom has depleted stocks of ecological
capital (fuel, forests, soils, species, fisheries, water, atmosphere,
etc.) faster than such stocks can be replenished. Our own success
thus threatens to become our undoing.
Environmental degradation has already been massive. Yet not
many seem to be aware of it. The natural resources are being
exploited without much consideration for the future generations.
Because of the holes in the ozone shield and the accumulation
of greenhouse gases, the world as a whole may already be on a
critical threshold. Indications of ecological degradation only reveal
that economic growth of the present kind which depends on
consuming the earth’s natural and environmental resources is not
sustainable. Thus, human survival and development today, more
than ever, depend on two critical factors—a check on the population
and a successful ‘management’ rather than ‘exploitation’ of the
world’s natural resources.
The process of economic transformation in recent years is seen
to have involved a rapid increase in the scale of human pressure

on the environment and also radical structural transformation,
particularly in terms of urbanisation and industrialisation. Threats
to the environment can be linked directly with these rapid changes
in several different ways. For example, as population expands,
people move into previously ‘empty’ areas, generally involving
destruction of various species of flora as well as fauna. Quite a
different form of environmental degradation results from effluents,
smoke and other waste produced by industrial operations. The
crowding of people into urban areas requires sanitary, transport
and housing arrangements which are more complex and often
more costly than those in the countryside, and all are accompanied
by varying degrees of pollution.
Sustainability can never be absolute. It is not plausible that
all natural resources can or even need to be preserved. Successful
development will inevitably involve some amount of land clearing,
oil-drilling, river-damming, and swamp draining. But economic
development and sound environmental management are
complementary aspects of the same agenda. Without adequate
environmental protection, development will be undermined; and
without development, environmental protection will fail.
Each society experiments and learns from its own mistakes.
Sustainable development cannot be thrust upon anyone by an
external agent—whether it is the World Bank, the UNO, or the
forestry department of a government— simply because it believes,
at any point of time, that it has learnt all the lessons there are
to learn. That will be a process towards unsustainable development.
Strong public institutions and environmental protection policies
seem to be essential. Policy reforms must focus on changing
agricultural and industrial practices so as to reduce drastically the
amount of pollution, wastes and other environmental damage per
unit of output. Environmental impacts need to be recognised;
policies aimed at changing behaviour should rely heavily on
economic incentives. Early action to prevent degradation will
usually be much cheaper than attempting to reverse it later.
Maybe there should be a retrospective study of past practices,
especially in agriculture, to see if they could not be applied with
modifications to suit present needs. Several farmers are, indeed,
discarding chemical fertilisers and pesticides and going back to
traditional manures and biological pest control. Such steps certainly
help towards making development sustainable.
Responsive and effective institutions must be developed.
Dissemination of information and analysis must be improved to
assist in setting up priorities, and formulating policies. In the

formulation of policies and decision-making, effective participation
of the people on the spot should be ensured. Finding and
implementing solutions to environment problems requires a
partnership of efforts among nations. Industrial countries should
assist in the transfer of less-polluting technology to the developing
countries. These, combined with other technical assistance, would
help developing countries to avoid or at least reduce environmental
degradation. Moreover, the industrialised countries must take the
lead in formulating and funding solutions to problems of worldwide
concern as they have been the primary culprits in environment
spoilage. But, above all, unless and until the world community
strives in concert to check population growth, no measure can
work effectively.
People have always used the earth’s resources and it is
unreasonable now, with exploding populations, to expect them to
stop. The solution to the human thrust on nature is not to cordon
nature off, but to encourage wisdom in the use of it, with the motto:
“You must give back to the Earth what you take from it.” Humans
will have to shake off their predatory habit of viewing all natural
products as their belongings and indulging their eternal greed at
the cost of other species and ecosystems.
The agenda for reform is large and comprehensive. Accepting
the challenge to accelerate development in an environmentally
responsible manner will involve substantial shifts in policies and
priorities and will be costly. Failing to accept the challenge will
be costlier still. But, the value of this challenge becomes clear only
when we realise that humanity is not distinct from nature but only
a part of it.
Pollution
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Concern for environment has increased and spread over
recent years.
2. Pollution—a major environmental concern.
3. What is pollution?
4. Types and sources and effects of pollution.
5. Causes and associated problems.
6. Remedial measures—existent and suggested.
7. Conclusion.
P
LATO lamented the destruction of soils and forests in ancient
Greece. Dickens and Engels wrote eloquently of the wretched
conditions spawned by the Industrial Revolution. But the
surge in concern about environmental quality over the last few
decades has been uniquely widespread and impassioned.
Appreciation of the material and spiritual importance of a healthy
natural environment has spread. Perhaps the most dramatic
intellectual shifts are occurring in the developing world, where
an understanding of the ecological underpinnings of human life—
largely lost in the post-War dreams of industrialisation—is on the
rise. The new interest in environmental quality complements recent
shifts in thought among development theorists, many of whom
now stress the need to address the basic needs of the poor directly
rather than hope that the benefits of growth will trickle down to
them. Improving the lot of the under-class and protecting
environmental quality can be mutually-supportive goals.
Both internationally and within nations, the new appreciation
of our bonds with nature has spawned new institutions and
policies—new UN and governmental agencies, new laws, altered
aid programmes, new international treaties. Yet for the most part,
responses remain inadequate to the needs. For the most urgent
need today is to protect and preserve what remains of the
environment. To do that one has to understand the meaning of
pollution and consider ways of tackling it.
Whenever we encounter the term ‘pollution’ now, we mean
Pollution 233
environmental pollution, though the dictionary describes ‘pollution’

merely as ‘the act of making something dirty, impure, contaminated,
desecrated....’ Environmental pollution may be described as the
unfavourable alteration of our surroundings. It takes place through
changes in energy patterns, radiation levels, chemical and physical
constitutions, and the quantity of organisms. It includes release
of materials into the atmosphere, making the air unsuitable for
breathing, harming the quality of water and soil, and damaging
the health of human beings, plants and animals.
Air pollution in one form or another has accompanied human
society from the beginning. Cooking over a wood/dung cake fire
often creates a smoky, unhealthy living environment. Today, many
developing cities and even entire rural valleys are blanketed by
smoky haze, the poor man’s smog. In the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, many cities of Europe and the US were
covered in black shrouds of smoke. Despite the successes registered
against smoke, the pollution of city air by other products of coal
combustion and increasing use of cars—sulphur dioxide, nitrous
oxides, hydrocarbons, petroleum wastes, and carbon monoxide—
continues to worsen in most of the countries. Strong evidence
indicates that prevailing levels of air pollution contribute to the
development of chronic respiratory diseases (emphysema, asthma,
and chronic bronchitis) besides short-term respiratory afflictions.
And those living near smelters and refineries often face increased
cancer risks because of the toxic substances spewing from smoke-
stacks.
Rising concern about the physical discomfort and reduced
visibility caused by pollution, and rising evidence of the damage
being wreaked on crops and materials, joined health considerations
to spur enactment of new anti-pollution laws. Many countries have
begun trying to regulate the flow of pollutants in the air. Air
pollution can no longer be addressed as simply a local urban
problem.
The presence in water of ‘micro-pollutants’—toxic chemicals
and metals—and of disease-causing micro-organisms has increased
over the years. Thermal pollution of waterways is also causing
increased concern. In general, pollution from so-called point
sources like sewage pipes and factories is under progressively
better control. But the contamination of waterways from diffuse
sources—run-off from farmlands which tends to carry fertilisers,
pesticides, and organic matter, and from urban areas, which often
carries oil, metals, and other pollutants—remains largely
uncontrolled and is on the increase in most countries. Acids and
heavy metals falling with the rain constitute additional sources of

water degradation. The problem of water pollution is growing day
by day; today a great many people are deprived of clean potable
water, as almost all the sources of water—from seas to wells—
are increasingly being infested with different kinds of pollutants.
Soil pollution usually results from the disposal of solid and
semi-solid wastes from agricultural practices and from insanitary
habits. Fallouts from atmospheric pollution also contribute to soil
pollution. Direct pollution of the land by pathogenic organisms
is also important. When soil is heavily polluted by hazardous
materials and micro-organisms, these can enter the food chain or
water and are consequently ingested by humans. As a result, there
are numerous health problems. Those bacteria which are transmitted
from air to soil can cause bacillary dysentery, cholera, typhoid and
paratyphoid fever. Flies which breed or get in contact with the
contaminated soil become carriers of disease organisms. The eggs
of some of the parasitic worms get incubated in the soil and both
the eggs and larvae are infective.
Radioactive pollution of the environment is due to the
increase in natural background radiation, emerging from the
activities involving the use of naturally occurring or artificially
produced radioactive materials. The chances of radioactive materials
spreading into the air have increased extensively as a result of
the discovery of artificial radioactivity, and particularly due to the
development of techniques of harnessing nuclear energy. Biological
organisms including human beings are subjected to radioactive
contamination either by consumption or inhalation. This radioactive
pollution may cause cancers, abnormal births and mutations.
Chronic exposure to radiation can lead to leukemia in an individual
and could affect even an unborn child.
Thermal pollution denotes the impairment of the quality of
environment air or water by a rise in its temperature. The discharge
of hot effluents from industries, factories and mills and large
volumes of warm ‘cooling water’ from electricity generating
stations may cause a temperature rise of several degrees in a river
or canal. The processes of life involve many chemical reactions,
and the rate of these chemical reactions vary according to the
changes in temperature. Apart from biochemical reactions,
temperature is considered vitally important to physiology and in
controlling reproductive cycles, digestion rates and respiration
rates. The effects of thermal pollution are mainly seen on aquatic
animals, particularly fish, on whom the human society so much
depends.
Pollution 235
The modern world has a new pollution to face—that of noise.

The scientific approach for considering noise as a pollutant is by
decibel. Apart from industrial noises the sources generally are
loudspeakers, motor vehicles, trains, aircraft, processions and
rallies. Noise may not lead to deafness. But research has shown
that noise pollution is capable of causing ulcers, abortions,
cardiovascular diseases, congenital defects and hypertension.
The first and most important general cause of pollution is the
growing population. The earth is now crowded with people, and
all of them consume resources and create wastes. If the per capita
amounts of pollutants and wastes were to remain constant, the
residue loading of the environment would rise precisely in relation
to the growth of population. This is acceptable within certain
limits, given the capacity of air, water and land to absorb, dilute,
carry away and otherwise render pollutants harmless. But,
unfortunately, in many places these limits have either been reached
or have been exceeded.
Another important factor is the rapid industrialisation and
haphazard urbanisation all over the world. The natural processes
which keep the planet habitable in the short-term are primarily
cyclic. Materials moving through these cycles utilise solar energy
and return to their original state before other processes start. In
contrast, modern technology causes materials to be removed from
the limited geological deposits or from living systems to be
eventually discharged as wastes. Not only do these wastes act as
pollutants of the natural cycle but they also alter the composition
of the atmosphere and disturb the balance of solar radiation. Thus,
industrial activities add stress to the biosphere. The ability of the
biosphere to withstand this stress is further decreased by such
conversion of complex natural ecosystems to simple ones.
Haphazard urbanisation makes it quite difficult to provide and
maintain the required civic amenities. Some cities have become
so large and so crowded that the municipalities fail to properly
maintain the sewage, provide clean drinking water or adequate
garbage removal facilities.
The deterioration of natural systems in poor and marginal
areas is at once a symptom and a cause of the extreme misery
in which millions live. The pollution problems cannot be isolated
from questions of economic progress, political stability, social
awareness, migration and international aid. Indeed, many types
of localised environmental degradation have global implications.
To some degree their causes are also international.
Through their way of life and the behaviour of their
multinational corporations, citizens of the North can affect

environmental conditions in the South. More important, the extent
of the extreme poverty that gives rise to so much ecological
damage and human suffering is influenced by international
monetary, trade, technological and aid policies. The struggle to
preserve global environmental quality is unavoidably intertwined
with the struggle to improve the lot of the global under-class.
The problems are rooted in the society and the economy—
and in the end in the political structure, both national and
international. Foresters know how to plant trees, but not how to
devise methods whereby villagers in India, the Andes, or the Sahel
can manage a plantation for themselves. Biologists know where
to draw boundaries for nature reserves, but cannot keep landless
peasants from invading them to grow food or cut fuelwood. The
solutions to such problems are increasingly seen to involve
reforms in land tenure and economic strategy, and the involvement
of communities in shaping their own lives.
Applying sensible pollution control faces inherent political
and analytical difficulties. The direct expense of clean-up measures,
falls upon particular industries or groups, while the resulting
benefits, even if much large, are less visible and are spread widely
in society. The costs of required controls are tangible and easily
figured, but no ready means exist for totalling the benefits of
pollution reduction. The temptation is to engage in extremely
narrow accounting, ignoring the immeasurable, subtle benefits of
a cleaner environment. The affected industries have a strong vested
interest in opposing the required investments, while no single
group has an immediate material interest of comparable magnitude
in imposing controls.
No objective means exist for ascribing value to all the costs
of uncontrolled pollution, or to the benefits of reducing it. What
is the price of a shortened human life? How does one evaluate
the spiritual loss of the residents of Tokyo whose sight of Mount
Fuji is obscured by smog? How can we measure the value of a
restored and productive ecosystem? The final judgement about the
desirability of anti-pollution measures, then, is inescapably a
political one reflecting value choices. No economist alone can
supply answers to the great environmental policy issues of the
day.
No doubt, the problems are many and complex even as
pollution is growing unbridled. But a failure to control pollution
carries an enormous price in the form of bad health and premature
deaths of human beings, animals and plants; loss of productive
Pollution 237
ecosystems such as fisheries; loss of recreational opportunities; and

degradation of the aesthetic quality of life. People are gradually
losing even the freedom to breathe safely: it is becoming common
to see school children in crowded cities wearing masks to protect
themselves against polluted air. The all-round depletion is making
this planet inhospitable and uninhabitable.
Because of the growing pernicious effects of pollution, the
global consciousness on the issue of environment has been on the
rise, especially since the United Nations Conference on Human
Environment held at Stockholm in 1972. The 1992 Rio Summit on
environment is a great landmark in this direction. But, we have
to wait for some time more for any tangible results.
The importance of clean environment and the detrimental
effect of pollution have been realised in India as well. Several
legislations exist to control pollution and conserve the environment,
with the Environment Protection Act being the landmark law. But
unless the legislations are enforced with sufficient political will,
they are rendered useless. Greater participation of the voluntary
organisations and an effort to educate the masses on environment
and pollution can help to make the Acts effective. Public policy
can also be used to equalise the burden imposed by anti-pollution
laws, and to make those who profit from pollution activities
compensate those who suffer the ill consequences (the ‘polluter
pays’ principle). If the costs were distributed fairly through society,
the anti-pollution struggle would place no serious burden on
anyone.
Environmental choices must be guided by a vision of a
desirable human society and of the quality of the natural
environment needed to support that vision.
Humans are the

worst culprits in
environmental
degradation
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Human beings take too much from nature.
2. For a long time the pace of exploitation was
reasonable.
3. Industrial revolution increased beyond reasonable limits
man’s use of natural resources.
4. Effects of man’s activities in the fields of agriculture,
mining, industry, search for material prosperity.
5. If humans do not mend their ways they will destroy life
on this planet.
Blest the infant Babe......

Nursed in his Mother’s arms, who sinks to sleep
Rocked on his Mother’s breast, who with his soul
Drinks in the feelings of his Mother’s eye!
For him, in one dear Presence, there exists
A virtue which irradiates and exalts
Objects through widest intercourse of sense.....
— Wordsworth
W
E may not be as rapturous as Wordsworth about nature
as mother of human beings; we know nature can be “red
in tooth and claw” as well. But we cannot deny that
humans owe much to the bounties of nature. Indeed, humans have
tended to take more and more from nature, robbing and looting
nature’s offerings, with callous lack of concern about the losses
they inflict. In the process they do not just harm the environment;
they harm humankind. Humans are, indeed, the worst culprits in
the degradation of the environment. No other species exploits
Humans are the worst culprits... 239
nature as humans do, without bothering to give back something

to preserve nature.
Down the ages, humans have been in incessant pursuit of
greater physical comforts and material prosperity. In this pursuit,
they have steadily improved the technologies and other means
necessary for higher production of wealth and for the availability
of devices that could give more physical and mental pleasures.
In the process, many social, political and cultural convulsions have
happened. A great many wars have taken place, many human lives
lost, and there have been instances of civilisations being wiped
out. Nevertheless, for long, human beings’ relation with the
environment remained almost unchanged; their interaction with
nature remained harmonious, based on the principle of mutual
give-and-take.
The situation began to change rapidly with the advent of the
Industrial Revolution in the West in the eighteenth century, when
human appetite for pelf and prosperity began to grow rapidly.
Humans began to loot nature and pollute the environment without
a thought for the consequences.
The Industrial Revolution led to a drastic escalation in air
pollution. Coal was used in the emerging modern industries and
factories on a very large scale. Later, it also came to be used in
generating electricity. As a result, in the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, many cities of Europe and the US were
covered with black shrouds of smoke. Industrial centres like
Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania developed an atmosphere so inky
that automobile drivers were sometimes forced to use their
headlights at midday. With the passage of time, the pace of
industrialisation increased, with a corresponding increase in air
pollution. Later, toxic wastes of the factories began to be dumped
on land and in the waters of rivers and seas. Thus land and water
began to lose their quality.
When the Western countries started fighting against the
pollution caused by the industries after the 1930s, people in other
parts of the world had already joined the race of industrialisation
and blindly embraced all the concomitant ills. Consequently, today
human activities have made the entire world’s environment grossly
polluted. Despite certain successes in controlling smoke, the
pollution of air, water and land by other products of coal
combustion (above all, sulphur dioxide) and by nitrous oxides,
hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide continues to worsen in most
countries.
Industrialisation is not baneful per se. It is the method,
technologies, impatience, intolerance and greed humans applied

in this process that have caused havoc.
A corollary to the Industrial Revolution was the craving of
human beings for urbanisation. People began to throng to the
industrial centres, towns and cities in large numbers without any
regard to the capacity and limitations of a place in adequately
providing the basic civic amenities to the inhabitants. As a
consequence, large slum areas, filth and squalor grew. It became
hard to maintain the sewage system as well as healthy sanitation.
The crisis continues with greater intensity in the developing
countries.
Industrialisation and urbanisation also put pressure on the
agricultural lands, the shortage of which began to be more acutely
felt with faster and uncontrolled population growth. Remarkable
progress made in the medical sciences has brought about a decline
in the death rate. But no similar decline was attempted by the
people in the birth rate. Two thousand years ago humans scarcely
numbered 250 million; it was only in the early 1800s that the figure
reached one billion. A second billion was added in another 100
years, a third in 30 years, a fourth in 15 years, and a fifth in just
13 years. What a pace of population growth! To feed the ever-
increasing numbers, agricultural production was increased.
Technological inputs certainly produced quick results. But the
chemical fertilisers and pesticides have taken a big toll of the soil.
They have also brought in their wake new pesticide-resistant pests
which devour farm crops. The harmful chemicals get into the
ecological cycle and result in large-scale damage to plants, animals
and ultimately even to humans. Studies have found that the milk
and cereals consumed by Indians contain a high degree of toxic
material—all due to indiscriminate use of pesticides. Large scale
agricultural production also encouraged huge irrigation projects
with concomitant loss of forest land. Canal irrigation has laid waste
large tracts of land due to unchecked seepage leading to salinity
and alkalinity of soil.
The scarcity of agricultural lands became an excuse for
humans to clear the dense forests which in fact served to mitigate
the harm and injuries caused by industrialisation and urbanisation.
Trees are mercilessly felled to meet the industrial needs of various
kinds as well as the needs of the vast urban population. With
deforestation comes the growing menace of soil erosion, drought
and other natural calamities. This act of deforesting the land is
also ominous for the existence of many species of flora and fauna,
Humans are the worst culprits... 241
even as the extinction of many marine species is feared due to

the poisoning of rivers and seas by man-made wastes. The adverse
impact on biodiversity may destabilise the ecological balance
whose ill-effects are quite intelligible.
The growing lust for luxuries and industrial products has
recently further aggravated the crisis. The chloro-fluro carbons
(CFCs) released into the atmosphere because of the ever-growing
use of refrigeration and cooling devices are depleting the ozone
layer which protects the species on earth from being exposed to
the harmful ultra-violet rays. Such devastation of nature could
easily rebound on humans.
If we analyse the nature of environment degradation, we can
only come to the conclusion that human culpability is, indeed,
immense. To feed, clothe and shelter themselves, humans brazenly
rob nature. The growing population almost renders it impossible
to compensate the losses suffered by the environment or allow
it the time required to recover. The urge to gain greater and greater
material prosperity has not only degraded natural resources but
has certain other dangerous portents. The damage caused during
the Gulf War to the seas and marine life shows the extent to which
humans can go, without compunction, to achieve self-
aggrandisement. The search for energy and defence superiority has
led humans to exploit the power of the atom. But they have shown
a callous disregard for the accompanying dangers of radiation and
tackling nuclear wastes. Unless human beings mend their ways,
and fast, they will create another Venus or Mars on Earth.
Biodiversity
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. What biodiversity means and how variations have
evolved over the ages.
2. Role of biodiversity.
3. Pressures on biodiversity leading to accelerated loss of
species.
4. Impact of biodiversity loss.
5. How biodiversity is lost—actions of individuals,
communities and nations.
6. Realisation of the significance of biodiversity is growing
and steps are being taken to maintain the balance.
7. Problems specific to India.
8. Conclusion.
B
IODIVERSITY or biological diversity implies infinite
variations in the species, both plant and animals, of nature
and their living environment. Species diversity is represented
by morphological, physiological and genetic features, whereas
ecosystem diversity shows the difference in habitats and biological
communities.
The process of species diversification started soon after the
origin of life on the planet. In the natural way, it is a gradual
process, influenced by various geo-physical and climatic factors,
and resulting in the emergence of new strains of the species.
Species which are not able to adjust themselves with the changing
conditions gradually become extinct as evidenced in the case of
the giant dinosaurs and other large mammals and birds of the past.
However, on the whole, diversification has prevailed over extinction.
About most of these species, little more is known than their
appearance and location. It is possible that several million insects
and plants—along with fewer members of other animal classes—
await discovery, mainly in the tropics.
Biological diversity plays a significant role in nature. It
provides major clues to the scientists about the origin and the
evolution and the speciation process of various flora and fauna.
Biodiversity 243
It also acts as a major tool for assessing the impact of various

factors in influencing the process of species diversification. Rich
biodiversity is an indicator of the health of a particular habitat
and its potential to sustain life.
In ecology, biodiversity plays a significant role—it enriches
soil, maintains water and climate cycles, humidity and precipitation
and helps in recycling and converting waste material into nutrients.
All the living creatures, from unicellular organisms and planktons
to higher species, help maintain equilibrium within various
components. Ecological diversity is of great significance to human
society. Food, medicine and raw materials for industry and
household purposes are obtained from various living resources.
During the past few centuries, with the increase in human
population, biodiversity has come under tremendous pressure.
Biological extinction which led to the disappearance of one species
in several hundred years has now been replaced by an alarmingly
accelerated rate of extinction. This is the result of the extensive
habitat changes wrought by humans. Although endangered animals,
e.g., tigers in Asia, cheetahs in Africa, whales in the Antarctic,
whooping cranes in North America, etc., receive great public
attention, plant extinctions are often more significant ecologically.
According to Peter H. Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical
Garden, a disappearing plant can take with it ten to thirty
dependent species—insects, higher animals, and even other plants.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN) finds about 10 per cent of the world’s flowering
plants to be dangerously rare or under threat.
Probably many unnamed species are disappearing in
scientifically unchartered tropical areas. Even outside the tropics,
many small, obscure organisms such as worms, mites, beetles, and
herbs may be disappearing without our knowledge. Besides, an
examination of the survival prospects of all forms of plant and
animal life— including obscure ferns, shrubs, insects, molluscs,
elephants and wolves—indicates that huge numbers of them have
little future. Loss of such a multitude of species would constitute
an irreversible alteration in the nature of the biosphere even before
we understand its workings—an evolutionary Rubicon whose
crossing Homo sapiens would do well to avoid.
The loss of biodiversity has immediate and long-term effects
on human survival itself. The majority of the world’s population
still depends on wild plants and animals for their daily food,
medicine, housing and household material, fodder, fuel wood,
spiritual sustenance, and intellectual stimulation. For these billions
(of human beings) the loss of biodiversity is a direct and

irreversible attack on their livelihood and social security. The loss
is even more direct in the case of domesticated biodiversity.
Traditional farmers of the world have developed an incredible
variety of crops and livestock. This too has been eroded over the
last few decades, with literally lakhs of traditional crop strains and
hundreds of domesticated livestock breeds being replaced by a
limited number of laboratory-generated hybrids or by dominant
cash crops.
The traditional diversity was bred to meet diverse human
needs of nutrition, taste, colour, ritual, smell, and to resist drought,
flood and pests. It provided several kinds of insurance to the
farmer against crop failure. Modern hybrids, on the other hand,
while substantially increasing the yield and monetary profits, have
forced the farmers to look elsewhere for their other daily needs
(especially fodder), and left them dependent on the vagaries of
markets, governments, and private corporations.
The ways in which humans destroy other species are legion.
The excessive hunting or collecting of animals for food, profit, or
recreation is a time-honoured means of extermination. From the
Stone Age to this date, hunters and collectors remain significant
threats to many mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes. Animals have
become endangered in the pursuit of their hides, heads or tusks;
there are, besides poachers, some unscrupulous zoo suppliers who
imperil rare species. The lure of spectacular profits offers the
impetus for trade in endangered species and derivative products.
An important cause of extinctions over the next few decades
will be the destruction of habitats. As both populations and
economies grow, and human settlements sprawl, undisturbed
natural areas are bound to shrink. Wildlife breeding zones,
migration routes, and browsing and hunting domains are paved,
inundated with water, grazed, or ploughed. Forest lands are
denuded by farmers or timber companies and then given over to
cattle, crops, or non-native tree species. Plant species unique to
a small locality, along with the animals that feed on them, can be
erased from the earth by a single bulldozer; predators dependent
on a complex food web may disappear once the wild area around
them is compressed below a critical minimum level.
The problem of habitat destruction exists in every continent,
but it is particularly serious in the humid tropics which is where
major species losses are predicted. Viewed in terms of biodiversity,
the moist tropical forests of Africa, Asia and Latin America hold
an importance far beyond the land area they occupy. Suffused with
Biodiversity 245
exceptional amounts of light, warmth and moisture, the tropical

rain forests house a remarkable variety of ecosystems and species.
The rain forests, home to half of the world’s life forms, continue
to be destroyed at the rate of over 100,000 sq. km. every year.
The roots of biodiversity destruction lie in the relations
between the communities within each nation, and between the
nations themselves, point out certain observers. This is responsible
for cornering the vast biological resources for the benefit of a small
minority within the poor nations, and for the wasteful consumption
patterns of the North. Eighteen million hectares of Amazonian
forest has been cleared in Brazil to meet the European and
American demand for coffee. Germany has caused the degradation
of 200,000 hectares of rain forest a year for timber. Adverse terms
of trade, protectionist policies of the North, dumping of
environmentally-destructive technologies and materials in the
South, and a host of other factors continue to cause severe and
widespread biodiversity destruction.
The exploitative policies followed by the elites within the
developing countries are no better. Vast natural habitats have been
plundered to meet the ever-growing needs of this minority, aided
by laws which legitimise urban-industrial control over resources.
The poor are forced to overstrain the meagre resources that are
left in their control, and are then portrayed as ecological culprits.
In countries like India, the development policies and projects have
rarely been sensitive to the need for biodiversity conservation, and
that of the local communities.
In the last few decades, the world has begun to realise the
significance of biodiversity. Several conventions and agreements
on conservation and protection of various organisms have been
drawn up since 1970, when UNESCO held the first Man and
Biosphere Convention.
At the Earth Summit at Rio in June 1992, the majority of the
world’s nations signed a convention on biological diversity.
Though the expectations from the Rio Summit were very high, the
polarisation between the North and the South on various issues
such as funds and use of biodiversity has raised certain doubts
about the applicability and implementation of various programmes.
Funds are certainly going to have a major impact on conservation
programmes, especially in developing countries.
India’s biodiversity is immense mainly because of its unique
biogeographical composition, comprising living components of
three different realms, namely Palearctic, Indomalayan and
Ethiopian. With just two per cent of the world’s land mass, the
country has about five per cent of living resources, and stands,
therefore, as one of the 12 mega-diversity states in the world. The
country faces problems such as over-population, large number of
cattle, growing demand for land, energy and water supply.
Unplanned developmental works and overexploitation of resources
have made its living resources vulnerable. Overexploitation has
not only resulted in shortages of various materials but also left
our biodiversity exposed to various ecological threats.
Slowing the loss of species entails much more than the
ratification of international treaties, the passage of national
conservation laws, and the policing of national park boundaries,
essential as all these steps are. The future shape of the biosphere
will depend in good measure on the shape of political and
economic policies affecting employment, land tenure, income
distribution, and population growth. The extermination of a
species seldom poses such an obvious threat to humans as other
kinds of environmental deterioration such as air pollution and the
spread of deserts. Yet for many reasons, a decline in the diversity
of life forms should worry everyone. The impending large-scale
loss of species is without precedent and will result from the
disruption of complex ecological systems. Not surprisingly, no
means exist for quantifying the costs. But the biological
impoverishment of the earth will certainly mean economic as well
as aesthetic impoverishment of humans.
We made progress so far as our relationship with nature was
on a sustainable level. We will be doomed if, in our greed, we
kill the goose laying the golden egg:
Unprofitably travelling toward the grave
Like a false steward who hath much received
And renders nothing back.
What freedom
means to me
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Freedom is a confusing term.
2. Extreme views on freedom—advocates of absolute
freedom and supporters of suppression of individual
freedom.
3. Freedom a social concept requiring balance in exercise.
4. Path of freedom difficult as it involves conscious
decision, thinking ability, social consciousness, courage of
conviction, confidence to face a lonely existence.
5. Freedom a sublimation of the rebel in us.
6. Social change possible only through exercise of freedom
of the individual.
W
HAT is freedom? It is a difficult question to answer
categorically. Does it mean absolute liberty to do as one
pleases? Complete non-restraint to pursue any fancy that
strikes one? Is such a free existence possible at all for a human
being? Freedom is, indeed, a nebulous concept, laying itself open
to several interpretations, even conflicting ones.
There are champions of freedom who vehemently oppose any
form of social control. Thoreau at least allows the need of some
government—“the best government is the least government”—but
there are others who denounce any sort of organisation at all. But
given the imperfect nature of human beings, surely, such freedom
would degenerate into anarchy and finally to the survival of the
fittest in the sense of brute power? It would result in the tyranny
of the weak by the strong; it would mean freedom for the strong
and enslavement of the weak.
At the other extreme are those who are thoroughly suspicious
of individual freedom. They have such a low opinion of human
reason that they cannot allow an individual the right to choose
and decide on his or her own. Any deviation from a rigid social
average is seen as a threat to society. Social equilibrium is seen
as the end-all to which individual initiative must, perforce, be
sacrificed. But such a society will soon lose its vibrant dynamism,
become ponderous and static and finally collapse under the weight
of its own rigidity. As did the Greek and Roman civilisations.
The extremes, thus, can harm society. But one may deduce
that freedom is a social concept. If human beings lived as isolated
entities, the meaning of freedom is of no importance. It is because
they live in groups, in societies, that the concept of individual
freedom needs to be understood at all.
C.E.M. Joad remarks that the situation of the human being
is like that of a pack of porcupines huddling together; but a felt
wrapping round each one prevents the quills of one from pricking
the other. The felt wrapping is, of course, social control. In the
absence of social control, one person’s actions may prove
uncomfortable to another. On the other hand, if the social control
becomes excessive, individual identity is likely to be subsumed
under that of a group or community. Freedom thus has to steer
a careful course between a stifling social tyranny and a bewildering
licentiousness.
Freedom, indeed, can be a burden. Enjoyment of freedom
requires the use of one’s brains, it calls for decisions, the
willingness and ability to choose between right and wrong, indeed,
to contemplate on what is right and wrong. The exercise of freedom
and the capacity to perceive its perversions requires of a human
being a very high degree of integrity and social consciousness.
Erich Fromm in his Fear of Freedom correctly argues that with a
low level of social consciousness, man has a tendency to misuse
freedom by either oppressing his fellowmen or by running away
from the exercise of freedom. The practice of freedom involves
taking decisions with the full awareness of the responsibility it
entails; it implies a readiness to accept the consequences of any
such decision.
The conscious exercise of freedom is not easy. One meets with
opposition from different sides at different levels and of different
degrees. Pursuit of freedom in action and thought requires courage
of conviction and then the self-confidence to face even social
ostracism. Society does not like individual exercise of freedom.
Even a hairstyle or dress somewhat different from that of the
majority invites the raised eyebrow, sniggers or derisive comment.
If one chooses to think differently from the herd, the consequences
maybe quite dangerous to such a thinker. Socrates, after all, was

executed for choosing to think freely. Galileo was tortured for his
freedom of thought. If one wants freedom, one must be ready to
pay a price for it.
Yet, in each one of us, there is a hidden rebel. Even eccentricity
is a form of defiance, a protest, an expression of resentment against
conformity. It is this basic instinct in humans that sublimates itself
in the form of freedom. Each one of us is a non-conformist in some
sense or the other and this shows the urge for freedom.
It is the courageous exercise of freedom that makes human
beings question social evils and attempt to change things for the
better. When one says that freedom should not harm society, it
does not mean that society has to be accepted as it is with all
its ills. As human consciousness evolves, as awareness and
knowledge grows, and if social norms seem to have acquired an
oppressive quality, the exercise of freedom to change the system
becomes imperative. Throughout history, social change takes place
mainly because an individual first manifests the courage to
question existent beliefs and practices, break free of them and
create better alternatives. That is true freedom.
Euthanasia : Can
death be a therapy?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Death is a reality for all those who are born.
2. Even those who don’t fear death desire painless deaths.
3. Passive and active euthanasia.
4. Active euthanasia more controversial.
5. Why people hesitate about legalising euthanasia.
6. Why euthanasia can be a boon to patients.
7. A cautious approach needed.
8. In the end, death can be the only therapy.
D
EATH comes as the end. Anyone born in this world must
perforce die, despite the level of medical knowledge and
skill at present. And when that medical knowledge is quite
certain that a person’s sickness is not going to be cured, that he
or she is not going to recover, in other words he or she is terminally
ill, would it not be merciful to allow the person to die? Would
not euthanasia—or mercy killing as it has come to be termed—
be acceptable to the suffering patient as well as to those who are
close to him or her? The term ‘euthanasia’ is derived from the
Greek words eu, meaning ‘good’, and thanatos, meaning ‘death’,
and so ‘euthanasia’ has come to signify ‘good’ or ‘easy’ death. The
term was first used by English philosopher Francis Bacon in the
early seventeenth century.
Painless death, which is what euthanasia basically means, is
something that each one of us desires even if we are not afraid
of that final annihilation. Visions of being bed-ridden, suffering
increasing and incurable pain, causing trouble and grief to those
whom one holds dear, above all, being dependent on others with
no hope of recovery—such visions do disturb the imagination of
even the most robust in health and the most optimistic among us,
at least fleetingly. At such moments, the idea of an easy death is
certainly attractive. To be able to end it all at a stroke, so to say,
appears the better alternative to prolonging the misery.
The issue of euthanasia involves two aspects: passive and

active. Passive euthanasia would be the right to refuse or withhold
or withdraw medical treatment which merely prolongs life
technically but holds no possibility of a cure or a resumption of
normal activity. It is something that many people have done. There
can be little controversy about such a decision. Indeed, it is not
callousness but a clear perception of reality to consider as a
meaningless waste medication that is not going to do any good
whatsoever. It would be far more dignified to die peacefully and
naturally, free of the myriad tubes and pipes sticking out of one’s
body in an attempt to keep one artificially alive.
Refusing medical succour beyond a certain point is not a
problem if a person’s mental faculties are functioning normally. The
decision is made by the individual. However, patients in a coma
or in an otherwise unfit condition may not be in a position to make
known their wish to forgo further treatment. Their families might
hesitate to discontinue such treatment for fear of being accused
of negligence. To meet such circumstances, there should be some
legal provision. If, for example, there is a written declaration by
the patient, made when fully conscious and mentally alert, that
in case of terminal illness or irreversible coma artificial means to
sustain life, merely to prolong the process of death should not
be used, the person’s expressed wishes should be respected. Many
of us, indeed, would favour making such a ‘living will’ to spare
our families the awful dilemma of deciding, when the time comes,
whether or not to continue with expensive but useless medical
support systems.
It is when we come to the ‘active’ aspect of euthanasia that
ethical dilemmas come to the fore. For it involves not merely a
refusal to be medicated but a conscious and deliberate decision
to end one’s life in case of terminal illness, and beyond that the
right of doctors to be protected from prosecution if they accede
to a patient’s request for mercy killing. Whether one takes the
decision oneself or others have to take the decision, the issue is
fraught with moral considerations.
‘Active’ euthanasia, in its essence, comes down to legalised
suicide or legalised murder or abetment to suicide. There is a
deep-rooted belief in most people that life is a god-given gift and
it is presumptuous on the part of a human being to throw it away.
As for taking it away from another human being, howsoever
merciful the motive, many would frown upon it as coming
dangerously close to playing God. And if the patient is in coma
without having expressed any idea on the subject, who is to decide

on actively terminating the person’s life? The possibility of greedy
and unscrupulous relatives colluding with an equally unscrupulous
doctor to kill a patient, from whose death they stand to gain, is
a real danger. Even if a doctor is sincere and honest, the dilemma
will remain whether the decision to terminate life was right or
wrong at a deep moral level. A doctor’s duty is surely to prolong
life and not assist in shortening it.
There is a wide difference between stopping irksome medical
treatment to allow a dying person to attain a peaceful and natural
end and, on the other hand, administering something in order to
consciously induce death. What if after deciding to allow euthanasia
and being administered the lethal drug, hovering between life and
death, a patient wants to reverse his or her decision and does not
want to die as yet? It would be a horrendous situation for the
patient as well as the doctor. Even those making a ‘living will’
to die may yet feel like changing their mind toward the end, but
drift into a coma before expressing their changed view-point. What
then? Who can decide correctly for such a patient? The act of
removing life supports and permitting death can be traumatic
enough for some doctors and nurses, may be even abhorrent to
their conscience. How then can they reconcile themselves to
actively administering some lethal drug to shorten a patient’s life?
There are times, of course, when the agony of a patient dear
to us is difficult to see and bear, especially when everyone
concerned knows that death is inevitable. And it is easy to
understand and sympathise with the death wish of the patient
suffering excruciating pain or the humiliating situation of losing
control over vital bodily functions. It is not given to all of us to
have the strength and courage to endure physical pain and mental
anguish stoically—though many of us would, no doubt, yearn for
such strength. At such times and for such persons, surely the choice
of euthanasia should be made available.
In certain countries such as The Netherlands and Belgium,
law allows the life of a person to be taken but under strict
regulations. In the United Kingdom, it has been considered legal
to withdraw medical treatment and life support for a patient in
persistent vegetative state and allow him or her to die. In South
Africa, even though euthanasia is not legally accepted, it finds
widespread support. In India, there are voluntary societies that
are campaigning for the right of an individual to choose to live
or die within the limits of law.
In 2011, in the Aruna Shanbaug case, the Supreme Court, for

the first time, laid down guidelines for euthanasia and made a
distinction between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ euthanasia. It said that
causing the death of a person who was in a permanent vegetative
state, with no chance of recovery, by withdrawing artificial life
support was not a “positive act of killing”. Terming this “passive
euthanasia”, the bench held that this could be permitted on a case-
by-case basis. The court said that the withdrawal of life support
by doctors in law is considered as an omission and not a positive
step to terminate life. ‘Active euthanasia’, on the other hand, which
could mean administering a patient a lethal drug to cause his or
her death, was illegal as it was a positive step to terminate a life.
The court also laid down guidelines for passive euthanasia,
i.e., the matter must be referred to the high court for a decision
and that the doctor, or the parents or the spouse of the patient
must be the one to petition for the withdrawal of life support.
In the absence of any of these, a person or a body of persons acting
as ‘next friend’ can be permitted.
Any law on euthanasia should, of course, have clear safeguards
to preclude any possibility of unscrupulous elements exploiting
the situation. For instance, hiding behind euthanasia, the greedy
relatives and doctors could kill the terminally ill patients before
time to make money and /or to escape the mounting hospital bills
of the bed-ridden patients in question. The prime decision should
come from the patient concerned, and that after long and deep
thought. There can be no hasty decision in this matter. No one
should try to influence a person to think in terms of terminating
his or her life or in seeking active intervention from doctors in
doing so. No effort should be made to terminate a patient’s life
unless he or she repeatedly requests such action, and there is no
reason to doubt this desire to die. It is also important that
euthanasia is considered only in case of severe mental and physical
suffering with no prospect of relief, and all other options for the
patient have been exhausted. But some people disagree with this,
claiming that allowing the so-called mercy killing, in all likelihood,
would send wrong signals in the society, jeopardising the very
sanctity of human life in the process. Besides, behind euthanasia
lurks the grave danger of ‘organ harvesting’. Incidentally, in 2005
the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed a patient’s requests for
mercy killing on this very ground though he was terminally ill.
People who staunchly oppose euthanasia are blind to the
tragedy and sense of human waste when a person suffering from
irretrievable brain damage is kept artificially alive, suspended

between life and death. There are several persons in the world
at present who lie in a ‘persistent vegetative state’. Previously,
death came when a person stopped breathing; now cardio-
pulmonary resuscitation and mechanical ventilators and respirators
prolong life—or existence as some would have it—beyond what
could have been imagined even some years earlier. In the
circumstances, one has to consider the meaning of life itself, and
not reject euthanasia out of hand as ‘immoral’.
Euthanasia is a controversial subject, and there can be no
unanimity about it. Myriad shades of opinion exist upon the rights
and wrongs of it. Ultimately, it ought to be every individual’s right
to decide whether to endure the suffering or to end it all, whether
to continue with a treatment that merely prolongs a meaningless
existence or to seek in death itself the final therapy. After all, the
right to live would not be complete if the right to die with full
dignity were not available to the people.
Non-Violence 255
Non-Violence
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Many great people have emphasised on the importance
of non-violence.
2. Various interpretations of the term.
3. Non-violence, like other benevolent principles, cannot be
taken to the extreme.
4. Gandhi’s ahimsa.
5. Violence has increased in the world today.
6. Relevance of non-violence today.
“N
ON-VIOLENCE is the law of our species as violence
is the law of the brute”—so spoke Mahatma Gandhi,
celebrating the need and nature of the principle of
non-violence for mankind. All wise men down the ages have
preached the doctrine of love and non-violence. Zoroaster, the
Buddha, Mahavira, Christ and Nanak primarily emphasised a
moral code that gave due status to non-violence. Non-violence is
a philosophy of life, a modus operandi which has been accepted as
an article of faith in the East as well as the West. But what does
the word ‘non-violence’ mean in simple terms? To what extent can
and should non-violence be exercised in daily life? And is it not
true that the world today is in dire need of non-violence?
Non-violence has been variously interpreted by different
people including philosophers and scholars. Generally, the term
means ‘non-injury’ to others. It is a concept based on the fundamental
goodness of humans. In the fight for what is right and good—
freedom, morality, justice and equality, violence or use of physical
force must be avoided. One must avoid inflicting pain on others
to win one’s goal however true and justifiable the goal may be.
Evil must be resisted in a calm manner and not through violence
in thought or action. For, almost always, violence begets violence—
and there will be no end to it.
The path of non-violence calls for a great amount of fortitude
on the part of the person practising it to achieve a goal. It also
calls for courage and a lot of self-sacrifice. Thus non-violence, as
Gandhi said, is not the weapon of the coward but of the strong.
But to what extreme can the principle of non-violence be extended?
Just like other benevolent principles, non-violence fails to
make sense once you take it to an extreme. It is not possible for
humans to exist at all if they are to ensure that they do not harm
or injure a single animal, plant or micro-organism. We breathe—
and in the mere act of breathing we kill a number of germs and
bacteria that cannot be seen by the naked eye. We walk—and the
mere act of walking crushes innumerable small, microscopic
organisms that abound in the soil. Moreover, injury by itself need
not be solely physical in nature; it can be emotional and mental
as well. There are no standard and practicable measures by which
we can gauge the extent to which an act may cause mental and
emotional harm.
Aggression between humans can be repulsed and checked by
non-violence. But where the aggressor has no regard for the
resulting destruction and bloodshed, total non-violence would
only invite aggression and ensure its victory. It must be remembered
that even Gandhi, the modern propounder of the gospel of ‘non-
violence’, allowed the use of violent weapons in the fight for right
goals if there was a need.
Mahatma Gandhi is considered the apostle of non-violence.
Truly, he expanded the concept so that non-violence as a principle
acquired a totally new meaning and dimension. For him, the path
of ahimsa or non-violence was the only way to achieve freedom
and truth which was the supreme reality for him. He explained
how ahimsa was an active force and not passive in its meaning.
The fight through ahimsa was a legitimate struggle that demanded
a lot of merit and virtue on the part of its followers. Ahimsa, for
Gandhi, was not cowardice. Gandhi encouraged the use of ahimsa
so that its practice on an individual level might finally enhance
its significance for the nation as a whole—for only individuals
constitute a nation! The effectiveness of the message of non-
violence preached by Gandhi can be gauged from responses all
over the globe—we have self-professed students of the Mahatma
in leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela.
In these modern times, it is violence that has emerged as one
of the most common causes of human suffering. The pursuit of
material benefits has resulted in growing conflicts between
individuals, groups and nations New forms of violence have thus
emerged. Highly sophisticated and lethal chemical and nuclear
weapons have opened up ways to inflict a maximum of destruction
and damage. In truth, one ought to blame the modern ways of
Non-Violence 257
living for the violent tendencies that have taken strong roots in
human beings. There is less of patience, perseverance, true
courage, dedication and little sense of values. Violence has grown
to such an extent today that it has almost acquired some kind of
legitimacy. One fears that the growing violent attitude will
ultimately wipe out humankind as a whole!
The world is desperately in need of non-violence as a way
of life, to spread the gospel of love, brotherhood and peace. People
must awaken and realise that the world of violence in which they
are living can blow up any time.
Leadership
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Leadership common in all social animals.
2. A leader essential for the smooth functioning of any
society.
3. Qualities of a leader.
4. Power associated with leadership and the ills of this
combination.
5. Conclusion: leaders are important to a group, a society,
a nation.
L
EADERSHIP is a quality common to all social animals. A
pride of lions is led by one dominant male, a herd of
elephants too has a leader, migratory birds show social
behaviour and are led by a dominant individual, and all human
societies, groups and communities have their respective leaders.
Invariably, every congregation of human beings, be it at the micro
level of religious or other groups and communities, or at the macro
level of societies and nations, is bound to be headed by someone
who stands out above the others and acts as a guide or a leader.
Why is a leader necessary? What makes a leader a leader?
Looking at any sort of animal society one factor becomes
immediately clear, namely division of labour. It is essential for the
proper functioning of any society that work be clearly defined and
assigned to different individuals, or groups of individuals, within
the society. In a primitive society, the areas of work may just be
food-gathering, rearing young ones and defending the colony or
society against intruders and predators. A more complex society,
any human society for example, will have highly evolved and
differentiated areas of work. In both cases, nevertheless, an
individual would be required to supervise activities in each
specialised area of work. These individuals, in turn, may be
superseded by another individual who would coordinate and
supervise their work. A leader is thus essential for smooth and
proper functioning of any society, animal or human, primitive or
highly evolved.
Leadership 259
What are the qualities which go on to constitute a leader?

Going by the prime responsibility of a leader which is to ensure
that the society or group functions effectively and in a healthy
manner, a leader must be socially aware and conscious. Other
qualities generally considered essential for a leader include a
magnetic personality, highly developed communication skills,
courage, physical fitness, acumen of mind, pragmatism, tolerance
and care for others. A leader must be capable of envisioning the
future reality of his or her society and be able to effectively and
convincingly communicate it to ‘the people. A leader should be
totally committed to the cause and should be prepared to go to
all extents of self-sacrifice for the betterment of the society and
the realisation of his or her ideals. Leadership may at times also
demand of the leader that he or she be extremely well-versed in
certain specific areas depending upon the needs of the particular
group or society.
How does one become a leader? In monarchies and similar
authoritarian societies leaders acquire their prerogative to lead and
rule by birth. The eldest son (or daughter) in a monarch’s family
automatically inherits the position of the leader (monarch) under
certain conditions. These conditions could be the demise of the
monarch or his/her incapability to rule and govern. But monarchies
and authoritarian societies are on the decline with more and more
societies and nations opting for democracy. Under a democratic
set-up, leadership normally is not reduced to a hereditary right
of a particular family. The whole process of selection of a leader
itself becomes a democratic procedure. Such a choice has the
advantage of ensuring that only a person with genuine capabilities
and qualifications would emerge as a leader. In yet another kind
of situation, leaders could be nominated or assigned by a former
leader. This process is probably most evident in religious groups
or sects where a departing leader normally nominates his or her
successor. People wielding considerable power, often military
power, are commonly known to topple governments and carry out
coups to establish themselves as leaders. Many republics and
nations in recent history have witnessed successful or unsuccessful
coups. The democratic set-up, being by far the most popular and
the commonest, has evolved specialised institutions to impart
training to prospective leaders. In other words, people are now
being trained to become leaders. It is not necessary to mention
that certain basic abilities or qualifications are prerequisites to such
selections. Since leadership is becoming a highly evolved field
relying not just on basic inherent qualities but also on vast and
specialised knowledge, it is but natural that chosen persons should

be trained and educated to emerge as successful leaders.
One major attraction of leadership is the immense power the
position incorporates. It is unfortunate that many people motivated
solely by their greed for power aspire to become leaders and often
become so too; they cause damage to the social fabric through their
selfish preoccupations. Nepotism in bureaucratic and private
sectors is a clear-cut example of misuse of power. Another
important precondition for a leader, therefore, is that the leader
should not allow power to corrupt him or her. A leader’s prime
motivation to lead should stem from his or her dedication to the
cause of the particular group, society or nation and not from his
or her greed for power.
A leader is necessary for a group, society or nation. Without
a capable leader a society generally tends to degenerate, fall victim
to decadence and finally disintegrate. Good leaders are immensely
popular, enjoy massive support and often leave an indelible
impression on a nation’s character besides providing standards of
excellence and dedication.
Leisure—Its Use and Abuse 261
Leisure—Its Use
and Abuse
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Human beings have always been drawn to a pause in
work to carry on some creative activity.
2. Modern times—extremely busy lives, leading to physical
and psychological problems, because leisure is a
forgotten entity.
3. Distraction from work as necessary as work.
4. Ways to spend leisure time.
5. Advent of television and leisure.
6. Abuses of leisure.
7. Balance between work and leisure essential.
H
UMAN beings, ever since they emerged on earth, have
primarily been occupied with trying to meet their basic
needs of food and shelter. Scientific studies have revealed
that during prehistoric times humans were mostly engaged in
hunting animals for food or in protecting themselves from predators
and the elements. But even in those difficult times, whatever free
time was available seemed to naturally attract human beings to
creative activity, a proof of which is to be seen in the cave paintings
from those days. Once human life became more organised and
settlements and civilisations were established, leisure and activities
carried out in leisure became a more regular feature of human
life. Most of the artefacts, which today give us documentary
evidence of past cultures and civilisations, are products of leisure.
In modern times, especially due to industrialisation, life has
taken a different hue. While on the one hand life has become
extremely busy, at the same time specialised areas of activity and
fixed working hours offer the possibility of considerable free time.
Leisure implies free or unoccupied time, when there is freedom
from the demands of work or duty. The social structure has
developed in such a manner that some sections of the society
maintain rich lifestyles with plenty of leisure, whereas the majority
of human beings are preoccupied with the battle for survival.

Relaxation and leisure are words that seldom have any relevance
to their life. These people live under constant stress and demands
of modernity. Consequently, they are prone to physical and
psychological problems. It is essential to spare some time from
a mechanical routine and spend this time in ways that rejuvenate
the mind and the body.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Most of us
are familiar with this saying. It stresses the need for engagement
in activities other than work for a complete development of the
human personality. Leisure and free time well spent are as
essential as food and sleep.
Free time can be utilised in a variety of ways. Activities to
suit all budgets, demands of space, and individual and social
needs exist from which one can choose according to one’s
inclination and interest. Reading is one of the most popular free
time activities. A wide range of subjects and the existence of well-
maintained libraries has made reading a very rewarding and
affordable activity. From simple entertainment to highly specialised
discourses, reading invariably contributes to one’s knowledge and
helps widen one’s perspective. It is a relatively inexpensive
pastime that can be indulged virtually in any place. Other common
activities are music, gardening, carpentry, cooking, etc. One can
also choose from activities which are directly relevant to the
society, like social work, caring for abandoned and stray animals,
caring for the environment, etc. Activities in the areas enumerated
above impart a sense of achievement besides giving meaning and
purpose to life. Activities like carpentry, painting and clay-
modelling help satisfy the creative impulse in many an amateur
artist. They are also considered to be positive aids to stress relief.
Socialising is also a healthy activity and promotes goodwill and
mutual understanding among people.
The field of sports offers a wide range of activities to choose
from. It has the advantage of catering to physical fitness and thus
helping to develop a healthy attitude towards life. Games and
sports can be chosen according to one’s physical capacity. They
encourage sportsmanship and an ability to accept defeat and
victory gracefully.
Unfortunately, the advent of television has taken a heavy toll
of other hobbies. Two of the worst affected activities are reading
and healthy socialising. On the one hand, television has many
advantages but, on the other hand, it is a medium which can very
Leisure—Its Use and Abuse 263
easily be misused by both the viewers and the producers of

programmes.
Leisure can easily be abused too. “An idle mind is a devil’s
workshop.” Whiling away time in useless activities is the most
common abuse of leisure. People often hang around commercial
centres, cinema halls, restaurants and bus stops. Such behaviour
can become almost addictive and discourages all creative potential.
Idleness can force a person into bad company and even anti-social
activities. It is thus essential to impart to children right from their
early days the value of leisure and its meaningful use.
A balanced and sensible person will never make work alone
an end per se. Relaxation of the mind and the body, awareness of
one’s social responsibilities, and catering to one’s creative needs
are traits of a healthy and complete personality. Many problems
and crises associated with modern life can be successfully combated
by proper utilisation of one’s free time. By coordinating one’s
talents and faculties one can break the monotony of modern life
and prevent life from becoming a burden.
If the British had not

colonised India...
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. History cannot be altered, but one can just imagine a
case.
2. If the British had not come to India, we might have
been free of suffering oppression and exploitation on
political and economic fronts.
3. India’s economic history may have been bright.
4. Growth of communalism may have been thwarted.
5. The positive aspects of British rule.
H
ISTORY cannot be altered and its myriad paths would
follow their own destined course. However, it would not
be entirely futile to indulge our imagination in picturing
the course of history if such and such an event had not taken place.
One such occurrence is the British colonisation of India. The British
colonised India gradually and established their rule over the
country for more than a century. If the British colonisation had not
happened at all, where would we be today?
To begin with, we would not have suffered all that we did
under the British in the process of winning freedom from them.
Today, India’s history bears the scars of British colonialism and
exploitation that the memory finds hard to erase. The country was
forced to undergo humiliation in terms of its pride besides
suffering political, economic and social exploitation. In colonised
India, the people were stripped of their rights in every sense. They
could not participate in the political and economic development
of their own country. They were denied the right to form their
own government and run the administration of their country. The
country’s primary institutions including those related to judiciary,
defence and law were run by outsiders who did not care about
the welfare of the nation and its people. The people’s attempt to
win their rights brought about much suffering and death. It was
If the British had not colonised India... 265
not only loss of wealth and prosperity that the masses had to
endure; thousands of people lost their lives in the fight for freedom
from the British yoke. The country’s nationalist leaders paid a
heavy price in their attempt to secure freedom for India. All this
would not have happened if the British had not come to reign
in India.
Surely, India would have been one of the most economically
prosperous nations in the world today if the British had not
exploited the Indian economy to their advantage. The British
drained the wealth and economic resources of India. The British
economic policy was such as to help the growth of the British home
industry at the cost of the Indian economy. As a result, the economy
of our country acquired the basic features of an underdeveloped
economy. Thus India, once it became free, was left to undo the
wrongs of others and set right its economy by whatever means
was available to it. Many of the economic problems that India
currently faces, including poverty and unemployment, can be
traced to the mismanagement of the Indian economy under British
rule.
Socially, the Indians were made to feel that they were an
inferior people by the British. On basis of racial, socio-cultural and
economic reasons, the Indians were discriminated against in the
society. This kind of exploitation of one people by another without
any concern for the values of equality between men strongly
distressed the Indian psyche. On a wider sense maybe the most
harmful impact of the British rule on Indian society was the growth
of communal forces. Problems of unemployment and other economic
ills in the colonial society resulted in bitter competition in which
natural pockets of solidarity developed on casteist and religious
lines. The various socio-religious reform movements tended to
stress the importance of one or the other religious community. The
early nationalists also used communal methods to mobilise the
masses against the British rule. Most importantly, it was the British
policy of divide and rule that alienated the masses on communal
lines. It ultimately resulted in the partition of India and creation
of Pakistan. Even today, communalism is a major evil in the Indian
society not least owing to the British efforts to strengthen it in our
country.
On the other hand, the British presence in India did result
in some achievements which may not have happened if the British
had not ruled over India. It is just that an event has both positive
and negative results all of which are not always intentional on
the part of man. For instance, the British unified India into one
political unit, generating a feeling of oneness among the people

and awakening the national consciousness. History is a witness
to the extent to which the people of the country united to fight
against the British. Geopraphically, the British created an India
larger than that over which the Mauryans and the Mughals had
ruled. However, even in this aspect, one cannot assert that such
unification would not have taken place if the British had not
colonised India. After all, even when India was divided into
several kingdoms, there was a sense of one-ness as people
travelled from region to region, and pilgrimage centres at the
different corners drew people into a sense of togetherness.
One of the most beneficial results of the British rule, even
if it was a fallout of selfish interests of benefiting the British, was
the modernisation of India. The English developed transport and
communication on modern lines. The spread of western thought
and education modernised the society by fuelling reform movements
which aimed at purging the Indian society of many of its
traditional ills. They established the first printing press and
newspaper in India. The Press further developed later to inform
and educate the masses about the British exploitation of India.
The British rule gave rise to a cultural and spiritual awakening
in India that inspired millions to take pride in the traditions and
achievements of their nation. Rediscovery of India’s past by
nationalist and other leaders infused self-confidence and revealed
to the people that they were in no way inferior to the British. Most
of all, it was the British rule in India that produced nationalist
leaders brilliant in their strength of self-sacrifice and perseverance
aimed at achieving freedom for India. They inspire us to this day
with their patriotism, courage and highly-valued ideals.
On Good and
Bad Neighbours
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. One cannot choose one’s neighbours.
2. One has to learn to live with neighbours.
3. Neighbours have their positive points.
4. Who are good and who bad as neighbours?
5. Misunderstandings to be avoided.
6. We must see to it that we ourselves are counted
among the ‘good’ neighbours.
O
NE cannot choose everything in life. Nowhere is this more
applicable than when it comes to the kind of neighbours
one ends up with. It is simply a matter of chance and fate—
if one believes in fate. If one is lucky enough, one may be blessed
with neighbours who are ready to help and share problems and
can be depended upon in times of need. On the other hand, some
of us have to put up with a bunch of troublemakers—neighbours
who have nothing better to do than to be too interested in what
is going on in the house next door and who are always eager to
create an unpleasant scene or commotion.
The truth is, one cannot really isolate oneself completely from
the people around. The link between a human being and society
is not only age-old but essential for the survival of humankind.
For an individual, the mere fact of the existence of the society is
a strong reason for feeling secure. As our neighbours are the
people dwelling closest to us, we cannot naturally avoid
communicating and socialising with them. Constant interaction
among neighbours is practically inevitable nowadays as a result
of the large number of flats mushrooming in suburbs, towns and
cities. The flat system has brought people closer to each other
especially as they are required to share public facilities like the
car parking space, the elevators and the garbage disposal
arrangement. In such cases, people cannot help but bump into each
other while going to and fro.
Moreover, who else can we depend upon when suddenly
confronted with problems and requiring help, especially in case
of an emergency? Only our neighbours can respond quickly and
save the situation. For instance, if a burglar were to suddenly
attack your house, would you not cry out for help hoping that
your neighbours would hear you and come to your rescue? And,
if possible, would you not rightaway bang upon your neighbour’s
door for help?
But what makes neighbours good or bad anyway? Good
neighbours are those that are ready to lend you a hand when you
are faced with a problem or a dilemma. Let us say that you have
to leave your home for a few hours on an emergency but you
are also expecting the gas wallah to drop in at any moment. In
such a situation, the first person who would come to your mind
is your trusted neighbour. You can always leave your keys with
them and expect them to carry out the task for you. If you have
guests at your home and fall short of some item or other, would
you not rush immediately to your neighbour’s place for help?
Though too much of that borrowing—especially without returning
the item—is a sign of a ‘bad’ neighbour. Good neighbours are those
who are willing to share common concerns with you. If your colony
is facing constant threats of burglary or if violent outbursts in
nearby areas have awakened fears, it is usual for the neighbours
to get together and plan out some means to counteract the
danger—like the ‘neighbourhood watch’ to keep watch on a shift
basis. Such cooperation and helpful interaction show not only how
supportive neighbours can foster a friendly environment but also
lay the foundation for a better society.
Good neighbours also make life much more easy. There are
times when one may feel lonely or sad and wish for someone close
at hand to discuss the problems with. Good neighbours are always
there at such times to provide comfort and assurance. Routine
gatherings, and occasional picnics and outings can make life more
exciting and offer a change from routine.
On the contrary, uncooperative and selfish neighbours can
directly make the neighbourhood an accursed place to live in.
Worst are those that simply love violating the privacy of other
people’s lives. You often find them peeping from their windows
or loitering by their front doors with a hungry gleam in their eyes,
keeping a lookout for everything that might be happening next
door. Such people are a great nuisance, for everyone has a right
to privacy. Gossiping among neighbours about each other and

mainly those who are not ready to join them in their chats is
another irritating problem. Half-truths and total lies are exchanged
and rumours thrown around—all these just because of their
curiosity and craving for excitement. Sometimes, neighbours totally
refuse to cooperate, and break the unity of the neighbourhood.
In extreme cases, neighbours, for what would seem a trivial
mistake, get ready to shake their fists and create an uproar.
Often misunderstandings cause neighbours to view each other
as sworn enemies. In this fast-paced life we lead today, there is
not much time available for leisure. Most of the time, one is
involved in some kind of work or the other. People who are loaded
with work from morning to evening cannot be expected to pay
social calls or frequently visit their neighbours for friendly chats.
This is generally mistaken as a sign of snobbishness or total
disrespect for social norms and obligations. Neighbours need to
understand that it is not necessary to pour attention over each other
in order to be good neighbours.
One cannot do away with one’s neighbours, however bad they
may be. At the same time, one cannot live without trustworthy
neighbours who would be concerned enough to help in times of
distress. Each one of us must ensure that we act as good
neighbours. It would do good to remember that we should do
unto our neighbours just as we would expect them to do unto
us.
Superstitions
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Superstition—its nature and its universality.
2. Possible origins.
3. Examples of popular superstitions in the West and in
India.
4. Cruelty involved in some superstitions.
5. Influence on human conduct.
6. How their hold has been loosened.
7. Element of superstition is bound to linger on.
H
OW many of us can resist checking our step on seeing
a black cat crossing our path? Or, in the silence of the
night, suppress an uneasy feeling on hearing the howl of
a dog? It is almost universally believed that black cats crossing
your path indicate failure in your mission and the howl of a dog
intimates death to someone close. Beliefs like these are termed
‘superstitions’.
Superstition means an irrational belief in or notion of the
ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, or the
like. This is a universal phenomenon cutting across caste, communal,
and even national boundaries. All over the globe, people have
superstitions, although the superstitions may vary from country
to country or from region to region. Nor does education drive
away superstition completely. Superstitions are so deep-rooted in
many societies that despite all evidence of their lack of impact,
people continue to hold fast to them and allow their lives to be
ruled by them.
It is argued that superstitions owe their origin to the element
of fear, the urge for security and material welfare of the individual.
Human beings are more concerned about their physical comfort
and pleasures than other animals. Also, the desire for success in
projects involving material welfare is so deep in human beings
that even the thought of failure unnerves them. They would go
to any length to ward off a peril, real or imaginary, to their health,
life, wealth and other physical or non-physical pleasures. All these
Superstitions 271
elements make humans seek something on which they can pin their
hopes or put the blame if things go wrong. Superstitions involve
either positively doing certain things or avoiding certain situations
or things; the latter, one may term negative superstitions. In any
form, they portray the basic insecurity and lack of self-confidence
in human beings.
Far back in the pre-historic era, unable to explain certain
phenomena and also because they had little control over the forces
of nature, human beings attributed to certain events the power to
control human action. Evidence of superstitious beliefs can be
found even in the earliest human settlements in the later Paleolithic
and Neolithic periods. The graves of those periods contained
various articles of day-to-day use, manifesting the belief that they
would be of use to the dead in an after life. Here, of course, one
does not quite know how to separate religious and superstitious
beliefs. Even in the highly developed civilisation of the Indus
Valley, amulets were used possibly to ward off evil forces or
unknown disasters. The courageous and adventurous Aryans of
the Rigvedic period were also not free from superstitions.
Superstitions probably established themselves through
repeated coincidences. For example, if a person often met a
particular type of animal while going out on a mission, and each
time he was unsuccessful, he would have begun to regard that
animal as a bad omen. Or conversely, success associated with a
series of coincidental happenings could also have created a
superstition. The role of priesthood was also significant in
popularising superstitions, such as totemism. This gave the
superstitions the status and sanctity of religion.
In the West, the number ‘13’ is considered to bring ill-luck.
A house of this number generally fills the inmates with fear of
disease and death. Often, the number is missed and house
numbers jump from 12 to 14! But non-Westernised Indians hardly
attach importance to the number 13. Passing under a ladder is
considered unlucky by a Westerner but not by an Indian. India,
however, is rich in its own superstitions. Looking at an empty
vessel at the time of coming out of the house is supposed to bring
failure. So, its corollary is devised—keeping a vessel full of water,
rice or milk on the way out! If someone sneezes when one is getting
ready to go out, one is likely to fail, it is believed. People do
not like to be called back or asked a question just as they are
setting out for some work. Artificial black braids or shoes are hung
at the back of vehicles, whether it is a truck or a posh Mercedes,
to ward off the ‘evil eye’. A newly-built house has to be saved
from the evil eye, so an ugly fearsome face usually painted on

the back of an earthen vessel is fixed to the facade of the house.
Shops usually have a string of lemon and green chillies hanging
over the door to ward off evil. There is no end to the list of such
things in India.
At times, superstitions can be cruel and hurtful. These involve
human beings. Particular people are regarded ill-omened just
because a death or a serious accident took place in the family after
they appeared on the scene. In Indian society, the bride often has
to pay a heavy price if immediately after her marriage the death
of her husband or any other member of her husband’s family
occurs; for the rest of her life she is subjected to taunts and torture,
though for no fault of hers. A widow’s plight is bad enough in
our society but think of the inhuman superstition of considering
her an unlucky omen if she comes face to face with you on your
way somewhere. Many social groups, castes and individuals also
suffer permanently because of such superstitions. Horrendous
incidents are reported of children being killed as sacrifice to
appease gods so that a large-scale construction being undertaken
is assured a smooth progress. The sooner such superstitions are
got rid of the better for society.
Superstitions influence human conduct as well. They fill us
with unnecessary anxiety and fear, leading to nervous strain. They
reduce the capability of people to perform certain tasks or delay
the accomplishment of jobs. Many a person goes back home on
coming across some ill omen. Superstitions also sour human
relationships. For example, sneezing is a biological phenomenon,
and asking a question at someone’s departure is natural curiosity,
but instances like these sometimes embitter the persons on their
way somewhere.
Some of the superstitions, however, indirectly prove beneficial.
For example, finding of a horse-shoe and carrying it along is
regarded auspicious. The action actually proves beneficial to
others as the horse-shoe could, if not removed, hurt a person or
damage a wheel! Similarly, the breaking of crockery at marriages
is considered good, since it lessens the feeling of loss that would
otherwise be caused on account of a financial loss.
But on the whole, superstitions are detrimental to the
individual as well as to society. Their hold on people is so strong
that, even if nothing bad happens to one after a so-called
inauspicious incident, one does not change one’s belief. Success
on a mission despite a black cat’s running across the path is not
enough to free one’s mind from that superstition. In fact,
Superstitions 273
superstitions are irrational, beyond logic, and so no reasoning can

weaken their hold on the human mind. Furthermore, as Gibbon
observed in his classic work on the Roman Empire, “... the practice
of superstition is so congenial to the multitude that if they are
forcibly awakened, they still regret the loss of their pleasing
vision.”
Superstitions exist throughout the world despite scientific
advances. But the spread of science and education among the
masses has certainly given rise to a significant number of persons
who do not believe in these superstitions. The compulsions of
modern life have also caused some of the superstitions to fade
out. One cannot heed anybody’s sneezes if one has to be punctual
on duty or cannot miss a flight. The ever-increasing influence of
the mass media has also proved the hollowness and harmful
impact of the superstitions. Education, in general, has reduced the
area of darkness in human mind and instilled among people
courage, self-confidence and rationality, and this has led to the
natural death of some superstitions.
However, whilst we, as the inheritors of the knowledge of the
ages, make these deprecating remarks on superstitions, the words
of Shakespeare’s Hamlet do not fail to haunt us even now:
There are more things, in heaven and earth...
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Sports sans
Sportsmanship
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Social character of sports.
2. Philosophy of sports could encourage world peace.
3. Sportsmanship—essence of sports evoking fair play as
against winning at all cost.
4. Violence and sports.
5. Degeneration of the sportsmanship spirit today.
6. Part of the degeneration is due to the fierce nationalistic
feelings; this nationalism can become ugly in sports, and
infects the spectators as well.
7. Genuine interest in sports implies sportsmanship and
appreciation without bias—an almost unattainable ideal.
8. Modern day competitive spirit both good and bad for
sports; investment of big money in sports also kills
sportsmanship spirit.
9. Rat race effect seen in sports also.
10. Media coverage adds to this “mega event” effect.
11. People need to contemplate how to retain dignity and
grace in defeat.
S
PORTS events are essentially social in character. They facilitate
the coming together of people from various parts of the
country, at a national level, and various parts of the world,
at the international level. Through sports cultural barriers are
broken down and a language spoken that is understood by all.
The philosophy of sports is based on the assumption that a
“game will be played in the spirit of the game”. Rules of decency
and decorum will on no account be violated by all those related
to sports. The spirit of sports is to embody a combination of
qualities such as fairness, courtesy, generosity, grace and decency
or, in one word, ‘sportsmanship’. Sports does not simply involve
players, spectators, sports authorities, media, sponsors; each and
every group or faction that is even remotely associated with sports
is a fundamental part of an event. And all of them, then, are

expected to maintain a code of conduct and nurture the sporting
spirit.
Sportsmanship is a mental or psychological attitude that
arouses a sense of fair play. Unless this psychological set-up is
maintained, sports would become a testing ground of mere physical
prowess and virility. If sports encourages the development of a
fine character, sports sans sportsmanship encourages outbursts of
foul and animal instincts. When Roman satirist Horace commented
around 2,000 years ago—“Sports begets tumultuous strife and
wrath, and wrath begets fierce quarrels”—he probably meant
sports devoid of sportive spirit. George Orwell, in the modern
context, remarked: “Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play.
It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of
all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other
words it is war minus the shooting.”
Violence has always been a part and parcel of sports. The
legendary sporting event where slaves were thrown in the ring
to fight hungry lions for the amusement of the Roman emperors
is not something very different from the boxing matches where
two adults thrash each other’s head into pulp. The nature of
spectator involvement is also probably the same. Violence, however,
in the modern context, is the result of the solid perversion of the
desire to win. Killer instinct is, no doubt, a pre-requisite to victory
but this instinct has unfortunately become negative, intolerant,
unthinking and destructive. A bowler whose delivery is intended
to hurt the batsman certainly embodies the negative killer instinct.
The famous cricketer, Dennis Lilee’s remark—“I want to see blood
splattered on the pitch”—is an example of the manifestation of
a violent spirit that will accept no defeat.
A game today is not played in the spirit of the game. In order
to attain hitherto unattained standards of excellence the players
sometimes resort to ungentlemanly, though not always unlawful,
behaviour. The nobility of a game has been lost, as victory is all
that matters and participation in an event is not enough. A game
has become a cut-throat competition and participants from other
countries are not fellow sportsmen but enemies. A good performance
these days doesn’t bring joy; only success does. And if a player
attaches so much significance to victory, can he at the same time
embody the real spirit of sports?
The highly ungraceful and antagonistic behaviour of contending
teams towards each other can be explained in terms of their
nationalist attitudes. Sudhanshu Shekhar Roy writes in Sports For
Global Peace that “with advancement in all fields, the economic
restructuring and the growth of regionalism, sports remains the

major instrument to promote loyalty and identity”. Sports is a vital
field which manifests the development of a country and sportsmen,
and countrymen tend to derive self-assurance and national pride
from victory. The sentiment is no doubt a noble one and if it
motivates a player to achieve standards it should be encouraged.
However, nationalism in sports has taken an ugly dimension. Most
players regard themselves as countries personified and the
playground as a Kurukshetra where the esteem and honour of their
motherland has to be kept high. However, if the patriotic sentiments
of the players move towards their extreme, the game becomes
little less than a war between two nations. Extreme nationality (or
regionality, if the game is on national level) aggravates competitive
sentiments.
A similar jingoistic fervour grips the spectators. Desmond
Morris in his book, The Soccer Tribe, reflects on the emotions that
lead to a heightening of bonds between people and allow for a
sense of collective involvement. Spectators who are part of the
crowd derive energy to relieve their ecatasy or agony. A supportive
home crowd can actually inspire and elevate the players to victory.
However, the reverse is also true. Volatile crowds can make the
otherwise indefatigable champions lose simply because they could
not perform their best in hostile conditions. Goran Ivanisevic, the
Croatian tennis player, described the passionate crowds’ flag-
waving as—“It was like playing in a zoo. They were screaming
for everything.”
Nationalism in sports is nothing new. Even nations express
their ideological stand through sports. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics,
Hitler attempted to prove the supremacy of the Aryan race. The
Moscow Olympics were boycotted by the US and its allies as a
protest against Soviet troops taking up position in Afghanistan.
The Los Angeles Olympics were boycotted by the Soviet Union
as a retaliatory measure. South Africa was banned from participating
in the Olympics for 32 years because of its apartheid policies. One
might succeed in giving a rational explanation for such moves by
nations but the point is that it hinders the fostering of sportsmanship
in all its connotations. Boycott of games or matches because of
ideological differences presupposes that sports events are nothing
but wars. Ironically, the participation of countries in sports events
has failed to increase international fraternity. Latin American
countries have virtually gone to war over a football match. An
India-Pakistan cricket or hockey match is seen virtually as a war
between the two countries. Even good playing by the opposing
team dare not be applauded lest one be castigated as a traitor
to the nation. This kind of attitude kills one’s natural appreciation

of a game. Politics has completely spoilt India-Pakistan tournaments
so that they leave no place for sportsmanship.
A person who is genuinely interested in sports would
thoroughly enjoy a game, irrespective of who is playing. Having
preferences for a particular player or a team is not unsportsmanlike.
But basing one’s preferences purely on nationalist grounds and
letting those preferences mar a match because of highly unruly
behaviour would amount to ungamely spirit. A good shot—
whether played by a Tendulkar or a Jayasuriya—should evoke the
same response. Ideally, sportsmanship allows for an honest
appreciation of sports irrespective of victory or defeat (of home
team or of other favourites). However, the attainment of this ideal
state of maturity is almost an impossibility because most people
have a tendency to watch only those events in which their own
country is participating. But the crowd can at least be expected
to let the match proceed without any violent disruptions and
refrain from venting their anger towards the opponent team.
The ungamely attitude of both players and spectators can
possibly be explained in terms of modern psyche of an individual.
Life for most human beings today is a sort of competition where
each one struggles to win. Everyone cannot emerge victorious;
however, the insatiable greed for victory remains. For the spectators
the victory of one team (mostly their favourite) gives them the
vicarious pleasure of winning. They invest in the event not just
in terms of money and time but also emotions. And when they
make such a huge investment, they expect similar returns, sometimes
unreasonably. A victory leaves them euphoric while defeat makes
them utterly depressed leading to hysterical responses which may
be highly indisciplined and undignified. Victory for them provides
satisfaction of collective ego and a triumph over destiny.
Strife and quarrels during matches have become ubiquitous.
Whether it is a match on the street between children or a
tournament at the school/college/district level or a national/
international sports event, it is marked by fights and serious
disagreements. The unyielding spirit to win and only win, at
whatsoever cost, reflects the ethos of a highly insensitive and
competitive society. The players exist in society where defeat is
not acceptable, where losers deserve no sympathy. The pressure
on them to win, by hook or crook, is so great that the players
succumb to unfair and aggressive means. They have been hailed
as celebrites by the media and have to live up to their name and
fame. Is it possible for them in such circumstances, with pressure
to perform better from all sides, to abstain from unfair means?

Degeneration of sportsmanship is also a part of the process of
materialisation that a society goes through. Sports heroes are
literally showered with money and advertisement contracts.
Sponsorships tempt players to perform better and give their best
but the true sporting spirit is pushed to the side. It is overshadowed
by the obsession to make money.
Sports administration, commercial sponsors and the media are
equally responsible for emotional flare-ups in the players and the
spectators (or viewers). All of them play a dual role. They provide
the much-needed facilities and encouragement to the sportspersons
but have also created nightmares for them. Sponsorship and money
from commercial houses ensure the availability of modern facilities
for the players. They have helped (although indirectly) provide
a professional touch to sports. But the question is—do they
promote a healthy sporting spirit and a healthy sports-loving
nation? Do not the corporate sponsors, with the ulterior motive
of selling their products, popularise or hype a forthcoming sports
event through advertisements and manipulate public behaviour?
The media’s extensive coverage of sports events has made
them mega events. It makes sportspersons celebrities in a day and
creates a false image of their invincibility. The players become a
victim of their image and cannot sustain the burden of media
attention for long. Most of these players are young and, more often
than not, exaggerated hero worship by the media and people
makes them over-confident and brash. It also builds an
unsurmountable pressure on them to give a consistently good
performance, which is an extremely unreasonable demand.
It has been said that it is only in defeat that a human being
reveals himself or herself. Losing a game creates an opportunity
to show real sportsmanship—grace, dignity, generosity, resilience
and nobility. Unfortunately, the players and spectators need to
realise that lessons are to be learnt from defeat. One side has to
win and the other has to lose, after all, in any game.
Ethics in Sports
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Today sports events are close to battles: winning at any
cost is what matters. In this context ethics is nowhere in
sight.
2. Instances of violence in sports events.
3. The issue of doping in sports.
4. Big money and speculation with consequences like
match-fixing.
5. Why unethical practices abound in sports today.
6. Unethical practices antithetical to the very principle of
sports.
G
EORGE Orwell once commented that serious sport had
nothing to do with fair play; it was bound up with hatred,
jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic
pleasure in witnessing violence. The comment is apt in summing
up the attitude that governs sports in modern times.
Professional sports is nothing less than a battle, and winning
is a matter of life and death. This kind of an attitude has seeped
through to sports at the amateur level as well. As a result, sports
has been increasingly witnessing a complete disregard for sports
ethics. Today, the influence of the money factor in sports is so great
that not only are contestants ready to go to any lengths to win
a match but also, they are ready to cheat, lie or commit other crimes
if they have to. Stories of match fixing have shocked many a sports
lover.
Let us take violence first. Cases of extreme injuries and even
deaths as a result of intentional violence have been on the rise.
Some sports disciplines such as boxing and soccer have been in
particular prone to such violence. Frenchman Battiston was seriously
injured in the 1986 Soccer World Cup by a tackle of the West
German goalkeeper, Schumacher. In the 1994 World Cup, Brazil’s
Leonardo knocked out American Tab Ramos with his elbow in an
act of aggression. Maybe the worst instance of violence in recent
times has been the killing of Columbian football star, Andres
Escobar, by his fans for scoring a goal against his own country
which helped the US beat his team 2-1 in the 1994 World Cup
Soccer. Monica Seles, the most successful woman tennis player in
1993, was felled by a knife on the back while on a tennis court
by a fan of her main rival. Another incident that drew a lot of
international criticism was the attack on the American skater, Nancy
Kerrigan, inspired by professional jealousy. Sports violence is not
restricted to a handful of nations; it has become a universal
phenomenon. It is not only the contestants who are involved in
such acts; the spectators and fans as well commit violence to help
their teams or players win or simply out of anger and frustration.
In ancient Greece and Rome, new violent games, such as Pankration,
were invented to delight the people. It was a craze for witnessing
and revelling in extreme violence that prevailed then and it seems
to be the same today. Witness, for instance, the mania which the
new form of extremely violent wrestling promoted by the WWF
has acquired in the last few years. The violent nature of games
such as boxing and motor-racing results in great physical damage
and even death.
Another serious problem in modern sports is doping, or use
of drugs to improve one’s performance. Today it is a major issue
of controversy in the Olympic Games, the Asiad and other major
meets. The punishment for use of drugs in sports is strict: drug-
using players are not only stripped of their medals but temporarily
suspended, and banned from the sport for life if drugs are again
detected in the tests conducted by the authorised organisation.
However, these have failed to discourage the players from using
them. What has also failed to check doping is the harmful effects
of use of drugs for increasing performance. The major consequences
of performance-enhancing drugs are cancerous growths, liver
damage and impotency. It is shocking to observe that mostly it
is the managers of the teams as well as the coaches who are
responsible for encouraging the taking of drugs among players.
An incident that comes to mind is the suspension of Argentinian
soccer superstar, Diego Maradona, for testing positive for a drug
containing five banned substances. Athletes from India too have
been penalised for drug use in sports. This is shameful.
Bribes to players are increasingly on the rise. This practice
has been most widely seen in what was once the gentleman’s
game—cricket. Bribes are offered to teams/players so that the
other contesting team/player can win a match. A reason for the
offering of bribes is the huge amount of money that is spent by
fans and groups on betting upon the winner. Thus, the defeat of
a team can spell a loss of millions of dollars for international

players in the betting market. Another unethical practice is that
of cheating by players on the ground or the field itself. This
problem is not of new origin; however, it remains a menace to
the healthy development of sports. In the game of cricket, for
instance, cheating has involved use of vaseline on the ball and
tampering with the ball to get quick wickets as well as throwing
the ball violently to seriously injure the batsmen.
There is a need to understand why ethical standards in sports
have so drastically fallen in modern times. Professional sports
today is not just a game; it is taken very seriously and given all
the attention that excelling in a profession demands of a person.
It involves a great deal of physical and mental strain. Training often
starts at a very young age. The child is mentally trained with the
object of securing a high level of excellence in his or her discipline.
For years, the blooming player spends all his or her time, energy
and resources on acquiring the talent, devotion and perfection that
will put him or her on the top at the earliest possible time. These
children sacrifice their family life and social life in the process.
Thus, to achieve their aim is nothing less than an obsession. It
is not only the urge to excel that comes from within themselves;
pressure from outside is equally keen to ensure that they give
more than their best. Winning means a lot of fame and, most
importantly, money. The wish to be seen as a legend in the sport
concerned is very strong in professional players. Thus when they
are not able to achieve their dream, they sometimes take to
cheating, lying, doping or even outright violence out of
psychological strain and frustration. They sometimes, though
sincerely, try so hard to win that they end up hurting themselves
psychologically or even physically. The death of the legendary
Senna, whose name is counted among the greats in car racing, on
the track during a race is only one example amidst a host of others.
Maybe such an attitude in sports only reflects the modern man’s
attitude towards life in general—one that is stressful and measured
by material success alone.
The people who view the performance get equally involved
in the game. As a result, there are fights among fans of different
teams while watching a game, threats to players and attempts on
the part of fans to prove their craze or loyalty, call it what you
will, towards a player or team. Often, matches between teams
representing two nations are taken so seriously that a defeat may
be considered nothing less than a loss of prestige and honour of
a country, and it may inspire a violent expression of patriotism.
Such practices are antithetical to the very principle of sports.

So, apart from strict penalties and punishments, what can be done
to ensure ‘clean’ sports? There is a need to sincerely understand
that sports ought to be ‘played’ and not ‘fought’. Winning and
losing must be viewed as part of the game. Thus, what is required
is developing a sportsmanspirit within the players, the coaches,
the managers as well as sports fans. Resorting to scheming and
cheap practices to simply win is not fair towards the players and
teams who play the game with honesty. The wrong-doers must
remember that even these players train hard to physically and
mentally equip themselves for a match. Sports must involve real
competition that calls into play the talent, stamina, perseverance
and determination that the players naturally possess or have
acquired from hard training.
Use of wrong means to achieve a victory is degrading to the
very spirit of sports and humanity. Use of drugs, in particular,
ought to be effectively tackled as it shows the way to physical,
mental and moral degeneration of humans.
Men have failed; let

women take over
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Men have ruled till now: world is no better place—
politically, socio-economically, environmentally.
2. Women have achieved a maturity and several good
qualities born out of the oppression and suppression
undergone through the ages.
3. The skills she brings to manage a home can make her
competent to manage a larger region.
4. Women’s physical weakness made up for in mental
strength.
5. Today’s woman, given the opportunity, can accomplish
as much as men.
6. Women would bring more sensitivity, fair play, and
compassion to position of power.
T
HE world has been ruled by men for long. And just one
look at the state of things today makes one feel that they
have played a poor part. They have failed to fulfil all hopes
of making the world a better place to be in with the passage of
time. The world today is ravaged by war and disease—and many
other disasters created purely by the efforts of men to achieve more
than they are capable of. It is a world showing symptoms of a
dangerous kind, of things that would only destroy its well-being—
the global arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, a
fast depleting ozone layer and other environmental hazards
created by men at the helm. It is high time that women take over
the reins although it would be a world of bleak prospects that
would fall to their care.
What makes women fit for the role is their mettle. And this
has not been derived or nurtured in an instant; one can trace it
to centuries of oppression and suppression that have nevertheless
relentlessly demanded many things of a woman. She has never
been allowed the security that comes of belonging—when still a
child, it is her duty to submit to the wishes and demands of her
parents and brothers at home, and later in life it is her duty

towards her husband and children that is of the utmost significance.
But to begin with, she has never had a single home! First it is
her parents’ home where she is expected to feel fully secure. And
once she comes to feel that she belongs there, she is shifted to
her husband’s home which alone from then onwards may mean
everything or anything at all to her.
Patience, forbearance, calmness of temperament and nature—
all these and much more have been demanded of her at all times
though, in reality, she has only been exposed to conditions capable
of fostering the very opposite of these qualities. The male of the
species may waver, be irritable or even act according to his whims
and fancies; but women learn to be always controlled in their
thoughts and actions and virtuous to the core. And the reason why
she must be so? For the sake of the stability of the home and the
well-being of the family—as if the man had nothing to do with
the home and family! Such double standards have coerced her to
submit and adjust without any concern for her own wishes and
aspirations in life. But she has put up with all these for centuries
in a stately manner without being adequately satisfied in return.
And she has become stronger in the process.
Ironically, aeons of denial and sacrifice have nurtured in her
all the qualities she proudly possesses today and which have
established that the females are superior to the males. The qualities
that belong to the modern woman prove her mentally stronger than
men when it comes to facing the realities of life. It is a scientific
fact that girls mature earlier than boys do. And that most successful
single parenting comes from women.
Many may doubt the true emotional and physical strength
of women. It may be argued that after all she is physically weaker
than men and is the first to break down under emotional duress.
Such contentions do not take realities into consideration. Were
women in truth as weak physically as some portray them to be,
would they be able to undergo the physical pains involved in
childbirth not once or twice but again and again? And anyway,
how much has physical strength to do with running the affairs
of the world? There are a lot of emotional complications involved
in child bearing, child rearing and other biological functions
restricted to the female sex. These are, however, a part and parcel
of a woman’s biological life. Nevertheless she successfully copes
with them viewing them as such and at the same time has other
problems to deal with in the normal course of life. What more
is required to prove her emotional strength? And, by the way, tears
are just a way of expression that women are prone to more often
than men. It, in no way, indicates any emotional weakness but
rather a sensible way of unburdening the suffering mind so it can
feel relaxed at the earliest and concentrate on clear thinking. It is

only by suppressing sorrows and tensions within the breast that
a man opens himself to long-time anxieties that may ultimately
consume his mental and emotional strength.
The strengths and capabilities of the modern woman are such
that she can accomplish everything that men can. She has also now
after centuries learnt to appreciate her own qualities and assert
them. As a result today there is no area uninfluenced by her
advancing strides. Around the world women are proving themselves
capable of activities in any and every field to which they were
denied access for ages. It is especially the women of the Western
societies who have excelled themselves and have even overtaken
their male counterparts in many areas. But women from other
continents though lagging behind have equal potential in them.
It is just a matter of time before they prove their potential.
It is to be remembered that even today discrimination against
women is rampant at many levels and in various spheres. It is
the unequal treatment still meted out to women, sometimes by
women themselves, that is proving a hurdle to their total dominance
in many realms. In a society as that of India, many traditional
beliefs that degrade women are still given importance. Development
of women’s status in society is hardly given the attention it
deserves. But they have beaten it all to emerge with added strength
and vision.
It is only when women come to govern the world that one
can expect its glory and abundance to be saved from total
extinction!
The Indian Republic

POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. India as a republic governed by its Constitution; how far
have we followed its tenets?
2. Elections held regularly to change governments; but
quality of governance leaves much to be desired.
3. Literacy and life expectations have increased, death rate
is down, but progress could have been more; equitable
distribution lagging behind, though GNP has increased.
4. Social differences—caste and communal—are not
allowed to die down, as vested interests try to maintain
the differences.
5. Do we need to review the Constitution?
Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit and intelligence of the
citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils,
because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because
they flatter the people, in order to betray them.
JOSEPH STORY
J
ANUARY 26, 1950—India became a republic. Since then, the
Constitution of India has been the governing principle of this
country. Or, at least, it is supposed to have been so. It is, of
course, tempting to try and overview our achievements and
failures in upholding the tenets of that document. It is equally
tempting and easy to point at the failures—the poverty, the
illiteracy, the unemployment, the decadence in values, the paucity
of skills that matter, the all-embracing corruption, the distance from
the goals of social and economic justice and fraternity that we,
as the people of India, promised to give ourselves. Indeed, it is
also necessary to look at the shortcomings rather than crow over
the successes, because only then can we pay attention to these
factors and do something to overcome them.
That we have managed to survive as a democratic state
capable of holding free and fair elections and voting our leaders
to power is no mean achievement, considering that we are a
nascent republic in a region in which dictators and military

takeovers are none too rare. We still have troubled areas in the
North-East and the Kashmir problem that cannot be wished away,
but the overriding fear of balkanisation has receded. Democratic
traditions seem to have become rooted in our way of thinking.
But when we see the quality of governance, if indeed there is any
sign of it, we see how we have failed. Unless there is a firm
adherence to the rule of law, there can be no development worth
the name. Unless there is a firm commitment to the principle of
equality before law, we will remain a mediocre force in world
polity and economy; we will also be what is becoming a fashionable
word these days—a ‘soft’ state. For, unless the law enforcing
agency is free and unfettered of undue political influence, the
common people will not try to speak out against injustice, leave
alone act against it. Ultimately, unless the quality and vision of
our politicians and law-makers improve, the future does not seem
to hold much promise.
On the socio-economic front and the technological front, we
have a mixture of achievements and failures. Certainly, our GDP
has outgrown what has been called the Hindu rate of growth.
Incomes have risen and so has spending power. The structure of
the economy has been transformed, with the share of agriculture
having come down and the share of services accounting for more
than 50 per cent. Foodgrains production has gone up several times
from the 50 million tonnes in 1950-51. Industrial expansion has
no doubt taken place. Some industries have soared— software and
telecom, for instance. There are more brands of consumer goods
available to the Indian buyer—at least the urban buyer. Our space
scientists have done us proud. ISRO has not only reached out to
the Moon and Mars, but has been successful in expanding our
communication system and in applying remote sensing for the
benefit of various fields. But the picture is highly lopsided. In core
areas we have stupendous shortcomings; as somebody has pointed
out, more Indian homes have more cell phones than toilets, and
rural India still has little potable water and less power. Infrastructure
is both insufficient and inefficient—a deadly combination that
adversely affects our industrial progress.
We have immensely bright young scientists and economists
working abroad, most of them products of our technology institutes
and centres of higher learning. Life expectancy and literacy are
up and the death rate is down. But we are still way behind some
of the other nations of Asia in the field of literacy and primary
school education. The State has failed in this sector, for it was the
State’s duty to see to it that the children of this country are

educated. There are two Indias—one which enjoys access to
Internet and all the modern amenities that technology is able to
produce, and another that does not know even the alphabet and
lacks the purchasing power to eat one square meal a day. We have
mastered the technique of sending satellites into space and
mapping groundwater and minerals, but the reach of these
facilities is grossly restricted. The day-to-day life of a majority of
Indians remains unaffected by science and technology. The equitable
distribution that was once dreamt of is still a dream. There are
so many Indians still lacking basic health facilities, who have to
trek miles before they can avail of a modicum of medical attention.
But we have to admit, at the same time, that several deadly
diseases have been brought under control and there is an attempt
being made at immunisation of children to protect them from
various diseases.
Social uplift is seen to be feasible only through reservations,
and not through encouraging merit and providing equal and best
opportunity to one and all. A policy that was supposed to have
been in place for ten years, to enable the downtrodden to catch
up with the more fortunate, has been extended automatically to
serve political ends; now more and more sections of the populace
want to jump onto the bandwagon of reservations.
Are we secular? Even if by ‘genes’ we are so, vested political
interests have turned the very term to mean different things to
different people. Communal riots still dog us. And we bicker about
who is more responsible for them. Over the years suspicion
between communities has risen, not diminished. Most of the
responsibility for this state of affairs lies with the politicians who
exploit religious sentiments to create vote banks.
In view of persisting problems, does the Constitution need
a review?
If we look at some of the amendments of the past, the
Constitution appears to have been modified in no small way. As
the eminent constitutional historian, Granville Austin, has pointed
out, neither the idea of reviewing the Constitution nor the topics
to be discussed is new. There have been major ‘reviews’ in the
past, he says, starting with the one that produced the Ninth
Schedule to protect certain government-selected laws from judicial
scrutiny. Yet another review began with the Golak Nath case of
1967, extending through the Nath Pai Bill and producing the 24th
Amendment and finally the Supreme Court’s “basic structure
doctrine” in the Keshavananda Bharati case. Then came the 42nd
Amendment, which many have called a ‘mini constitution’, so

deeply did it alter the very form of the Constitution and threatened
the very democratic structure of the country. Then there was a
review, this time positive, to overturn some of the drastic changes
brought in by the 42nd Amendment, when the 43rd and 44th
Amendments came about. As for ensuring stability, it is pointed
out that governments will become stable not through constitutional
amendment, but when factionalism and its causes decline. The
Constitution, as Granville Austin says, needs less to be reviewed
than to be implemented.
Indeed, most of the ills that beset us today, whether it is on
the economic front, the social arena or in the educational field,
may be attributed to the poor quality of governance, and unless
the matter gets the attention it deserves no development is
possible.
Generation Gap
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. What is a generation gap?
2. Two aspects—chronological and psychological.
3. Tug-of-war between two generations.
4. Peer group pressures.
5. Friction mellows in later life.
6. Conclusion
T
HE generation gap is another of those characteristic features
that set Homo sapiens apart from other animals. It is doubtful
if the most intelligent of apes ever blamed its juniors for
their wayward ways! Over the years people have tried to analyse
it, explain it, understand it, even ignore it, but the ‘gap’ remains,
ready to confront each generation as it tries to formulate its own
perspectives about life and living.
A dictionary defines ‘generation’ as “all persons born about
the same time” and also as the “average time in which children
are ready to replace their parents—about 30 years.” This definition
in itself contains the seeds of the rift, chasm, cleft, call it what we
will, that translates into the generation gap. Not only does it
establish a definite group of contemporaries but it also categorically
states that the said group will ‘replace’ an earlier group—and no
one likes to be ‘replaced’! Hence the ensuing ‘gap’!
From this definition we come to the two aspects of the
generation gap—the chronological and the psychological. The
chronological gap between two generations is an irrefutable fact
of life that stares us in the eye like adolescence and menopause.
It has to happen, and happen it will. And given the mortality of
humans it is but natural that since one must grow old and one
day cease to be, there must be someone following ready to take
over, to whom one can hand over the baton. It need not be
replacement but inheritance, even if the inheritors do not follow
in the predecessors’ footsteps but walk their own road.
The life and times of two generations cannot be identical or
Generation Gap 291
even similar, thanks to modern research, progress in science, faster

and easier communications and even distasteful things like inflation
and population explosion. All these ensure that the world we live
in grows a new skin every few years. These changes in due course
affect our thinking and influence our attitudes, expectations,
behavioural patterns and values. These influences do, of course,
work on humankind per se but they have the greatest impact on
that section of society which is on the threshold of discovery—
discovery of the self, of life and of living. For someone who has
already measured swords with life a characteristic lifestyle is
already in place. So such persons, used as they are to living on
their own familiar terms, see no real need to change their habits
every time a new product hits the market to make their lives that
much more easy. A younger person would probably reach out for
it in all eagerness.
In essence, therefore, the generation gap is a tug-o’-war of
change versus stability, new versus old, modern versus traditional.
It does not have to become (and this is important) a tug-o’-war
of age versus youth. In fact, it need not take on the complexion
of a confrontation at all. As Tennyson wrote
The old order changeth yielding place to new,
And God fulfils himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.
Therefore change is a must for society to survive, whether
or not we accept it as part of God’s will. The new must replace
the old to retain freshness in living. It need not mean that those
used to an earlier and different lifestyle should sink. There is no
ultimatum involved. Ideally, the best of the old and the new ought
to be integrated for the true and smooth evolution of humankind.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done and each generation
continues to feel threatened by the next one, causing much heart-
burn and tension, and the generation gap takes the blame.
This friction is born out of the psychological factors involved
in the generation gap. The generation gap can be observed in the
smallest unit of society, the family, in the confrontation between
parent and child. Although according to the dictionary definition
children take 30 years before they are ready to replace their
parents, signs of the eventual take-over become manifest much
earlier. And what is true for the family holds good at all levels
of society. One group’s enthusiasm for, and another’s resistance
to, change is prevalent at all social strata and has a unifying effect
among members of the group.
The generation gap, to begin with, is hardly evident in

relations, whether between two individuals or between an individual
and society where one individual is below the age of five. The
tantrums of a two-year old or a toddler’s refusal to drink milk
can hardly qualify as difficult behaviour associated with the
generation gap. It is at a more social stage, when peer group
pressures begin to exert their influence on the individual, so much
so that he or she develops a feeling of belonging to one generation
as opposed to another, that the generation gap takes root. Peer
group pressure plays a major role in determining attitudes, values,
likes and dislikes, even speech, appearance and behaviour. From
the early school-going years to, say, puberty, parental pressures
do manage to carry the day, though diminishing annually in
strength. It is from adolescence to adulthood and maturity that
the chasm between the generations is at its widest. During this
period the adolescents strive to strike a balance between their
innate personalities moulded by nature and nurture and outside
dictates that demand conformity as a price for acceptance. It is
this struggle within, coupled with a very strong desire for
acceptance without, that prompts an outward show of ‘courage and
defiance’. Parents or guardians of society symbolise restrictions
and discipline and in the attempt to establish individuality and
independence there is an urge to break free of what seems the
shackles of discipline. As D.H. Lawrence has said, “We have to
hate our immediate predecessors to get free of their authority.”
With the onset of adulthood and maturity much of the
restlessness and rebellion mellows and the individual learns to
appreciate the need for both stability and change. On the other
hand, the older contenders, who were earlier over-zealous in their
aspirations to rear a perfect individual, too, have aged and become
increasingly aware of their own mortality. They learn to lower their
defences and the friction eases considerably.
A leading newspaper once launched a rather intelligent
advertising campaign in which it pit its increasingly larger
readership against that of a much older, traditional trusted name,
and called the differences in their sales—the generation gap. Each
successive generation has stuck out its tongue at the preceding
one, just as the latter has struck its palm against the forehead,
bemoaning the loss of morality and predicting dire reprisals. It
remains a case of “If Youth only knew and if Age only could”.
The advertisement only hammers home the fact that that was then,
and this is now!
The Child is the

Father of Man
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. A small seed grows into a big tree; so too with human
beings.
2. Infancy is the quintessential part of man’s life.
3. Genetic and environmental factors influencing a child’s
life.
4. Views of psychologists supporting the title statement—
Jenson, Eysenck, Freud.
5. Dostoevsky on how environment of childhood led to
lasting effect.
6. School and childhood—its lasting effect.
7. How ‘latent’ qualities last in spite of environmental
influence. However, specific basic qualities are present in
the childhood itself.
8. Environment can direct latent qualities so that what a
child has makes him a better man.
T
HE Child is the Father of Man—so said the celebrated
English poet, William Wordsworth. Indeed, a seed of the oak
or the banyan tree is tiny but, in a matter of years, it is
transformed into a huge tree. Perhaps the same is true for human
beings.
Modern scientists are inclined to state that genes, or rather
the X and Y chromosomes, are the real ‘Father of Man’, the generic
term ‘man’ including both men and women. As we are inheritors
of the patriarchal system our title appears to be male-dominated.
Feminists would be fully justified in writing about the child being
the mother of women! However, at the conceptual level and in
the world of ideas, both these superficially different topics amount
to much the same thing. Hence we would use the term ‘Man’ to
include members of both sexes. The basic idea is that infancy is
the quintessential part of a human’s life. The characteristics and
propensities of the infant get crystallised and transformed into the
personality and character of the same grown-up person.

The two factors that influence a child are genetic and
environmental. While the process of conception is purely genetic,
from a few weeks of that event the environmental factors come
into play even as the foetus is still in the mother’s womb. Sounds
are heard by the foetus within the first weeks of conception and
this sometimes elicits vigorous response.
These two factors have spawned two distinct schools of
thought whose proponents are eminent psychologists.
Dr Jenson of Stanford University in America believes in the theory
of supremacy of the white race and is convinced that genetics is
the factor of paramount importance. However, Prof. Eysenck of
London University believes that it is the environmental factors that
influence a child and shape his future personality development.
Rigorous research in the field continues, mainly based on statistical
methods. Much to the disappointment of Dr Jenson, it could not
be conclusively proved that any one race is superior to any other.
Hence we have to focus on environmental factors. In this
context, the studies and observations of Dr Sigmund Freud can
be considered in some detail. From his studies Dr Freud theorised
that early childhood lays the foundation and determines the course
of a child’s personality development. He postulated the various
psychological states such as the oral state, the anal state and so
on in a child’s development. He said that children who have
difficulty in graduating out of any one state were more likely to
develop psychological problems along the way. An “orally fixated”
person who had a problem at this particular Freudian state would
tend to suck his fingers and may later smoke heavily. The whole
theory of psychoanalysis focusses on the early childhood of a
person. Freud believed that even the boy-child’s greater attachment
to the mother and the girl-child’s to the father are an indication
of the heterosexual attraction between the sexes in later life. This
gave way, Freud observed, after a period of time to boys emulating
the father’s ways and the girls accepting the mother as the role-
model. This was reflected in the different kinds of games played
by boys and girls—a distinction that would continue.
The Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote powerful
psychological novels like Crime and Punishment and The Brothers
Karamazov. The principal characters were usually loners and
introverts who lived in a world of their own. Because of their
psychological isolation they seemed to behave in a strange, even
anti-social, manner. Dostoevsky was convinced that criminal or
negative tendencies were present due to adverse environmental
factors in childhood. He believed that if any bad deed were to

be committed before a child it would leave a lasting impression
and may even plant the seeds of delinquency at a later stage. Thus
he advised that impressionable minds should be kept away from
all vices, because any wrongdoing, even if witnessed accidentally,
could lead to serious repercussions in the future. The truth of this
is borne out by the grim statistical evidence of countless adult
misfits in society whose insecurity and instability stem from
broken homes and violent family lives. A child needs a healthy
environment to grow up in, as the values and qualities he imbibes
in childhood go a long way towards shaping his personality
subsequently.
From the parents and the family the school takes over. Almost
all educationists agree that the knowledge imparted to the child,
the skills taught to him and the qualities instilled in him at school
should have a bearing on his adult life. Unfortunately that does
not happen everytime, and the pressures of the modern day
education often produce adults incapable of fulfilling societal
needs.
Society too has a role to play in ensuring that the child is
shown the right way. Children do not run the country, heal the
sick or cultivate crops. Adults take care of these jobs. But the child
has the latent qualities to do all of these things and these must
be quickened to life with a jostle or a nudge as required.
However, the word ‘latent’ will bring us back to square one.
That this is the debate on Nature versus Nurture. Education and
environment do influence the course of an individual’s life but
they cannot always alter his natural propensities. Tagore and
Mozart gave plenty of indication of their promise in early
childhood itself. They were, of course, child prodigies, spurred
on by heredity. But even among lesser mortals, natural inclinations
and aptitudes do become manifest in childhood, sending out
signals of what the future holds in store. Whether it is a special
talent, a natural gift or even unpalatable “natural” tendencies to
lie or steal, the clues are hidden in the childhood years. One child
has an exceptional sense of melody, another is a magician with
the paintbrush, yet another takes apart and puts back his toy car
in seconds. The musical child will not hit the concert stage just
because he or she is tuneful—but with practice and training it’s
a possibility. Even the child’s nature can give an almost accurate
forecast about the future. The generous child shares his toys and
later his possessions, the tidy child puts away his toys and then
later picks up the clutter strewn over the house, the child who
assures captaincy of the street cricket team is likely to exhibit

similar leadership qualities in future. The ‘hoarder’ will first hoard
his marbles and then his money. Environment and guidance can
help the child to realise or overcome his inherent predilections.
Throughout all this we must remember that just because the
child is the preamble to the man, we cannot simply press a few
buttons to programme perfect adults. Nor can we afford to sit back
and say “this child will lead and this child will follow”. Through
perseverance, tenacity and plain good sense we can recognise and
bolster the child’s innate strengths, respect individual differences
and teach him right from wrong. There is a saying “morning shows
the day” but in fact it is not a fool-proof method of weather
forecasting. Similarly, even if we accept that the child is the “Father
of Man” we can help him become a better patriarch with a little
prompting.
Compassion is the basis of all morality 297
Compassion is the
basis of all morality
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Close relationship between compassion and morality.
2. Instances of moral principles/actions drawing from the
roots of compassion.
3. Social morality also based on compassion.
4. Today, lack of morality can be linked to disappearance
of compassion; the link should be revived.
‘T HERE is no need to define morality; let man be simply

compassionate.’ This sentence expresses the basic essence
of morality: the extent to which it relies on compassion
for its definition. For when we think about it, is not that truly
human feeling of compassion the basis of all morality?
Morality rests for its very meaning on the concepts of ‘good’
and, ‘bad’ where ‘good’ refers to all thoughts and deeds that do
not aim at, or accomplish, any harm or injury or do not involve
an attempt to inflict suffering on others. Thus morality (or what
is not morality) is based on one’s ability to understand, being able
to sympathise, feel kindness and sorrow for and identify oneself
with the sufferings of one’s fellow men. So only compassion can
give rise to moral thoughts and feelings.
If we consider all those thoughts and deeds that are truly
moral in character, we will see how compassion drives morality.
Depriving people of what is theirs or what must belong to them—
what is called stealing—for selfish ends, taunting or insulting
others through words or actions for the purpose of self-gratification,
violence—expressed verbally or as acts of torture, killing, etc.—
for the sake of violence contradict morality as well as an inner
feeling of kindness and compassion.
Truth is indeed a controversial aspect of morality. But almost
always it can be justified as a moral principle on the basis of
compassion. When we talk about speaking the truth in order not
to hide what, if hidden, will only prove damaging to others, we

are emphasising the ability to ‘feel’ for others. Again, often we
purposely keep ourselves from communicating the truth as, once
revealed, it may hurt someone’s feelings and sentiments. But
keeping a person in the dark or denying him or her knowledge
which he or she ought to have amounts to cheating another soul
of its right to know that with which it has a concern. An anxious
feeling to see that a person is not cheated of what is due to him
or her may make us reveal the truth ultimately. It is the same
feeling of being truthful in order not to betray another person that
constitutes sexual morality in any relationship. A deep-felt concern
for the companion’s feelings of hurt and rejection is necessary for
the moral aspect to prevail.
When we talk about social morality of any kind, what comes
into play is our ability to feel for the well-being of our society.
A certain moral code of conduct is ultimately necessary to ensure
that the society does not fall prey to degeneration of values, which
would lead to rampant suffering to and ultimately to chaos. It is
a concern to help the society by safeguarding it from unwanted
ills and malaises and ensuring its well-being that is at the root
of social morality. Society’s concerns are our concerns: anything
capable of causing a detrimental impact on it in the short-term
or in course of time is ultimately bound to affect us and our
children.
There is the need to realise that human beings must continue
to feel compassion for the sake of themselves as individuals as
well as the society. But like any other human trait, compassion
ought to be continually exercised if it is to remain a dominant
force. Unfortunately, in modern society what we witness is a
complete lack of kindness and sympathy between fellow beings.
One can only shake one’s head and say that just like other
cherished values even compassion is getting eroded in the hustle
and bustle of the mechanical existence of the times. What remains
is material values that look only towards immediate personal gains
and in the process rid humans of whatever ‘humanness’ is left in
them. Morality is fast disappearing, it seems. But it need not be
so if only we would tell ourselves that genuine feelings of the
human heart, mainly compassion, need to survive for the betterment
of the human society and mankind as a whole. After all, can
humans rid themselves totally of all feelings of compassion try
as hard as they may?
It is only by feeling for others’ sorrows and suffering that one
can sympathise with them and help those in need. This is the
underlying principle of all morality which has to survive and that
too abundantly if human society is to prosper in the real sense.
Our deeds determine us as much as... 299
Our deeds determine us

as much as we
determine our deeds
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Our deeds or actions are preceded by thoughts, either
conscious or sub-conscious
2. A man is known by his deeds.
3. The reverse is also true, as a man determines and is
responsible for his deeds.
4. Internal and external factors determine the nature of
deeds of an individual.
5. The central question of philosophy is free-will versus
pre-determinism.
6. The theory of Karma is the metaphysical equivalent of
Newton’s Third Law of Motion in Physics.
7. Our deeds and our self are two sides of the same
coin.
“I
think therefore I am” said Descartes, the famous French
philosopher. For him our thoughts determined us as
entities. This is true to a very large extent, as our actions
are preceded by thoughts, either at the conscious or the
subconscious level. In a somewhat different context, Thomas Mann,
the German playwright, said, “There are two kinds of men in this
world, men of thought and men of action. Think like the men of
thought, act like the men of action.” However, thoughts being at
an abstract level are not tangible enough to be taken notice of.
Hence we are judged only by our deeds.
If one is helpful, polite and considerate in one’s actions
towards fellow-beings, one is known as a kind person. The
converse is equally true and a mean, rude and selfish person is
regarded as bad. Growing urbanisation and lack of roots in any
given place have made us increasingly indifferent to the feelings
of others and led us to adopt an apathetic attitude to most things.

But our behaviour, ‘good’ or ‘bad’, certainly shapes our persona
and determines our personality. Thus our deeds determine us as
they condition our behaviour and pre-dispose us to act in a certain
way.
Our reputation and image is most definitely determined by
our deeds. Also our predispositions tend to be habit-forming, in
that we have a propensity to act in a particular manner. Hence
most people are shaped by their deeds and seem to have little
control over their actions. We usually act according to or in
response to our surroundings—our circumstances and the
environment which to a great extent modify our priorities and
objectives.
Environmental factors are of two kinds—external and internal.
The external factors are many like the climatic conditions, the
economy, the state of the physical environment, societal pressures,
etc. The internal environmental factors relate to the state of mind
of the individuals and those closest to them, touching their
personal life viz., their family. External factors can, and do,
influence internal factors, but the reverse is seldom the case, that
is, we can seldom alter our physical environment. However, there
is also the important concept of volition. This may be interpreted
as the interaction between impulses and inhibitions. Volition at
the superficial level can be interpreted as will-power. Its action
can also be observed to be working from inside, outwards, that
is, it tries to affect the outward environment, albeit in a minor way.
Swami Vivekananda said that “Man is Master of his destiny”.
He said that by will-power alone can we fully determine and
control our actions and thereby change the course of Fate. This
also brings us to the central question of philosophy—free will
versus pre-determinism. The concept of free will is that we are,
ultimately, the masters of our destiny. But many people believe,
with firm conviction, in the inscrutable hand of fate. In fact, in India
fatalism is very much present among all cross-sections of the
population. Thus astrologers, soothsayers and charlatans of all
hues and colours receive tremendous encouragement and attempt
to chart the course of many lives. We have more swamis and
‘holymen’ than the entire population of many countries.
However, the philosophical tradition of deeds determining
fate cannot easily be dismissed. In fact, the theory of karma has
often been called the metaphysical version of Newton’s Third Law
of Motion, that is, “every action has an equal and opposite
reaction”. The Biblical saying may be quoted here—“As you sow,
Our deeds determine us as much as... 301
so shall you reap.” This concept implies that we are a product

of our actions—both past and present. This boils down to the fact
that our deeds determine us. On the other hand, if we believe
in the existence of free will, then we alone determine our deeds
and are completely in control of our lives. This implies that we
determine our deeds.
Perhaps both concepts are equally true and it depends on the
immediate circumstances. Sometimes we may determine our deeds
and at other times our deeds may determine us. At the philosophical
level we can perhaps say that our deeds are the cause, while we,
or our personalities, are the effect of the deeds, or vice-versa. Thus
we come to the old equation of cause determining effect, where
effect also becomes the cause.
In conclusion, we may say that we and our deeds are
inextricably linked, and determined and governed by each other.
When we do something good, we become better persons, and the
fact of being a better person prompts us to do better. Put simply,
it means a good deed determines that we become good and by
becoming good we determine that our future deeds are good, and
the wheel comes full circle. Of course it does not work like a slot
machine. Rather “Nothing comes from nothing/nothing ever
could, so somewhere... (we) must have done something good.” It
is a continuous process starting at birth and ending only when
we are laid to rest.
Lending hands to
someone is better
than giving a dole
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Difference between doles and lending helping hand.
2. Doles are unsustainable, explain giving example of
subsidies.
3. How lending hand in better than giving doles?
4. Lending helping hand could be at three levels—individual
level, group level and State/government level.
5. Doles only in case of old, disabled people.
6. Real need is to emancipate the needy.
G
IVING doles to people in need has been in existence since
times immemorial. It has religious and emotional backing.
The issue involves human beings in distress or in need
of help, and human beings who are better off feel guilty about
the difference between the haves and have-nots—‘there but for the
grace of God go I ...’. Even the modern day welfare states give
dole as a strategy to win over people. But the practice has failed
to do greater good for a greater number. Now it is an acknowledged
fact that providing support to become self-reliant is a lot more
worthwhile than simply giving freebies. The former is meant to
bring a positive change in someone’s life, while the latter is just
a temporary, quick-fix remedy that is unsustainable in the long-
run. The real help should be in the form of empowering people
to avail and reap the benefits of growth and development of a
nation. Giving doles is akin to giving alms, which is done with
a feeling of pity for someone considered incapable of sustaining
himself/herself.
Such practices like giving unemployment allowances,
subsidies, freebies are various forms of State-sponsored doles.
Whereas, the programmes, policies and schemes that aim at human
Lending hands to someone is better than... 303
development by imparting education and skills to empower

women and weaker sections is part of the initiatives by the State
to lend support to the deprived sections to improve their lot by
the sheer force of their own efforts and hard work.
According to Professor Amartya Sen, support to those who
are willing to work can be given by providing such entitilements
as nutrition and health, education, skill formation, micro-finance
to entrepreneurs, etc. In this way, they will have a regular source
of sustaining themselves and living a dignified life, whereas doles
kill the initiative, willingness to work and self-worth of a person
who becomes dependent on the sympathy of others.
To empower people requires proper planning and organisation
of resources. On the other hand, illogical doling out of resources
is an easy and short-sighted way to sort-out the problem of people
with unequal access to jobs or even a square meal. Without a
proper vision, planning and even intention to bring a positive
result, doles become a burden on limited resources. In this context,
the government policy of providing subsidies can be taken as an
instance. Subsidies involve the policy of giving out doles for
political reasons. They have proved to be a continuing burden on
the exchequer without the required corresponding benefit to the
society (target groups). The policy of subsidies is bad economics;
it is almost inevitably characterised by corruption, leakages and
price distortion, and are unsustainable in the long-run as they are
not oriented towards creating real assets.
It is but natural for human beings to feel sympathy and
empathy with their fellow beings in distress. People mainly feel
the necessity of giving doles on this ground but it should be
analysed how long a help like this can last? A support that can
make the receiver self-dependent is worth a million doles. Educating
for building a foundation of life and livelihood is the best kind
of help that can be given to a child. It is indeed a service to society
and nation. Lending such support is based on a feeling of
fellowship on the basis of equality and not on a patronising
attitude. It also ensures the dignity of the giver and the receiver
of the help. But in case of doles, there is an implicit feeling of
superiority of the one giving doles. It creates an unspoken divide
and a kind of stagnation in the relation between the different
groups of people of a society. There is no real intention in bridging
the age old gap between the haves and have-nots in case of
providing doles.
Whether doles come from individuals, the government or
NGOs, they fail to emancipate the backward and downtrodden.
In place of doles, the focus should be on lending hands to

support someone. This support can be at individual level, group
level and government level. As individuals, we can lend a helping
hand by making someone self-reliant by educating them, helping
them to get admission to an institution offering various skills, or
by simply helping them to get work. At group level, like minded
people, having expertise in various technical skills, can voluntarily
come together and teach such skills to people in need free of cost.
This will enable people get qualified enough to seek an income
and it will help them lead their life with dignity. Such a support
will be sustainable in the long run and also prove beneficial to
the economics of a country. The major and the most significant
help having broader and wider coverage comes from the
government. It is the duty of every government to ensure that its
people live with dignity. Various programmes like MNREGA,
Start-up India, Stand-up India, PM Rozgar Yojana, etc., are aimed
in this direction. Such initiatives carry the potential to make people
self-dependent, confident and progressive. Amul Cooperative
movement is a striking instance of making rural women financially
independent and thus empowering them through the cooperative
model.
Despite the fact that doles as a medium of help have severely
limited applicability, they continue to be used because they give
popularity to the government and are much easier to implement
than programmes of self-help. Doles can be justified only in case
of the old, disabled or invalid people who cannot look after
themselves and are unable to work due to their physical or other
kind of limitations. A broad based policy of granting doles proves
counter-productive in the long run. The real help is to emancipate
people who are in need. Giving support to create lifelong
dependence on others is not conducive to the growth of society;
rather, it proves to be a futile and fruitless exercise as it is not
conceived taking in view the long term impact. Lending a helping
hand is any day better than giving doles. It leads to people gaining
social and economic security, boosts their morale and self-esteem,
and last but not the least, gives them hope and reason to start
anew by giving them control over their life and destiny.
Be the change
you want to
see in others
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Contradiction in human nature—resist change
themselves, yet try to change others.
2. Mahatma Gandhi led an exemplary life by practising
what he preached.
3. Social reformers could bring change by being the living
examples of the positive changes.
4. Children follow the actions of their parents, mere words
don’t inspire them. The same applies to anyone who is
in a position to influence others.
5. Other ways to bring change—by bringing the change to
one small area we are in control of.
6. Corruption in society—obstacle in the way of positive
change.
7. Youth could be a harbinger of positive change.
I
T is a widely known fact that nobody wants to be told what
to do by others. Everyone has one’s own perspective of doing
things the way one considers appropriate. There is a kind of
resistance when someone tries to impose his/her will upon us.
But, strangely enough we, on our part, still try to change others.
This contradictory aspect of human nature is due to ego—a feeling
of being always right and wiser than others. We fail to realise that
if we want to change others, we first have to be the living examples
or role models of that behaviour.
The saying ‘be the change you want to see in others’ is
attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, a man who always set an example
for others through his actions—he preached only what he actually
practised. In fact, this statement sums up the entire philosophy
of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. He first inculcated the principles of truth
and non-violence into his own life, talked to others about

‘satyagraha’ leading the countrymen in the march to freedom; it
was the force of his own character and belief—a belief in being
true to oneself that he preached and practised. He made others
understand the power of truth and non-violence in attaining one’s
ends. Had he lacked the will and determination to do so, he would
not have had the support of practically an entire nation behind
him. Due to his indomitable spirit and conduct, as far as his
convictions and principles are considered, he became a role-model
for people to follow—in fact, not just in India but also in many
other countries struggling for freedom from imperial powers.
The story of civilisation is replete with such examples who
changed the course of society and history by their effects to do
better for humanity. In the process, they could change the perceptions
and outlook of the people towards the positive path. The
contribution of social and religious reformers is the foremost
example of this kind of contribution to society. They could bring
about change in society by being the personification of those social
changes that had long been wanting. It was due to their staunch
support and dedication towards the national awakening that they
helped the society to get rid of various social evils in the name
of religion and culture. The contributions of Raja Rammohan Roy,
who could be called the architect of modern India, Swami
Vivekanand, Dayanand Saraswati, etc., are pre-eminent in this
regard. They could change the society for the better because they
strongly believed in their conviction, they practised their beliefs
at a personal level, and so were able to influence the people into
adopting the modern scientific thinking and do away with stagnant
and obsolete practices prevalent in the society of the time.
Modern psychology substantiates the fact that change can be
brought voluntarily through our actions rather than by trying to
force the change by prescribing it to others. In this context, the
instance of children learning discipline and good behaviour from
their parents who set an example can be dwelt upon. It is said
that children are a reflection of their parents. The statement implies
that children do what they see their parents do. They do not merely
believe in the words of their parents; in this case actions speak
louder than words. They learn and pick the positive and negative
traits, and good and bad habits of their parents because that is
the sort of example set before them. In order to bring a positive
change, we must first set an example ourselves. It is true for
anyone who is in a position of authority, influence or someone
who just desires to see the family, community, society, nation

change for the better.
Teachers in school are another example of being the change
you want to see in others. Specially in the young formative years,
children almost blindly follow the teachers. If the teacher follows
a disciplined way of life, and shows values of humanity—
consideration for others’ views, tolerance, belief in fairness and
equality, just to name a few qualities—most of the students are
likely to develop those qualities.
Such is the power of being the change oneself that it takes
care of the rest of the matter itself.
But the matter is not to be confused by believing that personal
transformation is the only way to change the world. Actually, at
a deeper level it means that if we are able to bring a positive
change in the one area over which we have control or influence,
we can model the world as we would like it to be. In this way,
we are also able to set an example by bringing change to the little
area of our influence. Even the greatest innovations in the world
needed to be led by an example behind them to become popular.
It is human nature that we feel like trying something new, a new
product, technology or service when we see its benefits on the
lives of others. If we are simply told to adopt it we would resist,
because resisting change is also basic to humans. It is when we
observe positive effects of a new item on others that we adopt
it. Apart from leading by example, great people possess the quality
of affecting change by inspiring and motivating others. This
inspiration and motivation stems from the personal integrity,
brilliance and stature of such individuals.
There are obstacles to change or positive development when
the path leading to it is marred by corruption prevalent in the
system, which is the result of dishonest conduct and loss of values
amongst those who are in the position to bring change of a high
order and magnitude. The wrong example set by the ones sitting
in the echelons of power has changed the direction of the whole
chain of sequence that leads to change—it has led to change
towards the worse. In view of this, it is all the more important
today that we understand the true import of Gandhian values and
principles.
We may not be able to bring leviathan changes in our journey
towards transformation, but by doing our bit we would be able
to bring such small changes that will have the potential to impress
upon others the importance of our endeavour. One of the most
serious issues concerning us today is that of environment and

maintaining ecological balance. We can carry forward our struggle
by doing whatever we can, no matter how small, to save
environment by adopting environment-friendly habits: putting off
electrical gadget not in use, using organic manure and pesticides
instead of the chemical variety, being careful not to waste water,
segregating waste, avoiding use of plastic, and so on.
These small efforts by a few, then by a few thousands and
so on, may bring a very positive result in conserving environment
and preserving bio-diversity. If educated, well-informed and
concerned youth of the nation resolve to make reforms to the
corruption-ridden society by being the agents of change, refusing
to indulge in corrupt ways and working with zeal themselves,
change will come for better. If we want to build a new world, we
need to work for it through propagating for change, and embodying
the change in our own personalities.
Truth may be eclipsed

but not extinguished
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Attributes of truth and the anatomy of a lie.
2. Development of the equation Truth = Goodness =
Light  Lies = Evil = Darkness
3. What happens during an eclipse.
4. Historical and literary parallels depicting attempts to
extinguish truths.
5. Truth and its connotations—half truths and white lies.
6. Antithesis of truth is not only falsehood.
7. Conclusion.
T
HE word ‘truth’ is an abstract noun, but we use many
adjectives to describe it: the plain truth, the simple truth,
the honest truth, the sober truth, the exact truth, and so on.
From these phrases it emerges that truth may be associated with
plainness, simplicity, honesty, sobriety, accuracy—all desirable,
ethically correct virtues. However, we also use expressions like
the bitter truth and the naked truth and this hints at the fact that
truth is not always palatable or well-clad. It is often an impediment,
an embarrassment, a disappointment or even a threat. When truth
becomes an unwanted stumbling block, we resort to a cover up
called a lie.
If we probe the anatomy of a lie we come up with all that
is undesirable, imperfect, corrupt, negative and vicious in human
nature. In other words all that is bad or evil. And the word evil
instantly conjures up visions of black darkness. And this completes
our allegory and balances the equation. Truth is light, and every
falsehood symbolises darkness; and every time we lie we are
actually attempting to obscure light and bring on darkness.
What we must discover is whether one can succeed in snuffing
out the candle of truth altogether. Is the prevaricating darkness
final or does the darkness at noon give way to blinding light as
is observed in an eclipse?
An eclipse is a natural phenomenon occurring at foreseeable

intervals when a temporary shadow is cast on the sun or the moon
by the moon or the earth respectively. The key word in this case
is ‘temporary’. After a predictable time-span, as the celestial bodies
continue on their fixed orbits, the shadow passes and the sun, or
the moon, resumes shining in all its glory.
It is to be seen whether the same is the case when an untruth
tries to eclipse the truth. History gives us countless examples
proving that truth has sometimes been obscured, but never
obliterated. The most poignant example is, of course, of Christ the
Messiah who was betrayed by a lie. He was labelled a rebel,
tortured and crucified, all because Judas raised a lying finger at
him. Yet the truth Jesus Christ stood for could not be wiped out
and emerged as one of the foremost religions of modern civilisation.
Yudhishthira, the man who was righteousness personified in
the great Hindu epic The Mahabharata, led an exemplary life.
Nevertheless on the legendary battlefield of Kurukshetra he was
made to take advantage of the death of an elephant called
Ashwathama, to loudly announce the death of a Kaurava warrior
(and the son of Dhronacharya) by the same name. He was advised
to do this because the announcement would have the effect of
causing Dhronacharya to lay down his arms and that would be
a boon for the Pandavas. But though the Pandavas won, Yudhishthira
was penalised for the sole falsehood uttered by him. He was
denied entry into Heaven because of it.
Shakespeare’s plays often underscore the triumph of good
over evil, virtue over vice, truth over falsehood. King Lear refused
to accept Cordelia’s stark declaration of filial love preferring the
glitzy lies of his elder daughters. But lies do not last as Lear
discovered and when the truth eventually dawned on him he had
lost Cordelia forever. Similarly Macbeth tried to realise his political
ambitions by committing his first murder and then found himself
on a voyage of lies, deceit and more lies, which eventually caught
up with him destroying him and re-establishing truth.
Tolstoy based his epic novel War and Peace on a similar theme.
Tolstoy believed that truth, beauty and goodness combined was
a force potent enough to vanquish evil forever. His target of attack
was Napoleon who, he believed, symbolised all that was evil. To
counter the anti-hero represented by Napoleon, Tolstoy created
Andrei, who stood for all that was good, beautiful and true.
After the Napoleonic era in France we find several aspirants
to the throne of France who claimed Bourbon descent. They came
to be called the ‘Pretenders’ as they sought refuge behind a lie
causing Metternich to formulate the Theory of Legitimacy which

put an end to all such pretension. But France passed through a
period of confusion and anarchy while the Pretenders attempted
to obscure the truth.
Closer to our times Hitler ’s theory of Aryan supremacy was
a chilling and vicious lie that threatened the whole of mankind.
For a while it looked as if he would succeed in strangling
civilisation and exterminating not only Jews and non-Aryans but
the very essence of truth as well. However, truth, represented by
the Allied powers, emerged triumphant and the world got a new
lease of life.
So from Socrates to Joan of Arc, Watergate to Whitewater, it
is a repetition of the same old story. As former British prime
minister Margaret Thatcher is reported to have said, “Of course
it is the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.” Time
after time it has been proved that all attempts to obfuscate the
truth have merely succeeded in temporarily casting a shadow on
the light but never in completely overshadowing it. And, usually,
the longer and darker the tunnel of lies the greater the brilliance
of the light of truth at the end of it.
In the modern everyday world too, there is fresh evidence
daily of the subversion of truth for various reasons. Scams and
scandals rock economic and political foundations at frequent
intervals but the very fact that they are labelled as such indicates
that the eclipse will be over and the truth will soon be out!
What then constitutes a subversion of truth? It is not simply
a case of “Johnny Johnny/ Yes Papa / Eating sugar?/ No Papa
/ Telling a lie / No Papa / Open your mouth / Ha-ha-ha!” Though
even in this elementary and simplistic representation of truth
Johnny does not manage to get away with his lie. Lies come in
all shades and degrees covering the entire range from black to
white. White lies are not considered a threat to or a subversion
of truth and are usually condoned. Black lies amount to a
subversion of the truth and come in for condemnation. A doctor’s
attempts to make the last days of a terminally ill patient a little
easier by withholding the truth about the illness falls into the first
category whereas a lawyer’s attempt to withhold information and
thereby save a client being tried for murder surely comes under
the second.
Then again, truth does not merely mean an accurate statement
or representation of facts—it stands for everything that is good
and right. Thus its converse is also not merely misrepresentation
of facts, but all that is wrong like tyranny, oppression, brutality,
hatred, corruption and vindictiveness. It is when reason becomes

clouded that truth is eclipsed. Thus the triumph of reason becomes
the triumph of truth. There is a beautiful Latin expression “Magna
est veritas et praevalebit” or “Greatness is truth and it will prevail.”
Though it may discomfit and hurt us at times, (as the American
columnist Arnold Glasgow put it, “Truth will ouch”), no bushel
will suffice to hide its luminescence. “Satyameva jayete” says our
national emblem and the phrase has been taken from the Upanishads
which are considered the fountainhead of Truth. And we chant
“Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya” in a prayer to the Almighty to lead us
from the area of darkness to the kingdom of light where the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth prevails. And it is in
the nature of things that an eclipse is not everlasting. So too, truth
may be hidden for a while but it shines out ultimately.
Crime : New
Dimensions
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. New social dimension to crime.
2. New motives for crime; new type of criminals.
3. Reasons complicated and intertwined.
4. Power of money overwhelms values.
5. More and more young criminals, and from rich and
influential classes.
6. Psychological imbalance and over-ambition—a major
factor.
7. Parents to blame.
8. The rich and powerful, highly placed bureaucrats, and
those with political clout interfere with the law: some are
always above the others in law.
9. Criminalisation of youth in rural areas too.
10. Reform of society itself needed to rectify the situation.
Society prepares the crime; the criminal commits it.

—BUCKLE
T
ILL some years ago, crime had traceable roots in greed, lust
or power; today the reasons, far from being selfish, are often
bizarre, drawing attention to the social and cultural structures
of the society rather than the crime itself. Criminalisation in toto
is a social phenomenon which has shaped and has been shaped
by the society. Antiquity recorded crime as a means to acquire
power, wealth or take revenge. With the emergence of society
divided into classes, criminal acts depicted revolt and unrest.
However, in the democratic and constitutionally bound society of
the present, crime has assumed the shape of gruesome murders,
quite often for trivial or no apparent reasons.
Nefarious activities like rape, robbery, kidnapping, dacoity
have become means to make quick money, display power, or to
revolt against the system. Worse still are crimes committed without
any fear of conviction under the auspices of money and power,

merely for the sake of experience, or perhaps, as an impulsive
action. There is a new genre of crime with the focus shifting from
the poor to the rich, from the common man to people with power,
from grown-ups to the young, and from the oppressed to those
possessing apparently everything in life. Confrontations and
quarrels earlier would start with arguments and mostly end with
an exchange of abusive language; now, a trivial disagreement in
no time at all progresses to physical injury and murder. Equally
frightening is the change in the earlier notion (at least held by the
majority) that crime never pays. In fact, a large share of the nation’s
reserves today is contributed to by those indulging in criminal
activities and in turn it finds its way back into criminal activities,
thus creating a vicious circle.
The complexity of the matter means one cannot simply enlist
the reasons behind the changing face of crime. The reasons are
so thoroughly entwined that a single matter oscillates back and
forth to reveal its associations with a host of reasons. The eroding
value system, flux in economic and cultural trends, political
corruption and uncertainties, an antiquated judicial system, bribery,
and an array of many more reasons collectively contribute to the
present scenario.
However, amongst all these, money and corruption provide
the breeding ground congenial for crime. Today’s society
characterised by the ‘money can buy anything’ attitude has washed
away the ethical or moral value system. Values, which have
gradually diluted through the generations, have now reached a
stage of irrelevance for most people. While old values have
become obsolete, new values have not even begun to get shaped.
Impulsive decisions based on selfish gain and benefits form the
rules by which society lives.
Hard to believe and harder still to comprehend is the fact
that a majority of heinous crimes are today committed by those
perceived as the most innocent—the young. Adolescence—typical
of rebellion and rage—was never so threatening as it is today, when
young criminals, operating individually or in gangs, perform
organised crimes supplemented by the newest of gun technology.
A Delhi school dropout allegedly killed his friend’s mother
and sister after looting the house of cash and jewellery. An MBA
from Mumbai squandered a brilliant academic career in trying to
make quick money in crime to finance his plans to set up business.
A young man was thrown out of his civil engineering institute
in Bharatpur for violently beating up a senior who tried to rag
him. Soon after, he formed his own gang which carried out several
murders across Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The criminology department of the Tata Institute of Social
Sciences has observed that the crime rate among the youth has
gone up by as much as 40 per cent. The new crime wave flows
across all races, classes and lifestyles, but is mainly associated with
the middle class or upper middle class. The National Crime
Records Bureau in one of its reports has stated that people in the
16-25 age group are responsible for 56 per cent of all crimes
committed in the country. Every day in cities rich businessmen
get robbed, commuters get mugged on trains or stabbed in buses,
women get raped behind tinted car windows, and jilted boyfriends
throw acid on hapless girls. The brutal assault and rape case that
has come to be known as the ‘Nirbhaya Case’, was noteworthy
in that the most brutal acts were performed by a juvenile.
The new generation has many young persons disenchanted
with the world of cut-throat competition, steered by satellite TV
images of the rich and famous and faced with squeezed job
markets, general lack of opportunities and the tremendous pressure
to succeed. Soon this tremendous pressure to succeed builds up
anger. Unfulfilled ambitions to make it big constantly plays on
the mind and “they suddenly find crime and brute force has a
premium.” Psychiatrists observe that the troubled youth want
ready success and they believe they can use any means to get it.
They fall easy prey to the world of crime which tempts them with
a chance of making a fast buck and the dream of a chance to
become noticed among the crowd.
The Columbine school incident in Colorado, USA, where two
teenagers massacred their classmates represents the story of
dislocation and alienation in today’s times. According to their
would-be victims who survived the massacre, the two did it
because they felt slighted. They did not get the popularity they
felt they deserved. They craved for the attention that the socially
successful get in this world.
While many victimised by the pressures of society resort to
crime, a few even take it up as a break from boredom. In
metropolitan cities children of affluent families, clad in clothes
with the tags of Versace and Armani and driving BMWs and
Mercedes, roam the streets to give vent to the surplus disposable
income they have and the virile energy of their youth. The thrill,
the lavish lifestyles and thirst for immediate gratification often
materialise in crime.
The blame undoubtedly lies, to some extent, on the New Age
mantra of the upwardly mobile parents. Intent on being liberal,

these parents allow their children to grow up without any restraint
or curbs on behaviour. Endless money and little supervision is
part of the absentee parent phenomenon. The sense of guilt felt
by the parents is sought to be compensated through the materialistic
pleasures and unlimited freedom they give the children, without
the necessary grounding in basic ethical values. Lack of
communication pushes the children towards their peers from
whom they gather vital information on subjects like sex, crime,
and dubious ways of relieving boredom. It gives them a sense
of belonging. Belonging to a gang allows even the most shy and
timid to feel suave and powerful.
Many a time, parents themselves prove catalytic in pushing
their children towards distorted modes of behaviour which later
develop into criminal tendencies. The arrogance of money without
value prompts many a rich and influential parent to bail their
children out of the reach of law, initially for petty crimes and later
for serious ones. These children grow in an environment where
they know that with the support of their parents they stand above
the law.
There is a VIP culture comprising politicians, bureaucrats and
high class businessmen and executives and this ‘coterie culture’
has added to the degradation of social values. Once sporadic,
incidents of VIPs’ children being involved in criminal cases have
multiplied by the hundreds and go to show how law and justice
have come to be differently interpreted for the rich and affluent
as against the masses.
Politicians themselves make headlines in scams—whether
they involve guns or fodder. As one psychologist with reference
to the increase in crime rates by children of the affluent says, “the
manipulation of the system is not seen as a legal or social breach
but as an index of smartness. For politicians it is a display of
authority and power when they manage to live lives of ease with
terminally delayed court cases.”
The two main factors that contribute to the formation of such
a system is the instability in politics and the incompetent law
agencies vulnerable to the influences of wealth and position. In
times when governments are at the mercy of child-like whims and
tantrums of politicians, the scene is grim, offering no hope to the
people. Acquiring seats of power for personal gain is a common
phenomenon today.
Criminalisation of politics, as noticeable today, has also
contributed to the change in thinking patterns of the masses. The

disappointment of the people at the dismal situation of politics
is reflected in their taking a defiant attitude towards law. The
misuse of power by the so-called leaders results in the inevitable
question by the masses: if they can, why can’t we?
Accompanying the VIPs is the miniscule elite class intoxicated
by the cocktail of power and money. Their power is constituted
of their connections with the influential people—political and
bureaucratic, the last including highly placed law officers. There
is a rising tendency among such people towards flaunting their
VIP connections, displaying their wealth and showing a supreme
contempt for social and legal norms. Their lifestyles which ape
those of the West, hyped by the media, have become definitions
of progress in life. The recklessness of their lifestyles often
culminates in molestations, brawls and shoot-outs in five-star
hotels and discotheques.
The picture of criminalisation in cities is gloomy enough, but
the villages and rural areas offer no respite. In villages, terrorism
and bloodshed have replaced dacoity with the increase in strife
among tribal or caste factions. Women are often the hapless victims
in the circumstances, raped and molested by local bigwigs and
their kin. Political nexus and local goondas serving the affluent as
their bodyguards make the rural VIPs nothing less than ‘feudal-
socialist’ kings. Understaffed police stations with officials recruited
at meagre salaries are under the thumbs of VIPs and easily
succumb to the various pressures. Illiteracy and poverty further
exacerbate the situation making democracy a farce in the villages.
Politicians, contrary to their traditional roles, become accomplices
in scams and yet manage to procure their seats of power.
What of the law? The machinery supposed to put a curb on
it all? Far from serving the intended purpose, the law enforcers
are crippled by bribery, corruption, manipulations and the legal
loopholes well known to the criminals. The conviction rate is
abysmal. Fear of the law has almost ceased to exist, especially
among the moneyed class and those wielding power. The
interference in legal proceedings by the VIPs incapacitates even
the honest among the officials who are often victimised and
transferred as ‘punishment’ for trying to do their work.
Antiquated laws coupled with easy accessibility of fabricated
evidence and false witnesses make the common man avoid the
very law which is supposedly his only resort to justice. What is
more, in most cases witnesses turn hostile under threat or
inducement, and frustrate the process of law. Crime dossiers and

fingerprint banks, foundations of detection, are manipulated to suit
personal needs.
There seems to be no possible solution in sight. The truth
of the matter, difficult to acknowledge, is that the real faultlines
to rectify lie within the society itself. The efforts needed are
required to come from all classes and departments. The government
needs to step up the battle against criminalisation in all strata of
life and sincerely work out ways of distributing wealth more
equitably. More money needs to be poured into education with
values and towards creating more opportunities for the poor and
the young. And most of all, education and responsibility need to
be drilled into the new generation by the parents. The values of
today’s youth are merely the concentrated reflections of those of
the elders. Youngsters need to be told that the society is their
responsibility, and that it cares for them.
We all have to make an effort to discover all over again values
like kindness, respect and consideration for another, and tolerance.
These may sound nauseatingly repetitive, even mundane and
obsolescent in today’s context. But these are the only ingredients
of peace and survival.
Capital Punishment
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Putting ‘crime’ and ‘punishment’ in context.
2. Capital punishment and retributive punishment.
3. Changes in forms of capital punishment.
4. Reaction against capital punishment.
5. Reasons in support of and against capital punishment.
6. Ultimate control of crime depends upon effective
enforcement, fair investigation and firm conviction, not
merely on death sentence.
C
RIME and punishment are perhaps as old as the human
species itself. When one person snatched food or some
necessary item from another, a crime was committed, and
the victim would have probably retaliated to get back what he
thought was his. Maybe, there was a fight unto death, and that
was the end of it. But the word ‘crime’ perhaps is not quite correct
in the context, for the word denotes an act against law, and there
was no real law prevalent that long ago. As humans bonded into
groups and society was formed, concept of law and crime and
the need to control that crime through punishment came into being.
In primitive societies, crimes were treated as wrongs against a
person, and at other times against religious norms and group
loyalty. Meting out punishment remained for long the prerogative
of the individual or family that was wronged. It was vindictive,
the primary motive being revenge rather than correction, and often
had no proportional relation to the gravity of the crime committed.
Gradually, the idea of proportionate punishment evolved, as in
the Mosiac law of an ‘eye’ for an ‘eye’ and a ‘tooth’ for a ‘tooth’.
As nations came into being, the institution of punishment was
transferred into the hands of the State. A system of law now
evolved to place crime and punishment in context, and individuals
were discouraged from taking the law into their own hands.
Punishment was, however, for a long time retributive in
nature, and the idea of correction did not come into the picture
till recent times. Capital punishment was awarded for petty crimes
such as stealing as well as grave crimes such as murder, and there
was also arbitrariness in the award of punishment. It was only
in the 18th century, with the birth of Enlightenment in the Western
context that thinkers like Montesquieu, Voltaire, Cesare Beccaria,
and Jeremy Bentham spoke in favour of reform in the criminal
system. Beccaria was an Italian criminologist who, in fact, was the
first to advocate the complete abolition of capital punishment in
his work, ‘Die delittie delle Pene’(Crimes and Punishment) in 1764.
The rise of humanitarian movements as well as the growth of an
industrial working class added strength to the groups calling for
abolition of capital punishment.
It was in 1814 that hanging was substituted as the general
mode of execution in Britain, while France chose the guillotine
during the French Revolution to behead criminals irrespective of
class; earlier there were horrifying processes such as hanging,
drawing and quartering, burning at the stake and throwing the
criminals to wild beasts. In more recent times, there have been
discussions on the best modes of execution. Hanging, according
to eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani, is not only quick but relatively
painless and sure as well, and it is the form prescribed in India
at present. In the USA, the most prevalent form is the electric chair.
Other states follow yet other modes of execution—the gas chamber,
firing squad or lethal injections. Whatever the mode, the idea of
killing another human being, whatever his or her crime, is
repulsive to many people today.
The advocates and the abolitionists of capital punishment
have their own arguments in support of their respective stands.
Those who say death should be the punishment in some cases,
agree that it is to be in special cases alone, the most heinous and
gravest of crimes. The most prominent argument put forth by the
advocates of the death penalty is that of deterrence. They feel that
it is only fear of severe punishment that will deter the criminal
and reduce the occurrence of heinous crimes. The theory appears
to be valid at first glance, so to say. However, scientific studies
have consistently failed to find strong and consistent evidence that
capital punishment deters crime more effectively than other forms
of punishment. The United Nations conducted research in 1988
(updated in 2002) and concluded that “it is not prudent to accept
the hypothesis that capital punishment deters murder to a
marginally greater extent than does the threat and application of
the supposedly lesser punishment of life imprisonment”. It further

says that the statistics on the relation between the changes in the
use of the death penalty and the crime rates indicate that “countries
need not fear sudden and serious changes in the curve of crime
if they reduce their reliance upon the death penalty”.
Another argument put forward by those favouring death
penalty is that ‘life imprisonment’ is merely for 14 years or less
in India, and then the criminal will be out, and free to resume
his criminal activity. Besides showing a retrograde notion of human
nature—surely, not all criminals are so unredeemable, for do we
not have our own Valmiki, and many others in more recent times
to prove otherwise?—the argument also shows ignorance of the
law. If the State wants it so, life imprisonment can be for life. Being
imprisoned for life is enough to deter the hardiest of criminals.
To which the advocates say that the corruption existent in out jails
would make the life of these criminals too pleasant to make them
regret their crime. That would bring up the question of inequality
in this country. A Dhananjoy Chatterjee is not likely to enjoy those
privileges which are reserved for the rich and influential or those
with the right political contacts, who are unlikely, in the first place,
to be awarded the death sentence; they would have the best
lawyers and legal advice to get them off the hook. In such a
situation of inequalities, awarding death penalty would compound
the inequality and injustice. It is well known that the same kind
of crime attracts different punishments from different judges and
under different conditions of trial. It is equally well known that
the underprivileged are easier to catch and convict, and are
punished ‘appropriately’.
As to the argument that keeping a convict prisoner for life
is a heavy burden on the country’s economy, and may be even
dangerous if he is a ruthless killer, the abolitionists point put that
these are aspects which can be solved; get the prisoners to do some
constructive work that may more than compensate for their ‘keep’,
and take the necessary precautions to prevent further crime.
The most important reason the abolitionists offer is that death
is so final that no miscarriage of justice can be corrected. And there
have been cases, even if rare, of convicts having been innocent
though convicted. Even one such case is enough to call for the
removal of the death penalty from the statute book. It may come
as a surprise to many that in the USA, since 1973, more than 100
prisoners have been released from ‘death row’ after evidence
emerged of their innocence of the crimes for which they were

convicted. Recurring features in their cases include prosecutorial
or police misconduct; the use of unreliable witness testimony,
physical evidence or confessions; and inadequate defence
representation. For each of the prisoner released, how many might
have gone to their death in innocence? Can we say that the Indian
system of law and justice is free of these features? The Supreme
Court of India has given some guidelines on cases where capital
punishment may be given—the rarest of rare cases, as they are
known. Examples cited by the apex court include such cases as
when the murder is committed in an extremely brutal, grotesque,
diabolical, revolting or dastardly manner, so as to arouse the
intense and extreme indignation of the community; when the
murder is committed for a motive, which evinces total depravity
and meanness, such as murder by a hired assassin for money or
reward or a cold-blooded murder for gains of a person vis-a-vis
whom the murderer is in a dominating position or in a position
of trust, or if the murder is committed in the course of betrayal
of the motherland; when the murder of a member of a Scheduled
Caste or minority community, etc., is committed not for personal
reasons, but in circumstances which arouse social wrath, or in case
of 'bride burning' or 'dowry deaths' or when murder is committed
in order to remarry for the sake of extracting dowry once again
or to marry another woman on account of infatuation; when the
crime is enormous in proportion, for instance, when multiple
murders, say of all or almost all the members of a family or a
large number of persons of a particular caste, community, or
locality, are committed; and when the victim of murder is an
innocent child, or a helpless woman or an old or infirm person
or a person vis-a-vis whom the murderer is in a dominating
position, or a public figure generally loved and respected by the
community. But even these are open to subjective (and hence
biased) interpretations.
Those who advocate death penalty have in their hearts
revenge more than deterrence. The primitive emotion of wanting
to avenge wrong exists in a collective manner in society. Such
strong emotions of revenge surely do not have a place in a civilised
society, especially among the sections which would be expected
to be enlightened. Emotional responses should not be taken as
valid enough to perpetuate a practice which, if we are truly
civilised, should be considered from many other angles. True, in
India, death penalties have been carried out very rarely, according
to reports; but there are several prisoners languishing in the death
row for years together. There are few hangmen, and the procedures
are lengthy and antiquated. This kind of delay in carrying out a
sentence manifests an injustice all its own.
Ultimately, control of crime depends on an efficient legal and
law-enforcing system, quick, efficient and ensuring fair investigation
free of corrupt practices, a quick and fair trial and conviction. Make
sure that a crime will be investigated and the criminal caught—
however well-placed or well-connected he or she may be—and
provide fool proof evidence that will lead to a conviction, and
crime will go down whatever the punishment is. With the low
conviction rate in India, mostly because the case put up is so
feeble, death penalty will kill a few criminals, no doubt; it will
not reduce crime, heinous or otherwise.
Material Progress and

Human Values
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Material progress and increase in wealth—steps towards
degeneration of human values and ethics.
2. Materialism leads to selfishness, greed and corruption.
3. Values needed for human progress ignored in the mad
pursuit of materialistic advancement.
4. Materialistic advancement not entirely responsible for
degeneration of human values.
5. Conclusion.
I
T is commonly believed that material progress and increase
in wealth are steps towards the ultimate degeneration of human
values and ethics in society and the overall collapse of a society.
This view has an ancient origin. As material development and
changes gained currency in the ancient Indian, Chinese, Roman
and Greek civilisations that destruction of cultures took place as
well as emergence of new modes of thought and societies. The
discovery of iron sometime led to a rapid improvement in the
materialistic life of human beings. While earlier humans produced
barely what was enough for their needs, the discovery of iron
offered them the luxury of producing more than needed for their
various needs. But the surplus production in food and accumulation
of wealth gradually made humans more acquisitive in nature. They
became selfish for more and more wealth and worldly possessions.
Later, accumulation of private property in land, commodities,
implements of production and slave labour, gave birth to an era
of gradual exploitation of one person by another. This was more
evident when feudalism took deep roots. And this triggered a
series of catastrophic developments where human values and
ethics were concerned.
In India, Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira were aware of the
growing materialism and they started working earnestly to arrest
Material Progress and Human Values 325
the overall degeneration of human values. By founding new ideas

and beliefs, they showed their revulsion for blatant material
progress, and sought to enlighten the people on the importance
of enduring human and spiritual values. Elsewhere, Jesus Christ
was successful in highlighting the significance of human values
and ethics for human society. Socrates, the Greek thinker and
philosopher, sacrificed his life to draw the world’s attention to the
retarding effects of degeneration of human ethics. Indeed, history
is proof to material progress and the resulting accumulation of
wealth being a major impediment to flourishing of human values
and ethics and love among fellow human beings.
The same holds true in the present situation, when materialism
seems to have led to growing selfishness, greed and corruption
in society.
With rapid increase in the wealth of people and societies
across nations, there has indeed been erosion of human values to
some extent. There is a view that people of societies and nations
that are progressive and materialistically quite advanced, often
exhibit a great degree of selfishness and fail to show compassion
and love for their fellow human beings. They opine that with
material progress, the driving force of self-interest, in all its
damaging manifestations, takes toll of human values and social
ethics. The recognition that only the fittest can survive in an
increasingly materialistic society makes people place self-interest
over all other things including human values of love, consideration
and cooperation. All this leads to a situation where, in the mad
pursuit of materialistic wealth and economic advancement, the
kind of values that are necessary for human progress in the long
run crumble. On the other hand, material progress is an offshoot
of that very same nature that motivates humans to safeguard their
self-interest. A world that does not move forward, and keeps on
growing is destined to disintegrate over a period of time.
Materialistic advancement in life should not be solely held
responsible for the erosion of human values and lack of brotherhood
among fellow human beings. Societies that are overall
materialistically advanced may not always lack in human values.
Many African and Asian countries are materialistically backward.
Even in India, a majority of the people are poor and backward.
But that does not mean that the poor are morally superior to others
or richer in human values compared to those who are
materialistically advanced. Even in the Stone Age, when people
managed to collect just enough to survive, and when they groped
about in the dark, there was enough enmity and cruelty in the
world. Human beings fought with each other and indulged in

many degrading activities such as lusting and killing each other
at the slightest pretext as a result of selfishness and greed. Many
materialistically advanced or progressive nations and societies, in
fact, are morally sounder and ethically on a much secure footing
compared to the poor and materialistically deprived nations. The
main reason for this is, perhaps, that wealth and money bring with
them responsibilities. A more secure frame of mind is created
which allows feelings of consideration and compassion for fellow
human beings to take root. Is it not true that most of the charity
work in any society is done by the rich and wealthy people to
help the materialistically less advanced and deprived people meet
their existential needs and grow.
The good and the bad exist in every age and in every sort
of society. Material progress has not much to do with the falling
of overall morals or human values of a society and its people.
If wealth breeds greed, it also creates space in the mind to consider
the plight of other not-so-fortunate men and women. After all, if
a person is fighting to fulfil his basic needs all the time, how can
he/she think of others’ needs and feelings? Hence, it would be
fallacious to come to the conclusion that material progress
necessarily leads to a fall in people’s moral and human values.
Animals too
have rights
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Importance of animal rights.
2. Humans have overridden everything to satisfy their own
needs.
3. Evolution of humans’ relationship with animals.
4. Importance of animals in the ecological context.
5. Humans callously snatch away the rights of animals
though ‘human rights’ are considered all-important.
6. Refusal to recognise animal rights can be disastrous
and inhuman.
T
O some people, the suggestion of rights for animals might
sound too petty to be considered an issue worth pondering
over. To such people it would be worth considering only
if it was vested with human interests and gains. The subject of
rights for animals gains impetus from the present imbalanced
ecological system—a system which ought to be a shared habitat
of humans and animals alike, but which, unfortunately, has been
crippled largely due to human manoeuvring.
The human beings evolved as a species from the animal form
to develop into the most intelligent creatures in nature’s cycle. The
potential to develop perceptive skills, ability to record and register
things, ability to communicate in a verbal language enabled the
man to surpass the other animals. Alongside developed the desire
to acquire the supreme position, the desire to gain command over
all things. Consequently, humans have overridden everything to
satisfy their needs.
Pre-historic times were marked by an interdependent
relationship between humans and animals. Food and later clothing
were the chief requirements of humans for which they were
completely dependent on animals. An animal, besides being the
provider of food, clothing and a means of transport, was very often
also a companion to humans. The gradual progress of humankind

in various fields relegated animals as adjuncts to the human race.
Cultivation and development of mechanised modes of
transportation almost limited the importance of animals to human
existence. Though modernisation did not completely break the
bonds between animals and humans, it somehow made humans
indifferent to animals. This indifferent attitude worsened with
time, with hardly any consideration for animals’ rights.
Yes, animals too have rights. And this needs to be realised
especially in the light of the fact that human existence is a part
and parcel of nature, which is the ultimate controlling force.
Humans may have gained independence to support themselves
but ecology still demands a harmonious relation between the
animal kingdom and human existence to sustain its balance.
Unlike humans, whose rights are constitutionally defined and
registered in written form, animals enjoy no such provisions. Just
as humans, animals too have the right to a free existence, right
not to be killed, right to natural habitat and right to be protected
against extinction. Unfortunately, however, all these rights have
been grossly violated by humans.
The treatment meted out to animals raises concerns over their
posterity. Their plight is evident in the way people use them for
their own interests. Animals are subjected to painful medical and
technological research experiments in an attempt to create better
species, to make animal yields to maximum levels in minimal time
through medication. Poaching of animals for their body parts is
another example of human selfishness. What is most tragic is the
fact that animals have to bear the brunt of problems triggered by
humans—population explosion in the wake of medical and
technological advances, food shortage, deforestation, and
environmental pollution. These problems have resulted in the
annexation of the basic necessities of animals crucial for their
survival. Thus humans are robbing animals of their basic right of
existence. Humans—the sole advocates of rights themselves—have
become the violators.
The muteness of animals incapacitates them to advocate their
rights. Nevertheless, they have over and again professed their
rights through physical manifestations which have not escaped
human attention. The example of tiger turning man-eater is a
traditional example of the result of excessive human interference
with the laws of nature. Several incidents have been reported of
elephants and leopards and tigers entering villages and attacking
humans. The encroachment of forest lands to accommodate the
ever-increasing human race and growing urbanisation has had

disastrous consequences. Elephants require large amounts of
vegetation to survive. Deforestation has left them with a marginal
vegetation. This forces them to feed on human cultivated fields
which creates conflict between elephants and humans.
The change in behavioural patterns such as nesting, migration,
food habits are all exemplifications of the animals’ unease with
their surroundings, altered largely due to humans.
Concern over the issue of animals’ rights began to be shown
by few only when the disturbed ecological balance started posing
a threat to human existence itself. It is the responsibility of the
human race to respect the rights of animals, more so because
humans are just animals blessed with superior reasoning powers.
Their role is to modify nature for improvements, not rape it for
personal gains. What best can be done by the human race as way
of showing its respect for the rights of others is to stop greedy
encroachment of nature.
When we come to domesticated animals, they are treated as
the property of their owners. So, do these animals have any rights?
Once their utility is over, these animals are led to the slaughter
house. Opinion holds that farmers cannot afford to be sentimental.
But the question remains—does not an animal have the right to
enjoy its life to the full? Even if we turn a blind eye to the slaughter
of ‘useless’ animals and those animals specifically raised for the
purpose of providing meat, there is the issue of the right to die
with dignity, suffering as little as possible. It is in keeping with
this idea that rules have been made for slaughter houses. If these
are flouted, the animals suffer. And any living being should not
have to face such pain inflicted by human beings.
Human cruelty to animals is just the obverse of the right of
animals to a decent life and a death without undue suffering.
Unless the rights of animals are recognised and these living beings
are seen as essential to the well being of humans and treated with
the love and respect they are entitled to, humanity itself gets
eroded.
Growing Flexibility in
Gender Roles of
Men and Women
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Early concept of definite division of roles for men and
women.
2. Change leading to flexibility has several reasons—
economic and social.
3. Slow breakdown of joint family system is a factor.
4. Changing roles not a smooth process.
5. Changing needs of the time has helped flexibility to
grow in gender roles.
6. This flexibility evident in urban rather than rural areas.
7. The changing roles should be accepted and encouraged.
T
RANSITION in social milieu has always been a universal
factor which reverberates in the vicissitudes of the society.
Changes in a particular field have an impact in other realms
of the society too. A striking example of such change is that of
the growing flexibility in gender roles of men and women.
Early society had rigid roles for men and women. Characteristics
and attributes were labelled as being masculine or feminine. Man
was the hunter and provider of basic necessities for family, and
woman, the child-bearer and caretaker. Till very recently, women
were accorded the role of the inferior sex and the prized possession
of man, the master.
The flexibility in gender roles that we are witnessing today
has its roots in the changing social structure. Economic factors,
advancement in medical sciences and changed value systems have
contributed to a preference for a nuclear family, thus doing away
with the large demanding structures of joint families. Consequently,
the ambit of economic and household responsibilities has changed.
Earlier, in the joint family system, there was, by and large,
Growing Flexibility in Gender Roles... 331
a clear-cut division of responsibilities or duties, with the women

looking after the domestic matters and the men taking charge of
financial matters. Today, the nuclear system allows for no such
demarcation—the man is no longer the sole bread-earner and the
woman no longer a mere caretaker of the house.
The flexibility in gender roles has been mainly the result of
economic compulsion. With the financial security provided by a
joint family system no longer available and with the cost of living
ever increasing, there arose a need for an extra earning member
to supplement the financial resources brought in by the man of
the family. The woman was thus required to earn as well so that
the domestic demands could be met. In the initial stages of this
phase, the woman member was offered no help in domestic affairs.
In fact, she performed both the supplementary role of an earning
member and her ‘natural’ role of a housewife. Even today this is
largely the case. Gradually, over generations, the attitude of men
softened to a certain extent such that a woman’s role was adopted
by the man at least when compulsion to do so arose.
The changes in demographic, cultural, macro and micro
economic patterns vis-a-vis responsibilities and duties of men and
women have been hardly smooth, rather, they have been
accompanied by strife and contention.
While the acceptance of man’s gender role has been willingly
and uncomplainingly taken up by women, the same does not
always hold true for men. The present scenario is such that while
a woman is groomed to become an efficient career-woman as well
as an efficient house-maker, men are expected to excel mainly in
professional fields.
The predicament is that while any effort from men to
undertake a domestic job is welcomed and assisted by their
counterparts, any such effort by women in the professional field
is eyed with jealousy and contempt and perceived as a threat to
male monopoly. Hence, while men do not have to struggle hard
to prove their worth, women, most of the time, have to work harder
to prove not just that they are efficient but that they can render
more than men in a similar position.
Lately, however, the domain of femininity has expanded to
include the social and professional fields. The traditional notions
about gender roles are undergoing transformation, and this has
been mainly because of education. An open and educated society
is paving the way for role-swapping—which seems to be gaining
grounds in the highly demanding developmental social structure.
Domestic life has become almost unthinkable without flexibility
in gender roles. Quite often, the demanding career of one parent

forces the single parent to perform both the gender roles for the
child.
The society, especially the urban society, can simply not move
ahead without role-swapping. And this is evident in the day-to-
day lives of common people. While men—at least some—are
beginning to shed their inhibitions about working in the kitchen,
women are found working late hours. The changing trends are
especially reflected in women taking over the jobs of air-pilots and
astronauts while men are proving their skills as chefs and make-
up artists. Yet another proof of the emergence of flexibility in
gender roles is that of the changing face of advertising. The
products which were once advertised with women as the potential
buyers, are now being targeted differently, and both men and
women are considered the decision makers. For instance, at least
some advertisements for domestic products, say washing powder,
feature men as models, and the corporate ads include women in
their commercials.
Swapping roles to accommodate the social or professional
pressures has become a common phenomenon. However, it is in
the urban centres that the flexibility is most evident. The rural
front, though in transition, has a long way to go in this context.
The present scenario is such that rural women share the work of
men and receive no help in the domestic sphere.
To conclude, the flexibility in gender roles needs to be taken
to the extent where finally the concept of respective gender roles
is done away with. The biological roles cannot be swapped—at
least at the present level of technological endeavour—but efforts
are needed in social and professional fields such that roles come
to exist only for departments or persons and not on the basis of
gender.
Relevance of
Gandhi Today
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. We pay homage to Gandhi on his birthday for the
wrong reasons.
2. Gandhi’s thoughts and ideals have relevance even today.
3. Means and ends need to be equally moral.
4. Use of satyagraha for public good.
5. Gandhian thoughts on economy not as obsolete as they
are thought to be.
6. His thoughts on religion and morality are of utmost
relevance, as are his ideas on education.
The Panchtantra, the great compendium of fables, says

Apujya yatra pujyarite pujyanam tu vimanana |
Trini tatra pravartante durbhiksham maranam bhyam ||
—meaning, where the irreverent are worshipped and the venerable
despised, there will be found famine, death and fear. So, perhaps
fearing the onset of famine and death, we organise functions on
Gandhi Jayanthi to convince ourselves that we are worshipping
the venerable and not despising them! We fear that the epitaph
which Einstein wrote for Gandhi, that the coming generations
would find it hard to believe that Gandhi was a creature made
of flesh and bones, may actually come true. Such functions are
a means of constantly reminding people what the saint of Sabarmati
achieved. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that Gandhi was
an ordinary man able to achieve the extraordinary through simple
beliefs and exemplary practices.
Today, Gandhi gains relevance because voices are being
heard, though not too resonant, from the political domain that
India needs another freedom struggle. Even today, Gandhian tools
can be the most effective for this. But it should also be kept in
mind that the success of Gandhian tools is closely connected with
the prudence of the leader. Fasts, hartals, dharnas and non-cooperation

should not be the tools for unproductivity or cheap popularity
or petty gains.
Philosophy is based on that experience of truth which one
attains by rising above favours and fears. For this very reason,
Gandhi’s experiences form a profound philosophy for mankind.
The Chanakya Niti Darpan says:
Tatha chaturbhih purushah parikshyate |
Tyagena sheelena gunena karmanaa ||
—meaning, sacrifice, temperance, qualities and deeds are what test
a person. There is no doubt that Gandhi’s personality and works
provide a practical validity to his philosophy.
‘Means and ends’ hold the greatest relevance for any initiation
into Gandhian philosophy. Gandhi believed in God and had full
faith in the laws of nature. According to him, nature gives us
control only over the means. Hence the greatest importance should
be attached to the purity of means. If the means are moral, then
the attainment of ends will be beyond doubt. He had simple and
straightforward views on issues of violence and non-violence.
Gandhi said that he opposed violence because the positive results
were momentary while the negative effects were permanent and
tragic. But he accepted non-violence only till the level where it
was not mistaken for ‘cowardice’. Gandhi stressed the development
of capacity for creative transformation of emotions like anger and
fury, which are the root of violence, analogous to the conversion
of heat into energy.
The cornerstone of Gandhi’s philosophy was satyagraha,
satyagraha for the public’s rights. For this he initiated civil
disobedience and non-cooperation movements, organised strikes
and undertook fasts. Gandhi was honest in his methods of
satyagraha and that is why we rarely saw him fail. He had great
faith in the public’s power, because the initiation and culmination
of revolution lie in them. Gandhi, thus, laid great emphasis on
people’s participation in every political-social programme. He
adopted the policy of struggle-agreement-struggle for political
agitation. He knew and understood the limits of the public’s
capacity; despite the prevailing mental framework among other
leaders for continuing the struggle, he often allowed a pause in
the fervour—a phase in which some truce was made with the
authorities. And in this ‘agreement’ phase, he infused new energy
into the revolution. It was a real tough task to lead different sets
of people under one philosophy, but Gandhi succeeded in his

venture. Now, it is the turn of the modern politicians to generate
a new set of principles, acceptable to each and everyone. As
regards democracy, Gandhi believed that if democracy was
disciplined and enlightened then it was the best system, otherwise,
it was the most chaotic. Gandhi was absolutely correct in his view.
Witness what goes on today in the name of democracy!
Gandhi’s economic philosophy is relevant from the feudal to
the capitalistic phase. He emphasised a restraint on and control
over consumeristic tendencies. Reason: wars, the colonial race,
international tension, stealing, looting and all such crimes are born
of man’s uncontrolled materialistic views and attitudes. Gandhi
was an advocate of promotion of local, self-sufficient economy.
Therefore he stressed on khadi and household industry. He accepted
the inevitability of the industrial sector, but was against
indiscriminate mechanisation, to the point beyond which it wasted
human resources. He stood by the concept of trusteeship in
ownership of industrial assets. Gandhi opposed the colonial
character of economy, whether England considered India its colony
or our cities consider our villages as their colonies. In the present
times, when MNCs are taking over the market in India, and
unemployment due to automation of activities is rising to an all-
time high, we must try to regulate the economic activities so that
labourers are not victimised.
Gandhi’s religious philosophy is unique because he considered
religion integral to politics. But to him religion was something that
promoted man’s love for man and made one a karamyogin. He said
that religion is the basis of morality, and morality, the root of
politics; therefore, the segregation of religion from politics is
unhealthy for society. It is unfortunate that today we misinterpret
Gandhi to either play into the hands of communal forces or act
pseudo-secular. Secularism does not mean digging into the past
or questioning the rationality of each other’s holy books and
practices.
The social philosophy of Gandhi is fully reflected in our
Constitution. He was against any division of people based on birth,
colour, sex and the like. For him, untouchability was a crime
against god. He emphasised women’s uplift and ultimately
established the need of global brotherhood.
Gandhi’s ideas on education need serious thought. He said
that the aim of education was not to make the brain a storehouse
of information, but to impel a person to think and act. He was

all for vocationalisation of education. He stressed that the mother
tongue should be the medium of education and that Hindustani
be the language of work.
Gandhi lived this multifaceted philosophy all his life from
his childhood till the last “hey ram”. Gandhi went to South Africa
when he was a youth to chart his career and earn for his family.
But he realised the essence of his legal education—providing
justice to the suffering and the exploited. Thereafter, he took up
the cause of the oppressed and the exploited without any thought
to personal gain. It is a sad fact, however, that today we pay
homage to the idol of Gandhi, not to his ideals.
Essays on
Current Issues
Cooperative
Federalism in India
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Federalism and Cooperative Federalism
2. Constitutional Provisions
3. Need for Cooperative Federalism
4. Central schemes thrust on states by Planning Commission
5. Emergence of NITI Aayog and flexibility in implementation
of schemes
6. Finance Commission and greater devolution of funds to the
states for development
7. GST and the GST Council
8. Strengthening the Inter State Council
9. Conclusion
F
EDERALISM refers to a system of government in which
power is shared by the national (or central) government and
political units of the country—the states or provinces or
canton or whatever they may be called. In such a system, without
cooperation between the units and the Centre, one could say that
governance and progress of that country would be difficult. So,
why the term ‘Cooperative Federalism’? Here, it is necessary to
understand the kind of federalism as existent in India: in this
country, which is really a Union of States, the Centre has been given
a dominant position over the states. So, in many ways the system
in India is quasi-federal: it has leant towards centralism, though
there have been a to-and-fro shift between cooperation and
confrontation between the Centre and the states. Cooperation
dominated in the 1950s when a single party ruled at the Centre
as well as in the states. But with the growth of regional parties
and the gradual change of power to these parties in states,
confrontational politics overshadowed cooperation. This situation
was not helped by the tendency of the union government in the
late 1960s to impose on the states. Over time, ideas have veered
towards the need for cooperative federalism—also called ‘new

federalism’. Cooperative federalism is a system of federalism in
which there is cooperation between the federal/ union government
and states/ provincial governments. Responsibility is truly shared
between the entities and the central government. In such a system,
the national and state governments work as partners in exercising
authority.
Article 1 of the Constitution of India states that India shall
be a union of states. The Constitution does not mention the term
‘federal’ but it provides for a governance structure primarily
federal in nature. It provides for separate governments at the Union
and in the states. The distribution of legislative powers between
Union and the states is provided by the Union List, the State List
and the Concurrent List.
The Parliament has exclusive powers to legislate on matters
in the Union List, and it also has supremacy over matters in the
Concurrent List. The states have exclusive powers to legislate on
matters in the State List.
The Constitution of India gives the Central government more
powers over a number of matters. For example, the Union
government can impose President’s Rule in a state on grounds
of breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state. The Central
government can give directions to the states to ensure compliance
with the laws made by the Parliament and any existing law which
apply in the state.
Cooperative federalism calls for the Centre and the state
governments to be guided by the broader national concerns of
using the available resources for the benefit of the people.
Cooperative federalism makes it feasible for the government to
raise all the available resources at different levels in a coordinated
way and channelise them for use for the common good of the
people. The need for cooperative federalism is very much desired
in a diverse country like India. A state like Rajasthan has needs
different from those of Tamil Nadu.
The Planning Commission was established in 1950 to allocate
resources to the states and plan for the economy of the nation.
Over a period of time, the Planning Commission not only planned
for the states and the Union, but the states also had to get their
budgets approved by it. A number of central schemes were thrust
on the state governments by the Planning Commission. Though
the intention may have been good, and some of the schemes too
were beneficial and progressives. These schemes were imposed
on the states without looking into the local requirements of each

state.
The Planning Commission has been replaced by the NITI
Aayog. The NITI Aayog’s objective is to evolve a shared vision
of national development priorities, sectors, and strategies with the
active involvement of states in the light of national objectives. It
also has an objective to foster cooperative federalism. The sub-
group of chief ministers constituted by the NITI Aayog on Central
Sponsored Schemes, pruned the number of such schemes from 66
to 30. These schemes have been divided into three categories. The
‘Core of the Core Schemes’, comprise of six umbrella schemes of
utmost priority, including the MGNREGA. The second category
comprises schemes which are essential for economic and social
development. The third category comprises three optional schemes
which the states can implement if they choose to. The objective
is to give states greater freedom in designing their own schemes
according to their local requirements.
In terms of finances, the union government is in a better
position than the states. The Union government distributes revenues
to the states on the basis of the recommendations of the Finance
Commission. There has been a considerable expansion in the role
of the Finance Commission, from mainly being an arbitrator
between the Centre and the states to being an architect of fiscal
restructuring. The Fourteenth Finance Commission recommended
that the states’ share in the net proceeds of the Union tax revenue
be 42 per cent. It is a huge jump from the 32 per cent recommended
by the Thirteenth Finance Commission. Keeping in mind the spirit
of cooperative federalism, the central government accepted the
recommendation. The effect of this would be that states would get
greater share of funds for development purposes. States would
have funds and autonomy to design schemes according to their
requirements.
The attempt of having a Goods and Services Tax for the entire
country is seen as another step in cooperative federalism. The
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council was created under Article
279A of the Constitution through the 101st Constitutional
Amendment Act. The GST Council consists of the union minister
of finance as well as state finance ministers as members. Under
the GST, the Union and the states will be vested with the exclusive
power to levy GST on intra-state supply of goods and services.
The Union would have exclusive power to levy GST on the supply
of goods and services in the course of inter-state trade or commerce
which includes supply in the course of imports into the territory

of India.
By creating the GST Council, the Parliament and the state
legislatures (the amendment required the ratification by a majority
of states) have put limitation on the taxation powers, in the interest
of federalism. Neither the Parliament on its own nor the state
legislatures individually or jointly can override the collective
recommendations of the GST Council. The GST regime has created
an institutional and constitutional framework for cooperative
federalism in the area of indirect taxation.
The Inter-State Council, created under Article 263 of the
Constitution, tries to foster cooperation between the Centre and
the states. The National Commission to Review the Working of
the Constitution (NCRWC), in March 2002, recommended that there
was a need to institutionalise the consultation process between the
Centre and the states. It suggested that the Inter-State Council
Order, 1990 may clearly specify the subjects that would form part
of the consultation in the Inter-State Council. The Inter-State
Council met in July 2016, after a period of ten years. The zonal
councils set up under the State Reorganisation Act, 1956 provide
another institutional mechanism for centre-state and inter-state
cooperation to resolve the differences and strengthen the framework
of cooperation. Now regular meetings of the zonal councils take
place. Matters of discussion between states are considered, which
helps in conflict resolution.
Inter-state coordination on issues such as river water disputes,
funding and execution of mega projects, ecosystems management,
climate change and natural disasters would help states harness
their growth potential. In all this, the Inter-State Council and the
zonal councils have to be utilised to better effect.
Different mechanisms for boosting cooperative federalism
have been established. But cooperative federalism is an ongoing
process. Therefore, cooperative federalism in India must be
continuously nurtured through various institutions.
Election Funding
in India
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Introduction
2. Election funding at the time of Independence
3. Unaccounted money infiltrating the political system. Real
estate, manufacturing and liquor business as source of illegal
finance
4. Steps taken between 1968 and 2003 for reform of election
funding
5. Problems that prevail: political parties fudging their accounts
and not declaring donors’ names; Election Commission does
not have the power to scrutinise returns filed by parties
6. Possible remedies: discretionary powers of politicians must
be eliminated and where necessary streamlined; online
tenders and transparency; reducing amount of anonymous
cash donations, encouraging digital payments and capping
expenses of political parties during elections; audit of
accounts of political parties; curbing proliferation of political
parties; state funding of elections
7. Conclusion
E
LECTIONS are fundamental to a democracy and play a
pivotal role in the selection of leaders or a political party
to help in attaining the country’s goals for economic
development and social welfare. Unfortunately, elections need
funding—for communication of ideas, rallies, campaigns—and it
is in this field that there is a lack of transparency that cuts at the
very roots of democracy. An exercise that ought to be honest and
above board—because it is a means of selecting people’s
representatives for governance—lends itself to corrupt practices.
According to the Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi, Rs 35,000
crore was spent in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, making it the
second most expensive in the world, after the 2016 American
presidential election. This kind of money cannot come from
donations by ordinary citizens; it comes from rich industrialists,

corporate entities, and even those with ill-gotten wealth. Financing
of elections by corporate houses and others with vested interests
has led to an unhealthy nexus between politicians and businessmen,
and even criminals.
Political parties receive massive funding that have not been
accounted for and remain a secret due to the lack of transparent
election laws. Funds flow in from individuals with black money
who hope to protect their economic interests. The origin of funds
is not made accountable because politicians protect the interests
of those who have funded their election campaigns. This creates
a vicious circle of politician-businessman funding agency nexus
which is ultimately detrimental to the interests of the people of
India.
The two sectors which have been involved in political funding
are real estate and manufacturing, both with land as a core element
of business. As a result of the regulatory restrictions on land,
politicians wield an enormous amount of discretionary powers
over business activity in sectors for which land is a primary input.
They can intervene on behalf of favoured entities to expedite
clearances and permits, grant waivers to existing regulations or
even alter land use designations.
Apart from real estate and manufacturing, another sector
which plays a big role in election funding is the liquor business.
Liquor mafia fund campaign expenses of political parties, who
in return get liquor contracts. Besides sectors benefiting after
elections this vast amount of unaccounted money is often used
by political parties and other candidates to bribe voters into voting
for them.
Initially, political parties in India financed themselves through
private donations and membership charges. Corporate contributions
to political parties were legal, subject to certain restrictions and
had to be declared in the company’s accounts. The Representation
of the People Act (RPA) of 1951 introduced limits on the amount
that could be spent on election campaigns.
The reports of the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of
Corruption (1964) and the Wanchoo Direct Taxes Enquiry Committee
(1971) both shed light on the problem of black money infiltrating
the political system. Black money or unaccounted money was
generated by businesses and individuals who evaded corporate
and income taxes. This was partly due to the high taxation regime
and highly regulatory and protectionist policy framework that
prevailed from the 1950s onward. Some of this unaccounted money
went to political parties and candidates in the hope of getting

government policies adjusted in favour of the contributors.
In 1968, to prevent corporate intervention in the electoral
system, a ban was placed on political parties receiving corporate
donations. But this was not compensated for by any form of state
funding for campaigning. This, in turn, increased the reliance on
black money for such expenses. So the ban on corporate donations
hardly worked; the donations became underhand and totally
unaccounted.
In 1985, corporate donation was once again allowed. This time
companies could donate a maximum of five per cent of their
average net profit over the previous three years, subject to
approval by the board of directors and disclosure in the profit
and loss account statement in the audited annual accounts of the
company.
Later, the Dinesh Goswami Committee in 1990 and the Indrajit
Gupta Committee in 1991 advocated partial state funding of
elections. Hardly any action was taken on their recommendations.
A significant development in campaign finance reform was the
Election and other related laws (Amendment) Act, passed by the
NDA government in September 2003. This made company and
individual contributions to a political party 100 per cent tax
deductible. Political parties were also required to submit to the
Election Commission a list of names of those who made donations
over Rs 20,000.
This legal structure of political funding allowed parties to
fudge their accounts. Under section 13A of the Income Tax Act,
political parties enjoy 100 per cent tax exemption on all sources
of income. As they don’t need to declare the source and donor
names for cash donations under Rs 20,000, there is scope for fraud:
even if a person/company donates much more than Rs 20,000 in
cash, there is no way of knowing—leave alone proving—that this
has indeed happened, as the identity of the donor is kept secret.
The black money remains untraceable.
According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR),
between 2005 and 2013, the six national political parties, namely,
Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP),
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI)
and Communist Party of India (Marxist) were given Rs 5986.32
crore as donations of which 73 per cent was declared to have come
from unknown sources.
The Election Commission does not have the power to scrutinise
the returns filed by parties. If a political party does not want a
tax rebate, the party is not even bound to file returns. Therefore,
the Election Commission can take little action for discrepancies.
Various reforms are needed to break the political corruption
due to anonymous financing and use of black money in elections.
The root of illegal cash in politics is the government’s discretionary
power over business and land use. The discretionary powers of
the politicians and the bureaucrats must be eliminated and where
necessary it must be streamlined. Tenders of government must be
transacted online and in a transparent manner. The Spectrum
Allocation done in 2015 is an example of auction done very
efficiently. Transparency is needed in the real estate and other
sectors so that these are freed of political interference. The
Government of India has recently banned all cash transactions
above Rs 2 lakh. This is a good move to bring about transparency
in commercial and other economic dealings. The Election
Commission of India had recommended reducing the amount of
anonymous donations to Rs 2,000. In the Budget (2017-18), the
Government of India reduced the limit of anonymous cash
donations to political parties to Rs 2,000 from an individual. The
reduced amount of undeclared donations will help to an extent
to solve the problem of secret donors of black money. Of course,
say critics, even now, a large amount of unaccounted money can
enter the funding system. Ideally no anonymous donation should
be allowed. To discourage cash transactions and encourage
transparency in political donations, digital payments have been
allowed.
At present, there is no cap on expenses undertaken by
political parties. There needs to be a cap on expenses undertaken
by political parties during elections so that there’s a level field
for all parties—large or small.
The accounts of political parties are not audited. Political
parties do not disclose the names of their donors and they split
all amounts above Rs 20,000 in smaller denominations to escape
giving any account of their donors and the source of income. And
this may well be the case even after the lowered limit, though
it will be a little cumbersome. Political parties must be mandated
to maintain a proper form of accounts. Their accounts must be
audited by independent auditors and the public must be able to
access these reports.
There has been a proliferation of political parties in India’s
polity. According to the data available from the Election
Commission, political parties have increased in number from 702
in 2004 to 1627 in 2014. The proliferation of political parties is
due to the fact that the registered parties enjoy 100 per cent tax
exemption under section 13A of the Income-Tax Act. Around 75-
80 per cent of the political parties do not contest elections. The
Election Commission has expressed concern over the growth of
registered unrecognised political parties. A lot of these parties
convert black money into white money, because of the tax
exemption they are entitled to.
At present, the Election Commission does not have the power
to deregister a political party. Once a political party is registered,
it stays registered in perpetuity. The Election Commission must
be empowered to issue orders regulating registration and
deregistration of parties.
Another mechanism of reforming election funding is to go for
state funding of elections. Public funding should be introduced
to parties in proportion to the amounts they raise openly from
identified small-sum private donors. A study, ‘Political Finance
Regulations Around the World’, by the International Institute of
Democracy and Electoral Assistance, conducted in 180 countries,
showed that 71 countries follow the practice of giving state funds
based on votes obtained. It’s only when India explores the option
of state funding based on some transparent criteria that the opaque
nature of electoral funding will stop. However, the Election
Commission is not in favour of state funding.
Sincere electoral reforms must be explored by the Government
of India in cooperation with other political parties as well as
political analysts and concerned-groups to make electoral funding
more transparent. A transparent electoral funding would ensure
that political parties do not rely on unaccounted money. A
transparent mechanism of funding can free the political system and
political parties from the clutches of unscrupulous contractors,
businessmen and corporate houses.
Water Disputes
between States
in India
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Importance of water.
2. Allocation of scarce water is very important in a country as
huge and diverse as India.
3. Definition of water dispute under the Inter-State Water
Disputes Act.
4. Causes of Water Dispute
— uneven distribution of water resources in India;
— rivers in India originate from one state and flows through
another;
— delay in constituting water tribunals and delay in giving
awards.
5. Constitutional Provisions.
6. Setting up of a Single Permanent Water Tribunal.
7. Setting up an expert agency to collect data on rainfall,
irrigation and surface water flows.
8. National Water Commission.
9. Inter-linking of rivers.
10. Conclusion.
W
ATER has been called the “elixir of life”—it is essential
for life, needed for drinking, growing crops, washing and
keeping clean. Not surprisingly, water, say many, will
be the next cause of a full-scale global war, as it is becoming a
scarce commodity, given the increase in population and its needs.
In India, disputes over sharing river waters show how things may
go in the future.
Water as a resource is unevenly available. Some areas of India
such as Rajasthan and Gujarat are dry areas having low groundwater
and rivers. States such as Bihar and Assam are every year flooded
and they have a high depth of groundwater. Then there are states
periodically struck by drought such as Maharashtra, Madhya

Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu when the rivers run much
below capacity and there is not enough water for all.
Allocation of scarce water is very important in a country as
huge and diverse as India. River waters provide clean drinking
water to people, water for irrigation and generation of
hydroelectricity. Rivers in India cross through various states. The
Ganga, for example, originates in Uttarakhand and flows through
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
River disputes between states have emerged for equitable
allocation of water resources. Numerous inter-state river water
disputes have erupted since independence. Just to name the most
prominent, we have the Cauvery water dispute, the Krishna-
Godavari water dispute, the Sutlej-Beas water dispute.
The Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 defines water dispute
as any dispute or difference between two or more state governments
with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of,
or in, any inter-state river or river valley; the interpretation of the
terms of any agreement relating to the use, distribution or control
of such waters or the implementation of such agreement; the levy
of any water rate in contravention of the prohibition contained in
the Act.
River disputes in India have many causes. Firstly, there is
uneven distribution of water resources in India. Jaisalmer in
Rajasthan gets very low rainfall whereas Mawsynram in Meghalaya
is the wettest place on the earth. Bundelkhand in Central India,
covering parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, gets very
little rainfall. As a result, there is competition between states for
scarce water resources. States need water resources for drinking
water, agriculture and industry.
Secondly, rivers in India originate in one state and flow
through many states. The Cauvery originates in Karnataka and
flows through Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. It
finally flows into the Arabian Sea. These four states are parties
to the Cauvery water dispute.
The state in which a river originates feels it has the majority
share of the water, mainly because of its origin there. The other
states do not share this view; they feel they have an equal share
in rivers that flow through.
Thirdly, water disputes in India frequently rise because the
mechanisms for solving inter-state water disputes in India have
not been able to come to just solutions. The Supreme Court of
India has been excluded from being the highest court of law for
resolving inter-state water disputes. The union government
constitutes tribunals when disputes arise but these tribunals have
many a time failed to provide amicable solutions.
Fourthly, there has been extreme delay in constituting water
tribunals. Under the Inter-State Water Disputes (ISWD) Act, the
union government is required to set up a tribunal only when it
is satisfied that the dispute cannot be settled by negotiations. The
Godavari and Krishna disputes emerged in 1956. The states
involved in the dispute requested for a tribunal in 1962, but the
tribunal was constituted nearly 15 years later in 1969. And the
tribunals take a long time to give their awards.
In most of the cases, where disputes have been referred to
the tribunal, the states have refused to accept the decisions of the
tribunal.
Resolving disputes or conflict resolution must be at the heart
of any federal State. In India, water is in the state list of the
Constitution but qualified by Entry 56 of the Union List which
provides for regulation and development of inter-state rivers and
river valleys. Article 262 of the Constitution explicitly grants
Parliament the right to legislate over the matters in Entry 56 and
also gives it primacy over the Supreme Court. The Parliament has
not effectively utilised its powers under Article 262 of the
Constitution of India.
The Parliament of India must legislate on setting up a single
permanent tribunal to adjudicate all inter-state river water disputes.
This tribunal must subsume existing tribunals. There should be
a timeframe within which the tribunals must give their decisions.
Once the tribunal gives the decision, the verdict must get notified
automatically. At present, the central government is required to
notify the awards, causing delay in its implementation.
The union government must set up an expert agency to collect
data on rainfall, irrigation and surface water flows. This is
necessary because states which are parties to a dispute have a
tendency to fiercely question data provided by the other party to
the dispute. A permanent institution such as the National Water
Commission, which would have reliable data, can be a good
mechanism to apportion water.
Inter-linking of rivers must be explored. Rivers in a specific
region can be inter-linked. The Krishna-Godavari rivers were inter-
linked in September 2015. As a result, adequate water has been
made available for irrigation purposes even to the drought prone
Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. In North India, the

Government of India is working on the Ken-Betwa river link, which
would supply an adequate amount of water to the water starved
and drought prone region of Bundelkhand of Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh. Inter-linking of rivers will not only provide water
to those regions which need it but also bring inter-state cooperation
for water.
Water disputes in India have been happening frequently.
Water disputes such as the Cauvery water dispute are getting
heavily politicised. It’s time all stakeholders, the central and state
governments, and the Parliament of India came up with a viable
mechanism to resolve inter-state water disputes.
Digital Economy
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Concept of Digital Economy
2. Components
— Banking
— e-commerce
— e-governance
3. Challenges for Digital Economy
— Technology not present everywhere
— electronic fraud and hacking
— Digital literacy
4. Conclusion
T
ODAY the world is not just constantly changing but changing
very fast. Digital transformation is one of the reasons for
these changes happening in the society. As society experiences
change due to technology, so is the economy experiencing changes
in its working.
The economy, whether local or global, is undergoing a digital
transformation. The digital economy is the worldwide network of
economic activities enabled by information and communication
technologies (ICT). It can also be defined more simply as an
economy based on digital technologies.
Digital economy has various components:
Take the banking sector—it is getting heavily digitised. The
banking sector before digitisation was more representative of a
clerical organisation. There were too many files cluttered in banks.
For opening an account, a detailed form along with numerous
documents was required. Moreover, the banking sector was not
connected with the financial sector or the stock market. Transactions
in a bank before digitisation were done by visiting the bank for
withdrawal of and deposit of money.
Today, the banking sector has undergone a drastic change in
its working. All branches of a bank are inter-connected. It’s easier
to deposit cash in someone else’s account situated in some other
city without moving from your desk just by pressing some keys
Digital Economy 353
on a computer. The cash is instantly credited to that person’s

account. Withdrawal of cash through automated teller machines
(ATMs), deposit of cash through ATMs and various other transactions
epitomise digitised economy.
Transactions in cash have increasingly become suspect, as
many of them use unaccounted money, escaping the tax net. Hence
governments lose revenue due to them. There is now a global
effort to reduce the use of cash. In the process, digital banking
through credit/debit cards and net banking is being encouraged.
Purchasing of goods through credit/debit cards and net banking
ensures that there is a trail of all transactions.
Due to technology, the banking sector has been easily
globalised. It is easier to open branches all over the world and
make transactions globally. At present banks are testing the
blockchain technology which would revolutionise transactions on
a real time basis; it would be easier for banks in different countries,
and exporters and importers to settle their transactions in five to
six hours, instead of a week, through blockchain technology.
Digitisation has surprisingly helped in financial inclusion
efforts. Before the advent of digitisation, the poor were out of the
banking system. They dealt in cash rather than participate in the
formal banking system. The Jan Dhan Yojana initiated by the
Government of India, whereby people can open bank accounts
with zero balance, ensures access to basic financial services—
namely, savings and deposit accounts, remittance, credit, insurance
and pensions—in an affordable manner to the poor.
The digitisation of banking and its integration into the global
economy has its own pitfalls. Sometime back, passwords of
millions of account holders were exposed in India, due to a breach
in the security systems of agencies handling ATM machines.
Various methods of cashless transactions, such as debit/credit
cards, net banking, and Unified Payment Interface (UPI), have
shown vulnerability to fraud and cheating. Some banks in India
suffered a loss of around two crore rupees due to a bug in their
UPI application.
Electronic commerce or e-commerce is another component of
the digital economy. E-commerce is a type of business model that
enables a firm to conduct business through the Internet. Amazon—
practically a pioneer in the field—is a great example of a company
doing business through e-commerce. Starting as an online bookstore,
Amazon now sells practically everything on its website from books
to electronic items. Amazon’s model has been very successful
around the world. Amazon and other such companies bring sellers
and buyers on one platform, and act as intermediary; sometimes

they also sell products directly to the buyer. eBay Inc. is an e-
commerce company facilitating online consumer-to-consumer sales.
It is a success story of the dot-com bubble of the 1990s.
Flipkart and Paytm in India and Alibaba in China are other
examples of successful e-Commerce companies. A large section
of Indians in metro cities and increasingly in smaller towns are
buying goods and electronic items through e-commerce firms.
Electronic or e-governance is another component of digital
economy. E-governance is the application of information and
communication technology (ICT) for delivering services, interaction
with the public and with other branches of the government as well
as digitisation of the entire government machinery.
Governments all over the world are using e-governance to
provide better and faster services to the public. The Government
of India has started the Digital India programme, with a view to
transforming India into a digitally empowered society and
knowledge economy. Digital India would provide electronic
delivery of services and also aim to reform government through
technology.
The Government of India for the welfare of farmers started
the Electronic–National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). e-NAM is a
pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing
Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) mandis to
create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
Farmers would be able to buy and sell their produce through e-
NAM.
Aadhaar as an identity document is being used by the
Government of India in a number of schemes to map the
beneficiaries. Many subsidies now go directly to a person’s bank
account, and PAN card has been integrated with Aadhaar to weed
out those who have multiple PAN cards. So the targets of subsidies
are accurately reached and resources not wasted or siphoned off.
For digital economy to succeed, there are multiple challenges.
Technology specially Internet, is essential for much of digitised
economy to work. Neither all regions of the world, nor all sections
of the society, have equal access to technology. In India, rural areas
and hilly areas have poor mobile network, as a result of poor
internet connectivity. Large parts of Africa are devoid of any
communication. For e-commerce to be ubiquitous, the digital
divide needs to be bridged. Project Loom of Google is a good
initiative, aimed at providing Internet to remote areas through
balloons.
Digital Economy 355
The Government of India is vigorously pursuing the Bharat

Net Project. This project would provide broadband connectivity
to all panchayats in India. By connecting every panchayat the
benefits of digital India would reach the rural areas and remove
the digital divide between urban and rural India. Governments
all over the world need to work together to make the society
digitally inclusive.
As the world moves from a traditional based economy to a
digital based economy, cases of electronic fraud and hacking are
on the rise. All institutions, whether it is the government, banks,
financial companies or e-commerce companies, need to strengthen
their cyber security systems.
For digital economy to succeed, digital literacy is important.
People must be educated not only on how to use technology but
also about the dangers of technology and how to avoid those
dangers. The Government of India’s ‘Pradhan Mantri Gramin
Digital Saksharta Abhiyan’ is a good step in that direction.
Digital economy can be a leveller, as well as an enabler of
a more transparent economy, if technology is available to everyone;
else it may create a big digital divide and be a source of inequality.
It is also possible that the older people in society might feel a
little helpless with this new technology. It is necessary that options
should always be available so that they may not feel excluded.
Near Jobless
Growth in India
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Indian economy’s fastest growth during the first decade of
the 21st century but very low rate of growth in job creation
2. Economic Survey data and Ministry of Labour’s data
3. Reasons
— Downsizing and reduction of jobs with examples
— Closure of start-ups
— Automation of jobs in various sectors such as IT,
manufacturing, banking
4. Anomaly regarding the narrow data of the labour bureau
5. Steps needed to boost jobs: focus on emerging and new
sectors of the economy; skilling India’s workforce; encouraging
entrepreneurship and innovation; boosting the micro, small
and medium enterprises (MSME) sector; pay attention to
improving the agricultural sector.
6. Conclusion
T
HE Indian economy grew fastest during the first decade of
the twenty-first century. But this period also witnessed an
abnormally low rate of growth in job creation.
The Economic Survey of 2014-15 stated that during the decade
of 2001-11, the growth rate of the labour force was nearly double
the growth rate of employment. The India Exclusion Report 2013-
14 by the Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi stated that only 27
million jobs were added in the period of 2004-10 compared with
over 60 million between 1999 and 2004. According to the Ministry
of Labour ’s 27th Quarterly Employment Survey of eight
employment intensive industries (textiles, leather, metals,
automobiles, gems and jewellery, transport, IT/BPO and handloom/
powerloom)—there were 43,000 job losses in the first quarter of
2015-16. At their peak, these sectors had added 1.1 million jobs
in 2010. In the following five years, 1.5 million jobs were lost. In
the year 2014-15, 500,000 new jobs were added, but it still was
half the figure in 2010.
There are several reasons for jobless growth in India.
Downsizing or reduction of jobs is one reason. Many companies
have closed their factories or reduced their operations. Nokia
closed its handset-making factory in Chennai in November 2014,
rendering 8000 workers jobless. Nokia decided that it can make
smartphones cheaper in Vietnam; deEco, a Chinese mobile handset
company, fired 85 per cent of its India staff in January 2017. The
company was facing financial crisis in China, therefore it decided
to trim its workforce all over the world. Aircel, a telecommunication
company, decided to merge with Reliance in 2016. As mergers
happen and consolidation takes place, companies reduce their
workforce.
Start-ups are a good mechanism of boosting entrepreneurship
and creating jobs. However, start-ups need cash to sustain
themselves in the initial stages. Not all start-ups are able to sustain
themselves as they suffer from a weak business model and
shortage of funds. Funds come from investors. The moment
investors feel that the business model of a start-up is flawed or
it will not be able to make money, they withdraw their funds.
Without funds, start-ups are unable to sustain themselves and, as
a result, they reduce their workforce.
Another reason for declining jobs in India is automation.
Automation simply means using robots or control systems to do
jobs which were earlier performed partially or fully by human
labour. While loss of jobs due to automation is a world-wide
problem, in India it has a huge impact because of the large labour
force that is unemployed. According to the World Bank, automation
threatens 69 per cent of the jobs in India and 77 per cent in China.
The Indian economy is generating fewer jobs per unit of GDP. In
manufacturing, if 11 people were needed to execute a piece of
work that generated Rs 1 million worth of industrial GDP ten years
back, today only six are needed. This can be explained taking the
example of bottling plants. While the bottling process would
earlier be done by a large number of factory workers, most
companies are adopting automated systems: empty bottles are
placed on assembly lines where these are filled and packaged by
machines under minimal human supervision.
The landscape of the $150 billion Indian Information Technology
(IT) industry is changing very quickly, as companies hire fewer
freshers due to automation of entry-level jobs. Most large IT
services companies have been investing in automation of processes
in their traditional businesses like business process outosourcing

(BPO) and application and infrastructure management, which
means fewer engineers will be required at the lower end of the
pyramid.
An anomaly regarding the jobless growth in India is that the
labour bureau’s data is narrow and thus does not give a true
picture. In India, the informal sector contributes to the majority
of the jobs created in India. The Economic Survey 2015-16
highlighted that of the 10.5 million new manufacturing jobs created
in India between 1989 and 2010, only 3.7 million or about 35 per
cent were in the formal sector. The total number of establishments,
according to the Economic Survey, increased by 4.2 million
between 1989 and 2010, but the formal sector accounted for just
1.2 per cent of this growth.
Economists and policymakers seem to underestimate the
contribution of the informal sector in creating employment. When
Maruti Suzuki rolls out 1.5 million cars a year, it indirectly creates
thousands of jobs in the fields of driver training, repairs, spare
part outlets, insurance, dealerships, etc. Government data does not
capture this trend in informal jobs.
Even in the formal sector, the labour bureau’s data does not
capture jobs created by online enterprises such as Amazon and
start-ups such as Flipkart, Snapdeal, etc. Moreover, the labour
bureau’s data surveys 2000-2500 establishments in eight sectors,
which by any standard is very low.
The first step to remove jobless growth in India is to focus
on emerging and new sectors of the economy. India is on the edge
of a digital revolution which will spread across the economy from
agriculture, rural, healthcare, education, to retail, other services
and manufacturing and create a new set of jobs and render some
existing ones obsolete. The Government of India is therefore
focussing on new thrust areas such as Digital India, Skill India,
Startup India and Make in India. All these thrust areas have the
potential to create jobs. But India needs to make its youth ready
for the new jobs through skill development.
According to the Labour Bureau Reports, the present skilled
workforce in India is very low compared to the developing nations.
A skilled workforce will be a great boost for various sectors.
Along with skill development, the government needs to boost
entrepreneurship in India. The Government of India has started
the Start-up and Stand-up India initiatives. Entrepreneurs under
Start-up India would be provided with various benefits. The Stand-
up India scheme is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among

women, SC/ST and backward communities.
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector are
the backbone of any nation and prime drivers of job growth,
especially in India. The MSME sector must be helped by the
government to develop and flourish. At present, it suffers from
various problems such as limited access to credit, inadequate
knowledge of marketing, lack of access to latest technology,
multiplicity of labour laws and complicated procedures.
The government has launched various programme for
technological upgradation, MUDRA Yojana for micro enterprises
whereby entrepreneurs would be provided loans. The government
is implementing the credit guarantee fund scheme for micro,
medium and small enterprises with the objective of facilitating
flow of credit to the MSME sector. The National Manufacturing
Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) for the MSMEs, aims at
enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises in this sector.
It is also necessary to focus on the agricultural sector which
holds good prospects for development and job creation. Youngsters
should be encouraged to study technological innovation in the
agricultural field and work to improve this vital sector. There
could be plenty of money as well as scope in this sector, especially
if one views the value added aspects such as food processing.
India’s economy is going through a phase of transition. At
present, India needs to make its workforce trained for the new
and emerging jobs, make its MSME sector more competitive and
encourage educated students to take to agriculture to improve
productivity and value-added features. Automation must be seen
not as a threat, but as an opportunity to train and re-skill the
workforce. India must invest in new thrust areas of Digital India,
Skill India, Start-up India etc. India also needs to invest in its
education sector. A lot of graduates in India do not have the skills
required by employers. Therefore focus must be on quality of
education. Only then can India move out of this phase of jobless
growth.
Sting Operations:
Issue of Privacy vs.
Public Interest
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. What is a sting operation?
2. Dilemma over its legality: Public interest or individual privacy.
3. Observations of the Supreme Court on the matter.
4. Positive and negative sting operations according to purpose.
5. Question of freedom of media in a democratic order.
6. Media to act responsibly by following guidelines.
A
sting operation is a means of covert investigation meant
to expose some misdoing or malpractice of an individual
or to be more precise, it is an operation devised to catch
a person committing a crime. Being a hidden operation, it may
not only be secretive but also involve the use of deception and
trickery to induce the target individual to commit a misdeed.
The issue of the legality and morality, involving within its
fold the question of right to privacy of an individual against public
interest, poses a dilemma over the choice of sting operation as
a means of investigation. But its validity and relevance cannot be
disregared in toto in a corruption-ridden society where such
crucial information cannot be always acquired through open and
straight forward means. However, there are certain concerns as
to the real purpose or motive behind the conduct of a secretive
operation, the methods employed by the agency conducting the
investigation, etc., which must be considered with deep caution
and reasoned judgement. No agency or individual, be it a private
(journalist) or security personnel like the police, can be allowed
to carry it on with a hidden agenda as it involves ethical
dimensions; it is coloured by the impropriety of intruding into
the privacy of the people. This becomes all the more important
in the absence of stringent laws in India. To address such grave

and genuine apprehensions, the Supreme Court in one of the
judgments (R.K. Anand case) gives an implication that a sting
operation cannot be termed as objectionable so far as it is done
keeping larger public interest in mind, and in doing so it strictly
follows certain guidelines and norms. In a more recent judgement,
the apex court ruled that sting operations are not legal methods
of law enforcement, while also raising questions over such
practices used in sting operations as luring a person into committing
a wrong or entrapping him/her in a honeytrap. The court viewed
the sting operation in light of moral and ethical considerations.
A sting goes against morality due to the fact that it induces or
lures a person to commit a crime that he/she might not have
committed under normal circumstances.
The question such a practice raises relates to the extent to
which one can go to induce a person to commit a crime and how
can one be held responsible for a crime that one would not have
committed if one had not been encouraged to do it? The term
public interest is not clearly laid out and its vagueness can be
manipulated to invade the privacy of an individual.
In view of the above concerns, it must be mentioned that on
the basis of the purpose for which a sting operation is undertaken,
it can be categorised as positive or negative. A positive covert
operation is one which is in the public interest; it raises an issue
of concern to the general public and is devoid of any ulterior
motive. Such operations have the effect of ensuring responsibility
and accountability in the administration and government. Such
investigation leads to awareness in the general public and
transparency in governance. The importance of these undercover
investigations cannot be undermined as it aims at making citizens
informed, an essential condition for the working of a healthy
democracy.
If a sting operation, for example, exposes a government
official or a socialite employing and exploiting children as
domestic labour, it has done society a good turn even though it
inevitably involves intrusion into the privacy of the domestic lives
of the individual.
If in the course of an investigation, a journalist is also to bring
to light a plot by antisocial elements to rob a bank or plant bombs
to create havoc, it is a sting operation for the good of the public,
even if the journalist has intruded into private space to overhear
a private conversation.
On the other side, there is the negative sting operation which

can do more harm than good. It is many a time done by journalists
to create sensationalism and increase the TRPs. Even if it exposes
a wrong doing, it cannot be justified if someone works hard at
deliberately entrapping a person and invading his/her personal
space. Or it may be carried out by a rival (political or otherwise)
to denigrate an individual; often in such a case, the ‘wrong’
exposed is a matter of private concern but it is made to shame
the individual concerned in the public arena. An individual’s
personal life may not be exactly what society in general approves
of, but if it does not adversely affect his/her public work, can a
sting operation into that person’s private life be justified? Its
underlying motive is not ‘public interest’, rather it is to showcase
‘what is of interest to the public’.
Whether there is a case for allowing sting operations to be
carried out or not also includes within its fold the larger question
of freedom of press in a democratic country. The liberty of the
press or media—both electronic and print—is not explicitly
mentioned in the Constitution, but a broad analysis of Article
19(1)(a) relating to freedom of speech and expression reveals that
the freedom of press is included within its fold. This freedom,
however, comes with certain restrictions. Various judgements of
the Supreme Court have from time to time, established certain
canons for the press to follow, while traversing the complex
question involving individual privacy versus public interest. It
should be very clear beforehand whether the proposed intrusion
into privacy is justified or truly necessary to reveal public
wrongdoing. Does what is revealed in private life have a bearing
on public life or useful in public interest.
Considering the fact that the issue of sting operations is one
of the most controversial and intensely debated topics in journalism,
it cannot be condemned or accepted in totality. Even the Supreme
Court expressed its verdict against curbing sting operations.
Moreover, it also rejected the suggestion that media take prior
permission for conducting sting operations on the premise that it
would account to pre-censorship.
The world over, there are a few guidelines, some of which
are generally agreed upon. The Press Council of India also gives
guidelines for reporting a sting operation. It is quite reasonable
to expect media to act responsibly by following those standards.
Sting operation must be resorted to only when there is no other
way of getting the required information; it should be the last resort

when other options fail to deliver the goods. In case of a sting
operation infringing upon the right of privacy of an individual,
it must do so in public interest that far outweighs the violation
of the trust and privacy of the individual.
There is a very thin line that separates the moral from the
immoral, more so in respect of such highly controversial issues.
But a line must be drawn, howsoever complicated a task it may
seem to be, between sting operations that invade privacy for mere
sensationalism or settle private scores, and those that are carried
out in genuine public interest.
Media Freedom and

Individual Privacy
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Media keen to expose sexual peccadilloes of people in public
office.
2. Aim is to please reader’s/viewer’s vicarious interest in
sensational exposés and thus gain popularity.
3. Even public figures have a right to privacy, unless they
indulge in crimes that affect society at large.
4. Media intrudes into the privacy of people when it focuses
on the dead and grieving relatives.
5. Media should learn to spot and keep sacrosanct the thin
line separating public and the purely personal.
S
ome time ago, the President of the Philippines was asked
at a press conference if she had sex. She replied that she
did and laughingly stated that was what would hog the
headlines next day, not what she had spoken on development. One
wonders if the president’s sexual needs and fulfilment are of any
relevance to the public or to the nation. Was the question in any
way necessary, did it bear on some vital national or socio-economic
issue? No. Was it meant as a touch of humour? Surely, if so, it
speaks of a rather dubious sense of humour. It could not be
considered ‘investigative’, at least in the right spirit. But, then, why
was it asked? There can be no satisfactory answer. The sexual
peccadilloes of influential people, especially politicians, seem to
be of special interest of the media.
Take the case of the former prime minister of Britain. Mr Major
quit office with a fairly unbesmirched reputation. But, after quite
some time, one Edwina Currie “revealed it all” by publishing her
diaries and giving an interview to The Times. John Major, it seems,
had an affair with Edwina for four years. It was in the 1980s, in
the days of Mrs Thatcher’s prime ministership when Major was
not a minister. But he was the Conservative Party whip responsible
for discipline which presumably included noting such

misdemeanours. For, John Major was, after all, married at the time
and, as such, guilty of adultery. Edwina spilled the beans, Major
quietly accepted the charges and merely said that he was ashamed
of the episode and that his wife had known of it and had forgiven
him. Quite the stuff of a Mills and Boon novella, except that the
figures involved are well known and quite real. The funny thing
about the exposure is that the media did not sensationalise it;
indeed, there seemed to be a sneaking admiration for the former
prime minister—attaboy, quite a ‘chhupa rustam’ what? All those
pious sentiments about ‘back to basics’ involving respect for family
and the law and traditional teaching, etc. And all those self-
righteous dismissals of ministers (Tim Yeo, Hartley Booth, Michael
Brown) in his council of ministers for sexual scandals associated
with their names. And all the time, e tu Brutus? So, not morality
wins the day, but your ability to hide your immorality from the
light of day, or, shall we say, the media. True Victorian morality
of which many of us seem to be so very fond of: appearing to
be what you are not; in other words, hypocrisy.
So, why did the media not go to town about it? It could be
because media was not instrumental in exposing the affair; it could
be that it is not half so much fun, or brutally amusing, as it would
have been if the man had been in office; if he had been in office,
the media could have shown its power by informing the public
of the sleaze and working to get a resignation from the prime
minister and taking the credit of having toppled the government.
Ha! The power of the media and investigative journalism! In other
words, the news, when it actually come, had no news value.
The thought of what the media would have done if the case
had come to light in the days when Major was prime minister
leads one to wonder whether such invasion of privacy is justified.
Are the sexual peccadilloes of the politicians and other famous
people so relevant to national interest that they need to be
plastered across the front pages of the national newspapers or
exposed on prime TV time? More importantly, is the politician
or any other public personality, for that matter, not entitled to a
private life? This is not to condone adultery or sexual perversions,
but these may surely be dealt with within the sphere of family
and close connections, as they are in anybody else’s case. Amidst
all the adverse publicity that the media thoughtlessly heaps on
the culprit, the innocent have to pay a price and suffer for no fault
of theirs—the wife who has been treated shabbily, the children of
the public figure. How right is it to say the public figure is not
entitled to a private life?
Even if one subscribes to the notion that public figures have
to be transparent in their actions and their opinions, differentiation
has to be made between actions and opinions that impinge upon
the public domain and those that are of a personal nature. The
line separating the two may be thin in the case of public figures
because their lives are so open to scrutiny, but the line, nevertheless,
exists and can be sensed. The media is also well aware of this
dividing line and has no right to obliterate it. If it does intrude,
it is because it knows that the public derives vicarious pleasure
from the faults and foibles of the famous and the ‘great’, a gleeful
satisfaction in knowing that those personalities feted by so many
and always in the limelight are no better and no worse than the
ordinary human being. And in all this, sexual misdemeanours
somehow appear more attractive to a large class of readers and
viewers just as sensational crimes do. Exploiting this human
weakness may be good business, in terms of money, but it is not
good media ethics. True, if the private life of a public personality
showed a propensity for activities that could endanger the life or
well being of others or pose a danger to national security and
social good, and the media has information on such activities, the
information must be publicised in public interest. A child abuser
or rapist or one who enjoys sexually harassing a colleague or
subordinate in office is, indeed, worse than one in any other walk
of life, as he or she can use the power of office to indulge in the
crime and exploit others. It is the media’s duty in such cases to
expose the criminal. But it is no business of the media to chase
around after famous personalities to photograph them when they
least expect it or to keep up a running commentary on the exploits
of their love life—however much a section of the public audience
—readers or viewers—may desire to know about them.
Media should be very careful in studying what is of public
interest and welfare before deciding to expose the private doings
of public figures or intruding into the sacrosanct moments of
private grief. Media should also understand that the dead have
dignity and a right to privacy as well.
Media is not even respectful of the privacy of the dead and
the injured and the grieving. And this is obvious every time a
disaster occurs. In the eagerness to achieve the status of having
a ‘breaking story’, the media— especially the electronic media—
has shown shocking insensitivity, both to the victim of a disaster
and to the viewing public. Accidents have each channel claiming

every ten minutes that it was the one to break the news. Besides,
the cameras focus on the dead and the injured with a cruel
indifference to the dignity of an individual. The dead, it seems
to proclaim, have not the same rights as the living, and those
injured too badly to know what was happening are also second-
class citizens forced to give up their right to privacy in the interest
of a ‘good story’. As for the viewers, this intrusion manifests the
vulnerability of the dead, and the scenes repeated ad nauseum
prove distasteful, to put it mildly. Even in the case of terrorists
who are shot, there is no need for the cameras to linger on their
bodies: their actions may have been condemnable, but why exhibit
their dead bodies lying in pools of blood? To satisfy some
collective sense of revengeful satisfaction? Close shots of relatives
and friends of the dead and injured torn by grief and howling
in sorrow, is also an intrusion in the privacy to which every
individual as a human being is entitled, more so in a democracy.
Poignant these scenes may be, newsworthy too, but a viewer with
even normal sensitivity is left uneasy, shifting uncomfortably and
trying to avoid the television screen.
Can technology take

over human beings?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Brief introductory note on technology and humans.
2. Technology in modern times: its role and reach in our life.
3. How far has it replaced manpower, discuss citing examples.
4. Possibilities that could emerge in future due to our over-
reliance on technology: a world controlled by machines and
other related dangers.
5. Need to strike a balance between using technology and
utilising manpower.
T
ECHNOLOGY comprises the application of scientific
knowledge to carry out various tasks while manpower is
the physical effort put by human beings in the execution
of work. Application of technology makes work easier and
convenient due to its high efficiency, accuracy and precision. It
significantly reduces strain and stress of human work.
Technology owes its very existence to human beings; it is
humans who invented and developed technology for their own
advantage, to improve their quality of life, and to ease the burden
of work. The invention of the wheel is perhaps a landmark in the
march of civilisation, which has revolutionised means of production
besides transportation. Another landmark was the era of industrial
revolution. Powerful machinery led to mass production and the
world ushered in the age of consumerism. In a gradual manner,
technology made its presence in our everyday life, and it would
be no exaggeration to say that the present age is driven by
technology. In fact, in the present era, technology seems to be the
order of the day. This is especially so after the invention of the
computer. The chip has simply taken over, one might say.
Technology—specially driven by computers—has become an
indispensable part of our lives: it is quite impossible to even
imagine a day without our modern gadgets like smart phones,
Can technology take over human beings? 369
washing machines, laptops, etc. Technology is prevalent in all

facets of life from simple home appliances to hi-tech advances;
the list of marvels of modern technology is boundless.
The effect of technology on the life of humans is immense.
But has it minimised the power of humans? Technology has
considerably minimised the role of humans in carrying out various
tasks and common chores. In today’s fast hectic life, no one wants
to spend precious hours in doing dishes, washing clothes, etc.,
technology helps out in the form of automatic devices which take
care of our boring routine and hard work in the most efficient
manner.
There is no denying the fact that technology, especially the
more recent developments in such areas as robotics, artificial
intelligence, Internet of Things has the potential to reduce human
labour to the minimal level. Recent developments in robotics have
led to robots executing such tasks that require cognitive ability,
hitherto ascribed to humans only; for instance, artificial intelligence
gives the machines or computers the ability to perform tasks like
decision making, visual perception, speech recognition, etc., which
were previously the exclusive domain of human intelligence.
Similarly, the concept of the Internet of Things connects devices,
vehicles, objects, animals or people through inter-networking of
physical devices in such a way so as to enable these various objects
to collect and exchange data, without requiring human-to-human
or human-to-computer interaction, with high efficiency, accuracy,
economy and reduced human intervention. In such ways, technology
is increasingly coming to the forefront and human role in getting
greatly restricted. With the click of a button or simply by touching
the screen of our phone, we are introduced to a whole new smart
world of digital technology, where there are intelligent or smart
devices to do our monotonous daily chores and various duties.
The reach of technology has enabled the execution of these tasks
with high level of accuracy without requiring even the physical
presence of humans.
Yet, despite such advances in the realm of technology, it is
doubtful if it can totally replace manpower. Ultimately, it is the
human being who creates, controls and manages technology. But
the way we have allowed it to creep into our lives is something
that should be pondered over. The way it has taken the place of
little pleasures of life, say, meeting people, spending time with
our loved ones, taking a stroll to enjoy a cool breeze in the park,
etc., is quite unacceptable. Watching a movie or video on the
Internet or spending time on social networking sites is preferred
to making a little effort to play outdoor games or meeting friends.

Moreover, in case of some failure in a device, our life comes to
a standstill. As a result of this dependence on technology, we are
compromising our ability to manage life on our own. We are
letting such age old simple abilities, such as writing on paper,
take a backstage by using computers to feed anything and
everything. Calculators have eroded into our ability to do mental
math. Spelling does not have to be learnt; the spell check on our
computers will do the trick. This is not a healthy precedent, in
fact, it is raising a whole generation of human beings bereft of
many simple abilities.
It cannot be said with any certainty what the future has in
store for humans. But going by the advances taking place in the
fields of bio-technology, robotics and artificial intelligence, we
might end up creating many a Frankenstein’s monster that cannot
be controlled and could end up destroying its own creator. Well
known physicist Stephen Hawking has expressed the opinion that
the development of full artificial intelligence can spell the end of
the human race. A similar view has been put forward by another
scientist, who has termed AI the biggest existential threat ever
faced by humanity.
If the future is in any way similar to science-fiction literature
and movies, then what place would we as human beings hold?
In the worst case scenario, if intelligent machines control us and
govern our lives, we would be nothing more than slaves to
monsters created by us. This is, of course, a hypothetical statement,
but then half a century back no one could predict with a reasonable
degree of certainty that living beings could be cloned and
techniques of selection of genetic make-up to produce genetically
modified designer babies with desirable traits was possible. What
was imagined once upon a time is gradually coming to actually
exist in reality.
There should be a balance, a harmony between using
technology and utilising our natural gifts. Technology should be
harnessed to improve our life, not to overwhelm us with its
wondrous manifestations. Some human traits like values of morality,
discretion, judgement, intuition, emotional intelligence, feeling of
empathy, affection, etc., cannot be replicated in machines—at least
not so far. As such, technology and human beings have their well-
defined roles cut out; we need to be conscious about their
respective place to have the best in the scheme of things.
Remember, technology is meant to complement and supplement
our life, not to make us dependent or addicts.
Rising Competition
and its Effect
on Youth
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Stiff competition in India due to huge population.
2. Effect of competition on youth.
3. Positive and negative impact of competition on young people.
4. Need to make system youth-friendly.
5. Changes needed in mindset and attitude of society.
C
OMPETITION has always been a part of life. Even animals
compete for food and mating. In case of humans, competition
begins early in life, and pervades every aspect of that life—
how one looks, how one behaves, how well one does in school,
hobbies, work and so on.
India is the second most populous country in the world with
more than 50 per cent of its population below the age of 25 and
more than 65 per cent below the age of 35. As such, there is a
large quantum of population in the working age group. Such a
situation appears to be a prospect to cheer about for the
demographic dividend that our country enjoys. But, it also has
a less encouraging, bleaker feature linked to it; this young
population has to be provided with means of livelihood in
accordance with their qualifications. Due to this large population
of youth and ever growing population, competition has became
a way of life.
Competition affects different people in different ways. Some
adjust to it as a part and parcel of life, and channelise their energy
in the positive way to develop their full potential. In such people,
it acts as an impetus to work hard in order to excel in their
respective area of interest. Competition also helps in developing
and enhancing the skills and talents of the youth. Due to
competition, the habit to work hard is acquired in the formative
years of one’s life; a discipline is developed, which remains with

the individual throughout life. It also proves quite advantageous
in a person’s professional role. Competition inculcates a sense of
dedication, determination, strong resolve and will-power in an
individual. In a way, it polishes the natural faculties of a person
and brings out the best in him/her. This is achieved through
constant years of putting efforts in a competitive environment. So,
competition, in this sense, acts as a catalyst for the full development
of a person’s intellect, talents and skills. Were life devoid of
competition, and all about smooth sailing, there would not be
much effort on the part of individuals to push themselves to the
limits of their abilities. In this context, competition acts as a
positive stimuli to act.
There is no sphere of life that remains untouched by the spirit
of competition; whether it is the field of academics, sports or the
world of work, competition is prevalent everywhere.
It is as a result of competition that the best quality of product,
technology, services are available to us, and there is a constant
urge to do more and better. Competition, however, also has a
negative side to it. It can create hindrances and act as a demotivating
factor for youth. Ruthless and extreme competition results in
undue pressure and anxiety among youth, and fuels the tendency
to feel hopeless, tense and worried about one’s abilities and the
future. Due to the rat race to be in the top slot, the emphasis of
students remains on getting high scores rather than learning in the
real sense of the term. So strong is this urge to be the foremost
that it crushes the tender human emotions and make humans akin
to machines, who must work or study for 18 hours a day to get
admission in one or the other of the premier institutes. In this blind
pursuit of one upmanship, the young lose compassion towards
their companions who are not able to do so well. Competition has
this tendency to make one ruthless. The worst sufferers of the
ruthless competition are those who are unable to fulfil their
dreams. Such people could easily lose all hope, become alienated
and sink into depression; in some cases, they even take the extreme
step of ending their life. Cut throat competition is a major reason
for the rising cases of suicide among the youth. In such a scenario,
competition acts more as an obstacle to individual development
than a factor leading to full realisation of individual potential.
There is a need to make our environment, our system more youth-
friendly. Status-quo is not going to bring any solace to youth
reeling under the insensitive order of things. The implication is
that there should be a total revamp of our system and our long
held notions of career and success.
Unfortunately, it is true that uncreative professions also call
for the highest competition. One’s inclination can be towards
painting or music or dancing, but these too can be highly
competitive fields, especially if one has to make a living through
them. To begin with, the education system should be overhauled
in such a manner that it caters to the need of students having
diverse interests and aptitudes. Right from an impressionable age,
the students should be given conditions which are conducive to
developing their natural talents. The system of learning by rote
needs to be discarded as it fails to educate students in a way to
prepare them for life. Schools, as institutions of learning and
development, need to explore all possible avenues in order to help
students face the outside world. Parental guidance and support
forms the crux of the matter relating to the question of challenges
faced by the youth. Parents should encourage students to pursue
their interests in place of pressurising them to follow particular
standards set by society or the ambitions that the parents themselves
failed to achieve.
Role models should not be held up as compulsory aims to
achieve. The young should not be coerced into becoming doctors
and engineers. Let them follow their passion, which is their
naturally and only needs to be discovered. It is absolutely
unhuman to burden them with the weight of expectations and then
leave them alone to crumble and collapse under pressure.
The youth, on their part, should not act rigidly when it comes
to making crucial choices. They should understand the real
purpose of competition. They would do best to divert their
energies to productive tasks and create their niche in the respective
areas meant for them.
The need of the times is healthy competition and emphasis
on voluntary learning, acquiring life skills and development as
human beings for the betterment of oneself and the society at large.
A balanced view is of utmost necessity. Life needs to be viewed
in a holistic manner. If one is not good in one field, one should
just look for a field in which one is good.
Are we a
racist people?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Meaning of the term racism, its fallouts, etc.
2. Attacks on Africans due to illegal activities, not exactly racism,
it’s more of a law and order problem.
3. Preference for ‘fair-skin’ in India is a personal like—not
racially motivated.
4. In the past, people of various races and ethnicities
intermingled with local population, some Africans rose to
prominent positions in medieval India.
5. Negative traits like prejudice are prevalent throughout the
world.
6. Racism against the people from North-east and Africa exist
in a few pockets only, society on the whole can’t be blamed.
7. Need to make society more inclusive through education,
awareness and people-to-people cooperation.
I
N general and simple parlance, the term ‘racism’ refers to
discrimination or antagonism towards people on the basis of
their race or ethnicity. But today the term has acquired broader
connotations with the increase in the complexity of the issues and
it cannot be categorised under a single definition. The underlying
notion behind racism is that the members belonging to each of
the different races have certain characteristics specific to the
particular race they belong to, as such, and these characteristics
are perceived to distinguish them as inferior or superior to another
race or races. For this purpose, the ideology divides humans into
distinct groups based on such traits as shared ancestry or shared
behaviour.
Such theories of a race or races being inferior or superior to
other race or races is based on pseudo-scientific assumptions, and
the scientific research of the modern age, especially in the field
of human genome research, indicate that there is little evidence
that race can be defined in such a way as to be of significance

in a genetic classification of human beings. The concept of race,
as it exists in the imagination of people the world over, is then
more of a social construct than a scientific fact with the wrong
notions of superiority, inferiority and other abstract qualities
attached to it.
Superficial differences are a result of different geo-climatic
conditions of various regions of the world and the ancestry shared
by different people. It can be the basis of categorisation but cannot
and should not be the basis of discrimination between people.
When such differences become the basis of discriminating
against people, it gives rise to the scourge of racism. The real
dangers associated with racism can manifest in various aspects of
life, in social and political practices as happened in the policy of
apartheid. The related consequences include segregation,
xenophobia, supremacism, etc. In its worst form, these tendencies
find expression in violence and atrocities against a group of
people, its prime example being the Holocaust of the Jews by the
Nazis. The violent history of slavery in the USA, the policy of
segregation of Whites and Blacks in the USA, the excesses
committed on non-whites during the colonial period and many
other such heinous acts are all related to racism. Racism at its basic
level is exclusionist to the core.
Any discussion on racism is incomplete without taking in
view the real import of the term and its historical background.
The question whether Indians are a racist people or upto what
extent has racism penetrated our society needs to be analysed in
the light of the above details.
In the context of India, the recent attacks against Nigerian
nationals were more of a law and order problem since the trigger
of the attacks was the drug problem and certain behaviourial
patterns that went against the cultural values of the local population.
In the same way, the local population of Goa is also against the
Russians and other white people due to drugs and other associated
problems facing the state. As such, it is a conflict of different
cultures; the resultant attacks, nevertheless, were a criminal act but
it is questionable if they can be called racist in the true sense of
the term. The issue of racism arose because those attacked
belonged to one nationality and were black.
It is wrong to brand an entire society as racist because of some
deplorable incidents. However, this should not be mistaken for
an assertion that Indian society is free from any prejudice or bias.

In fact, bias towards ‘fair-skin’ does exist in our society, a deeply
embarrassing reality openly endorsed and fuelled by our popular
culture, bollywood movies, and advertisements unabashedly
promoting ‘fairness creams’ to make one a few tones fairer. But
this bias is indicative of a lack of maturity and parochial thinking
as far as our understanding of the concept of aesthetics is
concerned. It does not smack of racism or hate towards dark-
skinned people.
Moreover, this fascination for ‘fair-skin’ is not fundamentally
different from the ‘traditional aesthetic’ bias prevalent elsewhere
in the world in different forms, say, the obsession of the western
world with thinness which has resulted in concerns regarding
eating disorders among teenagers, especially girls, there. Such a
comparison is in no way a justification of the prejudice prevalent
in our society, it is just to drive home the point that societies the
world over are guilty of harbouring such wrong notions, though
in varying degrees.
For many centuries, racism has been the menace of the western
world, it would be quite sad if it spreads its wings in India, which
in the past had been much tolerant of foreign people of all colours
and hues. History shows that there was an easy intermingling
between the Indians and people of African origin. There are
instances of slaves being raised to the status of rulers. There used
to be the courtiers of African descent in the royal courts of Indian
rulers. The medieval period of Indian history gives instances of
African generals and even rulers of African-Arabian descent in the
Deccan region. Colour of skin was in no way a deciding factor
of the prospects of an individual.
We have inherited a culture of inclusiveness and tolerance.
Our society accepted and assimilated people belonging to different
cultures and backgrounds into its fold. The victims of racial and
religious persecution elsewhere in the world became very much
a part of the Indian society over a period of time. As revealed
by the census data, there were 24,000 Jews and 109,754 Parsis in
India in 1931. Both the communities have made immense
contribution in the freedom movement and to the economic
progress of India. This is definitely not the trait of a racist society.
But we cannot take refuge in history to escape the reality of the
present. The fact is prejudices are deeply engrained in the societies
across the world. These prejudices result in many negative values
of life, racism being one of them. No society or nation can be said

to have attained a perfect or an ideal state where there is no
negativity in character and behaviour of its citizens. It is not only
Indian society, but every community that is exclusivist and
exclusionist. Such is one aspect of human nature, which should
be worked upon constantly to become more receptive and tolerant
of different peoples, cultures and ways of life.
Like the people of the African continent, students from North-
east India also face certain prejudice and bias in a society that
is not cosmopolitan by nature. People from the other parts of India
look different and follow different customs. Instead of accepting
others as they are, they are judged by conservative yardsticks that
are different from what they follow. But there is no such practice
like segregation or discrimination against any people in an
organised way in India. We can say that there is somewhat less
people-to-people interaction and intermingling which is mainly
due to difference in cultural values and lifestyles.
To say that blacks are discriminated against due to their skin
colour is therefore a statement which cannot be said to be based
on solid foundation. The discriminatory attitude associated with
racism exists in certain isolated pockets of the society, they are
not representative of the entire community. Racism is based on
a feeling of hatred towards ‘other people’ whereas, historically,
India has welcomed people of different races and creeds.
Of course, on one level, in these times of rapid change, there
seems to be an erosion of the traditional Indian tendency to accept
and learn from different cultures. But it is difficult to say racism
is ingrained in us as Indians. Before charging the entire society
of racism, it would be appropriate to take the bigger picture into
perspective and to analyse the core of the issue. It is reasonable
to believe that assaults on black people were not pre-meditated
and specifically motivated. The underlying cause was that some
African people were suspected to be involved in criminal activities
like supply of drugs and this gave rise to a generalisation. The
problem is that anyone of African appearance, irrespective of their
involvement in any illegal activity, began to be targeted.
As is increasingly happening in other cases too—whether it
is a road accident or a robbery or more recently ‘cow protection’—
people take the law into their own hands and beat up the
perceived ‘criminals’. Ideally, if criminal activity is suspected, it
should be reported to the police, and the legal investigation taken
up. Due to various reasons, not a little due to popular perception

and media propaganda, the law enforcement machinery is seen
as failing to take timely or adequate action. In the atmosphere of
police laxity and public impatience, a lynch mob takes over, and
this mob cannot be and is not bothered about the accuracy of the
target; it readily beats up many innocent people as well. Two major
wrongs take place here: first, the rule of law fails and second,
physical violence is resorted to, against all norms of a civilised
society. As all people of similar looks staying in a group are
targeted, the stigma of racism is easily sought to be stamped on
the ‘others’ of whom the lynch mob forms a part. So it is a complex
problem involving failure of law enforcement, a social turbulence
that is indicated by people impatient for action and erosion of
civilisational qualities which abhor violence.
So, are we racist? Not really. But we are certainly becoming
disrespectful of the rule of law. And we seem to have lost the
basic humanity to respect others’ humanity. Not all of us, but some
of us who are most vocal and get media attention.
If things are to improve, there is a need to provide for
independent liberal thinking and critical thought formation in the
early education to develop an understanding of diverse cultures,
peoples and ways of life. Media should also play a constructive
role by bringing awareness in the masses by informing about the
rich cultural heritage of all of India and other countries, especially
Africa. Similarly, societal mindset could be changed by a sustained
campaign right from school level to become more inclusive and
accommodative of diversity and multiculturalism. A government
backed initiative for people-to-people interaction and cultural
exchange can also go a long way in increasing understanding and
cooperation between the peoples of the world.
It is, after all, India that came up with the term ‘Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam’. And it was an Indian, Gandhi, who wanted the
cultures of the world to flow over India. So, are we, as a people
racist? The answer would be no more than people from the rest
of the world; indeed much less so.
Should there be liquor prohibition? 379
Should there be
liquor prohibition?
POINTS TO DEVELOP
1. Individual freedom versus ill effects of drinking on society
2. Revenue losses to government arising out of ban on liquor
3. State’s role in educating masses
4. Conclusion
I
n a democracy where the concept of individual freedom is an
integral part, any talk of general code of conduct becomes
ticklish. Perhaps in a utopian society an issue like liquor
prohibition will be found both desirable as well as feasible but
in a real society, notwithstanding the possible calamitous effects
of liquor, the issue generates lot of heat and sweat. But one cannot
shy away from tackling the issue only on the plea of maintaining
individual freedom and right to have one’s own way of life. Right
and duty or in this case individuality and responsibility should
and do go hand in hand. One can come across numerous cases
where the so called individual’s right to drink has resulted in
collapse of family harmony and health. People resorting to such
mean things like wife-beating, using abusive terms, neglecting
children, selling properties and last but not the least endangering
their own lives as a result or cause of liquor addiction are quite
common in the society. Should these people have the right to have
their own way? Should they be allowed to encroach upon others’
right to live life harmoniously—however close they might be?
But perhaps the “scenes” one has listed are credited to the
people “addicted” to alcohol. But what about the rights of those
people who go for a peg or two in order to enjoy themselves,
in order to celebrate some rare occasions? Further it is scientifically
proved that a moderate dose of liquor may in some cases be
beneficial for health. Liquor prohibition in general might, in fact,
become a blessing in disguise for those who have become slaves
to alcohol, but for the people who exercise self restraint such a
policy would certainly be encroaching upon their right to live their
life.
Besides this question of individual freedom, the contribution
of liquor to the national revenue cannot be ignored. A national
ban on the sale of liquor would have disastrous impact upon the
livelihood of lakhs of people employed in the liquor industry. Also
there have been suggestions that liquor should be banned in five-
star hotels because they do not promote tourism in any way.
Liquor might not promote tourism but lack of it in five-star hotels,
frequented by foreign tourists, would, however, affect tourism
negatively.
Basically, in a modern society any issue that is related to
mankind ultimately is a matter of subjective conviction. The habit
of drinking starts out of individual preference and it can be
stopped only when one comes to realise its repercussions. But
considering the enormity of the problem what is needed is active
cooperation of the society and government. Though the performance
of government in creating awareness among the people regarding
issues like family planning, compulsory primary education, etc.,
has not been upto mark, still the hope of change lies through the
government’s willpower only. It should encourage volunteer
organisations in spreading awareness about the possible
repercussions of liquor consumption. The rising trend of liquor
addiction is also a result of overall social backwardness. But
considering that the awareness campaign is a long term “treatment”
and to have desired impact on the society one has to wait for a
good period of time, one can suggest some temporary measures
like restricted sale and a judicious increase in the prices of the
liquor also. Further, the problem of liquor production is a problem
of law and order too. There should be strict implementation of
laws against underage drinking. Drunken driving should be
penalised heavily. We have instances of illegal liquor factories also
and it is here that law has to tighten its grip. Perhaps only then
can one come upto the “optimum” situation where liquor
consumption is just a matter of choice, not self-compulsion,
considering the fact that complete liquor prohibition on the part
of the State is not feasible. Even if there is a nation-wide ban we
may come across further problem of smuggling along the lines
of drug-trafficking.
Essays in Brief
In this section, more essays are given, the
topics being discussed briefly, some even in
outline. While many of them are complete in
themselves, the same topics may be ‘fleshed
out’, i.e., enlarged with more illustrations or
detailed discussions to suit the requirements of
particular examinations. Some of the topics are
related to similar topics already dealt with in
the earlier pages, but the angle or perspective
differs in all such cases. Some are born out of
“current issues”.
History repeats itself 383
History repeats itself
H
ISTORY is a record of the past, especially in connection
with the human race. It affords us a glimpse into acts,
events, ideas, characters of the past, thus helping us to
know more about those centuries gone by. When we trace history
right from its beginning to the recent times, we cannot fail to notice
that some events and characters have shown a repetitive quality.
It is almost as if such acts and ideas were meant to occur over
and over again in different centuries though in a slightly different
manner each time. What is the significance of such repetition?
The ancient Greeks, for instance, regarded history as a cycle
of events that repeated itself endlessly. Viewing history from where
we stand today, we may find that there is no dearth of historical
material to justify this view. Wars and destruction have lingered
through history as factors responsible for creating many events.
It is as if they have kept the wheel of time in motion. Causes for
the origin of wars have also been more or less the same—almost
always a lust for power and greatness, or else to prove the
superiority of a set of values, be it social or political in nature,
or for economic gain. Thus if the Persian monarch, Darius I,
invaded territories far and wide to establish his power over
kingdoms large and small, thus extending the dominions of his
empire, so did Alexander of Macedonia, the Roman monarchs,
Chenghiz Khan and Babur. The consequences of war and destruction
have also been similar: the emergence of new powers, new rulers
not very different from their predecessors as far as their goal of
conquest is concerned.
Almost every century has seen the rise of a great leader—
though as to what constitutes ‘greatness’ is a debatable matter.
Messiahs, truly concerned about the welfare of mankind in general,
have come and gone, almost always emphasising a similar set of
values and virtues for the good of man. Reformers and leaders
genuinely concerned about the condition of the society in their
times have always stressed the importance of similar essential
values for man. Thus, the fundamental message delivered to

humanity by the Buddha, Mahavira, Guru Nanak, and Mahatma
Gandhi is very similar.
History is thus nothing but man’s one long struggle for
survival to preserve his existence, identity and values. The
struggle has often borne more than a slight resemblance in the
methods used and the manner adopted in each period. Such
repetition of historical facts—events, ideas and acts—sometimes
makes us think that there is nothing coincidental about it; that it
is a planned sequence leading towards a pre-destined goal.
However, in spite of history repeating itself time and again
to reveal the mistakes and pains that have, it seems, worked
against man’s struggle for a better life, man has never actually
learnt from his past experience. Wars continue to this day, rather
on a global scale. Man’s lust for ambition and power continues
to destroy peoples and nations. All this points to only one thing—
man’s inherent nature and his basic approach or manner of
responding to the historical experience has been the same ever
since civilisation began.
How free are we? 385
How free are we?
I
nevitably, on the eve of every August 15, the thought of freedom
comes to mind. And one wonders how precarious that freedom
is.
We boast of independence from the foreign yoke, freedom
from colonialism, democracy, free elections. Yet each one of those
freedoms has its own obverse, each one has bred situations in
which we are not free. We may be free of the foreign rulers, but
are our rulers any better just because they are Indians? Is it really
true that oppression and exploitation by our own people makes
our condition more bearable? We have political leaders who ought
to be in jail for subverting the Constitution as well as the Indian
Penal Code. We laugh when one of these leaders says that a jail
term is a necessary qualification for political leaders. We laugh
when the same leader declares that the flood waters will at last
provide the poor of his state with the opportunity to eat fish,
something they had been deprived of because of their poverty.
We have the freedom to laugh, so we should be thankful and laugh
more loudly at such serious aberrations.
Parliament is held to ransom on the slightest pretext, instead
of debating the issues concerning the welfare of the people.
Coalitions are created with the only object of keeping out one
group, declaring that group as hostile to democracy and the Indian
political system, forgetting that a large proportion of Indian voters
also supported that group. You may be at loggerheads in the states
but you have to support one another at the Centre, or else those
monsters will take over. There is a disinformation drive to paint
some groups black, but turn a blind eye to the peccadilloes of
others even if they are equally suspect or harmful.
Communalism is not just about religious minorities, and that
too only some of them; communalism includes casteism and
racism. And casteism is not just oppression of dalits, but seeking
votes and running a government along caste affiliations and
considerations—whatever that caste might be. The same goes for
communalism. Today, India is not a cohesive society; it is divided
into innumerable groups and sub-groups, and those group loyalties

come first before Indianness, much as we sing praises to “unity
in diversity”.
Where is freedom when we as ordinary citizens have to bribe
our way to get legitimate work out of the administration? It does
not come as news to read that the families of the farmers who
committed suicide had to pay bribes to get the post-mortem done
and then get the bodies released. Everyone knows that post-
mortems are not charged, but even in Delhi, the capital of the
country, the mortuary attendant at ‘prestigious’ hospitals demands
‘something’ before releasing the bodies of relatives, even close
ones. Are we to consider this as the freedom to descend to the
lowest levels of callousness or as the birthright to make some
money to augment the meagre salary earned? Not many today
consider it immoral to make that little extra on the side, till the
pinch comes home; then, of course, it is wrong. How much does
one have to earn before it ceases to be ‘little’ and prohibits one
from asking for that extra, or a cut? “Little’, after all, is relative.
Are we free to walk on the streets of a town, late in the
evening, enjoying the cool breeze without the noise from the traffic,
holding a mental conversation, coming to terms with our own
thoughts? Beware! You may be a victim of a hold up, and get
killed or raped in the process. So why not report to the police?
Are you joking? Those in authority think nothing of abusing the
power vested in them. They act according to their own concept
of freedom. The problem of abuse of power comes to the fore in
Kashmir and in the North-East where, often enough, authorities
are accused of killing the innocent. Laws to deal with insurgency
are necessary; terrorists who threaten the freedom of others have
to be dealt with, but not by casting one and all in that mould,
and by ignoring the rules and regulations governing procedures
under law.
And yet most of us would not like to abandon this country,
we cherish its freedom in our hearts, and hope for a better dawn
ahead, even if far ahead. We have to take a positive stand and
take firm action, in small ways perhaps, to limit the damage done,
stand up for our legitimate rights and ensure that we remain free
in the true sense, not just to go and cast a vote at election time.
Democracy in India 387
Democracy in India
T
he Indian voters have off and on shown their strength,
thrown out one government and brought in another. The
elections, conducted more or less peacefully, have, on the
whole proved that democracy—at least in its electoral aspect—is
well-entrenched in India. Indeed, Indian democracy is thriving on
the basis of other criteria as well—campaigning is free and open
with no restriction on any political party, the changeover from one
government to another is mostly smooth and peaceful, and the
government is accountable to the people. These are positive
aspects which we ought to value.
Today, say some analysts, Indian democracy has become more
representative, with more regional groups coming to the fore and
having a say in the political arena. But in the circumstances, can
any party truly claim the ‘majority’ of votes? In the first-past-the-
post electoral system followed here, and with the existence of so
many parties in the fray, the government that is formed is never
truly representative: it has the support of much less than even 50
per cent of the voters.
If Indian democracy has become more representative, it is only
in the sense that several caste, sectoral and regional groupings
have risen to claim a share of the people’s vote; this has led to
leaders who feel they have to see to the welfare of the particular
group which they represent, and not all the people. And, equally,
people have taken to voting along caste and communal lines, in
the belief that this will ensure their welfare. It is the short-term
gains that people seek, and it is these short-term gains that the
political party tries to address. The promise of populist measures
directed towards sectors of population is lapped up eagerly
without thought as to how and for how long these promises can
be implemented. Again, populist and impassioned speeches can
easily sway the electorate. In some of the recent elections, one
cannot explain the victory of film stars who have just entered the
political arena, and are clearly at a loss over political issues: their
victory is surely to be attributed to other reasons than their
competence or ability to serve the people they are to represent.

If the people voted for them, surely it was not on the basis of
political or socio-economic issues of importance for the nation, but
because they were carried away by their screen images and filmy
dialogues. The candidature of these men and women, primarily
famous as entertainers, and not socially conscious activists, seems
to reflect the callous manipulative tendency of political parties of
all hues. Not much thought is given to public weal.
Even now, distribution of liquor and money or gifts is used
as a ploy to woo voters, and the voters also accept these ‘benefits’.
In the maze of caste and communal and regional groupings, other
deserving groups lose out because their cause cannot win votes.
There is no doubt that money and muscle power have much to
do with elections in India, and many a constituency suffers from
rigging—even in the age of the electronic voting machine—and
criminal intimidation in voting, besides bogus voting and bought
votes.
To too many people in India, the right to vote is per se the
one and only criterion of democracy. But a healthy democracy
means much more: it implies the existence and enjoyment of civil
rights and socio-economic rights; indeed, the vote is just an adjunct
to these. Today, if the poorer sections of the population vote in
greater numbers, it seems as if they are clutching desperately to
this one right in the absence of those other rights except on paper;
there is a great joy in the power experienced, the power to change
governments. But people will be empowered only if the rule of
law and equality before the law are firmly entrenched into the
politico-socio-economic system. Only that would ensure that
democracy has come of age in this country.
Road Rage and

Democratic Values
R
ecently it was reported that a woman driver had the
temerity not to allow a car to overtake her, but at the first
instance the vehicle behind her was able to overtake hers,
its driver stopped right in front of her, blocking her way, and he
and his companions got out and shot her. Unbelievable? In fact,
this kind of incident is becoming only too common; soon, it won’t
be news. A similar incident happened some years ago. A man
asked another to move his vehicle so that he could take his own
vehicle out. Hardly a crime, one would have thought. Yet, he was
brutally and deliberately run over by the person who apparently
felt ‘affronted’ at having been asked to move his vehicle. In yet
another case, an old man asked a private bus driver not to use
the road in front of his house as it was a private path and not
a bus route. Next day, the bus driver lay in wait for the man to
come out of his house and drove full speed at him, mowing him
down. If one person had committed all these acts, he or she would
certainly have been called insane. But such insanity today seems
to be rampant in our society.
Road rage—such a picturesque term—is one manifestation of
the state of society in this country, the gradual loss of self-control
in the people, the growing contempt for the rule of law, the
replacement of debate and discussion with animal aggression and
quick fixes, the erosion of tolerance at all levels, and the growing
assertion of selfishness, and total lack of consideration for others.
There is also the glorification of violence and a sniggering
contempt for patience and discipline. These symptoms of a society
in transition—some would say, a society in the process of
disintegration—are evident everywhere and in all fields of life
today. There are no heroes today, only anti-heroes.
People speak with pride of their children who are able to hold
their own against their peers by the might of their fists. It does
not matter if they win in the cause of right or wrong; what matters
is that they should win. Parents are not ready to admit that their
children are, or can even remotely be, in the wrong. Anyway, right
and wrong are so relative, is the fashionable line of thought. Truth,
indeed, may be relative, but every truth is not so. And when we
speak of right and wrong, it is ethical conduct that is indicated,
not some abstract truth. But the erosion of values has gone deep,
indeed. Money and what it can buy have assumed an importance
they never had before.
To an extent, we may blame it all on ‘globalisation’ and its
consequences: disparities in income, lost jobs, lack of employment
opportunities, and the despair of seeing a few lord it over the
world, so to speak, because of the rupees in their possession while
so many others lack the basic necessities of life. Frustration can
be a terrible feeling quite capable of blurring the difference
between right and wrong, instigating one to burst out in blind rage,
especially in uncongenial circumstances—scorching weather,
uncontrolled crowds, and so on. But it is not just the poor and
unemployed who indulge in this aggressive and uncontrolled rage
on the roads; it is more often than not the so-called educated and
well-off or the rich spoilt brat. Here is where a frightening
contempt for the law is shown, a shocking inconsideration for a
fellow human being is manifested.
More and more people are interpreting democracy to mean
unlimited freedom, without realising that such freedom is just not
possible, indeed not desirable, in a civilized society; one’s freedom
is bound to be restricted when it comes into conflict with the needs
of a fellow human being. Freedom is dependent on not harming
another individual’s well being. Democracy calls for tolerance of
another’s views even if one disagrees with them. Democracy
demands from the common man a certain level of ability and
character: rational conduct, an intelligent understanding of public
affairs, independent judgement, tolerance and unselfish devotion
to public interest. Democracy, as J. Bryce has observed, assumes
civic capacity on the part of its citizens, and this capacity involves
intelligence, self-control, and conscience. But democracy has within
itself the seeds of dissolution and decay, if the balance between
rights and duties, individual freedom and the freedom of a fellow
being, and self-interest and consideration for others is not maintained
and there is a tilt towards selfishness and power-seeking for
personal interest alone. Today, we witness an arrogance of power
in public officials, be it the mighty politician or the bureaucrat,
the security personnel or the corporate executive. This arrogance
seeps into anyone who comes close to a position of power. The
minute a person comes close to a position of power, he or she

wields the invested authority ruthlessly on the weaker.
An ordinary person taking a photograph of another person
assumes a powerful personality. The innocuous camera becomes
a veritable instrument of authority in the photographer ’s hands.
“Turn your head, smile,. . . not so widely, you fool. . . Hey, stand
still. . .” The sense of power he or she seems to enjoy, even if
momentarily, seems heady. Give a Maruti 800—what to say of more
powerful and expensive vehicles—to teenagers, and they at once
become demons, uncaring about anything or anybody lying
between them and the speed they can work up. The slightest
obstruction, and expletives are the least one can expect. A more
aggressive type, and the driver sees red and has no compunction
about physically overcoming the obstruction. The bus on Delhi’s
roads has at its steering wheel the kind of bully who finds a
sadistic enjoyment in crowding a smaller vehicle, a cyclist or
pedestrian against the divider or the railings on the pavement.
Road rage is a manifestation of the lost balance in democratic
values in this society of ours. It shows that the citizens of this
country lack that civic capacity essential for a successful democracy.
Where the strong suppress the weak, human-made laws lose their
efficacy, and the jungle law takes over.
Laughter, Truth,
and Universality
D
octors don’t like their ilk to be portrayed in a bad light
in fiction or film, at least in India. The same goes for our
nurses, teachers, policemen and any number of
professionals. And let us not forget lawyers who would readily
hold the entire law courts to ransom at the sign of the slightest
of slights, imagined or real. If one member of any profession is
shown corrupt, it is seen as reflecting on the entire lot; a case of
jumping from a single particular case to a generality, something
logic would not countenance. That just goes to show the erosion
of rationality from our collective consciousness. One might say it
shows the development of sensitivity as a corollary. Not quite, for
this sensitivity is, in fact, a reflection of a sense of insecurity in
the foundations of our ideas and beliefs, indeed, in ourselves. We
have lost the healthy ability to laugh at things, be irreverent, to
mock at ourselves and at the shibboleths we have created. We take
ourselves too seriously, even self-righteously. And it is this that
comes out strongly in the spats between upholders of creative
expression and defenders of religious/traditional beliefs that are
occurring only too frequently these days.
Creative expression, say all the ‘balanced’ thinkers, must
perforce bow down to the restraints on free expression that any
and every democracy imposes. To an extent, one may go along
with this. But it is also a fact that only when creative thought dares
to soar high, ready to break shackles of all kind, that new ideas
are born, fresh insights into our existence made. The greatest
advances and discoveries in the realms of philosophy and science
have come about because the human mind broke free of chains
of convention, and questioned what existed. And at every such
step, religious representatives have put up obstacles to thwart free
thought and expression. This, again, is not to say that the cartoons
on Islam appearing in Danish newspapers and then across Europe
were in the process of achieving some philosophical breakthrough.
Laughter, Truth, and Universality 393
They could certainly be criticised for being in bad taste to say

the least. But there is something about creativity that does not
always think about the consequences; the creative mind just
creates. Some would say, unfortunately so.
There is another aspect to consider. Serious inquiries into the
validity of certain ideas and beliefs are one thing, lampooning and
mockery, another. A joke often causes more pain than a serious
comment on a subject or a person; the latter more often than not
leads to discussion and debate, even if heated ones. But poking
fun at something one holds dear or what one venerates makes one
see red or get deeply hurt. Why, one may wonder. It could be
because satire has always been considered a potent weapon
against something that cannot be taken on physically—remember
the adage of the pen being mightier than the sword? Lampoons
and cartoons serve to reduce their object to a lower level of
importance, belittling its worth. One might say if the object is all
that great in the first place, surely laughter is not going to take
away its value or importance. Knowledge of this fact is what keeps
most world leaders quiet in the face of the sharpest of sharp barbs
in the form of humour. Is it any different in the case of gods and
goddesses and their representatives on earth? Rationally speaking,
no. But, unfortunately, uncontrolled emotion takes over in matters
of religion. And there are unscrupulous ‘leaders’ waiting to exploit
that emotion and instigate mobs to go on the rampage.
Yet another aspect of this whole controversy is the existence
of double standards in perceiving what is worthy of making fun
of. So Hindu gods and goddesses are used in fun advertising to
sell liquor and other goods, and the Prophet of Islam is shown
with a bomb on his head. Will the same newspapers expounding
the cause of freedom of expression make a lampoon of the Virgin
Mary or Jesus? If reports are to be believed, the same Danish
newspaper that published the Prophet cartoons had earlier refused
cartoons on Jesus. One cannot but wonder at this obvious
dichotomy in approach. It is pointed out by many that there have
been books questioning aspects of Jesus’ life—witness books such
as ‘The Last Temptation’, ‘The Passion of Christ’, and ‘The Da Vinci
Code’ to name the most famous of them all. But these are serious
works and they are the outcomes of the questioning spirit of
human mind. On a similar level, the works of M.F. Hussain
showing a nude Saraswati or Bharat Mata are to be treated as
artistic works manifesting the creative spirit, not meant to denigrate
the subjects. Great satire, too, has an incontrovertible element of
truth at its core: it is for the biting exposure of that truth that satire
is admired. Laughter, in fact, is meant to moderate the bitterness

of the truth exposed. Cartoons and lampoons are also expected
to be based on that element of truth. “Holding up the mirror to
society” is an adage that governs most satire, a feature that also
indicates another feature of this genre, namely, its focus on the
general and not on single individuals. Did the cartoons published
by the Danish paper and later by many other papers on the
European continent serve the purpose of truth? Is it to be believed
that the Prophet of Islam is actually the instigator of the bomb
cult or terrorism? It is here that the motives of the paper are
suspect.
On quite another level is the argument put forward by some
that every religion is after all an attack on another. True to the
extent that each religion and its followers claim superiority over
the others, and have no compunction in giving derisive labels to
those outside their group. One may even agree that this gives a
right to one and all to insult the followers of faiths other than one’s
own. Or even laugh at the gods and goddesses and leaders of
religious sects. But if the laughter has to be corrective, if it is to
be shared by a majority of people, the joke has have a core of
truth, and it must take more than just one or two specific religions
as its object. Laugh at all, or not at all.
Protection from Internet Abuse 395
Protection from
Internet Abuse
W
e hardly see teenagers indulging in the outdoor games
that they used to play once. Cricket (or tennis/football/
hockey…) comes almost every day on television, so does
entertainment. And then there is the Internet. If one is not lucky
enough to possess a computer of one’s own, there is always the
friendly neighbourhood cyber café. Mothers and fathers proudly
say their son—a little more rarely, daughter—is glued to the
computer all day and late into night once the necessary evil of
homework has been done. These parents seldom ask their children
what they seek or find on the Internet; it is naively assumed it
is supplementary knowledge to school texts. Since when have
children become assiduous enough to seek adjuncts to their school
work? Or it is assumed that it is general awareness being widened?
Yes, indeed, it is general awareness, some of it that could,
unfortunately, prove dangerous.
Several cases have been publicised of child abuse through
Internet chat rooms, how children have been cleverly induced to
meet the ‘interesting’ chatter and disaster. Contact over the Internet
is never given the kind of scrutiny that parents normally give to
the ‘friends’ who come home or with whom their children move
with in the ‘real’ world. The privacy that most parents would never
think of allowing their children somehow becomes the acceptable
norm when the same children are hooked onto the Internet. The
rules for the WWW are in a class apart, that is, if there are any
rules at all except some shorthand code language all Net users
seem to be aware of. But chat rooms afford the anonymity to the
users that they could seldom find elsewhere. Perfectly clean and
hygiene-conscious men and women have little compunction, after
all, about leaving public toilets dirty after use. It is almost as if
they had a personality ‘on show’ when others can see them or
identify them with some deed, and quite another when assured
of ‘not being found out’. Or, perhaps, it is a sign of defiance against
social niceties, an escape from ‘rules’ and ‘regulations’ of behaviour.

Something similar happens to Net users—at least some of them.
These people are apparently ordinary, or, if not, would strive to
seem so in this world, but perhaps ‘let themselves go’ when they
strike the keys to enter a world which has no definable physical
boundaries. What happened in the case of the German guy who
enticed a fellow Net chatter into becoming a victim to his cannibal
longings has been publicised, but we do not quite know the why’s
of it. Could it have happened without the strange anonymity and
‘other worldliness’ of the Internet? May be, yes, but not with such
facile ease, perhaps.
The world of the Web is something indefinable, a part of this
world, yet something apart from it. The New York Times talks
of the “relatively permissive environment” on the Web that
explains the uninhibited responses from viewers. It observes that
a “negative advertisement that might rub viewers the wrong way
in their living rooms is apparently less likely to do so when they
are at their computers.” So, standards on the Web are different.
That implies that we develop a split personality—one kind of
morality for this world and another kind for the WWW! Not quite,
the Web probably offers a release to the inherent but suppressed
instincts in some persons, suppressed because of conventions of
civility imposed by the fact of living in society. The rights and
wrongs of such suppression are a matter of debate, but if one goes
by the tenet of moderation, one person’s freedom to hurt another
is to deprive the victim of his or her freedom, and this kind of
freedom cannot be condoned. The excitement of danger entices
normally sedate youngsters, and more so when the cloak of
anonymity offers an almost invincible ‘protection’ from being
found out. The same works in favour of the stalkers and abusers
roving the Net.
It is the vulnerable who need protection, and it is the children
who are most vulnerable. Parents could take some easy precautions,
such as supervising their children’s use of the Internet, or by using
the available filtering services. And they should do so at the
earliest, not merely moan and groan about the ‘permissiveness’
of the Net or go to the extreme step of banning its access for the
children. The WWW is, after all, a valuable source of information,
but dangers do lurk there, as perhaps they do anywhere in the
world.
Terrorism can never

lead to democracy
Down with Oppression!
Long Live Oppression!
T
he two slogans are, indeed, contradictory, and yet how often
we see that yesterday’s freedom fighter is today’s dictator!
The terrorist groups that operate on a worldwide stage today
are imbued with this contradiction; not one of them is free of it.
Not one of these groups can tolerate the flexibility and tolerance
for a different view that is the hallmark of democracy. Yet each
one of them will claim loud and clear that they fight for democracy
and freedom of the oppressed. Their most inhuman acts—
kidnapping, torture and murder of innocent people—are done in
the name of winning ‘human rights’ for certain groups of people.
They claim they are forced into these acts because they have no
other way of calling attention to the plight of the oppressed or
getting justice for them. Some of them, like the Naxalites who
represent the extreme Left radicals, advocate the use of violence
and bloodshed to achieve the goal of social change. The presumption
is that social and economic change would follow once the
established power is destroyed by force and replaced by an
ideological system that will usher in a new era of classless society.
Unfortunately, there is no evidence yet anywhere in the world of
this classless society or complete equity in prosperity coming in
the wake of revolutions, however bloody they have been. A new
class structure grows, and as Orwell said in Animal Farm, there
are always some pigs more equal than other animals. And the
promised freedom and unrestricted flow of milk and honey
remains as distant as they were before the new dispensation.
The ideology of use of violence to correct the ills of society
does, however, appeal to many who are frustrated at their lot,
crushed by poverty and waiting endlessly for the fruits of
development to ‘trickle’ down. And the ideology combined with

the promise of a Utopia appeals specially to the young. The young
hate to wait, they are impatient to go ahead and achieve something,
and hitting out at those they see and are made to see as their
oppressors comes easily to them. The promise of utopia appeals
to their innate idealism, for most young people love to dream of
something great. And when their dreams of achieving something
meets with obstacles in the form of corrupt officials, lack of
educational/job opportunities, callous contempt from the ‘elite’,
they are easily swayed by the firm voice of radical action to fight
these ills. It is not surprising that the naxalite movement is mainly
concentrated in the rural and backward areas of various states.
Poor peasants, usually landless, form the rank and file of these
organisations.
Any research done to find the root causes of the growth of
terrorism points out that there are genuine political and socio-
economic conditions which help terrorist groups to originate and
flourish. The authorities are oppressive, the rule of law is
subverted to favour the rich and influential or particular classes,
and there is no redressal forthcoming from those whose business
it is to look into the grievances of the people. The political leaders,
more often than not, have lost touch with the needs of the masses,
or have grown callous to their basic needs, or have developed
fiefdoms of their own that work on loyalty to particular personalities
and not on the democratic basis of justice for all. Corruption rules
the roost in all fields, and ordinary individuals cannot get their
business with government done without huge bribes. The funds
allocated for development, as is well known, are shared by
‘middlemen’—the officials and politicians; and the poor remain
where they were if not worse off then before. In such circumstances,
a promise of radical change seems welcome.
Indeed, many of the naxalites and other militants show a
readiness to work for the welfare of the local communities and
get things done. Quick justice is meted out, with more than a
degree of fairness. The Robin Hood image cannot but appeal to
the poor who have borne the brunt of violence at the hands of
the rich and powerful. The hatred one feels for the corrupt and
callous makes one readily overcome one’s conscience over the
right and wrong of violence and bloodshed, and in any case it
is only revenge for what one has been made to suffer. In the
beginning, the idea of hurting those who hurt one comes as sweet
revenge; later, killing the innocent is smoothed over by the

ideologues as necessary for the cause—the small sacrifices essential
on the way to achieving the cherished goal of well being of all.
Unfortunately, the militants are themselves no subscribers to
the basic tenets of democracy. At the first sign of resentment at
their high handedness or rigid implementation of their ‘rules’, they
show their inability to tolerate any difference of opinion. They
cannot abide the growth of other power centres, or another leader.
The ‘subjects’ are brought into line with a show of violence, and
no one is allowed to stray. Once again, it is just a power game,
hiding under the guise of benevolence and concern for people’s
welfare.
Is teaching
just a job?
S
eptember 5 is Teacher’s Day, commemorating the birthday of
scholar and philosopher and the second President of India,
Dr S. Radhakrishnan. What is the day meant to signify? Recall
the importance of teachers? Show them respect, at least for the day?
There is a tradition in many schools to give the teachers a day
off from teaching; instead, the senior students take on the mantle
of their teachers and do the rounds of the classes. It can be an
enlightening experience. The juniors let the ‘pretender’ know in
no uncertain terms the thanklessness of the job, and the seniors
get to understand the tough nature of the job. Of course, there
is the fun of dressing up in sarees or salwar suits in the proper
grown up style – how nice to get rid of the uniform for a day!
Over the years, our perception of the teacher evolves. In the
first few years at school, teacher is the ideal. One must emulate
her—in most cases it is a ‘her’—and follow each and everything
she says one must do. Indeed, the most undesirable things in life,
such a washing one’s hands before eating, brushing one’s teeth
properly, taking a bath—and not forgetting to use the soap, mind
you—eating without making those slurping noises, eating spinach
and drinking milk (ugh), not making faces at people—all these
actions were more readily undertaken if teacher said so. In fact,
even if teacher made an error, the faith in her omniscience made
one argue in her defence, confident that she could do no wrong.
Even parents could not know better than teacher. It is an awesome
power, and if the teacher is not capable enough, or has biases and
prejudices, what untold harm it can do to the children under her
care! It is the kindergarten and primary school teacher who has
to be a truly liberal, stable and rational person, able to convey
ideas that will help the child grow up with a broad mind and
become a well-adjusted personality.
As one grows up, of course, there is a gradual diminishing
of the glowing faith and idealism. Teacher is, after all, only a
Is teaching just a job? 401
human being, and like all human beings only too prone to
fallibility. From being the idol of correctness, she descends from
the pedestal to have every action and word of hers questioned,
dissected and firmly discarded, if possible, or at most accepted
under sufferance. Indeed, if teacher told one not to do something,
the prime goal is to do it at the earliest possible instant ( taking
care not to be caught, of course).
A little later, one learns to discriminate between the good and
the bad teacher. Strangely enough, it is not always the very lenient
soft type who is considered good; the one who gets respect and
affection is quite often the strict but fair type, who does not
condone bad behaviour but who is not harsh over it, who knows
her subject well and can communicate her knowledge, who is
friendly but does not allow you to take advantage of it.
Unfortunately there are few of the type.
Perhaps it is a reflection of the society at large, but today’s
teachers are more interested in the income and perks that go with
the job than with what they should be doing in that job. It will
be said in their defence that they too have a life to live, standards
to maintain, after all, they too are human, as if looking up to an
ideal is not human. If they feel their pay should increase, their
first resort is to go on a strike. Why teach in class, when it is so
much more lucrative to take those ‘extra’ classes, the tuitions. Many
women take up a teaching job nowadays for the wrong reasons:
it gives them enough time to attend to their homes; it brings
concessional education for the kids as a perk; and there are the
long holidays—summer, autumn and winter. And, of course, the
added monetary benefit through tuitions. Unfortunately, a love for
children and an aptitude and inclination for teaching come low
on the list of priorities with most of these people.
But let’s face it. Unless those opting for the teaching profession
treat it as a vocation, rather than as a mere job, those who are
taught are going to get disillusioned with their mentors at a very
early age itself.
The world needs

more tolerance
“T
olerance is the only real test of civilisation”: it was
Arthur Kelps who thus extolled the virtue of tolerance.
Man in the 21st century believes he is more civilised
than his ancestors. But is he also more tolerant than them?
Unfortunately, the virtue of tolerance is not abundant in the world
of today and the world is in dire need of it.
Tolerance can be defined as the possession of a fair and
objective perspective and attitude towards those people who are
of different races, religions, nations or have a set of opinions,
beliefs and ideas that differ from our own.
The importance of tolerance lies in its ability to make a human
being broad enough in mind to be receptive to all kinds of ideas.
This, in turn, enables one to widen one’s knowledge and exercise
more freedom of choice and judgement for oneself. At the same
time, it creates a deeper understanding of others’ views and beliefs.
Today, tolerance seems to be at a discount at all levels. At
the most trivial sign of disagreement hot words are exchanged,
almost immediately escalating into a fight and sometimes even
murder. Family members find it difficult to put up with one
another’s shortcomings—after all which human being is perfect?
Communities, social groups, racial groups and nations—at all
levels, there appears to be an acute lack of tolerance. Trivial
misunderstandings, even rumours, give rise to riots with the
accompanying bloodshed and permanent scars on relationships;
at the national level, there is civil war and border wars. So often
a personal matter such as religion has been distorted to create
hatred amongst peoples. If people learnt to tolerate one another’s
views, perhaps such sad occurrences could be reduced if not
totally removed from this world!
Why has tolerance level come down? Or, indeed, has it come
down at all? Human beings all through the ages have shown
intolerance of views and beliefs and customs alien to their own.
The world needs more tolerance 403
Wars such as the Crusades have been fought because of religious

intolerance. Religious minorities have been suppressed and
oppressed. Racial tension has grown due to intolerance. So long
as human beings give in to envy, malice, jealousy and greed,
tolerance will suffer. In recent times, several longstanding and
accepted social institutions have shown signs of crumbling. Family
values, social values are all being eroded. An increasing materialistic
and consumer culture has not helped to nurture essential values.
The individual has assumed such importance that anything that
militates against that individual’s own ideas is not tolerated.
Enlightenment of individuals is necessary. Universal values
of liberalism, the willingness to listen to others, at most agree to
disagree and not enter into fights of domination—these qualities
have to be bred at every level of society. Democracy, after all,
means tolerance of dissent; if this tolerance is not imbibed and
nurtured, it will only give rise to strife and bloodshed.
Criminalisation
of Politics
T
he leaders who achieved independence for India spent long
years in jail; many a politician today ought to, justly, be in
jail. The former were imprisoned for fighting a just cause
against an alien rule; the latter are no better than common
criminals—petty thieves, gangsters, murderers and rapists. For
politics today has become not the last but the first resort of the
scoundrel.
An important reason for the criminalisation of politics is the
very system of power that operates in India. The State in India
wields a great amount of discretionary power. Also, there is little
transparency in the exercise of power by the State. With the
assumption of so much power, the scope for misusing that power
also increases.
The economy of India was till recently, and to some extent
even now is, controlled by the State, often arbitrarily. Anyone
wanting to start a business or run an industry or be gainfully self-
employed had to seek state patronage in the form of licences and
permits as well as protection from official harassment. Politicians
of a sort found a lucrative opportunity in brokering that state
patronage. Not for them the area of politics that deals with the
genuine needs and interests of the populace.
Brokering state patronage by necessity creates a set of favourites
around a politician: permits are awarded to such people irrespective
of merit, even as illegal activities are allowed to flourish by
keeping the police clear of them. Official authority is misused in
both cases. And once such corrupt practices mar the political field,
the way is clear for the entry of criminals. To buy votes, to force
people to vote for a certain person or party, to ensure the victory
of a certain candidate, to terrorise opposition to submission—
unscrupulous politicians engage gangsters and ‘goondas’ who
Criminalisation of Politics 405
gradually enter our legislatures legitimately, democratically, and

make the law of the land. What an irony!
Misuse of State power and criminalisation of politics can be
reduced and eliminated only if people participate on a larger scale
in running the affairs of the State. Power must be decentralised,
rules and regulations must be transparent, and there must be
greater involvement of people in the running of the government
through citizens’ committees, cooperatives, etc. The State must not
interfere in each and every economic activity.
Is the nation-state
dying out?
T
he ‘global village’ is a term in current usage that is acquiring
the quality of a cliché. Indeed, in many ways, national
boundaries have become irrelevant. Money markets and
multinational corporations, satellite television, internet and
intercontinental missiles, all seem to mock at boundaries that are
no longer sacred. In the circumstances, people may be justified
in wondering if the nation-state has outlived its utility and is in
the process of disintegration; or is to evolve into something bigger
and stronger with the ability to face and overcome the challenges
of modern technology.
The nation-states that are listed with the UN (and some
outside it) each has a separate territory of its own, and each has
a government whose right to be its representative voice is
recognised by other governments (at least most of them). No doubt,
technological developments have eroded the independence, power
and rigid boundaries. In the field of economics, transnational
transactions are growing easier and cheaper, and the belief in
national self-sufficiency is being steadily destroyed. A false move
by any major government finds repercussions on markets
worldwide. The discipline of present day international financial
markets induces national governments to manage their economies
more efficiently.
In the matter of defence, too, a radical change has come about.
In the not so distant past, land and sea were the arena of warfare.
With the development of aircraft, a third aspect of warfare
developed. Now the rapid changes brought about by space
technology and the development of missiles have created a
situation by which literally the press of a button can vanquish a
country half way across the globe. Cyber warfare is another
looming threat.
The information revolution is another factor that has
significantly changed the world picture, piercing the protective
Is the nation-state dying out? 407
cloak of the most insular of nation-states. Interaction among the

peoples of the world has increased by leaps and bounds, and
amidst the growing knowledge about each part of the globe and
its occupants, the distinctiveness of the nation-state has got
blurred.
The nation-state, however, is not quite dead; nor is it likely
to die soon. It was believed soon after the end of the Cold War
that with the end of Communism would come a uniform world
system and peace would reign, and a global government would
evolve around the UN as a pivot. All rather wishful thinking!
Quarrels between countries have not ceased, neither has divisiveness
vanished. Communism after all, is not the only factor in an
ideological conflict.
Globalisation in the economic field—witness the setting up
of the WTO with its global set of rules and the establishment of
a free-trade system—is accepted by many a country because of
the benefits that may be reaped from such a situation. However,
beyond a certain limit, every country still wants to keep certain
decision-making powers to itself. Even in the matter of free trade,
countries would like to preserve the power to decide how much
of the free-trade rules suit them in particular. No country wants
to give up its political or military power.
Ideology and culture, again, are not enough for nation-states
to dissolve their identities into a larger entity. Each individual
government does not want to give up power to be subsumed into
a superstate of global scope.
A nation-state has not outlived its attraction as yet—after all,
it is not a very old political development. It still gives people a
sense of shared identity—from a common language, a common
religion, or some other strong binding force. And unless this
binding force exists, no government can govern its people (except
by brute force). In other words, government and people should
have a sense of being part of the shared identity.
The test of democracy

is in the freedom of
criticism
T
he word democracy is derived from a conjunction of two
Greek words “demos” meaning people and “krasia” which
means rule. Thus democracy is when people choose to rule
themselves or in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “government by
the people, of the people, for the people”. Obviously, everyone
in the country cannot possibly take part in the government so the
people elect those by whom they want to be governed.
Any opinion against the existent scheme is criticism. Criticism
can be of two types—constructive and destructive. The purpose
of constructive criticism is to improve the present for the good
of all. This is a positive approach. Destructive criticism is usually
criticism for the sake of criticism. It is a negative approach which
is disconcerting at the individual level and destructive in general.
People represent all shades of opinion and include all
pressure/interest groups who want rules of governance to their
liking. When opinions clash, the elected few come in for criticism.
Similarly the elected few too do not always consider public
interests before they act. This too evokes criticism. If the elected
representative truly wants to serve the people and has their
interests at heart he will welcome criticism which shows up defects
and shortcomings. However, he must be willing to admit that he
was wrong and must be willing to change. It is the rare individual
who has the courage to admit he was wrong. Finding criticism
offensive and unpleasant, and because they have the power to do
so, the rulers stifle free criticism. If criticism is silenced, democracy
ceases to have meaning. The people no longer rule themselves
but are ruled by a group of people by force, and democracy
becomes confused with plutocracy.
As mentioned earlier, criticism is of two types, positive and
The test of democracy is in the freedom of criticism 409
negative. It is positive criticism that is the true test of democracy.

Merely allowing criticism full rein does not mean that democracy
is thriving. Negative criticism is harmful for a democracy as it
negates all attempts at good governance. Criticism too must be
responsible and serve a definite purpose. It must aid and not
hinder the process of governance.
Constructive criticism is a must for all democracies. It
encourages public participation in the government, which is the
hallmark of any democracy. Moreover, it compels the politicians
to accept responsibility for their actions and gauge the public
response. It is a system of feedback by which the public pulse
can be felt. The fora of criticism, namely the Press and other media,
public gatherings and meetings, etc., must be encouraged in any
democracy. When these fora are alive and active only then can
democracy thrive.
The great end of

life is not knowledge
but action
K
nowledge is an essential pre-requisite, a sine-qua non,
without which no meaningful action is possible. Knowledge
enriches the quality of life, which is why people dedicate
entire lives to the pursuit and attainment of knowledge. Knowledge
has been equated with enlightenment, a certain broadening of
vision, which has always been valued and venerated. Sometimes
the level of knowledge is also highly specialised as in the fields
of science and medicine.
We, however, tend to be judged mainly by our actions, in
which case action becomes an end in itself. The relationship
between knowledge and action can also be taken to be that
between the means and end or cause and effect. Any pioneering
research in the field of science or medicine, that can be classified
as specialised knowledge, when put into practice or acted upon
becomes a boon for mankind. But as Arthur Koestler has said,
everything cannot be explained by cause and effect. Things can
be “a-causal” or without a cause. People do act at times only from
instinct or gut feeling with no prior knowledge to guide them.
Action is usually of two types—with motive attached to the
results, and selfless actions, prompted by no motives. In the Gita
there is mention of Nishkama Karma—i.e., action without any
attachment to its fruits. With increasing materialism such concepts
are nowadays regarded as anachronistic and come in for ridicule!
An American humorist once said, “No one should be allowed
to play the violin until he has mastered it”. In most cases
knowledge is an essential pre-requisite to action. Action backed
by knowledge can pack a punch. Action does not have to mean
physical activity all the time. Even sedentary desk jobs profit from
formally or informally acquired knowledge. Our educational
system too is based on this premise that it must impart knowledge
The great end of life is not knowledge but action 411
and simultaneously equip the individual with the means of

earning a livelihood.
Though more often than not knowledge aids action, it is
possible that knowledge can actually hamper action. Too high a
level of knowledge or too specialised a degree of information can
actually throw a spanner into the works. If one is equipped with
all the details about a planned action, all the pros and cons, the
cons may influence the person into abandoning the project without
a decent try. Similarly, too specialised a degree of knowledge can
blot out generalities and impart a blinkered view of things.
From time immemorial man has chanted ‘Work is Worship
and Work is Art’ and in the end it is action that speaks louder
than everything else. Knowledge is not always easy to measure
or gauge, neither does knowledge leave a trail of glory behind
it, unless it is manifested in some kind of action. Published
research, too, in a manner of speaking, is action—the act of what
one has acquired as knowledge being put in public domain for
others to learn from. Action does, however, imprint the image of
a person in the memories of others so that in the ultimate analysis
when balance sheets are drawn, actions decide that it has been
a life worth living.
Why should smoking be

banned in
public places?
T
here are people who smoke and people who do not. It is
in public places that individuals from these groups inevitably
meet and are forced to interact. And in such places, whose
will is to prevail—a smoker’s or the non-smoker’s. Considering
the matter objectively from the angles of environment, health, as
well as individual rights, it is the non-smoker’s will that should
prevail. It is impractical to ascertain the wishes of each non-smoker
in a public place before a smoker indulges in a puff. Smoking
in public places, in other words, should be banned.
‘Smoke’—the very word conjures up a foul, unhealthy,
suffocating, polluted environment with dark clouds of gases
suffused everywhere. How, then, can smoking or rather puffing
away smoke to create such a defiled environment be permitted
in public places where your every little activity is likely to affect
your neighbour?
The person who smokes faces a health hazard. Cigarette
smoke leaves behind its deposits in the respiratory tract and is
absorbed into the blood stream. Cigarette smoke contains a
staggering 4,000 different chemicals of which 43 are carcinogenic.
Ammonia and the other hydrocarbons present in it could cause
asthma and other respiratory infections. The hydrocarbons are also
the cause of lung cancer. The dust particles in it may be the cause
of eye irritation, cancer, and emphysema. Its nicotine content which
is a highly addictive substance, reaches the brain in no time and
constricts the blood vessels, raises the blood pressure and gives
the ventral nervous system a small jolt. In the long run it can lead
to lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and reproductive disorders.
At home, of course, you are your own master and are free
to do whatever you feel like. You may justify your smoking habit
saying “It calms me, it helps me work, think and forget the
Why should smoking be banned in public places? 413
worries”. But you have no right to disturb others by your smoking.

In your office, the smoke you puff may be a reason of smouldering
displeasure among your colleagues that may turn into a
conflagration. In buses and trains, if smoking is allowed, it may
be the cause of a great fire. A spark neglected may burn the place
beyond rescue and the smoker would then be guilty of a massacre!
The smoke from other people’s cigarettes comes off a cigarette
directly, rather than going through it, and hence can contain three
times the tar and ten times the concentration of carcinogenic agents
as the filtered smoke that a smoker inhales. Of course, the second-
hand smoke gets diluted by the time it reaches a non-smoker. But
that does not make it any the less dangerous. Research at the
University of Zurich in Switzerland demonstrated that non-smokers
in a smoky room can wind up with the same amount of carbon
monoxide in their blood as if they had smoked one cigarette
directly—all in half-an-hour. Thus “passive” smoking is harmful
and rather unjustifiable.
For all the health scare or the fire scare smoking has caused,
banning it wholesale may cause an economic scare! The sales of
cigarettes are bound to suffer with such a ban, and government
will lose revenue from excise duties. The tobacco industry will
face a decline. Millions of people working in these industries will
be thrown out of jobs.
When America woke up to the fact that smoking is harmful
the government sought to find a way out: it discouraged its own
citizens from smoking through concerted propaganda but helped
the tobacco industry by allowing it to export its products. And
cigarette smoking was glamourised through advertising in the
Third World. This is unpalatable and unethical. India cannot follow
such practices. Moreover, even propaganda and the ‘statutory
warning’ has not helped in India, as people, especially the young,
find it difficult to resist the glamour of a smoke.
If a government cares for the health of its citizens it should
rise above ‘economic’ considerations and ban smoking at least in
public places.
Toeing the line of the other developed nations of the world,
smoking sections might be introduced in organisations and offices.
Smokers could take refuge in separate smoking sections for a puff
and at least leave the non-smokers free of pollution. The nicotine
addicts might also adopt nicotine patches as a substitute for
smoking. And thus at least do justice to others if not to themselves!
Education is Freedom
K
nowledge has always been represented by light, and
ignorance has been symbolised by darkness. Hence
education, the key to all knowledge and yet more knowledge,
dispels the darkness and ushers in the light. Freedom too has
always been associated with light whereas servility, imprisonment
have been relegated to the depths of darkness. Prisons and
dungeons have been always conceived as dark and gloomy
whereas free men have all the access to light. This completes our
equation that education equals freedom since both are symbolised
by light.
Freedom can be of many kinds. We can have economic
freedom which is the freedom to earn one’s livelihood and
maintain a decent standard of living. There is social freedom in
which the individual is allowed to develop his own kind of
relationship vis-a-vis society. Here, too, education is helpful in
gaining a better livelihood and thus to enjoy freedom the better.
Then there is political freedom in which the individual has a say
in the way in which he is governed. Again, education makes
people more aware and, hence, more vigilant about encroachments
on political freedom. We also have intellectual freedom which is
the liberty to think as we please without restrictions and
impediments. And just as one can be allowed freedom of thought
so also can there be freedom of action, of belief, of faith, etc. For
every kind of freedom to be truly effective education is necessary,
and with education every one of these types of freedom becomes
truly justified.
Education must not be confused here with literacy and
learning the 3R’s. Nor is education confined to the 10+2+3 system.
Education does not consist in collecting degrees or burying oneself
in research. Education is a continuous process of learning which
broadens our mental horizons and with it our perspective.
Education leads to the dissemination of knowledge, to the breaking
down of all mental barriers and to a greater realisation of self-
worth and a better understanding of fellow beings.
Education is Freedom 415
Uneducated persons cannot think for themselves. They are

forced to blindly accept the dictates of others and this makes them
servile as they lack the ability to judge right from wrong. With
education they able to make this distinction, to realise the reasons
behind their forced servility and to stand up and demand
redressal. This frees people from the shackles of servility and
makes them free individuals. Nowhere is this more true than in
women’s education which has been the single most important
factor in women’s emancipation.
Swami Vivekananda said “I don’t consider a man to be
educated who has learnt libraries by heart. If a man learns 5 ideas,
and applies them in his life, I consider him educated”. Thus
Swamiji believed true education helped a person to think for
himself. It is only education that can stamp out ignorance and
transport us, in the words of Tagore, to that “heaven of freedom”.
The tragedy of old age is

not that one is old but
that one is young
I
n childhood and adolescence, there is a general tendency to
regard adults, be they twenty-five or seventy-five, to be quite
over the hill, if not actually in their dotage! Mid-life is
considered to be a gloomy distant future inevitably awaiting one,
but not worth bothering about. By the time one reaches the fourth
decade of life even a septagenarian seems, in comparison, not that
old! This is a gradual process in which attitudes and perspectives
towards age and aging undergo many changes.
One associates youth with health, vigour, agility, and stamina.
The young are less plagued by illness, can do anything they apply
themselves to and have a great zest for life. They have boundless
energy and are full of plans for their future, and, in fact, are able
to make the most of life. The youth, as distinct from children, are
independent and able and in control of their life.
On the contrary, age is associated with sickness and physical
incapacity as well as a decline in the mental faculties. Old age
brings in dependence on others for even basic day-to-day actions
and activities. Along with the boundless confidence one had as
a youth, one gradually loses control over one’s own life. The
spectre of impending mortality is also something that looms large
on the aging horizon—and one certainly does not want to die.
Despite the shackles of disease and dependency and the
distant threat of death, because they have once experienced youth,
people continue to relive that pleasurable experience. Consequently,
memories of youth are superimposed on the restrictions of old
age. This makes the old extremely reluctant to cross the boundary
between the positivism of youth and the apparent negativism of
old age, to hand over the baton, the keys, the chair—whatever.
The onset of the aging process gives rise to an inner conflict
The tragedy of old age is not that one is old... 417
in the mind of the individual. On the one hand, old people realise
they will not live for ever and, consequently, indulge in
contemplative stock-taking, in the course of which they realise they
have not achieved all that they set out to achieve. They want to
be able to turn the clock back and be given a second chance to
prove themselves. On the other hand, they continue to dream, to
hope and to aspire, but they now discover that it is far more
difficult to realise them than in the past. Simultaneously they
reject this discovery believing themselves to be just as young and
able. It is this inability to accept reality and a yearning for the
bygone days that stops them from living fully and age becomes
a tragedy.
G.B. Shaw once described the seven ages of a woman as infant,
child, girl, young woman, young woman, young woman, young
woman. This seems to be a universal truth equally applicable to
men. One should be able to accept age as a part of life.
Is government going
out of fashion?
E
conomic thinking, akin to fashion, changes so quickly that
yesterday’s truths become today’s falsehoods, yesterday’s
oddities, today’s dogma. Once, not long ago, State control
of a large area of the economy was accepted. Then came Thatcherism
and Reaganomics; state intervention in the economy was attacked
and privatisation came to be increasingly in vogue. The late
Eighties and early Nineties saw the collapse of socialism and
central planning. Markets assumed dominance, ‘market forces’
became the catch phrase.
In the past, too much was entrusted to the State and it
delivered very little, especially in the field of production. Perhaps,
in violent reaction to that non-performance, today economists call
for the other extreme—that there is no need for a regulatory
mechanism devised by the state to oversee even basic economic
activities. Does the government, then, have no role at all in the
economy?
It is interesting to note that in the world’s largest economy,
namely, the USA, or in other industrialised countries, government
intervention had a major role to play when the foundations for
rapid economic growth in an overall market setting were being
laid. Well-known American economist, Dr Josepth E. Stiglitz, has
pointed out that there is a third way, or ‘many third ways’, between
the two extremes of rigid state control and laissez faire.
The US in 1863 passed a National Banking Act that helped
to create a national financial system and laid the foundations for
an era of financial stability. The East Asian economies—the
miracles of modern times—would not have been what they are
without State intervention. Governments played a major role in
universalising education and creating an education-aided human
capital—which was instrumental in the transformation of those
economies. Again, in the US, too, in the late eighteenth century,
the federal government took the initiative to set aside land for
Is government going out of fashion? 419
public educational institutions. It was the government which

helped to establish the public university system in the US. If
technology played an important part in the economic development
of the industrialised countries and East Asia, it may well be worth
remembering that government policies and active participation by
the State in research activities and financial support went a long
way to build up technological capabilities. The US government
has financed much research activity in telecommunications and
agriculture. Indeed, the Internet was the creation of the US
government in the late sixties. Today, and in the future, government
has to take up the challenge of environmental degradation besides
maintaining safety nets in appropriate areas.
As Dr Stiglitz points out, “much of the role of government
can be viewed as establishing infrastructure in its broadest sense—
the technological, educational, financial, environmental, and social
infrastructure of an economy.” Markets cannot work in a vacuum
and this infrastructure is necessary if markets are to fulfil their
role in increasing wealth and living standards. And the broad
infrastructure can be constructed primarily by the government as
it would be beyond the capacity of any single firm. Furthermore,
as the scope of the market expands, the State has to bring in fresh
regulations which, in turn, would lead to further expansion and
strengthening of the market.
There are some constants as far as the role of government is
concerned. These are in the fields of education, building appropriate
institutional infrastructures and assisting and supplementing
markets. And in these areas the role of government remains crucial.
Government, then, is not going out of fashion; only certain
of its functions are becoming obsolete.
Indians are non-violent

by nature
I
ndia has been a votary of non-violence and peace since time
immemorial. The country has not only given to the world
pioneers of non-violence, like Buddha, Mahavira, Ashoka,
Gandhi, etc., but the general masses also have been found lacking
in an aggressive and militant outlook.
In fact, some historians have pointed out that the nonviolent
nature of the Indians many a time proved to be a bane. During
the medieval period, the lack of a militant patriotic feeling proved
to be one of the handicaps resulting in their meek surrender before
the invaders.
But non-violence, as a tool of resistance to the tyrannical forces
was utilised by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom movement.
Mahatma Gandhi was able to feel the pulse of the masses. The
fact that he thought it feasible to release the latent energy of the
masses through non-violent devices shows that he knew what the
inherent nature of the Indians is.
By distinguishing quite clearly between cowardice and non-
violence, Gandhi was able to instil in the Indians a spiritual power
familiar to their nature and belief.
Even in the post independence period, India has been well
ahead in spreading the message of peace and nonviolence through
various international fora. The country has also followed the
concept of co-existence and has an impeccable record of non-
interference in the internal matters of other countries.
Though in the recent times the violent tendency of some
groups has increased in the country, it has to do more with the
uncongenial objective conditions and less with the natural
behavioural pattern of the Indians as a whole.
Indians are not non-violent by nature 421
Indians are not non-

violent by nature
W
here there is inequality, there will be unrest and violence.
Howsoever might we harp upon our past glory, the fact
remains that the society of India at present is more
equable, better, more understanding and more free than at any
other time.
In spite of that we find more and more violence, killings and
atrocities in our day-to-day life. How can we say that the society
of the earlier times must have been more peace-loving and that
Indians have been, by nature, non-violent?
Though we keep talking about the virtues of compassion,
tolerance and mutual understanding inherent in the Indian culture,
we tend to forget that the concept of non-violence entered the
picture only when propagated by Lord Mahavira and was sustained
to some extent by the Buddhists. But to the Hindus, who have
been the dominant community of the country, non-violence has
never formed a part and parcel of their lives. In the ancient times,
kings offering animal sacrifices before the deities with the priests
chanting holy mantras was quite common. The Ramayana and
Mahabharata are replete with the scenes of violence and revenge
in which even gods partake.
Further, the Indian society has witnessed many other kinds
of social violence which are still prevalent in the modern times
in one form or the other. The violence perpetrated by the landlords
upon labourers, private bankers upon poor and illiterate farmers,
men upon women, upper castes upon lower castes, etc.,—these
are, more often than not, forgotten by us, perhaps because it has
been such an integral part of our social life that we hardly consider
it to be something mentionable.
And in the modern times, we just have to pay attention to
the news to understand how much our sensitivity has deteriorated.
What is even sadder is that the people, who are supposed to be
working for the welfare of the society have themselves consciously

ignored and, in some cases even perpetrated, violent activities in
the social system.
Before calling ourselves peace-loving and non-violent, we
need to do a lot of groundwork and practical thinking for which
we hardly seem to be prepared.
Death penalty solves nothing 423
Death penalty
solves nothing
D
EATH, in any form, is an unwelcome entry into this world
of ours. Death is anti-life. The judge who pronounces the
death penalty might have served the system well, but he
does immense disservice to himself, to his species, to all that he
stands for outside the ambit of the system to which he owes his
judgeship.
Each convict who is condemned to death is robbed of a chance
to rehabilitate himself. There is a chance that the person condemned
by law will take a second look at the universe. Law must learn
assiduously to keep within its assigned limits; by imposing death
penalty it takes upon itself the function of fate.
Death penalty is advocated mainly on the ground that it acts
as a last deterrent and keeps the society, among other factors, in
a functional state. This argument suggests a very low and also
a wrong opinion of human nature.
First, it considers human beings as being inclined towards
committing crimes, including murders. It ignores all progress
made so far in the field of humanities.
Secondly, death penalty sanctifies revenge as a form of justice.
After all, what else is death penalty, but a vindication of “eye for
an eye” or “life for a life”? Should vindictiveness and reprisal be
made governing values of a civilised society? Should we turn our
backs upon forgiveness, the loftiest of values?
There are generally socio-economic causes behind the
occurrence of crimes. A jilted lover turns desperate, but is it a
purely private happening? There might be an apparently unrelated
cause of his desperation. Sociologists, more than psychologists,
have to delve into the objective causes of certain heinous acts, like
blackmail and murder.
The Indian society is in a state of transition. A necessary
corollary of change is strife and violence. Death penalty is not only
a drastic measure; it does little to combat serious social problems.
It has never proved a deterrent, for heinous crimes have not fallen
in number because of it.
Don’t ban capital

punishment
T
hose who oppose capital punishment would rather have us
believe that it is applied indiscriminately in each and every
case related to some heinous crime. Death penalty is
awarded and should be awarded as the last resort on the part of
the judicial authority to apply it only in cases where human
sensitivity touches the abyss of degeneration.
We must remember that capital punishment is the only case
in which the accused is given the rare chance of appealing against
his sentence before the Head of the State, even though his crime
has been proved in the apex court of the land. This shows that
the law makers, the law interpreters and the law enforcement
agencies have all understood the delicate nature of capital
punishment—considering it a necessary evil which must be
retained.
The convention of the judge making the pen defunct with
which he signs the order to give a criminal death penalty, shows
the reluctance with which he reaches the decision. The decision
conveys the message that moral problems sometimes need drastic
solutions and cannot always be allowed to linger on in the realms
of spirituality.
It is sad but true that as human civilisation attains overall
progress in various fields, human values take a beating as
manifested in the increasing cases of violence, murder, child rape—
not to talk of terrorist and secessionist activities. So, how does one
tackle people who are trigger happy, who do not talk but fire
bullets without any qualms because they have come round to a
belief that taking someone’s life is the only way to get things done?
If capital punishment is banned, there would be no fear of
a possible death by hanging in the minds of the criminals, they
would then easily continue with their “job” knowing that even
if they were caught and convicted, the prospect of living some
kind of “safe” life would remain. Such a smug attitude on the
part of the offenders of the law, who already have found many
a loophole in the system, would well sound a death knell for
civilised living.
Violence on the Increase 425
Violence on
the Increase
Introduction: Human civilisation has come a long way from
the Stone Age. Yet man continues to be violent in his conduct.
In fact, violence has increased today. A man or woman cannot walk
on the street without looking over his or her shoulder because
of fear of assault. Top leaders of the nation, as well as retired
military generals, are assassinated in broad daylight. The roads
are spilled with human blood. Firearms, bombs, swords, are
frequently flourished and used.
What is violence: Violence signifies injuries (of many kinds
and degrees) caused to a person (or any living thing) by another
person or persons with manifest motives.
Forms of violence: Violence could be physical, mental, social,
economic, etc. It may range from superficial bruises to outright
destruction.
Today violence on the increase: The violent situation today
is manifest in several incidents.
Why the increase? Rise of materialism, erosion of general
morality and norms of society, breakdown of institutions, political
shortsightedness, religious fundamentalism, communalism,
casteism, terrorism, scientific and technological advancement, etc.,
are some important causes.
Impact: Insecurity of life and uncertain future of individuals;
society and nation lose their strength; peace of mind and joy of
life lost, love and harmony between any two individuals (even
between mother and her child) replaced by suspicion and hatred,
i.e., social relations imperilled...etc.
Conclusion: Violence has existed in every society and in every
civilisation at a normal rate which, in a sense, fills the society with
vitality and virility. But, today, the increasing violence has taken
a pathological form...Strangely, man has today become his own
enemy by unleashing the animal in him. If the brute in man is
not chained, and if violence is not checked, man may altogether
eliminate himself... If mankind has to survive, violence will have
to be minimised. A spirit of friendly co-existence will have to be
made the norm of human behaviour.
Examinations are a
necessary evil
Introduction:
“Farishtay bhi cheekh utthen rubaru-i-imtehan
Ye insaan hi hai jo diye jata hai imtehan-pe-imtehan”
Even the angels cry aloud before the examinations.
It is only man who repeatedly takes the examinations.
This may sound philosophical. But this is also a reality of
the day. Examinations are an age-old practice of evaluating
students’ performance. Dronacharya had also held examinations
for his students. God had tested the devotion of Ibrahim. But the
modern system of examination is the gift of the British rule.
Form of examination today: Prior notice regarding the date
and programme of examination; many students curse it; the
examination sets the students’ heart pounding; however, students
concentrate on studies with longer hours; date approaches; question-
papers distributed by the invigilators; certain number of questions
to be done in allotted hours; answer-books given to examiners;
evaluation and allotment of marks; results published...
Why examinations are taken: To test a student’s mental ability
and knowledge.
Why examinations are necessary: To make students work—
fear of failure and humiliation; to know the comparative merit of
students and place them accordingly in their careers...
Why examinations are evil: Examinations encourage cramming
rather than true and applicable knowledge; a game of chance and
skill; standard of marking not uniform: personal moods and
approach of the examiners may affect objectivity; efforts of one
or more years are tested in just two-three hours (?)...etc.
Suggestions for reform: A series of practical tests, weekly
tests, objective-plus-subjective tests; counselling for examinations
Examinations are a necessary evil 427
to help students to take the examinations in a sporting spirit;

progressive idea is to allow text-books in examination halls...
Conclusion: The analysis shows that despite the evil nature
of examinations we are bound to go along with them. This is
because we have not hitherto evolved any effective alternatives
to them. However, the tests and evaluation systems should be so
designed that they test a student’s mental ability, originality and
faculty of critical thinking.
Pleasures of Reading
Introduction: Once, during an interview with a foreign
journalist, Lokmanya Tilak said that he was ready to reside even
in hell if it could provide him with sufficient reading material and
reading time.
Condition of reading: Reading can be possible only when
there is a script, that is, something written. There was a time when
the blind could not read, but now they can read with the help
of Braille.
Pleasure explained: Sense organs convey any feelings or
stimuli to the mind. If such feelings and stimuli are agreeable to
the mind, they are pleasures. Otherwise, they are painful.
Reading and pleasure: Reading is the act which more directly
stimulates the mind. Reading is to the mind what food is to the
body.
Reading as recreation: Reading is an excellent form of
recreation as it involves the mind with various kinds of stories
(long or short romantic, adventurous or suspenseful), poems, plays
(drama), comedies, jokes, news, thrills, suspense and various other
things.
Accumulated knowledge devoured: The accumulated
knowledge of mankind is available in written and printed form.
By reading it, one feels that hidden treasure of someone has been
presented before one.
Pleasure of learning new things: Learning, even knowing,
new things, places or persons always gives a great pleasure. By
reading, one can know or learn many things within a very short
time, e.g., by devoting only a few hours on My Experiments with
Truth, you can get to know the whole life of Mahatma Gandhi.
Reading opens a whole new world to the reader.
Benefits of reading: Reading enlightens, enriches and
educates... No person, therefore, should be deprived of the benefits
and pleasures of reading...Reading should be encouraged right
from childhood. But today reading is not possible for every person.
Why? Poverty, lack of time, reading now a costly affair, prevailing
social and political conditions, growth of television culture...
Pleasures of Reading 429
Social responsibility: That everybody should be able to read

is a social responsibility because of great benefits and effects of
reading... Facilities of basic education, libraries, etc. should be
extended to all people. Mobile libraries, lending libraries and
voluntary organisations can go a long way.
Conclusion: Down the ages human beings have been enjoying
the pleasures of reading. The ways in which one can get
entertainment and pleasure are now many, but the pleasure of
reading has always been the most constant. Of course, the
revolution in electronic media and now social media has tilted
the human mind towards television and the Internet, but even that
one cannot enjoy to the full if one is denied the pleasures of
reading.
Can television
affect society?
Introduction: Sometime ago, a French mother filed a suit
against the head of a state television channel, France 2; her
complaint was that her 17-year-old son died trying to emulate the
hero of an American serial who mixed sugar and weed-killer in
the handlebar of a bicycle to manufacture a bomb. She accused
the TV chief of murder and she intended to use the lawsuit to
campaign against violence on the television. Of course, violence
is just one aspect of the social scene, but there is a clear feeling
in many that television violence does have an effect on the viewers.
It may not make the impressionable viewers actually violent, but
it does tend to make them insensitive to its effects. Not just in
the matter of violence, but in other aspects, too, what is shown
on television affects society.
TV a powerful tool of communication: TV provides a
concentrated focus, and the boundaries of the screen, setting off
the behaviour from its surrounding context, can result in stronger
stimulus to imitative learning than does real-life observation.
TV colours perspective of real life: Research in the US has
found that there exists a strong association between patterns of
dramatic entertainment and viewers’ conceptions of social reality.
Heavy viewers respond more in terms of the TV world—more
distrust of people, exaggerated sense of danger, etc.
Other factors moderate TV influence: Other researchers have
found that perceptions varied from person to person. The degree
of reality perceived in a television programme by a viewer
depends on several other factors— the viewer’s sex, age, economic
status, environment and so on. Viewers’ perceptions also differ
depending on their current state—fatigue, relaxed, etc. More
important factors influencing perceptions of programme realism
is their enduring traits—intelligence, perceptual styles, set of
values, receptive capacity; and all these are closely linked to the
age of the viewer.
Can television affect society? 431
Conclusion: Television can have an effect on viewers, and

thus society, under certain conditions—recurrence from programme
to programme of values or ideas; dramatic presentation of values
so that they evoke primarily emotional reactions; presentation of
values which link with the individual’s immediate needs and
interests; an uncritical attachment to the medium. The impact is
likely to be greater when the individual has not already been
supplied through his immediate environment with a set of values
which provides a standard against which to assess the views
offered by television.
Science: Blessing
or Curse?
Introduction: Impact of science on humanity is undeniable.
On the face of it, science and its inventions appear to be an
unalloyed blessing. However, if we ponder a little, disturbing
signs too appear.
How a blessing? Effect on material well-being and mental
attitudes; advantages of scientific discoveries in daily life—gadgets
to remove drudgery, electricity, communications, transport,
entertainment, computers; health—medicine, preventive and
curative, control of disease and epidemic; industry, agriculture and
economic development—improvement of means of production
and productivity. As for mental attitude—scientific perspective
banishes obscurantism and superstition; develops questioning
spirit, objective outlook.
How a curse? Each of the blessings cited above has a dark
side to it—a curse. Material well-being has led to crass materialism
and consumer culture; discoveries of science have also produced
weapons and means of destruction; use of scientific and
technological means of production and comforts has degraded the
environment, caused pollution; new diseases resistant to drugs
keep coming up; technological devices meant for health field
misused to kill—foeticide, for instance; spirit of inquiry and
positivism, if carried too far, can suppress essential humanity and
actually restrict the free range of thought and imagination; gadgets
and inventions can make humans dependent and, in fact, kill their
creativity.
Conclusion: So, is science a blessing or a curse? It would do
well to recall what Milton said in a different context—the mind
is its own place, it can make a hell of heaven, or a heaven of hell.
Science is, in fact, amoral; what humans make of it is human’s
responsibility. Humans can use it creatively or destructively, turn
it into a blessing or get crushed under its curse.
From the
World of
Quotations ...
From the World of Quotations ... 435
Quotations
ABILITY
Ability is a poor man’s wealth. —ANONYMOUS
The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest
navigators. —EDWARD GIBBON
Ability is of little account without opportunity.
—NAPOLEON
Behind an able man there are always other able men.
—CHINESE PROVERB
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others
judge us by what we have already done.
—HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
They are able because they think they are able.
—VIRGIL, Aeneid
ACTION
Action is the antidote to despair. —JOAN BAEZ
Action should culminate in wisdom. —Bhagavad Gita
Great actions are not always true sons of great and mighty
resolutions. —SAMUEL BUTLER
Act quickly, think slowly. —GREEK PROVERB
The great end of life is not knowledge but Action.
—THOMAS HUXLEY
Men are all alike in their promises. It is only in their deeds that
they differ. —MOLIERE
Do noble things, do not dream them all day long.
—CHARLES KINGSLEY
No action is in itself good or bad, but only such according to
convention. —W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
What’s done can’t be undone.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Macbeth
Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.
—CHARLES DE GAULLE
Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in
the world weigh less than a lovely single action.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
ADAPTABILITY
Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and
assimilation. —MAHATMA GANDHI
There are no conditions to which a man cannot become accustomed

especially if he sees that all those around him live the same way.
—LEO TOLSTOY
Every new adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem.
—ERIC HOFFER
Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature’s inexorable imperative.
—H.G. WELLS
I dance to the tune that is played. —SPANISH PROVERB
ADMIRATION
Admiration is a very short-lived passion, that immediately decays
upon growing familiar with its objects.
—JOSEPH ADDISON, The Spectator
Admiration, n. our polite recognition of another’s resemblance to
ourselves.
—AMBROSE BIERCE, The Devil’s Dictionary
For fools admire, but men of sense approve.
—ALEXANDER POPE, Essays on Criticism
We always love those who admire us, but we do not always love
those whom we admire.
—FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
ADVERSITY
Prosperity doth best discover vice; but adversity doth best
discover virtue. —FRANCIS BACON
There are three modes of bearing the ills of life : by in-difference,
by philosophy, and by religion.
—CHARLES CALEB COLTON
God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to
cleanse them. —AUGHEY
Sweet are the uses of adversity;
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a prosperous jewel in his head.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, As You Like It
He knows not his own strength that hath not met adversity.
—BEN JONSON
Adversity is the first path to truth. —LORD BYRON
Constant success shows us but one side of the world; adversity
brings out the reverse of the picture.
That which does not kill me makes me stronger.
—FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE
ADVICE
One gives nothing so freely as advice.
I intended to give you some advice but now I remember how much
is left over from last year unused.
—GEORGE HARRIS
There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as
advice. —JOSEPH ADDISON
He that won’t be counselled can’t be helped.
—BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but
wish we didn’t. —ERICA JONG
This is the gist of what I know:

Give advice and buy a foe. —PHYLLIS MCGINLEY
I give myself sometimes admirable advice, but I am incapable of

taking it. —MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU
The true secret of giving advice is after you have honestly given
it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not and never
persist in trying to set people right.
—HANNAH WHITALL SMITH
AGE
We turn not older, but newer every day.
—EMILY DICKINSON
I have no romantic feelings about age. Either you are interesting
at any age or you are not. There is nothing particularly interesting
about being old—or being young for that matter.
—KATHARINE HEPBURN
Age is not a handicap. Age is nothing but a number. It is how
you use it. —ETHEL PAYNE
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Antony and Cleopatra
AMBITION
Hitch your wagon to a star. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Most people would succeed in small things, if they were not
troubled with great ambitions.
—HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, Driftwood
A slave has but one master; an ambitious man has as many masters
as there are people who may be useful in bettering his position.
—JEAN DE LA BRUYERE
Ambition is the grand enemy of all peace.
—JOHN COWPER POWYS
If you take big paces you leave big spaces.
—BURMESE PROVERB
Ambition often puts men upon doing the meanest offices; so
climbing is performed in the same posture as creeping.
—JONATHAN SWIFT
Too low they build, who build beneath the stars.
—EDWARD YOUNG
When you are aspiring to the highest place, it is honourable to
reach the second or even the third rank.
—CICERO, De Oratore
Ambition has but one reward for all:
A little power, a little transient fame,
A grave to rest in, and a fading name.
—WILLIAM WINTER, The Queen’s Domain
ANGER
Men often make up in wrath what they want in reason.
—W.R. ALGER
Of all bad things by which mankind are cursed,
Their own bad tempers surely are the worst.
—RICHARD CUMBERLAND
Never answer a letter while you are angry.
—CHINESE PROVERB
Anger is momentary madness, so control your passion or it will
control you. —HORACE, Epistles
Many people lose their tempers merely from seeing you keep
yours. —FRANK MOORE COLBY
To be angry is to revenge the fault of others upon ourselves.
—ALEXANDER POPE
Anger as soon as fed is dead
’Tis starving makes it fat. —EMILY DICKINSON
A man that does not know how to be angry does not know how
to be good. —HENRY WARD BEECHER
Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. In the examination of a
great and important question, one should be serene, slow-pulsed,
and calm. —INGERSOLL
APPEARANCE
Things are seldom what they seem,
Skim milk masquerades as cream.
—W.S. GILBERT, H.M.S. Pinafore
Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality.
All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.
—MACHIAVELLI
Polished brass will pass upon more people than rough gold.
—LORD CHESTERFIELD
Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.
—AESOP
Personal appearance is looking the best you can for the money.
—VIRGINIA CARY HUDSON
It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The
true mystery of the world is visible, not the invisible.
—OSCAR WILDE
The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he makes
so many of them. —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
ARGUMENT
Argument seldom convinces anyone contrary to his inclinations.
—THOMAS FULLER
There is only one way under high heaven to get the best of an
argument—and that is to avoid it.
—DALE CARNEGIE
The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but
progress. —JOSEPH JOUBERT
The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which
there is no good evidence either way.
—BERTRAND RUSSELL
Arguments only confirm people in their own opinions.
—BOOTH TARKINGTON
True disputants are like true sportsmen; their whole delight is in
the pursuit. —ALEXANDER POPE
Neither irony nor sarcasm is argument. —RUFUS CHOATE
Never argue at the dinner table, for the one who is not hungry
always gets the best of the argument.
—RICHARD WHATELY
Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often
convincing. —OSCAR WILDE
ART AND ARTISTS

In free society art is not a weapon...Artists are not engineers of
the soul. —JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY
Art is long and time is fleeting.
Art necessarily presupposes knowledge.
—JOHN STUART MILL
Art is always and everywhere the secret confession and at the same
time the immortal movement of its time.
—KARL MARX
Art is indeed not the bread but the wine of life.
—JEAN PAUL RICHTIER
Art is not an end in itself, but a means of addressing humanity.
—M.P. MOUSSORGSKY
Art hath an enemy called ignorance. —BEN JONSON
Great artists have no country. —ALFRED DE MUSSET
Art lies in concealing art. —OVID
Art is meant to disturb. Science reassures.
—GEORGE BRAQUE
It depends little on the object, much on the mood, in art.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON
The work of art is the exaggeration of an idea.
—ANDRE GIDE
Art changes all the time, but it never ‘improves’. It may go down,
or up, but it never improves as technology or medicine improves.
—ALFRED KAZIN
Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth.
—PABLO PICASSO
Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.
—PAUL KLEE
Art teaches nothing except the significance of life.
—HENRY MILLER
Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world
unbearable. —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Art, like life, should be free, since both are experimental.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has
known. —OSCAR WILDE
Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.
—TWYLA THARP
The artist does not see things as they are, but as he is.
—ALFRED TONNELLE
An artist is a creature driven by demons.
—WILLIAM FAULKNER
As soon as you talk about social or political responsibility, you’ve
amputated the best limbs you’ve got as an artist.
—DAVID CRONENBERG
An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need
to have. —ANDY WARHOL
ATHEISM
Atheism is rather in the lip than in the heart of man.
—FRANCIS BACON
An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support.
—JOHN BUHAN
If there is a God, atheism must strike Him as less of an insult
than religion. —EDMOND AND JULES DE GONCOURT
The equal toleration of all religions is the same as atheism.
—LEO XIII
Not one man in a thousand has the strength of mind or the
goodness of heart to be an atheist. —S.T. COLERIDGE
That the universe was formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms,
I will no more believe than that the accidental jumbling of the
alphabet would fall into a most ingenious treatise of philosophy.
—JONATHAN SWIFT
By night an atheist half believes in God.
—EDWARD YOUNG, Night Thoughts
I am an atheist, thank God! —ANONYMOUS
If there is a God, we must see him, if there is a soul, we must
feel it, otherwise it is better not to believe it. It is better to be
an atheist than to be a hypocrite.
—SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth
in philosophy bringeth man’s mind about to religion.
—FRANCIS BACON
ATTITUDE
He who considers himself free is free indeed, and he who considers
himself bound remains bound. As one thinks, so one becomes.
—Ashtavakra Samhita
AUTHORITY
Do not ask for the position of authority, for if you are granted
this position as a result of your asking for it, you will be left to
discharge it yourself; but if you are given it without asking, you
will be helped (by God).
—Hadith Muslim
Authority is never without hate. —EURIPIDES
Authority has every reason to fear the skeptic, for authority can
rarely survive in the face of doubt.
—ROBERT LINDER
Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the
absolute rejection of authority. —THOMAS HUXLEY
If you wish to know what a man is, place him in authority.
—ANONYMOUS
All authority belongs to the people.
—THOMAS JEFFERSON
BANKS AND BANKING

A banker is a fellow who lends his umbrella when the sun is
shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.
—MARK TWAIN
Put not your trust in money, but put your money in trust.
—OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, SR.
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove you
don’t need it. —BOB HOPE
BEAUTY
A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness. —JOHN KEATS, Endymion
Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all
You know on earth, and all you need to know.
—JOHN KEATS, Ode on a Grecian Urn
That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that
which is good is always beautiful.
—NINON DE L’ENCLOS
Things are beautiful if you love them. —JEAN ANOULIH
Beauty—the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one
cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony
of the whole. —LEON BATTISTA ALBERTI
Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute

the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over
the whole of time. —ALBERT CAMUS
Beauty is only skin-deep. —PROVERB
I always say that beauty is sin deep. —SAKI
Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself, and
asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it, for nothing is
made worse or better by praise.
—MARCUS AURELIUS
’Tis not a lip or eye we beauty call,
But the joint force and full result of all.
—ALEXANDER POPE
The beauty that addresses itself to the eyes is only the spell of
the moment; the eye of the body is not always that of the soul.
—GEORGE SAND
Ask a toad what is beauty....; he will answer that it is a female
with two great round eyes coming out of her little head, a large
flat mouth, a yellow belly and a brown back.
—VOLTAIRE
Intellectual beauty is, indeed, the highest kind of beauty.
—C.V. RAMAN
Moral beauty and strength, not mere animal charm and vigour,
are the goal of physical culture.
—Bhagavad Gita
Rarely do great beauty and a virtuous disposition dwell under
one roof. —PETRARCH
BELIEF
Believe only half of what you see and nothing of what you hear.
—DINAH MULOCK CRAIK
Nothing is so firmly believed as what we least know.
—MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create
the fact. —WILLIAM JAMES
There seems to be a terrible misunderstanding on the part of a
great many people to the effect that when you cease to believe
you may cease to behave.
—LOUIS KRONEBERGER
Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies.
That which has been believed by everyone, always and every-

where, has every chance of being false.
—PAUL VALERY
No iron chain or outward force of any kind could ever compel
the soul of a man to believe or disbelieve.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
BIRTH
When we are born we cry that we are come
To this great stage of fools. —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting.
—WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
One must mourn not the death of men, but their birth.
—BARON DE MONTESQUIEU
The day of our birth is one day’s advance towards our death.
—THOMAS FULLER
The hour which gives us life begins to take it away.
—SENECA
When I was born, I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and
a half. —GRACIE ALLEN
Prevention of birth is a precipitation of murder.
—TERTULLIAH
BOOKS
There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are
well written, or badly written.
—OSCAR WILDE, The Picture of Dorian Gray
One man is as good as another until he has written a book.
—BENJAMIN JOWETT, Life and Letters of Benjamin Jowett
Classic : A book which people praise and don’t read.
—MARK TWAIN, Following Equator
Books are not absolute dead things, but do contain a potency of
life......and preserve, as in a vial, the purest efficacy and extraction
of that living intellect that bred them. As good almost kill a man
as kill a good book; who kills a man, kills a reasonable creature,
God’s image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself,
kills the image of God, as it were. A good book is the precious
life-blood of a master spirit embalmed and treasured up on
purpose to a life beyond life.
—JOHN MILTON, Aeropagitica
This is a volume not to be put aside lightly. It must be thrown

with great force. —DOROTHY PARKER
A book is somehow sacred. —JOHN STEINBACK
A dose of poison can do its work only once, but a bad book can
go on poisoning people’s minds for any length of time.
—JOHN MURRAY
There will never be a civilised country until we expend more
money for books than we do for chewing gum.
—ELBERT HUBBARD
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some
few to be chewed and digested.
—FRANCIS BACON, Of Studies
Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly
remembered. —W.H. AUDEN
A bad book is as much of a labour to write as a good one; it
comes as sincerely from the author’s soul.
—ALDOUS HUXLEY
There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy
it, the other that you can boast about it.
—BERTRAND RUSSELL
Books....are a mighty bloodless substitute for life.
—ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
It is with books as with men—a very small number play a great
part, the rest are lost in the multitude.
—VOLTAIRE
With every book you buy, you add a millimeter to your mental
stature. —HAR DAYAL
BROTHER
A brother is a friend given by Nature. —LEGOUVE
He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he
love God whom he hath not seen? —ST. JOHN
Cruel is the strife of brothers. —ARISTOTLE
BROTHERHOOD
Timid roach, why be so shy?
We are brother, you and I.
In the midnight, like thyself,
I explore the pantry shelf!
—CRISTOPHER MORLEY, Nursery Rhymes
for the Tender-Hearted
The world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth, too
small for anything but brotherhood.
—ADLAI STEVENSON
The crest and crowning of all good, Life’s final star, is brotherhood.
—EDWIN MARKHAM
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another,
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
—ST. JOHN
BUDGET
A budget is a method of worrying before you spend instead of
afterwards. —ANONYMOUS
BUREAUCRACY
Bureaucracies are designed to perform public business. But as
soon as a bureaucracy is established, it develops an autonomous
spiritual life and comes to regard the public as its enemy.
—BROOKS ATKINSON
People who can claw their way to the top are not likely to find
very much wrong with the system that enabled them to rise.
—ARTHUR SCHLESINGER, JR.
Paper work is the embalming fluid of bureaucracy, maintaining
an appearance of life where none exists.
—ROBERT MELTZER
BUSINESS
Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a
courageous decision. —PETER F. DRUCKER
Here’s the rule for bargains: Do other men, for they would do you.
That’s the true business precept.
—CHARLES DICKENS
Did you ever expect a corporation to have a conscience, when it
has no soul to be damned, and no body to be kicked?
—EDWARD THURLOW
Dishonesty in business or the uttering of lies causes inner sorrow.
—Adi Granth, Maru Solahe
An excellent monument might be erected to the Unknown Stock-
holder. It might take the form of a solid stone ark of faith
apparently floating in a pool of water.
—FELIX RIESENBERG
Allah’s messenger said: Both parties in a business transaction have

the right to annul it so long as they have not separated; and if
they speak the truth and make everything clear they will be
blessed in their transaction; but if they tell a lie and conceal
anything the blessing on their transaction will be blotted out.
—Hadith Muslim, Kitab Al Buyu
Business is religion, religion is business. The man who does not
make a business of his religion has a religious life of no force,
and the man who does not make a religion of his business has
a business life of no character.
—MALTBIE BABCOCK
Business is like oil. It won’t mix with anything but business.
—J. GRAHAM
They (corporations) cannot commit treason, nor be outlawed, nor
excommunicated, for they have no souls.
—EDWARD COKE, The Case of Sutton’s Hospital
That which is everybody’s business is nobody’s business.
—ISAAC NEWTON
It is difficult but not impossible to conduct strictly honest business.
What is true is that honesty is incompatible with the amassing
of a large fortune.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
The commerce of the world is conducted by the strong, and usually
it operates against the weak.
—HENRY WARD BEECHER
CALUMNY
Calumnies are answered best with silence.
—BEN JONSON
Calumny is a vice of curious constitution; trying to kill it keeps
it alive; leave it to itself and it will die a natural death.
—THOMAS PAINE
Calumny requires no proof. The throwing out of malicious
imputations against character leaves a stain, which no after
refutation can wipe out. The imagination is of so delicate a
structure that even words wound it.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
CAREFULNESS AND CARELESSNESS

Look twice before you leap. —CHARLOTTE BRONTE
Measure a thousand times and cut once.
—TURKISH PROVERB
The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be

avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.
—NAPOLEON
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
The fearful are caught as often as the bold.
—HELEN KELLER
Carelessness does more harm than a want of knowledge.
CELEBRITIES
Oh, the self-importance of fading stars. Never mind, they will be
black holes one day.
—JEFFREY BERNARD, The Spectator
You can’t shame or humiliate modern celebrities. What used to
be called shame and humiliation is now called publicity.
—P.J. O’ROURKE, Give War A Chance
A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to be known,
then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognised.
—FRED ALLEN
CENSORSHIP
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home but, unlike charity,
it should end there. —CLARE BOOTHE LUCE
A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought
to. —LAURENCE J. PETER
I suppose that writers should, in a way, feel flattered by the
censorship laws. They show a primitive fear and dread at the
fearful magic of print.
—JOHN MORTIMER, Clinging to the Wreckage
If there had been a censorship of the press in Rome, we should
have had today neither Horace nor Juvenal, nor the philosophical
writings of Cicero. —VOLTAIRE
To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading of certain
books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves.
—CLAUDE-ADRIEN HELVETIUS
The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show
the world its own shame. —OSCAR WILDE
No government ought to be without censors; and where the press
is free, no one ever will. —THOMAS JEFFERSON
God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as
indefensible as infanticide. —REBECCA WEST
CHANGE
All things must change
To something new, to something strange.
The old order changeth, yielding place to new.
—ALFRED TENNYSON, Morte’ de Arthur
Nothing is permanent but change. —HERACLITUS
There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad
to worse. —WASHINGTON IRVING
Things do not change, we do. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for
what we leave behind is a part of ourselves; we must die to one
life before we can enter into another!
—ANATOLE FRANCE
CHARACTER
To know how to say what others only know how to think is what
makes men poets or sages; and to dare to say what others only
dare to think makes men martyrs or reformers —or both.
—ELIZABETH R. CHARLES
Character builds slowly, but it can be torn down with incredible
swiftness. —FAITH BALDWIN
Character—the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own
life—is the source from which self-respect springs.
—JOAN DIDION
People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a
confession of character. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
When health is lost, something is lost;
When character is lost, all is lost. —ANONYMOUS
Talent is nurtured in solitude; character is formed in the stormy
billows of the world. —GOETHE, Torquato Tasso
Every man has three characters—that which he exhibits, that which
he has, and that which he thinks he has.
—ALPHONSE KARR
Character is a by-product; it is produced in the great manufacture
of daily duty. —WOODROW WILSON
Men show their character in nothing more clearly than by what
they think laughable. —GOETHE
Character is my degree;
Life is my examination;
Universe is my university. —JAGAT S. BRIGHT
CHILDREN
Everybody knows how to raise children, except the people who
have them.
—P.J. O’ROURKE, The Bachelor Home Companion
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders,
but they have never failed to imitate them.
—JAMES BALDWIN
There never was child so lovely but his mother was glad to get
him asleep. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Let your children go if you want to keep them.
—MALCOLM FORBES
Pretty much all the honest truth telling there is in the world is
done by children. —OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, SR.
Families with babies and families without babies are sorry for each
other. —EDGAR WATSON HOWE
Parents learn a lot from their children about coping with life.
—MURIEL SPARK
Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.
—ANNE SULLIVAN
Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge
them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.
—OSCAR WILDE
The child is the father of man.
—WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, My Heart Leaps Up
No one has yet fully realised the wealth of sympathy, kindness,
and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every
true education should be to unlock that treasure.
—EMMA GOLDMAN
CIRCUMSTANCES
Man is not the creature of circumstances,
Circumstances are the creatures of men.
—BENJAMIN DISRAELI, Vivian Grey
The circumstances of others seem good to us, while ours seem
good to others. —PUBLILIUS SYRUS, Maxims
It is nice to make heroic decisions and to be prevented by
‘circumstances beyond your control’ from ever trying to execute
them. —WILLIAM JAMES
The people who get on in this world are the people who get up
and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find
them, make them.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are the instruments
of the wise. —JAMES ALLEN
CITIES
If you would be known, and not know, vegetate in a village; if
you would know, and not be known, live in a city.
The city is not a concrete jungle. It is a human zoo.
—DESMOND MORRIS
Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it
solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion.
—E.B. WHITE
City Life—millions of people being lonesome together.
—HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Cities force growth, and make men talkative and entertaining, but
they make them artificial.
The planner’s problem is to find ways of creating, within the urban
environment, the sense of belonging.
—LEO MARX
CIVILISATION
A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilisation.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
Nations, like individuals, live and die, but civilisation cannot die.
—MAZZINI
Civilisation is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not
a harbour.
—ARNOLD TOYNBEE, Civilisation on Trial
The three great elements of modern civilisation, Gunpowder,
Printing and Protestant Religion. —THOMAS CARLYLE
The degree of a nation’s civilisation is marked by its disregard
for the necessities of existence.
—W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
The glossy surface of our civilisation hides a real intellectual
decadence. —SIMONE WEIL
The modern world....has no notion except that of simplifying

something by destroying nearly everything.
—G.K. CHESTERTON
Civilisation begins with order, grows with liberty and dies in
chaos. —WILL DURANT
CLASS
All shall equal be.
The Earl, the Marquis, and the Dook,
The Groom, the Butler, and the Cook,
The Aristocrat who banks with Coutts,
The Aristocrat who cleans the boots.
—W.S. GILBERT, The Gondoliers
The so-called immorality of the lower classes is not to be named
on the same day with that of the higher and highest. This is a
thing which makes my blood boil, and they will pay for it.
—QUEEN VICTORIA
Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on
earth is the use of them?
—OSCAR WILDE, The Importance of Being Earnest
When everyone is somebodee
Then no one’s anybody. —W.S. GILBERT, The Gondoliers
In class society, everyone lives as a member of a particular class,
and every kind of thinking, without exception, is stamped with
the brand of class. —MAO TSE-TUNG
The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class
struggles. —KARL MARX
The upper classes are merely a nation’s past; the middle class is
its future. —AYN RAND
CLEANLINESS
God loveth the clean. —The Qoran
Certainly this is a duty, not a sin. “Cleanliness is indeed next to
godliness.” —JOHN WESLEY
What separates two people most profoundly is a different sense
and degree of cleanliness.
Cleanliness is not next to godliness nowadays, for cleanliness is
made an essential and godliness is regarded as an offence.
—G.K. CHESTERTON
CO-EXISTENCE
The only alternative to co-existence is co-destruction.
—JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
COMPASSION
When a man has compassion for others, God has compassion for
him. —The Talmud
There is no wilderness so terrible, so beautiful, so arid, so fruitful,
as the wilderness of compassion. It is only the desert that shall
truly flourish like a lily.
—THOMAS MERTON
Behold the man who can be considerate towards others without
derogating from any of his duties; he will inherit the earth.
—TIRUVALLUVAR, The Kural
Compassion for a friend should conceal itself under a hard shell.
COMPETITION
A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch
up and outpace. —OVID
The combative instinct is a savage prompting by which one man’s
good is found in another man’s evil.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
Competition is the most extreme expression of that war of all
against all which dominates modern middle class society.
—FRIEDRICH ENGELS
COMPLAINTS
Those who complain most are more to be complained of.
—MATTHEW HENRY
The usual fortune of complaint is to excite contempt more than
pity. —SAMUEL JOHNSON
Those who do not complain are never pitied.
—JANE AUSTEN
The wheel that squeaks the loudest
Is the one that gets the grease. —JOSH BILLINGS
When people cease to complain, they cease to think.

—NAPOLEON
He that falls by himself never cries. —TURKISH PROVERB
COMPROMISE
Compromise used to mean that half a loaf was better than no
bread. Among modern statesmen it really seems to mean that half
a loaf is better than a whole loaf.
—G.K. CHESTERTON
Compromise makes a good umbrella, but a poor roof; it is a
temporary expedient, often wise in party politics, almost sure to
be unwise in statesmanship.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
Better bend than break. —SCOTTISH PROVERB
Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity.
—PHYLLIS MCGINLEY
A lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit.
—GEORGE HERBERT
Those who are inclined to compromise never make a revolution.
—KAMAL ATAKURK
COMPUTERS
To err is human but to really foul things up requires a computer.
—ANONYMOUS
A modern computer hovers between the obsolescent and the non-
existent. —SYDNEY BRENNER, Science
The computer is only a fast idiot, it has no imagination; it cannot
originate action. It is, and will remain, only a tool to man.
—American Library Association Statement on Univac Computer
exhibited at New York World’s Fair, 1964
One of the most feared expressions in modern times is ‘The
computer is down’. —NORMAN AUGUSTINE
CONFIDENCE
Danger breeds best on too much confidence.
—PIERRE CORNEILLE
As is our confidence, so is our capacity.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
There’s one blessing only, the source and cornerstone of beati-
tude—confidence in self. —SENECA
The confidence which we have in ourselves gives birth to much
of that which we have in others.
Confidence is simply that quiet, assured feeling you have, just
before you fall flat on your face. —L. BINDER
CONFORMITY
Conformity, humility, acceptance—with these coins we are to pay
our fares to paradise. —ROBERT LINDNER
The strongest bulwark of authority is uniformity; the least diver-
gence from it is the greatest crime.
—WALTER LIPPMANN
We are half ruined by conformity, but we should be wholly ruined
without it. —CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER
Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth.
—JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY
Conformity is the ape of harmony.
CONSCIENCE
There is a higher court of justice and that is the court of conscience.
It supercedes all other courts.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
Conscience is a coward, and those faults it has not strength enough
to prevent it seldom has justice enough to accuse.
—OLIVER GOLDSMITH
A good conscience is the best divinity.
—THOMAS FULLER
Man would rather be in error with the sanction of his conscience
than be right with the mere judgement of his reason.
—JOHN HARRY NEWMAN
Nor ear can hear nor tongue can tell
The tortures of that inward hell! —LORD BYRON
Conscience does make cowards of us all.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet
The soft whispers of God in man. —EDWARD YOUNG
There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
—FRENCH PROVERB
Conscience is a sacred sanctuary where God alone may enter as
judge. —LAMENNAIS
Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to
those who do not wish to hear it.
—SAMUEL BUTLER
Conscience is a just but a weak judge. Weakness leaves it
powerless to execute its judgement. —KAHLIL GIBRAN
Everyone has his own conscience, and there should be no rules

about how a conscience should function.
—ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may
be looking. —H.L. MENCKEN
Conscience and cowardice are really the same things. Conscience
is the trade name of the firm.
—OSCAR WILDE
Conscience is an elastic and very flexible article, which will bear
a great deal of stretching and adapt itself to a great variety of
circumstances. —CHARLES DICKENS
CONSERVATISM
What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried,
against the new and untried? —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
When a nation’s young men are conservative, its funeral bell is
already rung. —HENRY WARD BEECHER
A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who,
however, has never learned to walk forward.
—FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
The radical invents the views. When he has worn them out the
conservative adopts them. —MARK TWAIN
Upto a certain point, the conservatism bred by age may even be
useful as a brake on the wilder flights of youthful imagination.
—C.V. RAMAN
Conservative, n. A statesman who is enamoured of existing evils,
as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with
others.
CONSUMERISM
Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of
reputability to the gentleman of leisure.
—THORSTEIN BUNDE VEBLEN
In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves:
the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.
—IVAN ILLICH
A sixty-day warranty guarantees that the product will self-destruct
on the sixty-first day.
—Sintetos’ First Law of Consumerism
CONTENTMENT
Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.
—CONDORCET
I earn that I eat, get that I wear; owe no man hate, envy no man’s
happiness; glad of other man’s good, content with my harm.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, As You Like It
Be content with your lot, one cannot be first in everything.
—AESOP
The seat of perfect contentment is in the head; for every individual
is thoroughly satisfied with his own proportions of brains.
Nothing will content him who is not content with a little.
—GREEK PROVERB
When we have not what we like, we must like what we have.
—BUSSY RABUTIAN
It is not for man to rest in absolute contentment.
—ROBERT SOUTHEY
The three basic requirements for a tolerably satisfying life are
someone to care, somewhere to live and something worthwhile
to do. —J.B. PRIESTLEY
CONVERSATION
The best of life is conversation, and the greatest success is
confidence, or perfect understanding between sincere people.
There is no such thing as conversation. It is an illusion. There are
intersecting monologues, that is all.
—REBECCA WEST
Whoever interrupts the conversation of others to make a display
of his fund of knowledge, makes notorious his own stock of
ignorance. —SA’DI
Debate is masculine; conversation is feminine.
—LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
The less men think; the more they talk.
—BARON DE MONTESQUIEU
Never hold anyone by the button or the hand in order to be heard
out, for if people are unwilling to hear you, you had better hold
your tongue than them.
—G.K. CHESTERFIELD
Silence and modesty are very valuable qualities in the art of
conversation. —MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
CORRUPTION
Just for a handful of silver he left us
Just for a ribbon to stick in his coat.
—ROBERT BROWNING, The Lost Leader
The corruption of every government begins nearly always with
that of principles. —BARON DE MONTESQUIEU
Our worst enemies are not the ignorant and the simple, however
cruel; our worst enemies are the intelligent and the corrupt.
—GRAHAM GREENE
To a shower of gold, most things are penetrable.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
A conscience that has been bought once will be bought twice.
—NORBERT WEINER
If the party chief, whether it be the people, or the army, or the
nobility, which you think most useful and of most consequence
to you for the conservation of your dignity, be corrupt, you must
follow their humour and indulge them, and in that case honesty
and virtue are pernicious.
—MACHIAVELLI, The Prince
COURAGE
Often the test of courage is not to die, but to live.
—ALFIERI
All bravery stands upon comparisons. —FRANCIS BACON
The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless
of his life even in order to keep it.
—G.K. CHESTERTON
Without justice, courage is weak. —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Perfect valour consists in doing without witnesses that which we
would be capable of doing before everyone.
There is plenty of courage among us for the abstract but not for
the concrete. —HELEN KELLER
Courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.
—MARK TWAIN
COWARDICE
One who is in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs.
A cowardly act! What do I care about that? You may be sure that
I should never fear to commit one if it were to my advantage.
—NAPOLEON
Cowardice, as distinguished from panic, is almost always simply
a lack of ability to suspend the functioning of the imagination.
—ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
He who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day.
But he who is in battle slain,
Can never rise to fight again. —OLIVER GOLDSMITH
Perfect courage and utter cowardice are two extremes which rarely
occur. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
I shall rather have violence than cowardice masquerading as non-
violence. —MAHATMA GANDHI
CRIME AND CRIMINALS

What is robbing a bank compared with founding a bank?
—BERTOLT BRECHT, Die Dreigroschenoper
Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to
become their property that they may more perfectly respect it.
—G.K. CHESTERTON, The Man Who Was Thursday
Many commit the same crimes with a different result. One bears
a cross for the crime; another a crown.
—JUVENAL, Satires
Poverty is the mother of crime. —MARCUS AURELIUS
Crime is a product of social excess. —V.I. LENIN
Crime, like virtue, has its degrees. —RACINE
Successful and fortunate crime is called virtue.
—SENECA
Society prepares the crime; the criminal commits it.
—HENRY THOMAS BUCKLE
There is hardly any deviancy, no matter how reprehensible in one
context, which is not extolled as a virtue in another. There are no
natural crimes, only legal ones.
—FREDA ADLER
Misdemenour, n. An infraction of the law having less dignity than
a felony and constituting no claim to admittance into the best
criminal society.
CRITICISM AND CRITICS

Gland: I would say it’s somehow redolent, and full of vitality.
Hilda:Well, I would say it’s got about as much life in it as a potted
shrimp.
Gland:Well, I think we’re probably both trying to say the same
thing in different words.
—HENRY REED, The Primal Scene, As It Were
Criticism is not only medicinally salutary: it has positive popular
attractions in its cruelty, its gladiatorship, and the gratification
given to envy by its attacks on the great, and to enthusiasm by
its praises.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, Plays Unpleasant
A critic is a man who knows the way but can’t drive the car.
—KENNETH TYNAN
Never pay any attention to what critics say....A statue has never
been set up in honour of a critic!
—JEAN SIBELIUS, Bengt de Torne Sibelius: A Close-up
He takes the long review of things;
He asks and gives no quarter.
And you can sail with him on wings
Or read the book. It’s shorter.
—DAVID MC CORD, To a Certain Most Certainly
Certain Critic
You know who the critics are? The men who have failed in
literature and art. —BENJAMIN DISRAELI, Lothair
The lot of critics is to be remembered by what they failed to
understand.
—GEORGE MOORE, Impressions and Opinions
As learned commentators view
In Homer more than Homer knew.
—JONATHAN SWIFT, On Poetry
Anyone can be accurate and even profound, but it is damned hard
to make criticism charming.
—H.L. MENCKEN
As the arts advance towards their perfection, the science of
criticism advances with equal pace. —EDMUND BURKE
CRUELTY
Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself;
it only requires opportunity. —GEORGE ELIOT
Fear is the parent of cruelty. —J.A. FROUDE

I must be cruel, only to be kind.
Cruelty ever proceeds from a vile mind, and often from a cowardly
heart. —LUDOVICO ARIOSTO
Man’s inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn!
—ROBERT BURNS, Man Was Made to Mourn
CULTURE
Culture is what your butcher would have if he were a surgeon.
—MARY PETTIBONE POOLE, A Glass Eye at Keyhole
Man is born a barbarian and raises himself above the beast by
culture. —BALTASAR GRACIAN
Culture is simply how one lives and is connected to history by
habit. —LEROI JONES
Culture is to know the best that has been said and thought in the
world. —MATTHEW ARNOLD
CUSTOM
Custom reconciles us to everything. —EDMUND BURKE
Ancient custom has the force of law. —LEGAL MAXIM
Custom, then, is the great guide of human life.
—DAVID HUME
He who does anything because it is the custom, makes no choice.
—JOHN STUART MILL
How many things, both just and injust, are sanctioned by custom.
—TERENCE
There is nothing so extreme that is not allowed by the custom
of one nation or the other.
CYNICS AND CYNICISM

A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value
of nothing.
—OSCAR WILDE, Lady Windermere’s Fan
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past,
he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.
—SYDNEY J. HARRIS
We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusion just as

effectively as by bombs. —KENNETH CLARK
The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man, and
never fails to see a bad one. He is the human owl, vigilant in
darkness and blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never seeing
noble game. The cynic puts all human actions into two classes—
openly bad and openly secret.
Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they
are, not as they ought to be.
DEATH
Death will separate us from everything. To prepare for this
departure, nothing else can be of use except the practice of
Dharma. —THE DALAI LAMA
From death’s arrest, no age is free, young children too may die.
God, may such an awful sight awakening be to me!
That by early grace I might for death prepared be.
—ANONYMOUS
In this world nothing can be said to be certain—except death and
taxes. —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
The best of us being unfit to die, what an inexpressible absurdity
to put the worst to death!
—NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
Swans sing before they die: ‘t were no bad thing
Should certain persons die before they sing.
—S.T. COLERIDGE, On a Volunteer Singer
Death has got something to be said for it:
There’s no need to get out of bed for it;
Wherever you may be,
They bring it to you free.
—KINGSLEY AMIS, Delivery Guaranteed
I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to
achieve it through not dying.
—WOODY ALLEN, Woody Allen and His Comedy
He makes a very handsome corpse and becomes his coffin
prodigiously.
—OLIVER GOLDSMITH, The Good-Natured Man
But thousands die, without this or that,
Die, and endow a college, or a cat.
—ALEXANDER POPE, Epistles to Several Persons
Men are convinced of your arguments, your sincerity, and the

seriousness of your efforts only by your death.
—ALBERT CAMUS
All human things are subject to decay,
And when fate summons, monarchs must obey.
—JOHN DRYDEN
It hath often been said, that it is not death, but dying, which is
terrible. —HENRY FIELDING
To die is poignantly bitter, but the idea of having to die without
having lived is unbearable. —ERICH FROMM
Do not seek death. Death will find you. But seek the road which
makes death a fulfilment. —DAG HAMMARSKJOLD
Our repugnance to death increases in proportion to our conscious-
ness of having lived in vain.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
Death is a punishment to some, to some a gift, and to many a
favour. —SENECA
Call no man happy till he is dead. —AESCHYLUS
No soul can ever die except by Allah’s leave and at a term
appointed. —The Qoran
To die nobly one must first learn to live nobly.
—LALA LAJPAT RAI
DECEPTION
You can fool some of the people all the time and all the people
some of the time; but you can’t fool all the people all the time.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves. —GOETHE
It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
—LA FONTAINE
One is easily fooled by that which one loves.
—MOLIERE, Tartuffe
Man is practised in disguise;
He cheats the most discerning eyes. —JOHN GAY
We are never so easily deceived as when we imagine we are
deceiving others. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
One may smile, and smile and be a villain.
Hatred of dishonesty generally arises from the fear of being
deceived. —MARQUIS DE VAUVENARGUES
DEFEAT
What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step
to something better. —WENDELL PHILLIPS
Never confuse a single defeat with the final defeat.
—F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
The important thing is to learn a lesson every time you lose.
—JOHN MCENROE
There are defeats more triumphant than victories.
Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a
fresh stimulus. —ROBERT SOUTH
DEMOCRACY
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they
want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
—H.L. MENCKEN, A Little Book in C Major
Democracy is the name we give the people whenever we need
them.
—ROBERT, MARQUIS DE FLERS and ARMOND DE CAILLAVET, L’habit vert
Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the
people for the people.
—OSCAR WILDE, Sebastian Melmoth
Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the
people are right more than half of the time.
—E.B. WHITE, New Yorker
A majority is the best repartee.
—BENJAMIN DISRAELI, Tancred
Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordi-
nary possibilities in ordinary people.
—HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK, Democracy
Democracy means not “I am as good as you are”, but “You are
as good as I am”. —THEODORE PARKER
I believe in Democracy because it releases the energies of every
human being. —WOODROW WILSON
Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy.
—BENITO MUSSOLINI
Democracy is the form of government in which the free are the
rulers. —ARISTOTLE
In a democracy the general good is furthered only when the special

interests of competing minorities accidentally coincide—or cancel
each other out. —ALEXANDER CHASE
Democracy is a form of government which may be rationally
defended not as being good, but as being less bad than any other.
—WILLIAM RALPH INGE
DESIRE
(Dancing is) a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.
It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow
it. —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Our desires always increase with our possessions. The knowledge
that something remains yet unenjoyed impairs our enjoyment of
the good before us. —SAMUEL JOHNSON
He who desires naught will be free.
—E.R. LEFEBVRE LABOULAYE
All human activity is prompted by desire.
—BERTRAND RUSSELL
We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.
—AESOP
He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.
—WILLIAM BLAKE
The act of longing for something will always be more intense than
the requiting of it. —GAIL GODWIN
Life is a progress from want to want, not from enjoyment to
enjoyment. —SAMUEL JOHNSON
We do not succeed in changing things according to our desire,
but gradually our desire changes.
—MARCEL PROUST
The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires. —SENECA
There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart’s desire.
The other is to gain it. —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
DESTINY
We are but as the instrument of Heaven.
Our work is not design, but Destiny.
—OWEN MEREDITH, Clytemnestra
Our destiny rules over us, even when we are not yet aware of
it; it is the future that makes laws for us today.
What must be, must be. —PROVERB

The efforts which we make to escape to our destiny only serve
to lead us into it. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is
not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
—W.J. BRYAN
DIPLOMACY AND DIPLOMATS

All diplomacy is a continuation of war by other means.
—ZHOU EN LAI
Diplomacy is to do and say the nastiest thing in the nicest way.
—ISAAC GOLDBERG
It is better for aged diplomats to be bored than for young men
to die. —WARREN AUSTIN
To jaw-jaw is better than to war-war.
—WINSTON CHURCHILL
Diplomacy is the police in grand costume. —NAPOLEON
A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such
a way that you actually look forward to the trip.
—CASKIE STINNETT
A diplomat is a man who remembers a lady’s birthday but forgets
her age. —ANONYMOUS
When a diplomat says yes he means perhaps; when he says
perhaps he means no; when he says no he is no diplomat.
—ANONYMOUS
DREAMS
Dreams are the true interpreters of our inclinations, but there is
art required to sort and understand them.
Dreams are ..... cursed with short life spans.
—CANDICO BERGEN
I talk of dreams;
Which are the children of idle brain
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.
The waking have one world in common;
Sleepers have each a private world of his own.
—HERACLITUS
If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million
realities. —MAYA ANGELOU
To believe in one’s dream is to spend all of one’s life asleep.

—CHINESE PROVERB
Dreamers are insatiable expansionists, and the space of dreams
rapidly becomes overcrowded. —JOHN ASHERBY
The deeds of today were the dreams of yesterday and the dreams
of today will be the deeds of tomorrow.
—JAGAT S. BRIGHT, Great Experiences
DRESS
She wears her clothes, as if they were thrown on her with a
pitchfork. —JONATHAN SWIFT, Polite Conversation
You should never have your best trousers on when you go out
to fight for freedom and truth.
—HENRIK IBSEN, An Enemy of the People
She wore far too much rouge last night, and not quite enough
clothes. That is always a sign of despair in a woman.
—OSCAR WILDE, An Ideal Husband
Her frocks are built in Paris, but she wears them with a strong
English accent. —SAKI, Reginald
Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others.
DRIVING
When your speedometer hits 90, you aren’t driving, you’re aiming.
—ANONYMOUS
DUTY
Better is one’s own duty imperfectly performed, than the duty of
another well-performed. —Bhagavad Gita
It is for us to make the effort. The result is always in God’s hands.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
You will always find those who think they know that it is your
duty better than you know it.
A sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal
relations. People wish to be liked, not endured with patient
resignation. —BERTRAND RUSSELL
There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.
Duty is what one expects from others, it is not what one does
oneself. —OSCAR WILDE
No personal consideration should stand in the way of performing

a public duty. —ULYSSES S. GRANT
So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man.
When Duty whispers low,
Thou Must,
The youth replies, I can.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Voluntaries
The path of duty lies in the thing that is nearby, but men seek
it in things far off. —CHINESE PROVERB
EARNING
The only way to enjoy anything in this life is to earn it first.
—GINGER ROGERS
Surely, the law of Providence is such that the wealth earned
through evil means is scattered away. The wealth earned through
pious means flourishes: those who earn through dishonest means
are destroyed. —Atharva Veda
All decent people live beyond their incomes nowadays, and those
who aren’t respectable live beyond other people’s.
—SAKI, Chronicles of Clovis
ECONOMY AND ECONOMISTS

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a
conclusion. —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
An economist is a man who advises what should be done with
the money someone else made. —STUART CHASE
Give me a one-handed economist! All my economists say, “on one
hand....on the other”. —HARRY S. TRUMAN
Economy is going without something you do want in case you
should, some day, want something you probably won’t want.
—ANTHONY HOPE
Buy not what you want, but what you have need of; what you
do not want is dear at a farthing.
—CATO, The Censor
After order and liberty, economy is one of the highest essentials
of a free government....Economy is always a guarantee of peace.
—CALVIN COOLIDGE
No man is rich whose expenditure exceeds his means; and no one
is poor whose incomings exceed his outgoings.
—THOMAS CHANDLER HALIBURTON
Economic progress without social progress lets the great majority

of the people remain in poverty, while a privileged few reap the
benefits of rising abundance.
EDUCATION
A man who has never gone to school may steal from the freight
car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole
railroad. —THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Good gracious, you’ve got to educate him first. You can’t expect
a boy to be vicious till he’s been to a good school.
—SAKI, Reginald in Russia
The founding fathers decided that children were an unnatural
strain on parents. So they provided jails called schools, equipped
with torture like education. —JOHN UPDIKE
Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.
—ARISTOTLE
The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of
facts but learning how to make facts live.
—OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, JR.
Education is not a product: mark, diploma, job, money—in that
order; it is a process, a never-ending one.
—BEL KAUFMAN
The first idea that the child must acquire in order to be actively
disciplined is that of the difference between good and evil; and
the task of education lies in seeing that the child does not confound
good with immobility, and evil with activity.—MARIA MONTESSORI
Education is what survives when what has been learned is
forgotten. —B.F. SKINNER
The great difficulty in education is to get experience out of
ideas. —GEORGE SANTAYANA
Education commences at the mother’s knee, and every word
spoken within the hearsay of little children tends towards the
formation of character. —HOSEA BALLOU
The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education,
but the means of education.
Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from
time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.
—OSCAR WILDE, The Critic as Artist
Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy

to govern, but impossible to enslave. —HENRY PETER
Education begins with life. —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
The aim of education is not the specialist but the man of vision
who can humanise our life by integrating emotional demands with
our new knowledge. —WALTER GROPHICES
The roots of education are bitter but the fruit is sweet.
—ARISTOTLE
EGO
I am the only person in the world I should like to know
thoroughly. —OSCAR WILDE
Some headaches are caused by wearing halos too tight.
—ANONYMOUS
An egotist is always me-deep in conversation.
—ANONYMOUS
When you sing your own praises, nobody asks for an encore.
—ANONYMOUS
Nothing is more to me than myself.
—STIRNER, The Ego and His Own
Our own self-love draws a thick veil between us and our faults.
—EARL OF CHESTERFIELD
We would rather speak badly of ourselves than not talk about
overselves at all. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin
As self-neglecting. —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.
—OSCAR WILDE
Egotist, n. A person of low taste, more interested in himself than
in me. —AMBROSE BIERCE, The Devil’s Dictionary
EMOTIONS
In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart,
there is room for nothing. —ANTONIO PORCHIA
The heart is half a prophet. —YIDDISH PROVERB
Nothing vivifies, and nothing kills, like the emotions.
—JOSEPH ROUX
Emotion has taught mankind to reason.
—MARQUIS DE VAUVENARGUES
Where the heart lies, let the brain lie also.

—ROBERT BROWNING
The important thing is being capable of emotions, but to expe-
rience only one’s own would be a sorry limitation.
—ANDRE GIDE
ELECTIONS
Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people
vote against somebody rather than for somebody.
—FRANKLIN P. ADAMS, Nods and Becks
ENDURANCE
Know how sublime a thing it is
To suffer and be strong. —HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
To bear is to conquer our fate. —THOMAS CAMPBELL
What cannot be altered must be borne, not blamed.
—THOMAS FULLER
People are too durable, that’s their main trouble. They can do too
much to themselves, they last too long.
—BERTOLT BRECHT
ENEMY
Don’t be your own worst enemy....give someone else a chance.
—ANONYMOUS
Better a thousand enemies outside the house than one inside.
—ARABIC PROVERB
A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.
—OSCAR WILDE, Picture of Dorian Gray
Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover
your mistakes. —ANTISTHENES
A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his
friends. —BALTASAR GRACIAN
The real enemy can always be met and conquered, or won over.
Real antagonism is based on love, a love which has not recognised
itself. —HENRY MILLER
You shall judge a man by his foes as well as by friends.
—JOSEPH CONRAD
Man is his own worst enemy. —CICERO
ENGLAND AND ENGLISHMEN

If an Englishman gets run down by a truck he apologises to the
truck. —KACKIE MASON, Independent
He is a typical Englishman, always dull and usually violent.
—OSCAR WILDE, An Ideal Husband
Englishmen are never slaves: they are free to do whatever the
government and public opinion allow them to do.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, Man and Superman
An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, Man and Superman
We English are of course the chosen race; but we should be none
the worse for a little intellectual apprehension.
—A.C. BENSON, From A College Window
Even crushed against his brother in the Tube, the average
Englishman pretends desperately that he is alone.
—GERMAINE GREER, The Female Eunuch
In England, it is very dangerous to have a sense of humour.
—E.V. LUCAS, 365 Days and One More
The English nation is never so great as in adversity.
—BENJAMIN DISRAELI
When Britain first at Heaven’s command,
Arose from out the azure main,
This was the charter of the land,
And Guardian angels sung this strain:
“Rule Britannia! rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves.”
—JAMES THOMSON, Masque of Alfred
There is nothing so bad or so good that you will not find
Englishmen doing it; but you will never find an Englishman in
the wrong. He does everything on principle. He fights you on
patriotic principles; he robs you on business principles; he
enslaves you on imperial principles.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, The Man of Destiny
ENTERPRISE
If Enterprise is afoot, Wealth accumulates whatever may be
happening to Thrift; and if Enterprise is asleep, Wealth decays,
whatever Thrift may be doing.
—JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES
Footprints on the sands of time are not made by sitting down.

—PROVERB
None will improve your lot
If you yourselves do not. —BERTOLT BRECHT
The passion to get ahead is sometimes born of the fear lest we
be left behind. —ERIC HOFFER
ENVIRONMENT
An important duty of a Zoroastrian is to take care of the purity
and cleanliness of the seven creations which are the skies, waters,
earth, plants, cattle, man and fire.
—The Pahlavi Texts
Environment today is a question of survival...Our rivers are dying,
cities are choking, underground water tables are depleting, the air
is not fit for breathing...Only a strong people’s movement can bring
a change in our present situation...Unless we have a green vote
bank, the attitude of political parties towards the environment will
not change.
—M.C. MEHTA
Litter is our grossest national product. —ANONYMOUS
The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.
ENVY
He who goes unenvied shall not be admired.
—AESCHYLUS
The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause.
—BALTASAR GRACIAN
As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by
their own passion. —ANTISTHENES
Envy is the tax which all distinction must pay.
Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.
—GORE VIDAL
Base envy withers at another’s joy,
And hates the excellence it cannot reach.
—JAMES THOMSON
EQUALITY
Only as an egg in the womb are we all equal.
—ORIANA FALLACI
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
—GEORGE ORWELL, Animal Farm
Even here (in this world), existence is conquered by them whose
mind rests in equality, for Brahman is without imperfection and
equal. Therefore they abide in Brahman.
—Bhagavad Gita
Men are made by nature unequal. It is vain, therefore, to treat them
as if they were equal. —FROUDE, Party Politics
Wrong never lies in unequal rights, it lies in the pretension of
equal rights. —FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE
Equality consists in the same treatment of similar persons.
—ARISTOTLE
Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever
turn it into a fact. —HONORE DE BALZAC
It is better that some should be unhappy than that none should
be happy, which would be the case in a general state of equality.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
That all men are equal is a proposition to which, at ordinary times,
no sane individual has ever given his assent.
—ALDOUS HUXLEY
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalien-
able rights, that among these are life, liberty and pursuit of
happiness. —THOMAS JEFFERSON
Your levellers wish to level down as far as themselves, but they
cannot bear levelling upto themselves.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON, Boswell’s Life of Johnson
EVIL
What is evil? —Whatever springs from weakness.
—FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE, The Antichrist
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
—Romans XII
Evil often triumphs, but never conquers. —JOSEPH ROUX
No notice is taken of a little evil, but when it increaseth it strikes
the eye. —ARISTOTLE
It is by promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the
weak. —ERIC HOFFER
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he
who helps to perpetrate it.
—MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Our greatest evils flow from ourselves.

—JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU
There is no explanation for evil. It must be looked upon as a
necessary part of the order of the universe. To ignore it is childish;
to bewail it, senseless.
Between two evils, I always pick the one I have never tried before.
—MAE WEST
Every evil thing is easily stifled at its birth; allowed to become
old, it generally becomes too powerful. —CICERO
EXAMINATIONS
In examinations those who do not wish to know ask questions
of those who cannot tell.
—WALTER RALEIGH, Laughter from a Cloud
The examination of life begins where life of examinations ends.
—JAGAT S. BRIGHT, Great Experience
EXPERIENCE
Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills.
—MINNA ANTRIM
There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realised
until personal experience has brought it home.
—JOHN STUART MILL
Experience is the extract of suffering. —ARTHUR HELPS
One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, Among My Books
Experience is the name men give to their follies or their sorrows.
—ALFRED DE MUSSET
Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their
capacity for experience.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, Maxims for Revolutionists
No man’s knowledge here can go beyond his experience.
—JOHN LOCKE
Experience isn’t interesting until it begins to repeat itself—in fact
till it does that, it hardly is experience.
—ELIZABETH BOWEN
Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with
what happens to you. —ALDOUS HUXLEY
If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us we’d be
millionaires. —ABIGAIL VAN BUREN
EXPERT
An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less.
—NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER
One who limits himself to his chosen mode of ignorance.
—ELBERT HUBBARD
Given one well-trained physician of the highest type, he will
do better work for a thousand people than ten specialists.
—WILLIAM J. MAYO
An expert is a man who doesn’t know all the answers, but is sure
that if he is given enough money he can find them.
—REX FLETCHER
FACTS
Every fact that is learned becomes a key to other facts.
—E.I. YOUMANS
Facts are stubborn things. —GEORGE SMOLLETT
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
—ALDOUS HUXLEY
It is the spirit of the age to believe that any fact, no matter how
suspect, is superior to any imaginative exercise, no matter how
true. —GORE VIDAL
FAITH
Remember that the faith that moves mountains always carries a
pick. —ANONYMOUS
Faith is the continuation of reason. —WILLIAM ADAMS
Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this
faith is to see what we believe. —ST. AUGUSTINE
Faith, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks
without knowledge, of things without parallel.
Faith is the force of life. —LEO TOLSTOY
Man can be attracted but not forced to the faith. You may drive
people to baptism, you won’t move people one step further to
religion. —ALCUIM
I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in human beings.
—PEARL S. BUCK
Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence
of the improbable. —H.L. MENCKEN
Faith embraces many truths which seem to contradict each other.

—BLAISE PASCAL
All outward signs of religion are almost useless, and are the causes
of endless strife....Believe there is a great power silently working
all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.
—BEATRIX POTTER
FAME
The best fame is a writer’s fame; it’s enough to get a table at a
good restaurant, but not enough that you get interrupted when
you eat. —FRAN LEBOWITZ, Observer
One of the drawbacks of fame is that one can never escape from
it. —NELLIE MELBA
In fame’s temple there is always a niche to be found for rich
dunces, importunate scoundrels, or successful butchers of the
human race. —ZIMMERMANN
No true and permanent fame can be founded except in labours
which promote the happiness of mankind.
—CHARLES SUMNER, Fame and Glory
Fame is proof that people are gullible.
The highest form of vanity is love of fame.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
They who neglect their social duties for their individual life fall
into darkness; and those who sacrifice their individuality for social
popularity fall into greater darkness.
—Ishopanishad
Men think highly of those who rise rapidly in the world; whereas
nothing rises quicker than dust, straw and feathers.
—HARE
FAMILY
All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family
is unhappy in its own way.
—LEO TOLSTOY, Anna Karenina
Families are about love overcoming emotional torture.
—MATT GROENING
There is little less trouble in governing a private family than a
whole kingdom. —MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in
another city. —GEORGE BURNS
The family is more sacred than the state. —POPE PIUS XI

When some people talk about their family tree, they trim off a
branch here and there. —LARK BRAGG
But there were years when, in search of what I thought was better,
nobler things, I denied these, my people, and my family. I forgot
the songs they sung—and most of those songs are now dead; I
erased their dialect from my tongue; I was ashamed of them and
their ways of life. But now—yes, I love them; they are a part of
my blood; they, with all their virtues and their faults, played a
great part in forming my way of looking at life.
—AGNES SMEDLEY
It is better to be the best of a bad family than to be well born
and the worst of one’s race. —GREEK PROVERB
FANATICISM AND FANATICS

Fanaticism is the false fire of an overheated mind.
—WILLIAM COWPER
The greatness of every organisation embodying an idea in the
world lies in the religious fanaticism and intolerance with which,
fanatically convinced of its own right, it intolerably imposes its
will against all others.
—ADOLF HITLER
A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the
subject. —WINSTON CHURCHILL
Defined in psychological terms, a fanatic is a man who consciously
overcompensates a secret doubt.
—ALDOUS HUXLEY
There is no place in a fanatic’s head where reason can enter.
—NAPOLEON I
Those engaged in communal squabbles are like specimens in a
lunatic asylum. —MAHATMA GANDHI
Fanaticism is the greatest thorn in the path of cultural intimacy.
—SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE
FASHION
Fashion is more powerful than any tyrant.
—LATIN PROVERB
Fashions, after all, are only induced epidemics.
Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously
the new. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter

it every six months. —OSCAR WILDE
A fashionable woman is always in love—with herself.
FASTING
To fast is to learn to love and appreciate food, and one’s own
good fortune in having it. —MONICA FURLONG
Whoso will pray, he must fast and be clean,
And fat his soul and make his body lean.
—GEOFFREY CHAUCER, The Canterbury Tales
FATE
There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will. —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Whatever limits us, we call Fate. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
’Tis Fate that flings the dice,
And as she flings
Of kings makes peasants,
And of peasants kings. —JOHN DRYDEN
Though men determine, the gods do dispose; and oft times many
things fall out between the cup and the lip.
—ROBERT GREEN
FATHERS
My father was frightened of his father, I was frightened of my
father, and I am damned well going to see to it that my children
are frightened of me. —KING GEORGE V
The son offers the father his life as a vessel for carrying forth his
father’s dream. —TONY KUSHNER
The fundamental defect of fathers is that they want their children
to be a credit to them. —BERTRAND RUSSELL
A father is a banker provided by nature.
—FRENCH PROVERB
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discour-
aged. —The Bible
An angry father is most cruel to himself.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
FAULTS
The faults of others we see easily;
Our own are very difficult to see.
Our neighbour’s faults we winnow eagerly,
As chaff from grain; our own we hide away
As cheating gamblers hide their loaded dice.
Omissions and commissions and ill-deeds
Of others do not try to pry into.
(Unless your duty ’tis as public judge),
But scrutinise your own most carefully.
O! wad some Power the giftie gie us,
To see ourselves as others see us.
—ROBERT BURNS, To A Louse
He who finds faults with others cannot see his own.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
The real fault is to have faults and not amend them.
—CONFUCIUS
Certain defects are necessary for the existence of individuality.
—JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
We confess to little faults, only to persuade ourselves that we have
no great ones. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
FEAR
Just as courage imperils life, fear protects it.
—LEONARDO DA VINCI
Fear is well known as a cement of societies.
—CZESLAW MILOSZ
Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear
is fear itself. —FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
Where the fear is, happiness is not. —SENECA
Fear always springs from innocence.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON, The American Scholar
Where there is fear, there is no religion.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources
of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
—BERTRAND RUSSELL
FLATTERY
Flattery: Telling someone exactly what he thinks of himself.
—ANONYMOUS
What really flatters a man is that you think him worth flattering.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, John Bull’s Other Island
Consider with yourself what your flattery is worth before you
bestow it so freely.
Be advised that all flatterers live at the expense of those who listen
to them. —JEAN DE LA FONTAINE
I will praise any man that will praise me.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
—WALTER COLTON, Lacon
O, that men’s ears should be
To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Timon of Athens
It is easy to flatter; it is harder to praise.
—JEAN PAUL RICHTER
FLOWERS
Flowers are words
Which even a babe may understand.
—BISHOP COXE, The Singing of Birds
Where flowers degenerate, man cannot live. —NAPOLEON
I like to see flowers growing, but when they are gathered they
cease to please. I never offer flowers to those I love, I never wish
to receive them from hands dear to me.
—CHARLOTTE BRONTE
Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor
conflicts. —SIGMUND FREUD
If I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy hyacinth,
for they would feed my soul. —The Qoran
The fairest thing in nature, a flower, still has its roots in earth and
manure. —D.H. LAWRENCE
A slight, pretty flower that grows on any ground, and flowers
pledge no allegiance to banners of any man.
—ALICE WALKER
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.
—WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
Earth laughs in flowers. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
FOOD AND DRINK

The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of
mankind than the discovery of a new star.
—ANTHELME BRILLAT-SAVARIN, Physiologie du Gout
The healthy stomach is nothing if not conservative. Few radicals
have good digestions.
—SAMUEL BUTLER, Notebooks
People often feed the hungry so that nothing may disturb their
own enjoyment of a good meal.
—W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM, A Writer’s Notebook
Look here, Steward, if this is coffee, I want tea; but if this is tea,
then I wish for coffee. —PUNCH
The cook was a good cook, as cooks go; and as good cooks go,
she went. —SAKI, Reginald
It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is ‘soporific’.
—BEATRIX POTTER, The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a
toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man and a man to
worm.
—AMBROSE BIERCE, The Enlarged Devil’s Dictionary
You won’t be surprised that diseases are innumerable—count the
cooks. —SENECA, Epistles
Cheese it is a peevish elf
It digests all things but itself.
—JOHN RAY, English Proverbs
Of soup and love, the first is the best.
—THOMAS FULLER, Gnomologia
The vulgar boil, the learned roast, an egg.
—ALEXANDER POPE, Imitations of Horace
Heaven sends us good meat, but the Devil sends cooks.
—DAVID GARRICK
A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and
vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON, Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides
After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own
relations.
—OSCAR WILDE, A Woman of No Importance
Hunger and thirst are healthy drives unless you eat and drink
solely for your own pleasure and in excess of what is reasonable.
We must eat to live, and not live to eat.
—MICHEL QUOIST
Simple diet is best, for many dishes bring many diseases and rich
sauces are worse than even heaping several meats upon each other.
—PLINY
It’s a very odd thing
As odd as can be
That whatever Miss T eats
Turns into Miss T. —WALTER DE LA MARE
The best number for a dinner party is two—myself and a dam’
good head waiter.
—NUBAR GULBENKIAN, Daily Telegraph
Cannibalism went right out as soon as the American canned food
came in.
—STEPHEN LEACOCK, The Boy I Left Behind Me
The heart of the man that tasteth flesh turneth not towards good,
even as the heart of him that is armed with steel.
You feed the body several times a day; don't starve the mind.
—HAR DAYAL
FORCE
Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravity.
—LEON TROTSKY
Whatever needs to be maintained through force is doomed.
—HENRY MILLER
Where force is necessary, there it must be applied boldly,
decisively and completely. —LEON TROTSKY
Force is all conquering, but its victories are short-lived.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
FORGIVENESS
It is easy to forgive an enemy than a friend.
—DOROTHY DELUZY
To err is human, to forgive divine.
—ALEXANDER POPE, Essay on Criticism
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the
strong. —MAHATMA GANDHI
Forgive others often, yourself never. —PUBLILIUS SYRUS
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
—The Bible
FORTUNE
Fortune is surely his who constantly strives; it is cowards who
wail, ‘O, my fate, it’s my fate.’ Strike fate a blow; show your
manliness using whatever strength you have; What matter if your
efforts fail.
—VISHNU SHARMA, Panchatantra
The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say
to himself: I shall today be uppermost.
—CONFUCIUS
Fortune truly helps those who are of good judgement.
—EURIPIDES
Men are seldom blessed with good fortune and good sense at the
same time. —LIVY
O fortune, fortune! all men call thee fickle.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet
Of all the ways to make your fortune, the quickest and the best
is to make people see clearly how much your success is in their
interest. —LA BRUYERE
Extremes of fortune are true wisdom’s test.
And he’s of men most wise who bears them best.
FREEDOM
Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What
would a man not pay for living?
—MAHATMA GANDHI
Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for them-
selves. —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
—GEORGE ORWELL
In a free state there must be free speech. —DOMITIAN
A free race cannot be born of slave mothers.
—MARGARET SANGER
There can be no real freedom without the freedom to fail.
—ERIC HOFFER
If you cannot be free, be as free as you can.
It’s often safer to be in chains than to be free.
—FRANZ KAFKA
There’s something contagious about demanding freedom.

—ROBIN MORGAN
I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.
—ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY
If the world knew how to use freedom without abusing it, tyranny
would not exist. —TEHYI HSIEH
Personal liberty is the paramount essential to human dignity and
human happiness. —BULWER LYTTON
In a free country there is much clamor, with little suffering; in a
despotic state there is little complaint, with much grievance.
—CARNOT
The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing
our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt
to deprive others of theirs or impede their efforts to obtain it.
—JOHN STUART MILL
FRIENDS AND FRIENDSHIP

I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like
best, they are merely the people who got there first.
—PETER USTINOV
Don’t tell your friends their social faults, they will cure the fault
and never forgive you. —LOGAN PEARSALL SMITH
It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us as the confident
knowledge that they will help us. —EPICURUS
When trouble comes your soul to try, you love the friend who
just ‘stands by’,
Perhaps there’s nothing he can do. The thing is strictly up to you...
But just to know you have a friend who will ‘stand by’ until the
end...
It helps, someway, to pull you through, although there’s nothing
he can do. —B.Y. WILLIAMS
He will never have true friends who is afraid of making enemies.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend.
—AGATHA CHRISTE
Have no friends not equal to yourself. —CONFUCIUS
We know our friends by their defects rather than their merits.
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born
until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world
is born. —ANAIS NIN
A true friend is the most precious of all possessions and the one
we take the least thought about acquiring.
Prosperity makes friends and adversity tries them.
—ANONYMOUS
A friend is one who dislikes the same people that you dislike.
—ANONYMOUS
Friendship has no survival value; rather it is one of those things
that give value to survival. —C.S. LEWIS
God defend me from my friends; from my enemies I can defend
myself. —PROVERB
Where does Friendship hold her court? It is where two hearts bear
in perfect unison and combine to lift each other up in every
possible way. —TIRUVALLUVAR, The Kural
Only two virtues are enough;
Why should the good stand in need of many?
Anger lived like a lightning flash
And friendship enduring like a line inscribed on a rock.
—VAJJALAGAM
Be slow to fall into friendship, but when thou art in continue firm
and constant. —SOCRATES
True friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and
withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the
appellation. —WASHINGTON, Letter, 1783
Chance makes our parents, but choice makes our friends.
—DELILLE
The best way to keep your friends is to never owe them anything
and never lend them anything. —PAUL DE KOCK
The only way to have a friend is to be one.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Of Friendship
Friends are like melons. Shall I tell you why?
To find one good, you must a hundred try.
—CLAUDE MERMET
Reprove your friends in secret, praise them openly.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
All ally has to be watched just like an enemy.
—LEON TROTSKY
Friendship, n. A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but
only one in foul.
GENERATIONS
Every generation revolts against its fathers and makes friends with
its grandfathers. —LEWIS MUMFORD
Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one
that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.
—GEORGE ORWELL
The weeks slide by like a funeral procession, but generations pass
like a snowstorm. —NED ROREM
GENIUS
To do what others cannot do is talent. To do what talent cannot
do is genius. —WILL HENRY
Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety nine per cent
perspiration. —THOMAS ALVA EDISON
Geniuses are the luckiest of mortals because what they must do
is the same what they most want to do.
—W.H. AUDEN
Patience is a necessary ingredient of genius.
Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an
unhabitual way. —WILLIAM JAMES
There is no great genius without some touch of madness.
—SENECA
The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except
genius. —OSCAR WILDE
GIVING
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
—The Bible, Acts
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when
you give of yourself that you truly give.
—KAHLIL GIBRAN, The Prophet
The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.
—PIERRE CORNEILLE
He gives twice who gives quickly. —PUBLIUS MIMUS
I make presents to the mother, but think of the daughter.
—GOETHE
One must be poor to know the luxury of giving.
—GEORGE ELIOT
In charity there is no excess. —FRANCIS BACON

Did a universal charity prevail, earth would be a heaven, and hell
a fable. —CHARLES CALEB COLTON
The living need charity more than the dead.
—GEORGE ARNOLD
Charity begins at home but should not end there.
—THOMAS FULLER
To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.
—MOTHER TERESA
Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven.
The charity which longs to publish itself, ceases to be a charity.
—HUTTON
A bone to a dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with
the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
—JACK LONDON
GOD
Nanak says, God dwells in every human heart, and so every heart
is a temple of God. —MAHATMA GANDHI
Every prophet and every saint hath a way, but it leads to God;
all the ways are really one. —JALAL AL-DIN RUMI
The beauty of the rainbow is due to the variety of its colours.
Similarly, we regard the voices of the different believers which
rise from all parts of the earth as a symphony of praises on behalf
of God who can only be One. —TIERNO BOKAR
The two are really only one; it is only the ignorant person who
sees many where there is really only one.
—BLACK ELK
God and the doctor we alike adore
But only when in danger, not before;
The danger o’er, both are alike requited,
God is forgotten, and the Doctor slighted.
—JOHN OWEN, Epigrams
There is a polish for everything that becomes rusty, and the polish
for the heart is the remembrance of God.
—Hadith of Tirmidhi
With God, whose puppets, best and worst,
Are we: there is no last or first.
—ROBERT BROWNING
God is that, the greater than which cannot be conceived.

—ST. ANSELM
God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circum-
ference is nowhere. —EMPEDOCLES
To a man with an empty stomach, food is God.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
Though God’s attributes are equal, yet his mercy is more attractive
and pleasing in our eyes than his justice.
—MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
It is the heart which experiences God, and not the reason.
—BLAISE PASCAL
Your idol is shattered in the dust to prove that God’s dust is
greater than your idol. —RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Man proposes, and God disposes.
—ARIOSTO, Orlando Furioso
An honest God is the noblest work of man.
—CHARLES J. INGERSOLL, The Gods
What is it: is man only a blunder of God, or God only a blunder
of man?
—FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE, The Twilight of Idols
If there were no God, it would be necessary to invent him.
—VOLTAIRE
GOVERNMENT
Governance is the function of the ruler in order to protect the state
from the wicked and nourish the good.
—SOMADEVA, Nitivakyasmrita
If ever this free people—if this government itself is ever utterly
demoralised, it will come from this incessant human wriggle and
struggle for office, which is but a way to live without work.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Behold the thoughtless prince whose rule swerveth from the ways
of justice: he will lose his kingdom and his substance also. Verily
it is the tears of those groaning under oppression that wear away
the prosperity of the prince.
Lay no burden on the public which the majority cannot bear.
—TALMUD
To have good government, you often need less, not more,
democracy. —KISHORE MAHBUBANI
The worst government is the most moral. One composed of cynics

is often very tolerant and human.
—H.L. MENCKEN
There is no art which one government sooner learns of another
than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.
—ADAM SMITH
Governments are necessarily continuing concerns. They have to
keep going in good times and in bad. They therefore need a wide
margin of safety. —CALVIN COOLIDGE
The public good is in nothing more essentially interested than in
the protection of every individual’s private rights.
—WILLIAM BLACKSTONE
The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every
class is unfit to govern. —LORD ACTON
You talk about capitalism and communism and all that sort of
thing, but the important thing is the struggle everybody is engaged
in to get better living conditions, and they are not interested too
much in the form of government.
—BERNARD M. BARUCH
There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only
in its abuses. —ANDREW JACKSON
It is perfectly true that that government is best which governs least.
It is equally true that that government is best which provides most.
—WALTER LIPPMANN
Every nation has a government it deserves.
—JOSEPH DE MAISTRE
No man undertakes a trade he has not learned, even the meanest,
yet everyone thinks himself sufficiently qualified for the hardest
of all trades—that of government.
—SOCRATES
GRATITUDE
The gratitude of most men is but a secret desire of receiving greater
benefits. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.
—JACQUES MARITAIN
He who receives a good turn should never forget it, he who does
one should never remember it. —CHARRON
Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none has
right to expect. —JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU
GREED
Man’s avarice can reach up to the very skies, even as it can touch
the lowest depths. Hence, there should be positively a limit set
to it. —MAHATMA GANDHI
If your desires be endless, your cares and fears will be so too.
—THOMAS FULLER
For greed, all nature is too little. —SENECA
GRIEF
It is foolish to tear one’s hair in grief, as though sorrow would
be made less by baldness. —CICERO
There is no grief which time does not lessen and soften.
—CICERO
What’s gone and what’s past help
Should be past grief.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, The Winter’s Tale
Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by
the letting of water. —RIVAROL
GUEST
To be an ideal guest, stay at home.
—EDGAR WATSON HOWE
Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week.
—WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS
Fish and guests smell at three days old.
—DANISH PROVERB
Every guest hates the others, and the host hates them all.
—ALBANIAN PROVERB
GUIDANCE
Other people cannot make you see with their eyes. At best they
can only encourage you to use your own.
—ALDOUS HUXLEY
GUILT
Let wickedness escape as it may at the bar; it never fails of doing
justice upon itself; for every guilty person is his own hangman.
—SENECA
The guilty think all talk is of themselves.
—GEOFFREY CHAUCER
HABIT
Laws are never as effective as habits. —ADLAI STEVENSON
When habit has strengthened our sense of duties, they leave us
no time for other things; but when young we neglect them and
this gives us time for anything.
—THOMAS JEFFERSON
Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity.
—ST. AUGUSTINE
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.
—SPANISH PROVERB
HAPPINESS
The five sources of happiness: the first is long life; the second,
riches; the third, soundness of body and serenity of mind; the
fourth, love of virtue; the fifth is an end crowning the life. Of the
six extreme evils, the first is misfortune shortening the life; the
second, sickness; the third, distress of mind; the fourth, poverty;
the fifth, wickedness; the sixth, weakness. —Book of History
The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved,
loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite of ourselves.
—VICTOR HUGO
It’s pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and
wealth have both failed. —KIN HUBBARD
Happiness is a Warm Puppy.
—CHARLES SCHULTZ, Title of Peanuts Book
Happiness lies not in mere possession of money; it lies in the joy
of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral
stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase
of evanescent profits.
You have no more right to consume happiness without producing
it than to consume wealth without producing it.
Happiness is good health and bad memory.
—INGRID BERGMAN
Whoever is happy will make others happy too.
—ANNE FRANK
Joys divided are increased. —JOSIAH GIBERT HOLLAND
It is not enough to be happy; it is also necessary that others not
be. —JULES RENARD
Happiness, n. An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating

the misery of another.
So long as we can lose any happiness, we possess some.
—BOOTH TARKINGTON
I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather
than in attempting to satisfy them.
—JOHN STUART MILL
HEALTH
He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.
—ARABIAN PROVERB
Sickness is felt; but health not at all. —THOMAS FULLER
Cultivate health instead of treating disease. —JOHN RUSKIN
Health is not a condition of matter, but of mind.
—MARY BAKER EDDY
Preserving health by too severe a rule is a wearisome malady.
’Tis healthy to be sick sometimes.
There is a limit to the best of health; disease is always a near
neighbour. —JULES ROMAINS
Health and cheerfulness mutually beget each other.
—ADDISON
HEAVEN AND HELL

The heaven of each is but what each desires.
—THOMAS MOORE
Men have feverishly conceived a heaven only to find it insipid,
and a hell to find it ridiculous.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
Heaven means to be one with God. —CONFUCIUS
In heaven an angel is nobody in particular.
The descent to hell is easy. —VIRGIL
Hell has three gates: lust, anger and greed.
—Bhagavad Gita
Heaven, n. A place where the wicked cease from troubling you
with talk of their personal affairs, and the good listen with attention
while you expound your own.
HELP
Light is the task when many share the toil.
—HOMER, Iliad
People must help one another; it is nature’s law.
—JEAN DE LA FONTAINE
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they
could do for themselves. —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
We live very close together. So, our prime purpose in this life
is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt
them. —THE DALAI LAMA
HERO
No hero is mortal till he dies. —W.H. AUDEN
The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of our
recollection, and will in turn be supplanted by his successor of
tomorrow.
—WASHINGTON IRVING, The Sketch Book
A hero is no braver than anyone else; he is only brave five minutes
longer. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Hero-worship is strongest where there is least regard for human
freedom. —HERBERT SPENCER
Unhappy is the land that is in need of heroes.
—BERTOLT BRECHT
We are the hero of our own story. —MARY MCCARTHY
HISTORIANS AND HISTORY

History is something that never happened, written by a man who
wasn’t there. —ANONYMOUS
History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies,
and misfortunes of mankind.
—GIBBON, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
World history would be different if humanity did more sitting on
its rear. —BERTOLT BRECHT
History repeats itself; that’s one of the things wrong with history.
—CLARENCE DARROW
God cannot alter the past, but historians can.
—SAMUEL BUTLER
The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness
of the past, but of its presence. —T.S. ELIOT
A historian is a prophet in reverse.

—FRIEDRICH VON SCHLEGEL
History is no more than a portrayal of crimes and misfortunes.
—VOLTAIRE
The economic interpretation of history does not necessarily mean
that all events are determined solely by economic forces. It simply
means that economic facts are the ever recurring decisive forces,
the chief points in the process of history.
—EDWARD BERNSTEIN, Evolutionary Socialism
Histories should teach how nations gave to each other and took
from each other. —S. RADHAKRISHNAN
HOME
Government can build houses, but only people can make homes.
—THOMAS DEWITT TALMADGE
He is happiest, be he king or peasant who finds peace in his home.
—GOETHE
To Adam, Paradise was home. To the good among his descendants
home is paradise. —HARE
Peace and rest at length have come,
All the day’s long toil is past;
And each heart is whispering “Home,
Home at last!” —HOOD, Home at Last
‘Mid pleasures and palaces through we may roam
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like Home.
—J. HOWARD PAYNE, Home Sweet Home
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and
returns home to find it. —GEORGE MOORE
The strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of its homes.
—CONFUCIUS
Home is the girl’s prison and a woman’s workhouse.
HONOUR
Honour lies in honest toil. —GROVER CLEVELAND
Honour wears different coats to different eyes.
—BARBARA TUCHMAN
Honour and shame from no condition rise;
Act well your part, there all the honour lies.
—ALEXANDER POPE
HOPE
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
—ENGLISH PROVERB
Hope is the poor man’s bread. —THALES
Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.
—FRANCIS BACON
Hope is brightest when it dawns from fears.
—WALTER SCOTT
Strong hope is a much greater stimulant of life than any single
joy could be. —FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE
Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall;
A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.
—HOLMES, A Mother’s Secret
HUMANITY
Guru Nanak founded no sect: he revered all religions. He taught
no creed; he preached love and noble deeds. He proclaimed that
all the people were of God. In all castes he saw the one sacred
brotherhood of humanity.
—SADHU VASWANI
The age of chivalry has gone; the age of humanity has come.
—CHARLES SUMNER
Humanitarianism consists in never sacrificing a human being to
a purpose. —ALBERT SCHWEITZER
After all, there is but one race—humanity.
—GEORGE MOORE, The Bending of the Bough
HUMILITY
Boast not thyself of tomorrow: for thou knowest not what a day
may bring forth. —The Bible, Proverbs
They are proud in humility; proud in that they are not proud.
—ROBERT BURTON
He that humbleth himself wishes to be exalted.
Too humble is half proud. —YIDDISH PROVERB
HUMOUR
Humour is the first of the gifts to perish in a foreign tongue.
—VIRGINIA WOOLF
Humour is emotional chaos remembered in tranquillity.

—JAMES THURBER
A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.
—GEORGE ELIOT
Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.
—WILL ROGERS
A jest often decides matters of importance more effectually and
happily than seriousness. —HORACE
HUNGER
A hungry people listens not to reason, nor cares for justice, nor
is bent by any prayers. —SENECA
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat.
—The Bible, Proverbs
The best sauce for food is hunger. —SOCRATES
Love and business and family and religion and art and patriotism
are nothing but shadows of words when a man’s starving.
—O. HENRY
Hunger can explain many acts. It can be said that all vile acts are
done to satisfy hunger. —MAXIM GORKY
HYPOCRISY
Hypocrisy is the necessary burden of villainy.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
That character in conversation which commonly passes for agree-
able is made up of civility and falsehood.
—ALEXANDER POPE
Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ
speech only to conceal their thoughts.
—VOLTAIRE
Saint abroad, and a devil at home.
—BUNYAN, Pilgrim’s Progress
Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.
The hypocrite who always plays one and the same part ceases
at last to be a hypocrite.
Only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core.
—HANNAH ARENDT
IDEALISM
Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality the cost becomes
prohibitive. —WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY
Idealists......foolish enough to throw caution to the winds...... have
advanced mankind and have enriched the world.
—EMMA GOLDMAN
Don't use that foreign word ‘ideals’. We have that excellent native
word ‘lies’. —HENRIK IBSEN
The idealist walks on tiptoe, the materialist on his heels.
—MALCOLM DE CHAZAL
If a man hasn’t discovered something that he would die for, he
isn’t fit to live. —MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Ideal mankind would abolish death, multiply itself million upon
million, rear up city upon city, save every parasite alive, until the
accumulation of mere existence is swollen to a horror.
—D.H. LAWRENCE
IDEA
A stand can be made against invasion by an army; no stand can
be made against invasion by an idea.
—VICTOR HUGO
If you want to kill any idea in the world today, get a committee
working on it. —CHARLES F. KETTERING
A single idea, if it is right, saves us the labour of an infinity of
experiences. —JACQUES MARITIAN
An idea isn’t responsible for the people who believe in it.
—DON MARQUIS
The material universe exists only in the mind.
—JONATHAN EDWARDS
A man dies, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.
IDLENESS
The camel’s hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the zoo;
But uglier yet is the lump we get
From having too little to do. —RUDYARD KIPLING
Purity of mind and idleness are incompatible.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
The way to be nothing is to do nothing.

—NATHANIEL HOWE
Idleness everywhere is the parent of vice.
—HERMAN MELVILLE
If you are idle, be not solitary; if you are solitary, be not idle.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty
of work to do. —JEROME K. JEROME
It is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth comes
sometimes to the top. —VIRGINIA WOOLF
Some people have a perfect genius for doing nothing, and doing
it assiduously. —HALIBURTON
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do. —ISAAC WATTS, Against Idleness
IGNORANCE
Our knowledge can only be finite, while our ignorance must
necessarily be infinite. —KARL POPPER
It is worse still to be ignorant of your ignorance.
—ST. JEROME
Ignorance once dispelled is difficult to re-establish.
—LAURENCE J. PETER
To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.
Better to be ignorant of a matter than half know it.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
Ignorance is the night of the mind, a night without moon and star.
—CONFUCIUS
Where ignorance is bliss,
’Tis folly to be wise.
—THOMAS GRAY, On a Distant Prospect of Eton
ILLNESS
Illness is in part what the world has done to a victim, but in a
larger part it is what the victim has done with his world, and with
himself. —KARL MENNINGER
Refuse to be ill. Never tell people you are ill; never own it to
yourself. Illness is one of those things which a man should resist
on principle at the onset. —BULWER-LYTTON
Disease is not of the body but of the place. —SENECA
Nearly all men die of their medicines and not of their illnesses.
—MOLIERE
IMAGINATION
Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.
—LAUREN BACALL
He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet.
—JOSEPH JOUBERT
The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
IMMORTALITY
Life is the childhood of our immortality. —GOETHE
Our hope of immortality does not come from any religion, but
nearly all religions come from that hope.
—CHARLES J. INGERSOLL
To live in hearts we leave
Is not to die. —THOMAS CAMPBELL
Immortality is the glorious discovery of Christianity.
—WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING, Immortality
I wish to believe in immortality—I wish to live with you forever.
—JOHN KEATS, Letter to Fanny Brawne
INDIVIDUALITY
Every individual has a place to fill in the world, and is important
in some respect, whether he chooses to be so or not.
—NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
Follow your own bent, no matter what people say.
—KARL MARX
Meeting people unlike oneself does not enlarge one’s outlook; it
only confirms one’s idea that one is unique.
—ELIZABETH BOWEN
Individualism is rather like innocence; there must be something
unconscious about it. —LOUIS KRONENBERGER
INFLUENCE
People exercise an unconscious selection in being influenced.
—T.S. ELIOT
I am a part of all that I have met.

—ALFRED TENNYSON, Ulysses
The humblest individual exerts some influence, either for good
or evil, upon others. —HENRY WARD BEECHER
We have met too late. You are too old for me to have any effect
on you. —JAMES JOYCE
INNOCENCE
Most people fancy themselves innocent of those crimes of which
they cannot be convicted. —SENECA
It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent
suffer. —WILLIAM BLACKSTONE, Commentaries
They that know no evil will suspect none.
—BEN JONSON
If you would live innocently, seek solitude.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
INSPIRATION
A writer is rarely so well inspired as when he talks about himself.
—ANATOLE FRANCE
Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if
inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.
—IGOR STRAVINSKY
Deprivation is for me what daffodils were to Wordsworth.
—PHILIP LARKIN
INSULT
Injuries may be atoned for and forgiven; but insults admit of no
compensation; they degrade the mind in its own esteem, and force
it to recover its level by revenge.
—JUNIUS
A graceful taunt is worth a thousand insults.
—LOUIS NIZER
Insults should be well avenged or well endured.
—SPANISH PROVERB
There are two insults which no human will endure: the assertion
that he hasn’t a sense of humour, and the doubly impertinent
assertion that he has never known trouble.
—SINCLAIR LEWIS
The way to procure insults is to submit to them. A man meets

with no more respect than he exacts.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
INTEGRITY
Integrity is so perishable in the summer months of success.
—VANESSA REDGRAVE
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge
without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
I ran the wrong kind of business, but I did it with integrity.
—SYDNEY BIDDLE BARROWS
INTELLECTUALS AND INTELLECT

We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of
course, powerful muscles, but no personality.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Intellect annuls fate. So far as a man thinks, he is free.
An intellectual is a man who doesn’t know how to park a bike.
—SPIRO AGNEW
An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself.
—ALBERT CAMUS
The highest intellectuals, like the tops of mountains, are the first
to catch and to reflect the dawn.
—LORD MACAULAY
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
Many complain of their looks, but none of their brains.
—YIDDISH PROVERB
It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use
it well. —RENE DESCARTES
The sign of an intelligent people is their ability to control emotions
by the application of reason. —MARYA MANNES
One of the functions of intelligence is to take account of the
dangers that come from trusting solely to the intelligence.
—LEWIS MUMFORD
INTROSPECTION
When we remember that we are all mad, the mysteries disappear
and life stands explained. —MARK TWAIN
If you start to think about your physical or moral condition, you
usually find that you are sick. —GOETHE
INTUITION
Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply
points the way. —FLORENCE SCOVEL SHINN
Knowledge is the distilled essence of our intuitions, corroborated
by experience. —ELBERT HUBBARD
I don’t believe in intuition. When you get sudden flashes of
perception, it is just the brain working faster than usual. But you’ve
been getting ready to know it for a long time, and when it comes,
you feel you’ve known it always.
—KATHERINE ANN PORTER
INVENTION
Invention is the mother of necessity. —THORNSTEIN VEBLEN
Inventing is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains
you use, the less materials you need.
—CHARLES F. KETTERING
Name the greatest of all the inventors. Accident.
—MARK TWAIN
The inventors of mechanical arts have been more useful to men
than the inventors of syllogisms. —VOLTAIRE
JEALOUSY
He that is not jealous is not in love. —ST. AUGUSTINE
Love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave.
—The Bible, Song of Solomon
Jealousy arises from a lack of confidence, not in others, but in
oneself. —EUGENE CLOUTIER
It is not love that is blind, but jealousy.
—LAWRENCE DURRELL
In jealousy there is more self love than love.
O beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey’d monster which
doth mock the meat it feeds on.
There is no greater glory than love, nor any greater punishment

than jealousy. —LOPE DE VEGA
JOURNALISTS AND JOURNALISM

Journalism—an ability to meet the challenge of filling the space.
—REBECCA WEST
Journalism is a literature in hurry. —MATTHEW ARNOLD
Journalism is not a profession but a mission. Our newspaper is
our party, our ideal, our soul, and our banner which will lead
us to victory. —BENITO MUSSOLINI
Writing good editorials is telling the people what they think, not
what you think. —ARTHUR BRISBANE
The very blood and semen of journalism.....is a broad and
successful form of lying. Remove that form of lying and you no
longer have journalism. —JAMES AGEE
The distinction between literature and journalism is becoming
blurred; but journalism gains as much as literature loses.
JUDGEMENT, JUSTICE AND JUDGES

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
—MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
The love of justice in most men is simply the fear of suffering
injustice. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
Justice isn’t blind, she’s just ashamed to watch.
—ANONYMOUS
Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and
undoubtedly be seen to be done. —GORDON HEWART
Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.
—WILLIAM WATSON
Justice delayed is democracy denied. —ROBERT F. KENNEDY
Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.
—H.L. MENCKEN
Justice without force is impotent, force without justice is tyranny.
—PASCAL
O judgement! thou are fled to brutish fears
And men have lost their reason.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Julius Caesar
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgement.
Most people suspend their judgement till somebody else has

expressed his own and then they repeat it.
—ERNEST DIMNET
’Tis with our judgements as our watches, none
Go just alike, yet each believes his own.
—ALEXANDER POPE
It is better that a judge should lean on the side of compassion
than severity. —CERVANTES
Judges are but men, and are swayed like other men by vehement
prejudices. This is corruption in reality, give it whatever other
name you please. —DAVID DUDLEY FIELD
Four things belong to a judge: to hear courteously, to answer
wisely, to consider soberly, and to decide impartially.
—SOCRATES
KINDNESS
Kindness is never wasted. It has no effect on the recipient, at least
it benefits the bestowed. —S.H. SIMMONS
Many think they have a kind heart who have only weak nerves.
—MARIE VON EBNER-ESCHENBACH
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are
truly endless. —MOTHER TERESA
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon
it will be too late. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
KNOWLEDGE
The greater our knowledge increases, the more our ignorance
unfolds. —JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY
Hast thou Knowledge? It is meant not for vanity, but for spreading
the light among those around thee.
—SADHU VASWANI
They know enough who know how to learn.
—HENRY BROOKS ADAMS
Wonder, rather than doubt, is the root of knowledge.
—ABRAHAM HESCHEL
He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
—The Bible, Ecclesiastes
To be proud of knowledge is to be blind with light.
Men are four:

He who knows not and knows not he knows not, he is a fool—
shun him;
He who knows not and knows he knows not, he is simple —teach
him;
He who knows and knows not he knows, he is asleep—wake him;
He who knows and knows he knows, he is wise—follow him.
—ARABIC APOTHEGM
And seeing ignorance is the curse of God,
Knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Henry VI
Knowledge is two fold, and consists not only an affirmation of
what is true, but also the negation of that which is false.
You can be erudite with the knowledge of others; you can be wise
only with your own wisdom.
The things we know best are the things we haven’t been taught.
It is the peculiarity of knowledge that those who really thirst for
it always get it. —RICHARD JEFFERIES
LANGUAGE
Language grows out of life, out of its needs and experiences.
—ANNIE SULLIVAN
I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages
are the pedigree of nations. —SAMUEL JOHNSON
Language is magic: it makes things appear and disappear.
—NICOLE BROSSARD
Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands
and goes to work. —CARL SANDBURG
Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of
dictionary makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs,
ties, joys, affections, tastes of long generations of humanity, and
has its bases broad and low, close to the ground.
—WALT WHITMAN, Slang in America
Language, as well as faculty of speech, was the immediate gift
of God. —NOAH WEBSTER
No man fully capable of his own language ever masters another.
LAUGHTER
He laughs best who laughs last. —ENGLISH PROVERB
The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed.
—NICOLAS CHAMFORT
You are not angry with people when you laugh at them. Humour
teaches tolerance. —W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
No one is more profoundly sad than he who laughs too much.
—JEAN PAUL RICHTER
The man who cannot laugh is not only fit for treasons, strategems,
and spoils, but his whole life is already a treason and a strategem.
—CARLYLE
Man is the only creature endowed with the power of laughter.
—GREVILLE
Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was
compelled to invent laughter.
—FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE, The Will to Power
Laugh and the world laughs with you,
Weep and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
—ELLA WHEELER WILCOX, Solitude
Nothing is more silly than silly laughter. —CATULLUS
LAW AND LAWYERS

Law means good order. —ARISTOTLE
Where laws end, tyranny begins. —WILLIAM PITT
Laws are generally found to be nets of such a texture, as the little
creep through, the great break through, and the middle-sized are
alone entangled in. —WILLIAM SHENSTONE
Laws are like spider’s webs; if some poor weak creature come
up against them, it is caught; but a bigger one can break through
and get away. —SOLON
Courtroom—A place where Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot would
be equals, with the betting odds in favour of Judas.
—H.L. MENCKEN, Sententiae
Extreme law is often extreme injustice. —TERENCE
The majestic egalitarianism of the law, which forbids rich and poor
alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal
bread. —ANATOLE FRANCE
The good of the people is the chief law. —CICERO

I don’t know as I want a lawyer to tell me what I cannot do. I
hire him to tell me how to do what I want to do.
—J.P. MORGAN, The Life of Elbert H. Gary
Of course, people are getting smarter nowadays; they are letting
lawyers instead of a conscience be their guides.
—WILL ROGERS, How to Stop Bootlegging
We enact many laws that manufacture criminals, and then a few
that punish them. —BENJAMIN R. TUCKER
Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed.
—BENJAMIN FRANKLIN , Poor Richard Almanac
Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing
else but reason—the law which is perfection of reason.
—GROVER CLEVELAND
The more laws, the more offenders. —THOMAS FULLER
Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress
of human mind. —THOMAS JEFFERSON
Lawyers are the only persons in whom ignorance of the law is
not punished. —JEREMY BENTHAM
A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a thousand men
with guns. —MARIO PUZO
LEADERS AND LEADERSHIP

The key element of leadership is the ability to inspire people to
follow you and where they are going to do things which they do
not feel they were capable of doing.
—H.A. TYABJI
I have to follow them, I am their leader.
—ALEXANDRE LEDRU-ROLLIN
If the ruler be unrighteous, the whole land dwells in woe.
—Anguttara Nikaya
When the king is deceitful, who will not be deceitful? When the
king is unrighteous, who will not be unrighteous?
—SOMADEVA, Nitivakyamrita
Reason and judgement are the qualities of a leader.
—TACITUS
A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle
is not fit to be a leader. —GOLDA MEIR
The real leader has no need to lead—he is content to point the
way. —HENRY MILLER
What you cannot enforce,

Do not command. —SOPHOCLES
You do not lead by hitting people over the head—that’s assault,
not leadership. —D.D. EISENHOWER
LEARNING
All wish to be learned, but no one is willing to pay the price.
—JUVENAL
The three foundations of learning: seeing much, suffering much,
and studying much. —CATHERALL
Wear your learning like your watch, in a private pocket; and do
not pull it out and strike it, merely to show that you have one.
A learned man is an idler who kills time by study.
....that is what learning is. You suddenly understand something
you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.
—DORIS LESSING
Learn as though you would never be able to master it; hold it
as though you would be in fear of losing it.
—CONFUCIUS
LECTURE
Most people tire of a lecture in ten minutes; clever people can
do it in five. Sensible people never go to lectures at all.
—STEPHEN LEACOCK, My Discovery of England
LETTERS AND LETTER-WRITING

I don’t wish to sign my name, though I am afraid everybody will
know who the writer is: one’s style is one’s signature always.
—OSCAR WILDE
In a man’s letters his soul lies naked.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
I have received no more than one or two letters in my life that
were worth the postage. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU
.......a habit the pleasure of which increases with practice, but
becomes more irksome with neglect. —ABIGAIL ADAMS
Why it should be such an effort to write to the people one loves,
I can’t imagine. It’s none at all to write to those who don’t really
count. —KATHERINE MANSFIELD
LIBERTY
Oh liberty! Oh liberty! What crimes are committed in thy name.
—MADAME ROLAND
I sometimes think that the price of liberty is not so much eternal
vigilance as eternal dirt. —GEORGE ORWELL
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Too little liberty brings stagnation and too much brings chaos.
—BERTRAND RUSSELL
Liberty is a boisterous sea. Timid men prefer the calm of
despotism. —THOMAS JEFFERSON
Give me the liberty to know, to think, to believe, and to utter freely
according to conscience, above all other liberties. —JOHN MILTON
LIFE
It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
Life is a search after power. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Oh, isn’t life a terrible thing, thank God?
—DYLAN THOMAS
Each day is a little life; every waking and rising a little youth;
every going to rest and sleep a little death.
—ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER
Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.
—THOMAS LA MANCE
There is little difference between what one calls a long life and
a short one. After all, it is but a moment in the infinity of time.
—CHUANG TZE
There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite
passion of life. —FEDERICO FELLINI
Life—the permission to know death. —DJUNA BARNES
Life is something to do when you can’t get to sleep.
—FRAN LEBOWITZ
Life is a process of becoming, combination of states we have to
go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state
and remain in it. This is a kind of death.
—ANAIS NIN
There is no cure for birth and death, save to enjoy the interval.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
Hurried and worried until we’re buried, and there is no curtain

call,
Life’s a very funny proposition, after all.
—GEORGE M. COHAN
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who
think. —LA BRUYERE
Life is the game that must be played:
This truth at least, good friends, we know;
So live and laugh, nor be dismayed
As one by one the phantoms go.
—EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON, Ballade by the Fire
For life in general, there is but one decree: youth is a blunder,
manhood a struggle, old age a regret.
Every stage of life, except the last, is marked out by certain and
definite limits; old age alone has no precise and determinate
boundary. —CICERO
We arrive at the various stages of life quite as novices.
As an infant, man is wrapped in his mother’s womb, grown up,
he is wrapped in custom; dead, he is wrapped in earth.
—MALAY PROVERB
LIGHT
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
—The Bible, Genesis
Nature and Nature’s law lay hid in night:
God said, “Let Newton be!” and all was light.
—ALEXANDER POPE, Epitaph for Sir Isaac Newton
Light is good in whatever lamp it may burn, even as a rose is
beautiful in whatever garden it may bloom.
—S. RADHAKRISHNAN
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the
mirror that reflects it. —EDITH WHARTON
LITERATURE
Literature is news that stays news. —EZRA POUND
Literature is the question minus the answer.
—ROLAND BARTHES
Literature flourishes best when it is half a trade and half an art.

Perversity is the muse of modern literature.
—SUSAN SONTAG
The great standard of literature as to purity and exactness of style
is the Bible. —HUGH BLAIR
The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism
is unreadable, and literature is not read.
—OSCAR WILDE, The Critic as Artist
The decline in literature indicates the decline of the nation.
—GOETHE
Literature could be said to be a sort of disciplined technique for
arousing certain emotions. —IRIS MURDOCH
LOVE
Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of under-
standing and misunderstanding. —DIANE ARBUS
To fall in love is to create a religion that has a fallible god.
—JORGE LUIS BORGES
When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming
out. —ELIZABETH BOWEN
For a man to love his country truly, he must also know how to
love mankind, and this love must be the sustaining force in the
search for world order. —A.E. STEVENSON
I truly feel that there as many ways of loving as there are people
in the world and as there are days in the lives of those people.
—MARY CALDERONE
Love is a tyrant sparing none. —PIERRE CORNEILLE
The richest love is that which submits to the arbitration of time.
—LAWRENCE DURELL
Two persons love in one another the future good which they aid
one another to unfold. —MARGARET FULLER
True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few
have seen. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
They do not love that do not show their love.
We cease loving ourselves if no one loves us.
—GERMAINE DE STAEL
The word “love” has by no means the same sense for both sexes,
and this is one of the serious misunderstandings that divide them.
—SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR
The first sigh of love is the last of wisdom.
—ANTOINE BRET
Love is an ocean of emotions, entirely surrounded by expenses.
—LORD DEWAR
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown
it. —Song of Solomon
’Tis better to have loved and lost,
Than never to have loved at all.
—ALFRED LORD TENNYSON, In Memoriam
Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.
—EURIPEDES
Love comforteth like sunshine after rain.
In loving, you lean on someone to hold him up.
—ROD MCKUEN
LUCK
Good luck is a lazy man’s estimate of a worker’s success.
—ANONYMOUS
Behind bad luck comes good luck. —GIPSY PROVERB
Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.
—OPRAH WINFREY
Luck’s always to blame. —JEAN DE LA FONTAINE
Fortune favours the brave. —TERENCE
LUXURY
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the
necessities. —FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
The lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house as
guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.
—KAHLIL GIBRAN
It is absurd and disgraceful to live magnificently and luxuriously
when so many are hungry.
—CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA
The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.
—CHARLIE CHAPLIN
MAN AND MANKIND

Only he is entitled to be called a man who thinks and looks upon
the happiness, unhappiness, loss and profit of other men as his
own, who is not afraid of a strong man if he is unjust, and fears
a virtuous man even though he is weak.
—SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI
Let each man think himself an act of God.
His mind a thought, his life a breath of God.
—PHILIP JAMES BAILEY
Every man is a volume, if you know how to read them.
—WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING
There are times when one would like to hang the whole human
race, and finish the farce.
—MARK TWAIN, A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court
It is easier to know mankind in general than man individually.
What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite
in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in
apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon
of animals! And, yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust! man
delights not me: no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling,
you seem to say so. —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet
His life was gentle, and the elements,
So mix’d in him that Nature might stand up,
And say to all the world, This was a man!
A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the
bricks that others throw at him.
—DAVID BRINKLEY
Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.
The work of an unknown good man is like a vein of water flowing
hidden underground, secretly making the ground greener.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
Man is Nature’s sole mistake. —W.L. GARRISON
MANNERS
The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without
seeing any. —FRED ASTAIRE
Manners must adorn knowledge and smooth its way through the
world. —LORD CHESTERFIELD
Men make laws; women make manners. —DE SEGUR
Good manners is the art of making those people easy with whom
we converse. Whoever makes the fewest persons uneasy, is the
best bred in the company.
—JONATHAN SWIFT
Politeness goes far, yet costs nothing. —SAMUEL SMILES
Manners require time, as nothing is more vulgar than haste.
Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you
have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork
you use. —EMILY POST
Manners are not idle; but the fruit of loyal nature and of noble
mind. —ALFRED TENNYSON
Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of
ourselves and how little of the other person.
—MARK TWAIN
If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is
a citizen of the world. —FRANCIS BACON
MEDIOCRITY
We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the
road. They get run over. —ANEURIN BEVAN
Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best.
—MAX BEERBOHM
When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by
reducing them to the level of their mediocrity.
—NAPOLEON I
The world is a republic of mediocrities, and always was.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
The general tendency of things throughout the world is to render
mediocrity the ascendant power among mankind.
—JOHN STUART MILL
MEMORY
Some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can
ever happen to one again. —WILLA CATHER
The things we remember best are those better forgotten.
—BALTASAR GRACIAN
We do not remember days, we remember moments.

—CESARE PAVESE
God created memory so that we might have roses in December.
—ITALO SVEVO
We must always have old memories and young hopes.
—ARSENE HOUSSAYE
Memory is the mother of all wisdom. —AESCHYLUS
MILITARY
The military caste did not originate as a party of patriots, but as
a party of bandits. —H.L. MENCKEN
The army ages men sooner than the law and philosophy; it exposes
them more freely to germs, which undermine and destroy, and
it shelters them more completely from thought, which stimulates
and preserves. —H.G. WELLS
It is the blood of the soldier that makes the general great.
—ITALIAN PROVERB
An army is a nation within a nation; it is one of the vices of our
age. —ALFRED DE VIGNY
The soldier’s body becomes a stock of accessories that are no
longer his property. —ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY
Discipline is the soul of an army. —GEORGE WASHINGTON
MIND
The mind is its own place and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.
—JOHN MILTON, Paradise Lost
We have to lose our minds to come to our senses.
—FREDERICK S. PERLS
The mind verily O Krishna is restless, turbulent, strong and
obstinate; I consider it as difficult to control as the wind.
—Bhagavad Gita
The mind is compared to quicksilver because its rays are scattered
over diverse objects. It is compared to a monkey because it leaps
from object to object. It is compared to the inconstant air because
it is unstable. It is compared to an elephant in rut because of its
passionate impetuosity...This tendency to oscillation is innate in
the mental substance.
—SWAMI SIVANANDA
The mind is hard to check, swift, flies wherever it lists; to control

it is good. A controlled mind is conducive to happiness.
—Dhammapada
The mind that is heading towards calamity first creates delusion
and wickedness: and these themselves later expand into misfor-
tune and sorrow. —YOGA VASISHTHA
The true, strong and sound mind is the mind that can embrace
equally great things and small.
’Tis but a base, ignoble mind
That mounts no higher than a bird can soar.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Henry V
Minds differ still more than faces. —VOLTAIRE
The powers of the mind are like the rays of the sun dissipated;
when they are concentrated, they illumine.
MIRACLES
The world presents enough problems if you believe it to be a
world of law and order; do not add to them by believing it to
be a world of miracles. —LOUIS D. BRANDIES
A miracle may be accurately defined, a transgression of a law of
nature by particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition
of some invisible agent. —DAVID HUME
There is in every miracle a silent chiding of the world, and a tacit
reprehension of them who require, or who need miracles.
—JOHN DONNE
MISFORTUNE
Let not poverty and misfortune distress you: for as gold is tried
in the fire, the believer is exposed to trials.
—MAXIMS OF ALI
Misfortunes always come in by a door that has been left open for
them. —CZECH PROVERB
Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great
minds rise above it. —WASHINGTON IRVING
Let us be of good cheer, however, remembering that the misfor-
tunes hardest to bear are those which never come.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, Democracy and Addresses
MISTAKES
The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.
—EDWARD JOHN PHELPS
If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor
in the other direction. —DIETRICH BONHOEFFER
Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human
wickedness. —A.J.P. TAYLOR
Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I’ll show
you somebody who has never achieved much.
—JOAN COLLINS
There is glory in a great mistake. —NATHALIA CRANE
It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes; it takes more grit
and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own.
—JESSAMYN WEST
MODERATION
Moderation is a virtue only in those who are thought to have an
alternative. —HENRY KISSINGER
A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be.
Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in
principle is always a vice. —THOMAS PAINE
In everything the middle course is best: all things in excess bring
trouble to men. —PLAUTUS
MONEY
The fundamental evil of the world arose from the fact that the good
Lord has not created money enough.
—HEINRICH HEINE
Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of
themselves. —WILLIAM LOWNDES
Money is a good servant but a bad master.
—FRANCIS BACON
If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow
some. —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Poor Richard’s Almanac
When I had money everyone called me brother.
—POLISH PROVERB
When money speaks truth is silent. —RUSSIAN PROVERB
Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.
The love of money is the root of all evil. —The Bible

Money you know will hide many faults.
—MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
If possible, honestly, if not, somehow make money.
—HORACE
I finally know what distinguishes man from other beasts: financial
worries. —JULES RENARD
When it is the question of money, everybody is of the same
religion. —VOLTAIRE
Wealth maketh many friends. —The Bible
Money is like a sixth sense and you can’t make use of the other
five without it. —W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
MORALITY
Morals are an acquirement—like music, like a foreign language,
like piety, paralysis—no man is born with them.
—MARK TWAIN, Seventieth Birthday
What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral
is what you feel bad after.
—ERNEST HEMINGWAY, Death in the Afternoon
No morality can be founded on authority, even if the authority
were divine. —A.J. AYER
Moral indignation is in most cases two per cent moral, forty-eight
per cent indignation, and fifty per cent envy.
—VITTORIO DE SICA
Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.
—LEWIS CAROLL, Alice in Wonderland
Too many moralists begin with a dislike of reality.
—CLARENCE DAY
Morality is largely a matter of geography.
—ELBERT HUBBARD
Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom
we personally dislike. —OSCAR WILDE
Morality is a private and costly luxury.
—HENRY B. ADAMS, The Education of Henry Adams
MOTHERS
In India the mother is the centre of the family and our highest
ideal. She is to us the representative of God, as God is the mother
of the universe. It was a female sage who first found the unity
of God, and laid down this doctrine in one of the first hymns of
the Vedas.
A mother is a mother still,
The holiest thing alive.
—S.T. COLERIDGE, The Three Graves
Men are what their mothers made them. —EMERSON
What is home without a mother! —ALICE HAWTHORNE
God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.
—JEWISH PROVERB
Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.
—HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged
children for signs of improvement.
—FLORIDA SCOTT-MAXWELL
Life is nothing but a series of crosses for us mothers.
—COLETTE
Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My mother.
—ANNE TAYLOR, My Mother
The bravest battle that ever was fought,
Shall I tell you where and when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not;
It was fought by the mothers of men.
—JOAQUIN MILLER, The Bravest Battle
MUSIC
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again, it had a dying fall:
O, it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing, and giving odour.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Twelfth Night
Music rises from the human heart. When the emotions are touched,
they are expressed in sounds, and when the sounds take definite
forms, we have music.
—CONFUCIUS
Music is the art of the prophets, the only art that can calm the
agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and
delightful presents God has given us...Next to theology I give to
music the highest place and honour.
—MARTIN LUTHER
Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.
—WILLIAM CONGREVE, The Mourning Bride
Music is the universal language of mankind.
—HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, Outre-Mer
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is no moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Merchant of Venice
Music is the arithmetic of sounds as optics is the geometry of light.
—CLAUDE DURRELL
The only sensual pleasure without vice.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
MYTHS
Science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths.
—KARL POPPER
Contemporary man has rationalised the myths, but he has not been
able to destroy them. —OCTAVIO PAZ
The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie— deliberate,
contrived and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive
and unrealistic.
A myth is a fixed way of looking at the world which cannot be
destroyed because, looked at through the myth, all evidence
supports that myth. —EDWARD DE BONO
NAMES
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet
There is everything in a name. A rose by any other name would
smell as sweet but would not cost half as much during the winter
months. —GEORGE ADE
A nickname is the hardest stone that the devil can throw at a man.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
Titles are but nicknames, and every nickname is a title.

—THOMAS PAINE
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.
—ANONYMOUS
If you can’t answer a man’s arguments, all is not lost; you can
still call him vile names. —E. HUBBARD
Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls;
Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;
‘T was mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Othello
NATURE
Nature is very consonant and conformable with herself.
—ISAAC NEWTON
Accuse not Nature, she hath done her part;
Do thou but thine. —JOHN MILTON, Paradise Lost
Nature is the art of God. —DANTE
Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.
—JUVENAL
The day, water, sun, moon, night—I do not have to purchase these
things with money. —PLAUTUS
Nature, like a kind and smiling mother, lends herself to our
dreams and cherishes our fancies. —VICTOR HUGO
Nature has always had more force than education.
—VOLTAIRE, Life of Moliere
Nature to be commanded must be obeyed.
—FRANCIS BACON
Nature abhors a vacuum. —RABELAIS
NECESSITY
Necessity never made a good bargain.
The finest poems of the world have been expedients to get bread.
Necessity will teach a man, however stupid he be, to be wise.
—EURIPIDES
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.

It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.—WILLIAM
PITT
NEGOTIATION
Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
—INDIRA GANDHI
NEIGHBOURS
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
—The Bible, Leviticus
The good neighbour looks beyond the external accidents and
discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and
therefore, brothers. —MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Nothing makes you more tolerant of a neighbour’s noisy party
than being there. —FRANKLIN P. JONES
When your neighbour’s house is afire your own property is at
stake. —HORACE
The crop always seems better in our neighbour’s field, and our
neighbour’s cow gives more milk. —OVID
NEWS
If a man bites a dog, that is news. —JOHN BOGART
When we hear news we should always wait for the sacrament of
confirmation. —VOLTAIRE
Nobody likes the bringer of bad news. —SOPHOCLES
NEWSPAPERS
A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.
—ARTHUR MILLER
Newspapers are the world’s mirrors. —JAMES ELLIS
Headlines twice the size of the events.
—JOHN GALSWORTHY
Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a govern-
ment without newspapers or newspapers without government, I
should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.
—THOMAS JEFFERSON
Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand

bayonets. —NAPOLEON
Histories are a kind of distilled newspapers.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
A newspaper is not just for reporting the news as it is, but to
make people angry enough to do something about it.
—MARK TWAIN
A newspaper is always a weapon in somebody’s hand.
—C. COCKBURN
Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported
in a newspaper. —GEORGE ORWELL
NON-VIOLENCE
It’s possible to disagree with someone about the ethics of non-
violence without wanting to kick his face in.
—CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON
However much I may sympathise with and admire worthy
motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods
even to serve the noblest of causes.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
Some time they’ll have a war and nobody will come.
—CARL SANDBURG
Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its
seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very
being. —MAHATMA GANDHI
Non-violence is fine as long as it works. —MALCOLM X
Non-violence is the moral equivalent of war and all violent
struggle. It is not merely an ethical alternative, but it is effective
also. —JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
OBEDIENCE
Those who know the least obey the best.
—GEORGE FARQUHAR
Every good servant does not all commands.
The reluctant obedience of distant provinces generally costs more
than it is worth. —T.B. MACAULAY
Obedience is the mother of success and the wife of security.
—AESCHYLUS
He who yields a prudent obedience exercises a partial control.

—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
Obedience alone gives the right to command.
Let thy child’s first lesson be obedience, and the second will be
what thou wilt. —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
OBSTINACY
He did not care in which direction the car was travelling, so long
as he remained in the driver’s seat.
—LORD BEAVERBROOK
Time has a way of demonstrating that the most stubborn are the
most intelligent. —YEVGENY YEVTUSHENKO
An obstinate man does not hold opinions, but they hold him.
—ALEXANDER POPE
Obstinacy and vehemency in opinion are the surest proofs of
stupidity. —BERNARD BARTON
Stiff in opinion, always in the wrong.
—JOHN DRYDEN, Absalom and Achitophel
Obstinacy is the sister of constancy, at least in vigour and stability.
OPINIONS
It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of
opinion that makes horseraces.
—MARK TWAIN, Pudd’n-head Wilson
Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than
they love truth. —JOUBERT
Opinions cannot survive if one has no chance to fight for them.
—THOMAS MANN, The Magic Mountain
We credit scarcely any persons with good sense except those who
are of our opinion.
Refusing to have an opinion is a way of having one, isn’t it?
—LUIGI PIRANDELLO
The feeble tremble before opinion, the foolish defy it, the wise
judge it, the skillful direct it. —JEANNE POLAND
OPPORTUNITY AND OPPORTUNISM

It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches
mice. —DENG XIAOPING
Seize today, and put as little trust as you can in the morrow.
—HORACE
Too often, the opportunity knocks, but by the time you push back
the chain, push back the bolt, unhook the two locks and shut off
the burglar alarm, it’s too late.
—RITA COOLIDGE
Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people
don’t recognise them. —ANN LANDERS
Do not suppose opportunity will knock twice at your door.
—SEBASTIEN CHAMFORT
Equality of opportunity means equal opportunity to be unequal.
—IAIN MACLEOD
The secret of success in life, is for a man to be ready for his
opportunity when it comes. —BENJAMIN DISRAELI
OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM

An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist
sees a calamity in every opportunity.
—ANONYMOUS
Two men look out through the same bars:
One sees the mud, and one the stars.
—FREDERICK LANGBRIDGE
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.
—HELEN KELLER
A pessimist is a person who has had to listen to too many
optimists. —DON MARQUIS
Optimists and pessimists have one fault in common: they are
afraid of the truth. —TRISTAN BERNARD
My sun sets to rise again. —ROBERT BROWNING
The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible
worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.
—JAMES BRANCH CABELL
A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he’ll
feel worse when he feels better.
—ANONYMOUS
How happy are the pessimists! What joy is theirs when they are
proved there is no joy. —MARIE EBNER-ESCHENBACH
ORDER
Have a place for everything and have everything in its place.
—ANONYMOUS
Order is heaven’s first law.

—ALEXANDER POPE, An Essay on Man
Order marches with weighty and measured strides; disorder is
always in a hurry. —NAPOLEON I
PAIN
The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
The greatest evil is physical pain.
—ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
Who, except the gods,
Can live time through forever without any pain?
—AESCHYLUS
Even pain
Pricks to livelier living. —AMY LOWELL
If pain could have cured us, we should long ago have been saved.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
Pleasure is nothing else but the intermission of pain.
—JOHN SELDEN
Remember that pain has this most excellent quality; if prolonged,
it cannot be severe, and if severe, it cannot be prolonged.
—SENECA
Pain is the outcome of sin. —BUDDHA
Pain and death are a part of life. To reject them is to reject life
itself. —HAVELOCK ELLIS
PARADOX
Love and Hate are the two ultimate dynamic uniting and sepa-
rating principles. —EMPEDOCLES
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and
the intelligent full of doubt. —BERTRAND RUSSELL
Every beggar today would be a king,
Every blockhead sets up as a Pundit;
The blind man would be a connoisseur of gems,
That is the modern way of talking of things;
The really bad man sets up as a spiritual leader;
The liar is judged the perfect type of man;
So it is in this iron age; but Nanak, even now
The Guru can teach us how to choose among men.
—Adi Granth, Var Mala
PARENTS AND PARENTHOOD

Next to God, thy parents. —WILLIAM PENN
There is no friendship, no love, like that of the parent for the child.
Where parents do too much for their children, the children will
do not much for themselves. —ELBERT HUBBARD
The most ferocious animals are disarmed by caresses to their
young. —VICTOR HUGO
Parents these days scarcely bring up children; they finance them.
—JOHN BROOKS
The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents and the second
half by our children. —CLARENCE S. DARROW
Making the decision to have a child—it’s momentous. It is to
decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your
body. —ELIZABETH STONE
PARTIES
You know I hate parties. My idea of hell is a very large party
in a cold room, where everybody has to play hockey properly.
—STELLA GIBBONS, Cold Comfort Farm
Nothing spoils a good party like a genius.
—ELSA MAXWELL
I love such mirth as does not make friends ashamed to look upon
over one another next morning. —IZAAK WALTON
PASSION
Knowledge of mankind is a knowledge of their passions.
—BENJAMIN DISRAELI, The Young Duke
Take heed lest passion sway
Thy judgement to do aught, which else free will
Would not admit. —JOHN MILTON, Paradise Lost
The ruling passion, be it what it will,
The ruling passion conquers reason still.
—ALEXANDER POPE, Moral Essays
Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without
passion. —GEORG WILHELM FRIEDRICH HEGEL
It is with our passions as it is with fire and water—they are good
servants but bad masters. —ROGER L’ESTRANGE
A man that is ashamed of passions that are natural and reasonable

is generally proud of those that are shameful and silly.
—MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU
Passion is universal humanity. Without it religion, history, ro-
mance and art would be useless. —BALZAC
PATIENCE
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
By time and toil we sever
What strength and rage could never. —LA FONTAINE
How poor are they that have not patience!
What wound did ever heal but by degrees?
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Othello
Patience, and the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.
—CHINESE PROVERB
Patience is the art of hoping. —MARQUIS DE VAUVENAGUES
Beware the fury of a patient man. —JOHN DRYDEN
Patience, n. A minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.
PATRIOTISM
Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she
always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong.
—STEPHEN DECATUR
My country, right or wrong, is like saying my mother, drunk or
sober. —G.K. CHESTERTON
You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t

face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says
it. —MALCOLM X
I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.
—NATHAN HALE, Last Words
Patriotism is in political life what faith is in religion, and it stands
to the domestic feelings and to homesickness as faith to fanaticism
and to superstition. —LORD ACTON
Patriotism........is the egg from which wars are hatched.
—GUY DE MAUPASSANT
Patriot, n. The dupe of statesmen and the tool of conquerors.
PEACE
Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us—avarice, ambition,
envy, anger and pride. If those enemies were to be banished, we
should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.
—PETRARCH
When a man finds no peace within himself, it is useless to seek
it elsewhere. —FRENCH PROVERB
There is but one way to tranquillity of mind and happiness, and
that is to account no external things thine own, but to commit all
to God. —EPICTETUS
Arms alone are not enough to keep the peace—it must be kept
by men. —JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY
Peace is liberty in tranquillity. —CICERO
Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous.
Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men
that the defences of peace must be constructed.
—Constitution of UNESCO
I prefer the most unfair peace to the most righteous war.
—CICERO
Peace rules the day, where reason rules the mind.
—WILLIAM COLLINS, Ecologue II
I have never advocated war, except as a means of peace.
—ULYSSES S. GRANT
Peace hath her victories,
No less renowned than war. —JOHN MILTON
Inner peace and outer peace are synonymous in the sense that
without one, the other wouldn’t happen.
—YOKO ONO
Only peace between equals can last. —WOODROW WILSON
Peace has to be created in order to be maintained. It is the product
of Faith, Strength, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination and the
triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and
quietism. Passivity and quietism are invitations to war.
—DOROTHY THOMPSON
A peace which depends upon fear is nothing but a suppressed
war. —HENRY VAN DYKE
The name of peace is sweet and the thing itself good, but between
peace and slavery there is the greatest difference.
—CICERO
PERFECTION
Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.
—MICHELANGELO
Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.
So much perfection argues rottenness somewhere.
—BEATRICE WEBB
For our perfection we have to be vitally savage and mentally
civilised, we should have the gift to be natural with nature and
human with human society.
—RABINDRANATH TAGORE
PHILOSOPHERS AND PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next.
Philosophy, n. A route of many roads leading from nowhere to
nothing. —AMBROSE BIERCE, The Devil’s Dictionary
In philosophy, it is not the attainment of the goal that matters,
it is the things that are met with by the way.
—HAVELOCK ELLIS, The Dance of Life
There was never yet philosopher
That could endure the toothache patiently.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Much Ado About Nothing
The discovery of what is true and the practice of that which is
good are the two most important objects of philosophy.
—VOLTAIRE
The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways;
the point is to change it. —KARL MARX
Philosophy goes no further than probabilities; and in every
assertion keeps a doubt in reserve. —JAMES FROUDE
PITY
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that
which he hath given will he pay him again.
—The Bible, Proverbs
More helpful than all wisdom is one draught of simple human
pity that will not forsake us.
—GEORGE ELIOT, The Mill on the Floss
Pity is treason. —MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE
Pity is the feeling which arrests the mind in the presence of

whatsoever is grave and constant in human sufferings and unites
it with the human sufferer.
—JAMES JOYCE, A Portrait of
the Artist as a Young Man
PLEASURE
Follow pleasure, and then will pleasure flee,
Flee pleasure, and pleasure will follow thee.
—JOHN HEYWOOD, Proverbs
He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man.
—The Bible
The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot
do. —W. BAGEHOT
There is no pleasure without a tincture of bitterness.
—HAFIZ
You wear yourself out in the pursuit of wealth or love or freedom,
you do everything to gain some right, and once it is gained, you
take no pleasure in it.
—ORIANA FALLACI
One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.
—JANE AUSTEN
POETS AND POETRY

Europe has not as yet recovered from the Renaissance, nor has
English poetry recovered from Alexander Pope.
—OLIVER ST. JOHN GOGARTY
Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.
—T.S. ELIOT, The Sacred Wood
All that is best in all the great poets of all countries is not what
is national in them, but what is universal.
No man was ever yet a great poet, without at the same time being
a profound philosopher.
—SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nor does a nursery
gardener scent his roses. —JEAN COCTEAU
We all write poems; it is simply that poets are the ones who write
in words. —JOHN FOWLES
The poet speaks to all men of that other life of theirs that they
have smothered and forgotten. —EDITH SITWELL
There’s no money in poetry, but there’s no poetry in money either.

—ROBERT GRAVES
In one sense, the efficacy of poetry is nil—no lyric has ever stopped
a tank. In another sense, it is unlimited. It is like writing in the
sand in the face of which accusers and accused are left speechless.
—SEAMUS HEANEY
(Poetry) is a perfectly possible means of overcoming chaos.
—I.A. RICHARDS
One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in
fewer words than prose.
—VOLTAIRE, A Philosophical Dictionary
POLITICS, POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICIANS

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of
principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.
Politics is almost as exciting as war and quite as dangerous. In
war you can only be killed once, but in politics—many times.
I have never found in a long experience of politics that criticism
is ever inhibited by ignorance.
—HAROLD MACMILLAN, The Fine Art of Political Wit
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have
come to realise that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
—RONALD REAGAN
Politics is a blood sport. —ANEURIN BEVAN
In politics you must always keep running with the pack. The
moment that you falter and they sense that you are injured, the
rest will turn on you like wolves.
—R.A. BUTLER, Not Always with the Pack
Politics are, like God’s infinite mercy, a last resort.
—P.J. O’ROURKE, Parliament of Whores
Since when was fastidiousness a quality useful for political
advancement? —BERNARD LEVIN, If You Want My Opinion
If you want to succeed in politics, you must keep your conscience
well under control. —DAVID LLOYD GEORGE
The more you read and observe about this politics thing, you got
to admit that each party is worse than the other.
—WILL ROGERS, The Illiterate Digest
Practical politics consists in ignoring facts.
—HENRY BROOKS ADAMS, The Education of
Henry Adams
A liberal is a man who leaves the room before the fight begins.
—HEYWOOD BROUN, Wit’s End
I never dared to be radical when young
For fear it would make me conservative when old.
—ROBERT FROST, Precaution
Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been
the systematic organisation of hatreds.
He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points
clearly to a political career.
—HENRY BROOKS ADAMS, The Education of Henry Adams
A radical is a man with both feet firmly planted in the air.
Being an MP is the sort of job all working-class parents want for
their children—clean, indoors and no heavy lifting.
—DIANE ABBOT, Observer
Being an MP feeds your vanity and starves your self-respect.
—MATTHEW PARRIS, The Times
In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.
—CHARLES DE GAULLE
There are two ways of getting into the Cabinet—you can crawl
in or kick your way in. —ANEURIN BEVAN
Vote for the man who promises least; he’ll be the least disappoint-
ing. —BERNARD BARUCH, New York
We aren’t surprised seeing a teacher teach or a lawyer practising
law. Why, then, do we express amazement when we witness a
politician playing politics? —BRUCE BARTON
Fascism is not itself a new order of society. It is the future refusing
to be born. —ANEURIN BEVAN
There are times in politics when you must be on the right side
and lose. —JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH
It is not true that only the cold-hearted, cynical, arrogant, haughty
or brawling persons can succeed in politics. Such people are
naturally attracted by politics. In the end, however, politeness and
good manners weigh more.
—VACLAV HAVEL
He serves his party best who serves the country best.
—RUTHERFORD B. HAYES
Any party which takes credit for the rain must not be surprised
if its opponents blame it for the drought.
—DWIGHT W. MORROW
Political parties serve to keep each other in check, one keenly

watching the other. —HENRY CLAY
POLLUTION
It seems that all stars, planets, moon, sun, air, Agni and nature
or directions have been polluted. Seasons also appear to work
against nature. In spite of being full of virtue, Prithvi has lost its
rasa in all medicinal plants. Medicinal plants are without original
qualities and have been polluted. When such pollution occurs,
human beings suffer from diseases. Due to pollution of weather,
several diseases will crop up and ruin the country.
—Charaka Samhita
The most important pathological effects of pollution are extremely
delayed and indirect. —RENE DUBOS
Sanctions against polluters are feeble and out of date, and, in any
case, are rarely invoked. —RALPH NADER
Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We
allow them to disperse because we’re ignorant of their value.
—BUCKMINSTER FULLER
POVERTY
The greatest of evils and the worst of crimes is poverty...... our
first duty—a duty to which every other consideration should be
sacrificed—is not to be poor.
The very poor are unthinkable and only to be approached by the
statistician and the poet. —E.M. FORSTER
As for the virtuous poor, one can pity them, of course, but one
cannot possibly admire them.
—OSCAR WILDE, Sebastian Melmoth
Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.
—ARISTOTLE
It is seldom that the miserable of the world can help regarding
their misery as a wrong inflicted by those who are less miserable.
—GEORGE ELIOT
The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.
—NAPOLEON
I am as poor as Job, my lord, but not as patient.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Henry IV
That amid our highest civilisation men faint and die with want
is not due to the niggardliness of nature, but to the injustice of
man. —HENRY GEORGE, Progress and Poverty
POWER
Power corrupts, but lack of power corrupts absolutely.
—ADLAI STEVENSON
Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. —HENRY KISSINGER
Power will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest hearts.
No man is wise enough nor good enough to be trusted with
unlimited power. —WALTER COLTON
Wherever I found a living creature, there I found the will to power.
—FRIEDRICH WILHELM NIETZSCHE, Thus Spake Zarathustra
A friend in power is a friend lost.
What do I care about the law! Hain’t I got the power!
—CORNELIUS VANDERBILT
The property of power is to protect. —BLAISE PASCAL
PRAYER
If man prays in prosperity as fervently and whole-heartedly as he
does in adversity, how easily would he realise Brahman! When
man is threatened with a sure mishap, and when he knows no
remedy or defence against it, he, in desperation, always turns to
prayer.
—SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA
Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?
—CORRIE T. BOOM
Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly under-
stood and applied it is the most potent instrument of action.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
What is the best thing of all for a man, that he may ask from the
Gods? That he may be always at peace with himself. —Contest
of Homer and Hesiod
Pray to God but continue to row to the shore.
—RUSSIAN PROVERB
Prayer, among sane people, has never superseded practical efforts
to secure the desired end. —GEORGE SANTAYANA
A prayer, in its simplest definition, is merely a wish turned
heavenward. —PHILLIPS BROOKS
Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows
best what is good for us. —SOCRATES
If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around
you, every moment becomes a prayer. —FRANK BIANCO
PREJUDICE
Prejudice is the child of ignorance. —WILLIAM HAZLITT
Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the
greatest violence. —FRANCIS JEFFREY
Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can
eliminate prejudices—just recognise them.
—EDWARD R. MURROW
Prejudice....is characterised by hardening of the categories.
—WILLIAM WARD
A prejudice is a vagrant opinion without visible means of support.
—AMBROSE BIERCE
PRIME MINISTER
The work of a Prime Minister is the loneliest job in the world.
—STANLEY BALDWIN
I believe the greatest asset a head of state can have is the ability
to get a good night’s sleep. —HAROLD WILSON
PRINCIPLE
You can’t learn too soon that the most useful thing about a
principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency.
Everywhere the basis of principle is tradition.
—OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, JR.
If one sticks too rigidly to one’s principles one would hardly see
anybody. —AGATHA CHRISTE
Important principles may and must be flexible.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
PROGRESS
All progress is based upon a universal innate desire of every
organism to live beyond its means.
—SAMUEL BUTLER, Notebooks
The civilised man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his
feet. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Self Reliance
Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep
in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must
run at least twice as fast as that!
—LEWIS CARROLL, Through The Looking Glass
You can’t say civilisations don’t advance, however, for in every
war they kill you in a new way. —WILL ROGERS
Change is certain. Progress is not. —E.H. CARR

As enunciated today, ‘progress’ is simply a comparative of which
we have not settled the superlative.
—G.K. CHESTERTON
Restlessness and discontent are the necessities of progress.
—THOMAS EDISON
All progress means war with society.
So long as all the increased wealth, which modern progress brings,
goes but to build up great fortunes, to increase luxury, and make
sharper the contest between the House of Have and the House
of Want, progress is not real and cannot be permanent.
—HENRY GEORGE, Progress and Poverty
PROMISES
He who is the most slow in making a promise is the most faithful
in the performance of it.
The best way to keep one’s word is not to give it.
—NAPOLEON
Everyone’s a millionaire where promises are concerned.
—OVID
Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep
your promise. —WASHINGTON
PRUDENCE
Better safe than sorry. —PROVERB
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
—ENGLISH PROVERB
Judgement is not upon all occasions required, but discretion
always is. —EARL OF CHESTERFIELD
Sincerity is glass, discretion is diamond.
—ANDRE MAUROIS
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of learning.
—PROVERB
I won’t quarrel with my bread and butter.
—JONATHAN SWIFT, Polite Conversation
PUBLIC OPINION
Public opinion is always in advance of the law.
—JOHN GALSWORTHY
Public opinion, though often formed on a wrong basis, yet

generally has a strong underlying sense of justice.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Public opinion is a compound of folly, weakness, prejudice, wrong
feeling, obstinacy and newspaper paragraphs.
—ROBERT PEEL
Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly
consult. —NAPOLEON
A universal feeling, whether well or ill founded, cannot be safely
disregarded. —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
PUBLIC RELATIONS
The public relations formula is simple—either do what people
like, or make them like what you do.
—ARTHUR W. PAGE
PUNCTUALITY
I have always been a quarter of an hour before my time, and it
has made a man of me. —HORATIO NELSON
The trouble with being punctual is that nobody’s there to appre-
ciate it. —FRANKLIN P. JONES
Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.
Unfaithfulness in the keeping of an appointment is an act of clear
dishonesty. You may as well borrow a person’s money as his time.
—HORACE MANN
I’ve been on a calender, but never on time.
—MARILYN MONROE
PUNISHMENT
A sovereign should not inflict excessive punishment, nor should
he use harsh words and speak ill of anyone at his back. —
Matsya Purana
Every person who is tempted to go astray does not deserve
punishment. —NAHJUL BALAGHA, Saying 14
When I came back to Dublin, I was court-martialled in my absence
and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot
me in my absence.
—BRENDAN BEHAN, The Hostage
Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not
be stolen. —GEORGE SAVILLE
The punishment of criminals should be of use; when a man is

hanged he is good for nothing. —VOLTAIRE
The refined punishments of the spiritual mode are usually much
more indecent and dangerous than a good smack.
—D.H. LAWRENCE
The broad effects which can be obtained by punishment in man
and beast are the increase of fear, the sharpening of the sense of
cunning, the mastery of the desires; so it is that punishment tames
man, but it does not make him better.
The compensation for a death sentence is knowledge of the exact
hour when one is to die. A great luxury, but one that is well
earned. —VLADIMIR NABOKOV
Capital punishment....achieved nothing except revenge.
—ALBERT PIERREPOINT
It is more dangerous that even a guilty person should be punished
without the forms of law than that he should escape.
—THOMAS JEFFERSON
Men are rewarded and punished not for what they do, but rather
for how their acts are defined. This is why men are more interested
in better justifying themselves than in better behaving themselves.
—THOMAS SZASZ
PURITANS AND PURITANISM

A puritan’s a person who pours righteous indignation into the
wrong things. —G.K. CHESTERTON
Puritanism—the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be
happy. —H.L. MENCKEN, Chrestomathy
To the Puritan, all things are impure, as somebody says.
—D.H. LAWRENCE
QUARREL
Quarrels would not last for long if the fault were on only one
side. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
In quarrelling the truth is always lost. —PUBLILIUS SYRUS
Those who in quarrels interpose;
Must often wipe a bloody nose. —JOHN GAY, Fables
It was completely fruitless to quarrel with the world, whereas the
quarrel with oneself was occasionally fruitful and always .........
interesting. —MAY SARTON
QUOTATIONS
I know heaps of quotations, so I can always make quite a fair show
of knowledge. —O. DOUGLAS, The Setons
I always have a quotation for everything—it saves original
thinking. —DOROTHY L. SAYERS, Have His Carcass
He wrapped himself in quotations—as a beggar would enfold
himself in the purple of emperors.
—RUDYARD KIPLING, Many Inventions
What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew
nobody had said it before.
—MARK TWAIN, Notebooks
Misquotation is, in fact, the pride and privilege of the learned.
A widely-read man never quotes accurately, for the rather obvious
reason that he has read too widely.
—HESKETH PEARSON, Common Misquotations
There is no reason why a book of quotations should be dull, it
has its uses in idleness as well as in study.
—H.L. MENCKEN
It seems pointless to be quoted if one isn’t going to be quotable...It’s
better to be quotable than honest.
—TOM STOPPARD
RAIN AND RAINBOWS

Nature, like man, sometimes weeps for gladness.
The good rain, like a bad preacher, does not know when to leave
off. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Be still, sad heart, and cease repining
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
—HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, The Rainy Day
Vexed sailors curse the rain for which poor shepherds prayed in
vain. —EDMUND WALLER
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with
the rain. —DOLLY BARTON
One can enjoy a rainbow without necessarily forgetting the forces
that made it. —MARK TWAIN
Look upon the rainbow, and praise him that made it.
—The Bible, Ecclesiastes
REASON
Passion and prejudice govern the world; only under the name of
reason. —JOHN WESLEY
He who will not reason, is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and
he who dares not, is a slave. —WILLIAM DRUMMOND
Reasons are not like garments, the worse for wearing.
—EARL OF ESSEX
Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all;
and others to prosecute those who do reason.
—VOLTAIRE
Man must not check reason by tradition, but must check tradition
by reason. —LEO TOLSTOY
Reason can in general do more than blind force.
—GALLUS
REBELLION
A little rebellion now and then....is a medicine necessary for the
sound health of government. —THOMAS JEFFERSON
A populace never rebels from passion for attack, but from
impatience of suffering. —EDMUND BURKE
Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence.
—ALBERT CAMUS
Rebel, n. A proponent of a new misrule who has failed to establish
it.
A riot is at the bottom the language of the unheard.
—MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
RECONCILIATION
Reconciliation with our enemies is only a desire of bettering our
condition, a weariness of contest, and the fear of some disaster.
REFORMERS AND REFORM

We are reformers in Spring and Summer; in Autumn and Winter
we stand by the old; reformers in the morning, conservers at night.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON, The Conservative
Reform must come from within, not from without. You cannot
legislate for virtue. —JAMES CARDINAL GIBBONS
To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.

—MARK TWAIN
Every abuse ought to be reformed, unless the reform is more
dangerous than the abuse itself. —VOLTAIRE
REGRET
I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it.
—PAUL THEROUX
Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs.
—CHARLES DICKENS
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and
deeds left undone. —HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
RELIGION
Religion is a candle inside a multi-coloured lantern. Everyone
looks through a particular colour but the candle is always there.
—MOHAMMED NEGUIB
Man makes religion; religion does not make man. Religion is
indeed man’s self-consciousness and self-awareness so long as he
has not found himself or has lost himself again. Religion is the
sigh of the oppressed creatures, the heart of a heartless world, just
as it is the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.
—KARL MARX
All religion relates to life, and the life of religion is to do good.
—EMANUEL SWEDENBURG
Vedanta only preaches the principle, and the method it leaves to
you. Take any path you like; follow any prophet you like; but
have only that method which suits your own nature, so that you
will be sure to progress.
It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.
—G.K. CHESTERTON
I think we ought to have as great a regard for religion as we can,
so as to keep it out of as many things as possible.
—SEAN O’CASEY
The cosmic religious experience is the strongest and the noblest
driving force behind scientific research.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that
it falls in with our instinctual desires.
—SIGMUND FREUD
I often ask myself uneasily—is religion indeed a blessing to

mankind. Religion, which is meant to save us from our sins, how
many sins are committed in thy name!
—RADEN ADJENG KARTINI
The best religion is the most tolerant.
—DELPHINE DE GIRADRIN
Religion has nothing more to fear than not being sufficiently
understood. —KING STANISLAUS I
One religion is as true as another.
—ROBERT BURTON, Anatomy of Melancholy
REPENTANCE
The spirit burning but unbent,
May writhe, rebel—the weak alone repent!
—LORD BYRON
Life is a slate where all sins are written, from time to time we
rub the sponge of repentance over it so we can begin sinning again.
—GEORGE SAND
Remorse is impotence, it will sin again. Only repentance is strong,
it can end everything. —HENRY MILLER
Remorse sleeps during prosperity but awakes bitter consciousness
during adversity. —JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU
REPUTATION
Until you’ve lost your reputation, you never realise what a burden
it was or what freedom really is.
—MARGARET MITCHELL
One can survive everything nowadays, except death, and live
down anything except a good reputation.
—OSCAR WILDE
When I did well, I heard it never;
When I did ill, I heard it ever. —OLD ENGLISH RHYME
RESEARCH
The state of resentful coma that...dons dignify by the name of
research. —HAROLD LASKI
RESPONSIBILITY
In dreams begin responsibilities. —WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
To be a man is precisely to be responsible.
Responsibility is the high price of self-ownership.

—HANS CLARIN
Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.
—The Bible
REVENGE
An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.
—FRANCIS BACON
In taking revenge a man is but equal to his enemy, but in passing
it over he is his superior. —FRANCIS BACON
Revenge is an inhuman word. —SENECA
Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot
That it do singe yourself. —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
REVOLUTION AND REVOLUTIONARIES

Revolution, n. In politics, an abrupt change in the form of
misgovernment. —AMBROSE BIERCE, The Devil’s Dictionary
In revolutions, the occasions may be trifling but great interests are
at stake. —ARISTOTLE
A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle
between the future and the past. —FIDEL CASTRO
A great revolution is never the fault of the people but of the
government. —JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
The successful revolutionary is a statesman, the unsuccessful one
a criminal. —ERICH FROMM
It is impossible to predict the time and progress of revolution.
It is governed by its own more or less mysterious laws. But when
it comes it mores irresistibly. —LENIN
Every revolution was at first a thought in one man’s mind.
RULES
You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
Rules and models destroy genius and art.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.
—KATHARINE HEPBURN
No rule is general, which admits not some exception.

—ROBERT BURTON
SCIENCE
We have genuflected before the god of science only to find that
it has given us the atomic bomb, producing fears and anxieties
that science can never mitigate.
—MARTIN LUTHER KING
It was Einstein who made the real trouble. He announced in 1905
that there was no such thing as absolute rest. After that there never
was.
—STEPHEN LEACOCK, The Boy I Left Behind Me
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have
guided missiles and misguided men.
—MARTIN LUTHER KING
Science becomes dangerous only when it imagines that it has
reached its goal.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, The Doctor’s Dilemma
To mistrust science and deny the validity of the scientific method
is to resign your job as a human. You’d better go look for work
as a plant or wild animal.
—P.J. O’ROURKE, Parliament of Whores
Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
It is a mistake to believe that science consists in nothing but
conclusively proved propositions and it is unjust to demand that
it should. It is a demand only made by those who feel a craving
for authority in some form and a need to replace the religious
catechism by something else, even if it be a scientific one.
—SIGMUND FREUD
In science, all facts, no matter how trivial or banal, enjoy dem-
ocratic equality. —MARY MC CARTHY
Art is I; science is we. —CLAUDE BERNARD
Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity
of imagination.
—JOHN DEWEY, The Quest for Certainty
Science and art belong to the whole world, and before them vanish
the barriers of nationality. —GOETHE
Science is nothing but developed perception, interpreted intent,
common sense rounded out and minutely articulated.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA, The Life of Reason
Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and

superstition. —ADAM SMITH
SECRET
I know that’s a secret, for it’s whispered everywhere.
—WILLIAM CONGREVE
Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off.
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
A man can hide all things, excepting twain—
That he is drunk and that he is in love. —ANTIP LANES
In the mind and nature of a man, a secret is an ugly thing, like
a hidden physical defect. —ISAK DINESEN
SELFISHNESS
That man who lives for self alone.
Lives for the meanest mortal known.
—JOAQUIN MILLER, Walker in Nicaragua
Selfishness is the only real atheism; aspiration, unselfishness, the
only real religion.
—ISRAEL ZANGWILL, Children of the Ghetto
I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in
principle. —JANE AUSTEN
Human history is the sad result of each one looking out for himself.
—JULIO CARTAZAR
SELF-RESPECT
It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.
—DOLORES IBARRURI
SERVICE
To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole
heart and a free mind. —PEARL S. BUCK
The pleasure we derive from doing favours is partly in the feeling
it gives us that we are not altogether worthless.
—ERIC HOFFER
They serve God well,
Who serve his creatures.
—CAROLINE NORTON, The Lady of La Garaye
The charity that is trifle to us can be precious to others.
—HOMER
To oblige persons often costs little and helps much.
—BALTASAR GRACIAN
The reward of service is greater zeal for service.

—MAHATMA GANDHI
SILENCE
Speech, is of time, silence is of eternity.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
Silences have a climax, when you have got to speak.
—ELIZABETH BOWEN
Silence is more eloquent than words.
—THOMAS CARLYLE, Heroes and Hero-Worship
Speech is silver, silence is golden. —GERMAN PROVERB
Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us all without
words? —MARCEL MARCEAU
Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
I regret often that I have spoken, never that I have been silent.
—PUBLILIUS SYRUS
Blessed are they who have nothing to say, and who cannot be
persuaded to say it. —LOWELL
Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn.
An absolute silence leads to sadness: it is the image of death.
SIN
All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction
is what is called damnation. —W.H. AUDEN
He that falls into sin is a man; that grieves at it, is a saint; that
boasteth of it, is a devil.
—THOMAS FULLER, Holy State
Poverty and wealth are comparative sins. —VICTOR HUGO
Sins cannot be undone, only forgiven. —IGOR STRAVINSKY
Adam ate the apple, and our teeth still ache.
—HUNGARIAN PROVERB
SINCERITY
A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is
absolutely fatal. —OSCAR WILDE
Never complain about the number of hours you have put in to
do a job. Your nobility must estimate how much of you was put
into each hour of your daily work.
—SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA
One surely and inevitably gains that which one truly desires and
for which one works honestly and patiently.
—Rig Veda
There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on
self-examination. —MENCIUS
SLAVERY
The true slave is he who is led away by his pleasures and can
neither see what is good for him nor act accordingly.
—BARUCH SPINOZA
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves
can free our minds. —BOB MARLEY
Servitude debases men to the point where they end up liking it.
The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual
exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting
despotism on the one part, and degrading submission on the other.
—THOMAS JEFFERSON
Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as work.
—F. DOUGLAS
They are slaves who fear to speak
For the fallen and the weak.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, Stanzas on Freedom
SLEEP
Sleeping is no mean art: for its sake one must stay awake all day.
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet. —The Bible
Sleep, rest of nature, O sleep, most gentle of the divinities, peace
of the soul, thou at whose presence care disappears, who soothest
hearts wearied with daily employments, and makest them strong
again for labour!
—OVID, Metamorphoses
SMILE
’Tis easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows along like a song;
But the man worthwhile is the one who will smile
When everything goes dead wrong.
—ELLA WHEELER WILCOX, Worthwhile
The thing that goes the farthest towards making life worthwhile,
That costs the least and does the most, is just a pleasant smile.
—WILBUR D. NESBIT, Let Us Smile
SOCIETY
The spirit of truth and the spirit of freedom—they are the pillars
of society. —HENRIK IBSEN
The great society is a place where men are more concerned with
the quality of their goods than with the quantity of their goods.
—LYNDON B. JOHNSON
Society is no comfort
To one not sociable. —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
To get into the best society nowadays, one has either to feed
people, amuse people, or shock people.
—OSCAR WILDE, A Woman of No Importance
Society is always trying in some way or other to grind us down
to a single flat surface.
—OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, SR.
SOLITUDE
Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a beast or a god.
—FRANCIS BACON
Solitude is the playfield of Satan. —VLADIMIR NABOKOV
What a commentary on our civilisation when being alone is
considered suspect; when one has to apologise for it, make
excuses, hide the fact that one practises it—like a secret vice!
—ANNE MORROW LINDBERGH
I never found the companion that was so companionable as
solitude. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU, Solitude
Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome
for the character.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, Among My Books
SPEECH
Speech is the mirror of action. —SOLON
Speech is the index of the mind. —SENECA
That which is repeated too often becomes insipid and tedious.
—BOILEAU
If your lips would keep from slips,
Five things observe with care;
To whom you speak, of whom you speak,
And how, and when, and where.
—W.E. NORRIS, Thirlby Hall
Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men. —PLATO

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your
right to say it. —VOLTAIRE
Little said is soon amended. —MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
SPORTS
Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with
hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic
pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus
the shooting. —GEORGE ORWELL
When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport: when the
tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.
When I step onto the court, I don’t have to think about anything.
If I have a problem off the court, I find that after I play, my mind
is clearer and I can come up with a better solution. It’s like a
therapy. It relaxes me and allows me to solve problems.
—MICHAEL JORDAN
STOICISM
Allah giveth life to you, then causeth you to die, then gathereth
you unto the Day of Resurrection whereof there is no doubt. But
most of mankind know not.
—The Qoran
For to the one that is born death is certain and certain is birth
for the one that has died. Therefore for what is unavoidable, thou
shouldst not grieve. —Bhagavad Gita
Let a man accept his Destiny,
No pity and no tears. —EURIPIDES
Be content with what you are, and wish not change; nor dread
your last day, nor long for it. —MARTIAL
The stoical scheme of supplying our wants by lopping off our
desires, is like cutting off our feet, when we want shoes.
—JONATHAN SWIFT
SUCCESS
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being
a damn fool about it. —W.C. FIELDS
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne’er succeed. —EMILY DICKINSON, Success
The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on
being a success. —IRVING BERLIN
Success is as ice cold and lonely as the North Pole.

—VICKI BAUM
Success is not greedy, as people think, but insignificant. That’s why
it satisfies nobody. —SENECA
Apparent failure may hold in its rough shell the germs of a success
that will blossom in time, and bear fruit throughout eternity.
—FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER
SUFFERING
It requires more courage to suffer than to die.
—NAPOLEON
No pain, no balms; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no
cross, no crown. —WILLIAM PENN
God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but
for scars! —ELBERT HUBBARD
What really raises one’s indignation against suffering is not
suffering intrinsically, but the senselessness of suffering.
We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full.
—MARCEL PROUST, The Sweet Cheat Gone
SUPERSTITION
Superstition is the religion of feeble minds.
—EDMUND BURKE
Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches
them. —VOLTAIRE
In all superstitions wise men follow fools.
—FRANCIS BACON
Men become superstitious not because they have too much
imagination, because they are not aware that they have any.
—GEORGE SANTAYANA
Religion is not removed by removing superstition.
—CICERO
TAX
The income tax has made more liars out of the American people
than golf has. —WILL ROGERS
The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain
the largest possible amount of feathers with the least possible
amount of hissing. —JEAN BAPTISTE COLBERT
People want just taxes more than they want lower taxes. They want
to know that every man is paying his proportionate share
according to his wealth. —WILL ROGERS
The hardest thing in the world to understand is income tax.

—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Taxes, after all, are the dues that we pay for the privileges of
membership in an organised society.
Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalised
robbery. —COOLIDGE
TEACHERS AND TEACHING

I am not a teacher: only a fellow-traveller of whom you asked the
way. I pointed ahead—ahead of myself as well as of you.
A teacher who imparts his knowledge is more highly esteemed
than a silent sage. A generous individual is far superior to a
miserly, wealthy person. —Rig Veda
One good schoolmaster is worth a thousand priests.
—ROBERT G. INGERSOLL
To teach is to learn twice over. —JOSEPH JOUBERT
A man should first direct himself in the way he should go. Only
then should he instruct others. —BUDDHA
A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil
with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.
—HORACE MANN
He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.
Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths
theatre. —GAIL GODWIN, The Odd Woman
TEMPTATION
Is this her fault or mine?
The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?
I can resist everything except temptation.
—OSCAR WILDE, Lady Windermere’s Fan
Honest bread is very well—it’s the butter that makes the temp-
tation. —DOUGLAS JERROLD, The Catspaw
Don’t worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older it will
avoid you. —JOEY ADAMS
It is easier to stay out than get out. —MARK TWAIN
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life. —The Bible
THOUGHT
I think, therefore I am. —RENE DESCARTES
Any man may make a mistake, none but a fool will stick to it.
Second thoughts are best as the proverb says.
—CICERO
Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts.
—WILLIAM HAZLITT
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
Our life is what our thoughts make it.
—MARCUS AURELIUS
I have no riches but my thoughts,
Yet these are wealth enough for me. —SARA TEASDOLE
Thoughts are energy. And you can make your world or break your
world by thinking. —SUSAN TAYLOR
Great thoughts come from the heart.
—MARQUIS DE VAUVANARGUES
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
TIME
The past must no longer be used as an anvil for beating out the
present and the future. —PAUL-EMILE BORDAUS
This is the first age that’s paid much attention to the future, which
is a little ironic since we may not have one.
—ARTHUR C. CLARKE
Ah, fill the cup: what boots it to repent
How Time is slipping underneath our feet;
Unborn, Tomorrow and dead Yesterday,
Why fret about them if Today be sweet!
—OMAR KHAYYAM
I watch the wheels of Nature’s mazy plan,
And learn the future by the past of man. —CAMPBELL
Why doesn’t the past decently bury itself, instead of sitting and
waiting to be admitted by the present?
—D.H. LAWRENCE
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Do not occupy your precious time except with the most precious
of things, and the most precious of human things is the state of
being occupied between the past and the future.
—AHMAD BIN ISA AL-KHARRAZ
Short as life is, we make it still shorter by the careless waste of

time. —VICTOR HUGO
Historians tell us the past. Economists tell us the future. Only the
present is so confusing.
—GEORGE MATTHEW ADAMS
But at my back I always hear
Time’s winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity. —ANDREW MARVELL
Time is money. —BULWER-LYTTON, Money
Know the true value of time; snatch, seize and enjoy every
moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never
put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
In time take time while time doth last, for time
Is no time when time is past. —ANONYMOUS
Time and tide wait for no man. —ENGLISH PROVERB
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.
—HECTOR BERLIOZ
Our costliest expenditure is time. —THEOPHRASTUS
Wait for the wisest of all counsellors, Time. —PERICLES
TIMELINESS
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
There’s a time for all things.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Comedy of Errors
A stitch in time saves nine. —ENGLISH PROVERB
Make hay while the sun shines. —ENGLISH PROVERB
Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,

Old Time is still aflying.
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
—ROBERT HERRICK,To the Virgins, To
Make Much of Time
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under
the heaven. —The Bible
TOLERANCE
Live and let live. —SCOTTISH PROVERB
Tolerance is the only real test of civilisation.
—ARTHUR HELPS
This is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue.

—EDMUND BURKE
TRAVELLING
Travel teaches tolerance. —BENJAMIN DISRAELI
A wise traveller never despises his own country.
—CARLO GOLDONI, Pamela
Good company in a journey makes the way seem the shorter.
—IZAAK WALTON, The Complete Angler
He who would travel happily must travel light.
There is nothing worse for motals than a wandering life.
—HOMER
Too often travelling, instead of broadening the mind, merely
lengthens the conversation. —ELIZABETH DREW
As the Spanish proverb says, ‘He who would bring home the
wealth of the Indies must carry the wealth of the Indies with him’.
So it is in travelling : a man must carry knowledge with him, if
he would bring home knowledge.
TRUTH
There should be truth in thought, truth in speech, and truth in
action. —MAHATMA GANDHI
Some men love truth so much that they seem to be in continual
fear lest she should catch a cold on overexposure.
—SAMUEL BUTLER
There are no whole truths; all truths are half truths. It is trying
to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil.
—A.N. WHITEHEAD
A man should either discover the Truth for himself or learn it from
someone else. If this is not possible he should take the best and
most irrefragable of human theories and make it the raft on which
he sails through life. —PLATO
’Tis is strange—but true, for truth is always strange, stranger than
fiction. —LORD BYRON, Don Juan
Truth ever lovely—since the world began,
The foe of tyrants, and the friend of man.
—THOMAS CAMPBELL
My way of joking is to tell the truth. It’s the funniest joke in the
world.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, John Bull’s Other Island
Truth.....is an idea arising from and dependent upon, human

intercourse. —ISAK DINESEN
To be modest in speaking truth is hypocrisy.
—KAHLIL DURRELL
A hair perhaps divides the false and true.
—OMAR KHAYYAM
Truth is balance, but the opposite of truth, which is unbalance,
may not be a lie. —SUSAN SONTAG
We are subjected to the production of truth through power and
we cannot exercise power except through the production of truth.
—MICHEL FOUCAULT
Those who know the truth are not equal to those who love it.
—CONFUCIUS
Though truth and falsehood be
Near twins, yet truth a little elder is. —JOHN DONNE
Tell the truth.
But tell it slant. —EMILY DICKINSON
It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth
can stand by itself. —THOMAS JEFFERSON
A truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.
—WILLIAM BLAKE
TYRANTS AND TYRANNY

He who strikes terror into others is himself in continual fear.
—CLAUDIAN
I order you to hold a free election, but forbid you to elect anyone
but Richard my clerk. —HENRY II
Tyrants have not yet discovered the chains that can fetter the mind.
—WALTER COLTON
Resistance to tyrants is obedience to god.
—THOMAS JEFFERSON
A police state finds it cannot command the grain to grow.
Death is a softer thing by far than tyranny.
—AESCHYLUS
Tyranny is better organised than freedom.
—CHARLES PEGUY
The face of tyranny is always mild at first. —RACINE
UNCERTAINTY
Without measureless and perpetual uncertainty the drama of
human life would be destroyed. —WINSTON CHURCHILL
UGLINESS
Better an ugly face than an ugly mind. —JAMES ELLIS
The secret of ugliness consists not in irregularity but in being
uninteresting. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Absolute and entire ugliness is rare. —RUSKIN
UNITY
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall
all hang separately. —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will
fall one by one. —EDMUND BURKE
There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few
that we can solve by ourselves. —LYNDON B. JOHNSON
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
—ABRAHAM LINCOLN
By union, the smallest states thrive, by discord the greatest are
destroyed. —SALLUST
There are only two forces that unite men—fear and interest.
—NAPOLEON I
UNIVERSE
My own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than
we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.
—J.B.S. HALDANE
The whole visible world is only an imperceptible atom in the
ample bosom of nature. No idea approaches it.
—BLAISE PASCAL
The universe begins to look more like a great thought than like
a great machine. —JAMES JEANS
VICE
What’s vice today may be virtue tomorrow.
—HENRY FIELDING
Half the vices which the world condemns most loudly have seeds
of good in them and require moderate use rather than total
abstinence. —SAMUEL BUTLER
Every vice has its excuse ready. —PUBLILIUS SYRUS

When our vices leave us we flatter ourselves with the idea that
we have left them. —FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
VICTORY
The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat,
but they are no less difficult.
It is the contest that delights us, not the victory. We are pleased
with the combat of animals, but not with the victor tearing the
vanquished. What is sought for is the crisis of victory, and the
instant it comes, it brings satiety.
—BLAISE PASCAL
For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name,
He marks not that you won or lost—but how you played the game.
—GRANTLAND RICE
Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.
—VINCE LOMBARDI
Victories that are cheap are cheap. Those only are worth having
which come as a result of hard fighting.
VIOLENCE
Violence shapes and obsesses our society, and if we do not stop
being violent, we have no future. —EDWARD BOND
It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than
to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
Today’s violence is the rhetoric of the period.
—JOSE ORTEGA Y. GASSET
VIRTUE
All virtue is summed up in dealing justly. —ARISTOTLE
It is the function of vice to keep virtue within reasonable bounds.
—SAMUEL BUTLER
No people do so much harm as those who go about doing good.
—MANDELL CREIGHTON
It is queer how it’s always one’s virtues and not one’s vices that
precipitate into disaster. —REBECCA WEST
Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set.
—FRANCIS BACON
I believe that virtue shows quite as well in rags and patches as

she does in purple and plain linen.
—CHARLES DICKENS
The only reward of virtue is virtue.
Virtue is an angel but she is a blind one, and must ask of
knowledge to show her the pathway that leads to her goal.
—HORACE MANN
The existence of virtue depends entirely upon its use.
—CICERO
I have seen men incapable of the sciences, but never any incapable
of virtue. —VOLTAIRE
Virtue consists, not in abstaining from vice, but in not desiring
it. —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
I prefer an accommodating vice to an obstinate virtue.
—MOLIERE
There may be guilt when there is too much virtue.
—JEAN RACINE
Our virtues are most frequently but vices disguised.
WAR
War does not even promise victory or the fruits of victory. To live
on the verge of war and to practice brinkmanship is, therefore,
the absence of wisdom.
—JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
War never settles who’s right, only who’s left.
—ANONYMOUS
War is capitalism with the gloves off. —TOM STOPPARD
War, n. A byproduct of the arts of peace.
More than an end to war we want an end to the beginnings of
all wars. —FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
Most sorts of diversion in men, children, and other animals, are
an imitation of fighting. —JONATHAN SWIFT
War is the science of destruction. —S.C. ABBOTT
War cannot be divorced from politics for a single moment.
—MAO TSE TUNG
All the gods are dead except the god of war.
—ELDRIDGE CLEAVER
Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to
mankind. —JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY
War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and
puts the stamp of nobility upon the peoples who have the courage
to face it. —BENITO MUSSOLINI
The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.
—GEORGE ORWELL
You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.
—JEANNETTE RANKIN
There never was a good war or a bad peace.
Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and
die. —H. HOOVER
An empire founded by war has to maintain itself by war.
—MONTESQUIEU
What distinguishes war is not that man is slain, but that he is slain,
spoiled, crushed by the cruelty, the injustice, the treachery, the
murderous hand of man.
—WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING
The essence of war is violence. Moderation in war is imbecility.
—LORD FISHER
There is no such thing as an inevitable war. If war comes it will
be from failure of human wisdom. —BONAR LAW
O God assist our side; at least, avoid assisting the enemy and leave
the rest to me. —PRINCE LEOPOLD
WEAPONS
A weapon is an enemy even to its owner.
—TURKISH PROVERB
You may be obliged to wage war, but not to use poisoned arrows.
——BALTASAR GRACIAN
.....bombs are unbelievable until they actually fall.
—PATRICK WHITE
We develop weapons, not to wage war, but to prevent war. Only
in the clear light of this greater truth can we properly examine
the lesser matter of testing of our nuclear weapons.
—DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
WEATHER
As a rule man is a fool,
When it’s hot he wants it cool,
When it’s cool he wants it hot,
Always wanting what is not. —ANONYMOUS
Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything

about it. —CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER
We shall never be content until man makes his own weather and
keeps it to himself. —JEROME K. JEROME
Oh, what a blamed uncertain thing
This pesky weather is;
It blew and snew and then it thew,
And now, by jing, it’s friz. —PHILANDER JOHNSON
I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather.
—JOHN BURROUGHS, Is It Going to Rain?
WISDOM
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
—FRANCIS BACON
Where wisdom is called for, force is of little use.
—HERODOTUS
The only infallible criterion of wisdom to vulgar minds— success.
—EDMUND BURKE
Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom.
—HERMAN HESSE
It is easy to be wise after the event. —ENGLIS PROVERB
Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise.
—CATO, THE CENSOR
Nine-tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in time.
—THEODORE ROOSEVELT
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
—WILLIAM JAMES
It is very foolish to wish to be exclusively wise.
WOMAN
O Woman, you are not merely the handiwork of God, but also
of men; these are ever endowing you with beauty from their own
hearts...You are one-half woman and one-half dream.
—RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Women today are innovators, organisers and leaders to a degree
previously unknown in Western culture. We are the richer for it.
—BR. TERRY TASTARD
A sufficient measure of civilisation is the influence of good women.
One is not born a woman, one becomes one.

—SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR
Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possess-
ing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man
at twice its natural size. —VIRGINIA WOOLF
It is in great part the anxiety of being a woman that devastates
the feminine body. —SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR
I like to help women help themselves, as that is, in my opinion,
the best way to settle the woman question. Whatever we can do
and do well we have a right to, and I don’t think any one will
deny us.
—LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
Women share with men the need for personal success, even the
taste for power, and no longer are we willing to satisfy those needs
through the achievements of surrogates, whether husbands, chil-
dren, or merely role models.
—ELIZABETH DOLE
Woman was God’s second mistake.
Woman: the peg on which the wit hangs his jest, the preacher his
text, the cynic his grouch and the sinner his justification.
—HELEN ROWLAND
There will never be a new world order until women are part of
it. —ALICE PAUL
Oh, the shrewdness of their shrewdness when they’re shrewd,
And the rudeness of their rudeness when they’re rude;
But the shrewdness of their shrewdness and the rudeness of their
rudeness,
Are nothing to their goodness when they’re good.
—ANONYMOUS
Suffer women once to arrive at an equality with you and they will
from that moment become your superiors.
—CATO, THE CENSOR
The society of women is the foundation of good manners.
—GOETHE
The great fault in women is to desire to be like men.
—DE MAISTRE
Feminism’s agenda is basic. It asks that women not be forced to
‘choose’ between public justice and private happiness. It asks that
women be free to define themselves—instead of having their
identity defined for them, time and again, by their culture and
their men. —SUSAN FALUDI
The extension of women’s rights is the basic principle of all social

progress. —CHARLES FOURIER
Women really must have equal pay for equal work, equality in
work at home, and reproductive choices. Men must press for those.
They must cease to see them as “women issues” and learn they
are everyone’s issues—essential to survival on planet Earth.
—ERICA JONG
WORDS
A very great part of the mischiefs that vex this world arise from
words. —EDMUND BURKE
But words once spoke can never be recall’d.
—WENTWORTH DILLON
We should have a great many fewer disputes in the world if words
were taken for that they are, the signs of our ideas only, and not
for things themselves.
—JOHN LOCKE, Essay on the Human Understanding
A word after a word after a word is power.
—MARGARET ATWOOD
Words are a form of action, capable of influencing change. Their
articulation represents a complete, lived experience.
—INGRID BENGIS
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.
He utters empty words, he utters sound without mind.
—VIRGIL, Aeneid
For words, like Nature, half reveal
And half conceal the Soul within.
—ALFRED TENNYSON, In Memoriam
This is a confusing and uncertain period, when a thousand wise
words can go completely unnoticed, and one thoughtless word
can provide an utterly non-sensical furore.
—VACLAV HAVEL
Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.
—RUDYARD KIPLING
The more articulate one is, the more dangerous words become.
—MAY SARTON
Who has words at the right moment?
—CHARLOTTE BRONTE
The difference between the right word and the almost right word
is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
—MARK TWAIN
Words form the thread on which we string our experiences.
—ALDOUS HUXLEY
Words should be scattered like seeds, no matter how small the
seed may be, if it has once found favourable ground, it unfolds
its strength. —SENECA
Proper words in proper places make the true definition of style.
—JONATHAN SWIFT
WORK
Man cannot reach the shrine if he does not make the pilgrimage.
—SARDAR PATEL
Always do without attachment the work you have to do; for a
man who does his work without attachment attains the Supreme.
—Bhagvaad Gita
It is not possible for you to give up work altogether. Your very
nature will lead you to it whether you like it or not. Therefore
the scriptures ask you to work in a detached spirit; not to crave
for results. To work in such a spirit of detachment is known as
Karma Yoga.
—SRI RAMAKRISHNA
Work is much more fun than fun. —NOEL COWARD
Some people work twelve hours a day....until they find a job.
—ANONYMOUS
When work is a pleasure, life is a joy! When work is a duty, life
is slavery. —MAXIM GORKY
By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get
to be a boss and work twelve hours a day.
—ROBERT FROST
The finest plans have always been spoiled by the littleness of those
that should carry them out. Even emperors can’t do it all by
themselves. —BERTOLT BRECHT
There is a homely adage which runs ‘Speak softly and carry a big
stick, you will go far’. —THEODORE ROOSEVELT
One of the best ways of avoiding necessary and even urgent tasks
is to seem to be busily employed on things that are already done.
—JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH
It is better to wear out than to rust out.
We need love and creative imagination to do constructive work.

—PAULA OLLENDORF
The only place where success comes before work is a dictionary.
—VIDAL SASSOON
The fruit derived from labour is the sweetest of all pleasures.
—MARQUIS DE VAUVANARGUES
Work spares us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need.
—VOLTAIRE
A ploughman on his legs is higher than a gentleman on his knees.
I like work, it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.
I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks
my heart.
—JEROME K. JEROME, Three Men in a Boat
No man is born into the world whose work
Is not born with him; there is always work,
And tools to work withal, for those who will;
And blessed are the horny hands of toil.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, A Glance Behind the Curtain
WORRY
Worry affects circulation and profoundly affects the heart. I have
never known a man who died from overwork, but many who died
from doubt. —CHARLES H. MAYO
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it becomes due.
—ANONYMOUS
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
—ANONYMOUS
When you’re an orthodox worrier, some days are worse than
others. —ERNA BOMBECK
Worry is a circle of inefficient thoughts whirling about a point of
fear. —AUSTEN RIGGS
WRITERS AND WRITING

Two sorts of writers possess genius: those who think, and those
who cause others to think. —JOSEPH ROUX
Let us beware of writing too well; it is the worst possible manner
of writing. —ANATOLE FRANCE
There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist
do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are, but
through the jungles of self, the world, and of craft.
—JESSAMYN WEST
Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind

the book.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Representative Men
Bad writers are those who try to express their own feeble ideas
in the language of good ones. —G.C. LICHTENBERG
Writers seldom write the things they think. They simply write the
things they think other folks think they think.
—ELBERT HUBBARD
Writing, when properly managed, is but a different name for
conversation. —L. STERNE
Being a great writer is not the same as writing great.
—JOHN UPDIKE
He writes nothing whose writings are not read.
—MARTIAL
YOUTH AND OLD AGE

I believe that if our young men unite and make up their mind
to bring to an end with a firm determination the oppression in
our society as well as all undesirable activities, then a new era
will dawn in our social life at no distant date.
—SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE
How beautiful is youth! how bright it gleams
With its illusions, aspirations, dreams!
Book of beginnings, Story with End,
Each maid a heroine, and each man a friend!
—HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, Morituri Salutamus
If youth but knew, and age were able,
Then poverty would be a fable. —PROVERB
Youth! youth! how buoyant are thy hopes; they turn,
Like marigolds, toward the sunny side.
—JEAN INGELOW, The Four Bridges
The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have
reminiscences of what never happened. —SAKI
As I approve of a youth that has something of the old man in
him, so I am no less pleased with an old man that has something
of the youth. He that follows this rule may be old in body, but
can never be so in mind. —CICERO
Forty is the old age of youth, fifty is the youth of old age.
—FRENCH PROVERB
Youth is the best time to be rich and the best time to be poor.
—EURIPIDES
The young man knows the rule, but the old man knows the
exceptions. —O.W. HOLMES
Youth is like spring, an overpraised season.
—SAMUEL BUTLER
All sorts of allowances are made for the illusions of youth; and
none, or almost none, for the disenchantments of age.
All the world’s a mass of folly;
Youth is gay, age melancholy:
Youth is spending, age is thrifty
Mad at twenty, cold at fifty;
Man is nought but folly’s slave
From the cradle to the grave.
—W.H. IRELAND, Modern Ship of Fools
Crabbed age and youth cannot live together;
Youth is full of pleasure, age is full of care;
Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather;
Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare;
Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold;
Youth is wild, age is tame.
Age I do abhor thee; youth I do adore thee.
ZEAL
Zeal with knowledge is fire without light.
—THOMAS FULLER
Zeal is very very blind, or badly regulated, when it encroaches
upon the rights of others.
—PASQUIER QUESNEL
Through zeal knowledge is gotten, through lack of zeal, knowl-
edge is lost, let a man who knows this double path of gain and
loss thus place himself that knowledge may grow. —BUDDHA

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A Book of Essays

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This new edition of A Book of Essays comes in a new size, and

Anything and everything under the sun, and beyond it,

INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY 3

ESSAYS ON CURRENT ISSUES

FROM THE WORLD OF QUOTATIONS ...

reading, serious thought and discussion. Listening to radio and

Some titles can be examined in the chronological order, from

or bad)—that emerge out of the title of the essay. The ensuing

● You could begin by giving the conclusion first (the danger

Addition or continuation : next, besides, further, again, moreover,

or perspective—humorous, ironic, serious, meditative,

Some do’s and don’ts for good writing

your essay with quotations to emphasise your point of view.

Democracy prides itself on the freedom it gives to dissent.

is sensitive to people’s needs—though this is a debatable point,

Democracy contains within it the seeds of dissolution and

minority and on the protection guaranteed to the rights and

the party has a corpus of rules and discipline and a particular

Cultural diversity is a common phenomenon in almost every

alike on public questions to unite in support of a common body

public opinion, both national and international, and placing no-

World War), that the role of the judiciary came to be increasingly

major and almost equally forceful opinions may surface that

which the 42nd Constitution Amendment Act, 1976, had very

structure of the Constitution may be described as ‘judicial activism’,

the house just as Article 122(1) gives immunity to the Members

raise grave constitutional issues and exercise their fundamental

by the executive to the constitutional rights of citizens within these

done in case of delay—so common in judicial matters? The hope

of the East India Company officers posted in India were corrupt.

Various reasons are given for the existence and growth of

up very successful business empires by paying the appropriate

units, working with, as well as putting pressure on the local

of the political process—there is no reason for it to be under

Politics and Religion

separate homeland for it. Gandhi considered the ethical values

their autonomy? How are these identities to be related to one

This would lead to permanent political majority and political

When a cultural identity takes a political form differentiations

Caste-based distinctions continuing to flourish through the

all citizens in respect of any office or any other employment under

Why should some persons be denied the rewards of hard

not generally aware of the importance of education. Even the

followed so that a broader and needier section of the backward

Women should have

once India got independence and progressive laws were made.

policy openly. But, and this is what is somewhat disturbing, no

Is India ready for a

different religious communities militate against this very principle.

The opposition to enforcing a common civil code in India,

conscience when it concerned issues that involved loyalty to their

Indian Army—Its Contribution to the Development of a Nation (1990)

also, no doubt, been appropriately reciprocated by different

form of government, of which civil supremacy over the military

India’s Defence Needs

failed to meet the basic needs of the infantry soldier, as was

digitalised mapping, etc.

systems, surveillance and target acquisition systems are critical for

and self-determination, and international cooperation in social,

moved by one or more of the five permanent members of the

Can Human Rights

to life, liberty and security of person: the right to an adequate