EK NAYE SAVEREY KI ORE....
I HAVE BEEN IN AN UNDECIDED MODE SINCE AUGUST THIS YEAR ABOUT THE TOPIC OF MY FIRST BLOG,AND HERE I AM,IN THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER,STILL WITH THE SAME STATE OF MIND;)....WITH ALL THE RECENT BOMBARDMENT ABOUT AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE AND DATA, THIS CONFUSION IS BOUND TO OCCUR(I HAVE BEEN COACHING FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATIONS,AND EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW THEY CRUSH YOU WITH SO MUCH OF DATA THAT SOMETIMES YOU REALLY WANT TO GO TO THAT HIBERNATE MODE AND LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND....AND SLEEP,LIKE FOREVER,ATLEAST TILL THESE PREPARATIONS GET OVER;)..
BUT WHAT I HAVE LEARNT, I REALLY WANT TO SHARE WITH MY FRIENDS IN SIMPLE UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE(WAISE BHI ANGREZI LIMITED HI AATI HAI).SO THAT THEY CAN APPRECIATE THE RELEVANCE OF THE ISSUE AND SOMEDAY PROVIDE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION IN CARVING A BETTER FUTURE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY OF OURS.:)
THE FIRST BLOG I WRITE, IS DEDICATED TO MY DEAR FRIEND ROZITA SINGH,(SHE IS THE ONE WHO INTRODUCED ME TO BLOGGING, HAVE NO WORDS TO THANK YOU ROZTI...:)ALSO YOU HAVE INSPIRED MANY A BEING INCLUDING ME WITH YOUR LOVE FOR NATURE,SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT,SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH,SHE IS THE 'MARY PARKER FOLLET'(A THINKER BEYOND HER TIMES) OF THE PRESENT AND I WISH HER ALL THE BEST IN ALL HER FUTURE ENDEAVOURS....
THE BASIC SITUATION I WISH TO DISCUSS IS THE PRESENT SCENARIO OF SOCIAL AND CIVIL LIFE AND HOW IT HAS AFFECTED THE GOVERNANCE OF THE COUNTRY,WHICH IS AS EVERYBODY KNOWS IS IN A VERY SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS,...
CIVIL SOCIETY AS WE OFTEN REFER TO AND BELIEVE THANKS TO THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA-- AS THE 'TEAM ANNA',BUT IN REALITY IT IS ONLY AN OFFSHOOT OF A HUGE NUMBER OF GROUPS,NGO'S ETC WORKING DAY AND NIGHT FOR THE WELFARE OF THOSE WHO ARE NEEDY AND WANT A HELPING HAND.
FOR INSTANCE THE PEOPLES UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES HAS BEEN WORKING SO HARD TO PROVIDE FOR,AND ENFORCE THE LEGALY ENFORCEABLE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS BY FILING WRITS IN THE COURTS AND OBTAINING DECREES FOR THOSE WHO THEMSELVES CANNOT DO SO,THEN WE HAVE THE NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN SAMITI AGAINST THE NATURAL RIGHTS OF THE DISPLACED DUE TO VARIOUS GOVT. PROJECTS.
THE EMERGENCE OF CIVIL SOCIETIES IN INDIA CAN BE TRACED BACK TO AS LATE AS THE 1980'S,WITH MAJOR CIVIL UNIONS AND NGO'S COMING TO BEING ONLY AFTER THE POLICIES AND VARIOUS ACTS HELPING TO SET UP AND AID THEM PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE...MUCH CAN BE DISCUSSED AS TO THIS ASPECT BUT WE REALLY ARENT CONCERNED ABOUT ALL THE DETAILS RELATED TO IT IN THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC OF OURS
RELEVANCE OF CIVIL SOCIELTIES
CIVIL SOCIETIES ARE ONE OF THE MAJOR PILLARS OF A REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY,THE GROWTH OF CIVIL SOCIETIES,NGO'S SHOWS SIGNS OF A GROWING AND DEVELOPING NATION.CERTAIN MAJOR ASPECTS OF CIVIL SOCIETIES MAY BE LISTED AS FOLLOWS.
- CIVIL SOCIETIES MAJOR FUNCTION IS TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE ELECTED GOVERNMENT TO BRING POLICIES AND ACTS OF PUBLIC RELEVANCE,ALSO TO CURB MENACES OF CORRUPTION,BRING IN TRANSPARENCY IN THE WORKING OF THE GOVERNMENT(THUS AFTER LONG BATTLES BY CIVIL SOCIETIES THE ACTS SUCH AS RIGHT TO INFORMATION WAS PASSES,AND ALSO LOKPAL HAS BECOME SUCH A BIG ISSUE..,IF CIVIL SOCIETY DOES NOT WORK AS A PRESSURE SYSTEM THE GOVERNMENT MAY START WORKING ARBITRARILY AND WITHOUT REGARD TO THE NEEDS OF THE CITIZENS,SPECIALLY THE POOR.
- ALSO IN THIS NEO LIBERAL ERA(THE ERA AFTER A WELFARIST STATE FAILED AND IT WAS HELD THAT THE STATE CANNOT TAKE UP EVERY RESPONSIBILITY) THE IMPORTANCE OF CIVIL SOCIETIES DRASTICALLY INCRERASES,IT HAS TO PROVIDE FOR SCHOOLS,HOSPTIALS,AIDS IN DISTRESS ETC AS THE GOVT IS NOT ABLE TO FULLY TAKE STEPS IN EVERY DIRECTION AS RESOURCES ARE LIMITED.
- CIVIL SOCIETIES PROVIDE FOR GENERATING AWARENESS AMONG THE MASSES ABOUT ISSUES OF SOCIAL RELEVANCE,ABOUT PREVENTION OF DISEASES,ALSO ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSTITUTIONALLY GUARANTEED.
THESE CAN BE LISTED TO BE THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF THE CIVIL SOCIETIES (AS WE GENERALLY CALL THEM)
CIVIL SOCIETY AND US (A FEW PERSONAL SUGGESTIONS BY THE WRITER)
- WE LOVE THE COUNTRY WE LIVE IN,AND HERE LIES OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO WHAT WE CAN,FOR THE FELLOW CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRY WHO ARE NOT SO FORTUNATE AS US.
- WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION OF BELOW HUMANITY LEVEL POVERTY,HIGHEST POPULATION FORCED TO DEFACATE OPENLY,MANUAL SCAVENGING(HUMANS USED TO CLEAN HUMAN EXCRETA IN THE OPEN IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE COUNTRY,INCREASING NUMBER OF RAPE CASES.
- WITH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE POOR AND RICH INCREASING DAY BY DAY,GROWING CASES OF HUMAN AND BASIC FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS,ALSO THE EVER EMERGING ISSUE OF CORRPTION,EATING UP ALL OUR GROWTH,ALSO THE UNCONTROLLLED USE OF VARIOUS RESOURCES WITHOUT ANY REGARD TO CURBING POLLLUTION AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH AND MANY MORE.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE BASIC PROBLEMS OF OUR COUNTRY AND I REQUEST TO ALL THOSE READING THIS ,THAT WHEN WE SIT ON OUR COMPUTERS BROWSING FACEBOOK AND HAVING OUR DAILY CUP OF TEA, WE SHOULD ALSO TAKE OUT SOME TIME TO PONDER ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA, TO THE COUNTRY WHICH DESERVES BEING A REASON FOR OUR SUCCESS, THE COUNTRY WE LIVE IN,WE LOVE....WE CHEER FOR......SO HOWEVER WE DO IT,BY JOINING NGO'S, BY JOINING CIVIL SOCIEITES,ALSO BY CLEANSING POLITICS,AND JOINING IT,OR BY ANY OTHER WAY..WE SHOULD BE DOING THIS. AND AS THE SAYING GOES
"TOGETHER WE CAN,AND WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE"..................!!!!!!!!
------------- RANJAN TOMAR
14TH OCTOBER 2012
