Role of youth in promoting communal harmony?
Indian Youth And Communal Harmony
India's ethnic composition encompasses myriad streams of culture
and religious faiths and sects. As a multi-lingual and
multi-cultured society, India has served as an outstanding example
of unity in diversity among the fast maturing democracies across
the world.
Cultural diversity as a major component of secularism has been
widely recognized and acknowledged in the recent past throughout
the world when many countries have suffered ethnic violence and
constant conflicts of faiths and beliefs. Today an already
well-built cultural diversity of India needs constant nourishment
and it is in this respect that a great responsibility is thrust
upon the youth of India today.
The legacies of our saints and leaders remain a living source of
inspiration for the youth of today. These luminaries desired to see
India emerge as a lasting identity of communal harmony and
secularism. These two formative components of Indian society have
been attacked frequently, especially in recent times by divisive
fascist forces, which are bent upon upsetting the social fabric of
a peace loving and fastidiously growing democratic society. The
young minds therefore must know that the traditions of communal
harmony and tolerance and respect for diversity have always been
the redeeming features of our civilization. Democracy cannot
survive without strict adherence to secularism. Religious extremism
is also a version of terrorism.
In the 21st century, India can march ahead with equal
participation of every community in the process of maintenance of
social harmony. The cooperation and contribution of youth of every
section of society is essential. The politics of mono-culture has
no place in the present social structure of India, which greatly
owes its strength to secularism.
Communal harmony is the sine qua non of a pluralistic society
such as ours. Guarding and strengthening this core ideal, upon
which our polity is based, requires ceaseless vigilance.
Nearly six hundred years ago, the saint Kabir blended the mystic
aspects of the various religious traditions of our country, and
provided to later generations a sense of what we would today call
Unity in Diversity. Among his many luminous 'dohas', Kabir had
urged each of us to find within ourselves the spark of goodness or
genius to inspire everyone. He wrote:
'Jaisay til mein tel hai, jyon chakmak mein aag,
Tera saayin tujh mein hai, tu jaag sakay to jaag.'
People who summon the will and courage to protect the life and
property of others professing different faiths remain in the
vanguard of our movement for secularism
The attitude and outlook of youths towards life and society
plays a determining role in shaping our destiny and our future.
Indian youth can transform India into a developed society by
assuming a constructive role in every sphere; be it Information
Technology or in the farm sector, engineering or industry, medical
science or social reform or even in politics.
Youth need to empower self for promotion of a youth movement in
the country, with a view towards encouraging the spirit of
volunteerism, leadership and sensitivity towards community
requirements, from different walks of life.
The Constitution of India is committed to preserve, promote and
defend the secular, pluralistic, socialist and democratic values.
But unfortunately the polity of the country, perused power politics
of hate and misinformation campaign for electoral gains, resulting
in divisive politics of setting one community against the others.
Never has been the question of communal disharmony and social
disintegration raised to such a wide range of emotions as of today.
Communal tension in India has been mounting year after and
fundamental and anti national groups are engaging themselves to
reap the harvest of hatred among the communities by encouraging the
politics of vote banks at the cost of nation's disintegration..
Communal disharmony and conflicts are fuelled by fear, suspicion
and hatred. It depends on local conditions whether the division
expresses itself along religious, economic, political, caste or
color lines. Whatever be the form, insecurity is perhaps the major
cause of individual and social dissensions. The societies,
individuals and specially youth must rise above fear, jealousy and
hate.
When such individuals combine themselves into a community, the
problem of communal jealousy and discord will disappear. The
positive assertive role of both majority and minority communities
to lessen the fear, hatred and suspicion is essential to generate
communal harmony.
Humanism, love and compassion are the core values of all
religions and hatred and violence are travesty of religions.
Genuine religion builds bridges of solidarity between peoples of
different faiths. Religion, as Sri Ramakrishna explained, is like a
river leading its followers to the great Ocean of God. When the
human relates to the Divine, there flows a process of the human
being elevated to the realm of the Divine. 'To be fully human is to
be divine'. No religion preaches hatred. A true religion is
transformative having the power to create "a new heaven and a new
earth".
We all need to know, "Violence causes trauma and unhealed trauma
causes more violence," To put it more succinctly, "hurt people hurt
people."
Unhealed and unaddressed trauma can cause individuals to hurt
themselves or others, leading them to the aggressor's cycle. Father
Richard Rohr, a Catholic theologian said that "pain that is not
transformed is transferred."
"If I keep hurting myself or if I hurt you, then … I've become
the aggressor and I've just created more victims who are hurting,
and if they are not aware of what's going on we could just keep
this cycle spinning forever,". "This could happen at the individual
level, it could happen at the family level, it can happen at the
national level."
Emmanuel Jal, a former Sudanese child soldier uses music as a
weapon, he sings songs that oppose violence, reject tribalism,
promote peace and endorse education against violence. Still a
soldier at heart, Jal has a new war: fighting violence with
music.
"Music is the only thing that can speak to your mind, your heart
and your soul system, your cells, and influence you without any
hard work," said Jal of his newest weapon. "I put my fight into
music, for two reasons: to cool down my anger, transforming that
anger to positivism, and because I want to pass a message to
people. At first I was doing it because it's fun and it's healthy;
now it goes to the people."
In his songs he pleads for togetherness, for the cessation of
violence and the growth of peace.
He also promotes education, citing ignorance as another obstacle
to peace.
He says, "Education is very important. When you are educated,
you're being taught so many things that you can use to make choices
and build your life." With this in mind, Jal plans to fund
construction of a school in his hometown of Leer and he is fasting
to help raise the necessary funding. "I'm not eating breakfast or
lunch until I raise $300,000 to build a school in Sudan. All the
meals that I skip (money saved) are used to buy bricks for the
school. It costs $3 a brick."
"What I have is a message of hope, and I'm preaching a message
of peace using my experiences and using the existing problems
happening in my country. I want to offer hope to the people who are
struggling, that everything is possible and also to at least
inspire someone to at least invest in somebody's life. It took a
simple British aid worker to invest in me, and here I am today."
Ultimately, Jal wants his music to offer an alternative to
violence, and to inspire hope.
At a time when the nation is passing through some turbulent
times with incidents of vandalism in some places against some
communities marring the secular and tolerant image of the country,
shouldn't the youth, hailing from all across the country, leaving
behind the baggage of faith and religious identity commit
themselves to foster communal harmony, strive for social justice,
play a proactive role in maintaining communal and social
harmony?
College students, Youths need to join together to thwart the
narrow-minded policies of the polity with an iron hand to create
communal harmony. Promotion of Indian identity through the
processes of creating multi-cultural, multi-social and
multi-sectoral group will smoothen and cover other divisive
identities.
Dr. Radhakrishnan phrased this concept aptly: "We hold that no
one religion should be given preferential status, or unique
distinction, that no one religion should be accorded special
privileges in national life, or international relations; for that
would be a violation of the basic principles of democracy and
contrary to the best interest of religion and government… "
It is essential to commit ourselves to preserve, promote and
defend
the secular, pluralistic, socialist and democratic values of our
Constitution.
Resolution towards Communal Harmony:
Some of the major steps towards communal harmony are to:
o Counter in thought, word, deed and collective actions the
dangerous attempts to communalize the society and polity.
o Resolve to expose and contain the politics of hate propagated
by majority or minority communalism.
o Protect, preserve and defend our Indian constitution in its
entirety as enunciated by its founding fathers.
o Protect the pluralist tradition and the multi-cultural fabric
of the country.
o Take all measures to contain the politics of hate and
misinformation resulting in divisive politics of setting one
community against the others.
o Stop communalization of national institutions like education,
history, and the polity of the nation.
o Bring to justice and take stringent action against those who
incite and indulge in communal violence and riots
o Take special measures to protect women and children who are
the worst hit victims of communal violence
o Sensitize and motivate enforcers of law to take effective and
prompt action to prevent and contain communal violence. The public
servants that fail in the above responsibility must be dealt with
properly and severely.
o Wean away the youth of this country from falling victims to
communalization and take steps to strengthen the spirit of Indian
identity.
At the turn of the century India's progress seems stalled by the
prevalent ambience of fear and terror along with nostalgia for
happier and more secure times.
The scale of displacement, the deep divisions, the smoldering
hatreds, and the continuing politicization of events-all these are
threatening the secular fabric of out society.
What is disheartening is that the threat is continuously being
reinforced by a sustained campaign of hatred.
The question is whether we will remain passive onlookers or take
steps to ensure harmony and progress among the people?
Given the present situation of uncertainty and insecurity, if
serious attempts are not made to counter the campaign of communal
hatred, the very unity, integrity and progress of the country is at
stake.
Therefore, the youth should adopt a multidimensional approach to
combat the communal menace. While it is necessary to fight it
politically and through an intensive campaign, it is also necessary
to undertake serious research about various controversies generated
by communal forces. It is therefore necessary to undertake serious
academic studies and link-up with activists engaged in countering
the communal campaign.
The over growing communalism and the need for redefining the
concept of secularism for a cohesive society need to encourage our
youth to mobilize a group of eminent academics, social activists
and prominent citizens to promote and propagate Communal Harmony
and Secularism to.
o To spread the spirit of Secularism and communal harmony and
social Peace
o To study problems relating to Communalism and Secularism
o To organize inter-faith and ethnic dialogue and justice
o To undertake study-research projects in the field of
religious, communal and ethnic conflicts and comparative
religions
o To organize lectures seminars, workshops and symposia on
communal problems.
o To organize Inter-faith discussions.
o To conduct training programmes.
o To prepare community based mass awareness programmes through
Street Plays, Youth Camps and propaganda materials like pamphlets
booklets, posters.
o To network with other organizations.
By seeking to bring along these ideals into reality the Indian
Youth should work towards promoting communal harmony arid
containing the communal menace that has already, taken deep seated
roots in our society.
I conclude with an inspiring couplet of Allama Iqbal.
"Tu Shaheen Hai Parwaaz Hai Kaam Tera,
Tere Saamane Aasmaan Aur Bhii Hain."
(You are like an eagle with the sole concern of flying high. A
wide horizon keeps on unfolding itself before you.)
