Role of youth in promoting communal harmony?

Answer 1

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.)