For ensuring security and prosperity with dignity to children and women, the fundamental institutions have to mend their priorities
Acharya Vijay Ratnasunder Surishwar
“A 7-year old student murdered in a Gurugram School.”
“A 5-year old girl raped in a Delhi school.”
“Many adolescents on the way to suicide playing the Blue Whale Game.”
These three news headlines dominated all media forums last week leaving the Government and the society in a state of astonishment and shock. A sad reality is that we tend to be affected by and discuss such incidents for a few days and things go back to normal soon enough. This dreadful truth is not only a threat to law and social attitude but also to the ethical fabric of the society. Any debate ordiscussion following such incidents is usually insufficient to fathom the actual reasons of this malady and even if in some cases any identification of cause is made, it takes a long time to initiate punitive actions. An humble effort has been made in this article to attract the attention towards growing crimes against children and the cruelty therein and to identify the reasons behind such crimes. It is expected that this would lead to a healthy debate to find out ways and means to minimise and end such crimes in the country.
Change Social Matrix
The communication revolution and liberalised global market based economy have given rise to a new kind of social, economic and cultural atmosphere speedily increasing the consumerist mentality. But the necessary reason, logic, discipline and law abidingness that is required to grow with this mentality have not been
inculcated enough. In view of this contradiction, the lust for more and more worldly pleasures has crossed all limits.
It can also be said that efforts are going on to attract the adolescents and youth towards the mantra of “sex and success”. Communication modules like films, television and internet are hammering on the fact that the ultimate objective of life is “sex and success”. This mentality is getting an all round encouragement at present. In Indian social system the life is based on four pillars of Dharma, Arth, Kaam and Moksha. In this system, different aspects and dimensions of life have been coordinated and included in more balanced way. It includes physical pleasures with intellectual satisfaction and ensures spiritual uplift. But in the present social milieu it seems that life is only focused on “sex and success”.
Analysis of the current situation concludes that the real reason behind increasing crimes against children is the rise of an atmosphere based on consumerism, lust and greed in our society. The myth of considering individual permissiveness as individual freedom is rapidly spreading. One should always remember that the social behaviour is the reflection of thoughts that inculcate from the social atmosphere. Therefore, it is highly impossible to reduce criminal behaviour without mending this atmosphere. We are trying to improve our institutional structure but keeping the social atmosphere unchanged. Is it really possible to stop criminal activity is such a scenario?
Who is Responsible?
The question is, who is really responsible for this changing situation? A very obvious answer could be the trio of Government, education and media. Here Government includes various policies of the Government and also the behaviour of the individuals working within the Government. Similarly, education includes from primary to highest levels, syllabus, system, management and teachers. The media comprises of films, television, internet and all other media of communication. So long as these three fundamental institutions (Government, education and media) do not mend their vision, direction, priorities and system, it seems difficult to provide children and women and other weaker sections with security, progress and honour they deserve.
Increased spending power is the focal point of Government’s vision of development. That means more capable the individual to consume more the country will progress. The direction of the Government is to achieve progress with maximum production and to ensure maximum consumption. This vision shifts the Government’s priority to achieve 8 per cent or 10 per cent growth rate. But this consumption-centric direction cannot make an individual morally or physically strong and it is detrimental to environment. The Indian experiments show that this development model is detrimental to human society as well. To make the development vision broader and not confined to physical gratifications, we should concentrate on Dharma, Arth, Kaam and Moksh principles. We can successfully implement this vision by creating consumption based on restraint, prosperity based on simplicity and freedom based on logic.
Change the Vision
On the other hand, there is a need to change the fundamental vision of education. In our effort to make
education career oriented we have deleted human values from it. Avalueless education becomes a tool to nurture devils. The meaning of education in our country is a medium to earn more money, amass maximum wealth and generate maximum resources for consumption. Is this true education? Education is not only the sum of information, understanding and skill, but also the multiplication of wisdom and expertise. Those who perceive this nature of education based on multiplication of wisdom and expertise have restraint over their pleasure and their simplicity and service express their riches. People like Vikram Sarabhai and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam have expressed these two principles. Do we see any indication of the multiplication of these two virtues in our education system? If not, it is our duty to bring them in because this is the only constructive and permanent remedy to our problems.
Similarly, media too needs to include these principles while fulfilling its socio-cultural responsibility. Media is a pillar of democracy and its primary responsibility is to protect the interests and rights of the people. Media has tried to fulfil this responsibility in the best possible way. There is a need to make this effort more qualitative and sensitive. Sometimes it is felt that the media too is contributing to the increasing
consumerist attitude. Media is the outcome of independence and protector of freedom.
Arrest Consumerism
In such a situation, media should come forward to arrest the mentality that attracts people to adopt the consumerist attitude and increase permissiveness. Excess of freedom is permissiveness and absence of freedom is slavery. Slavery and permissiveness are the two extremes balanced by freedom in the middle. Media is responsible for protecting this freedom. No person should be encouraged to move to either of these two extremes. Media always honours Gandhian non-violence and truth, but at times it is felt that sheer pressure of increased TRP’s sways away the focus. This is when the moral and constitutional responsibility of the media has to be at the forefront. It calls for a common dialogue among all media fronts to create a system based on the goal of empowerment of children, women, deprived classes, and poor sections of the society. Media has the capacity to instil this new atmosphere in the society and also has the courage to shun addiction, crime, and promiscuity from the society and usher in restraint, simplicity and good behaviour. If we really walk on the path lead by these solutions, it can be the beginning of revival of our social
atmosphere and a secured society.
(The writer is renowned Jain Acharya)
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