A call for a Social Revolution

[Naveenkj@aol.com]

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    So far, I have heard in our discussions, calls for changes in the
political and economic policies/infrastructure of India.
    However, another important reform needs to take place.  This involves
reforms in the minds of the people.  Radical extremists are on the rise in
India and this is not good.  Our people need to be tolerant of the diversity
and should work towards using our diverse culture to its success.
    We see this as a problem all around the world.  Battles between
ethnic/religious groups have left countries torn, and the same will happen to
India if not has started already.  We need to preach the word of TOLERANCE.
    The root of all evil, I think, is Fear.  Fear is what leads people to act
with ignorance.  And as one of the greatest Presidents of the U.S. FDR said
during his inauguration speech, "The only thing we need to fear is Fear
itself."  These great words of wisdom are what Indians need to keep in their
minds.  There are many social and political groups that want to spread hatred
amongst our people. Who do this by spreading fear in our hearts.  They
wrongly educated our masses to fear thy neighbor who is different and
annihilate him.
    This is the same attitude, my fellow Indians, that carriers over when we
deal with things at the national level.  This is the attitude my friends that
allows us to say that the Muslim State of Pakistan should be annihilated.
This is the same fear that makes us not want to raise the standard of life of
the SC/ST or the Backward castes, who have been discriminated by an unjust
society for milleniums.
    But returning to the former point, we need to certainly reform our views
about Pakistan.  Pakistan is treated as a complete enemy of India.  As I read
a few discussions earlier, people want to consider them a terrorist state.
    The reality is people; Pakistan is very similar to India.  Two countries
that shared the same history until 1947, two countries that fought against a
common enemy, with a common goal; freedom from oppression by the British
Empire, and two countries that are now struggling to be recognized by the
international community.  Both countries want to establish economic and
political control in the SE Asian sub-continent.  The only difference is that
one is a Muslim state, and the other is supposedly Secular.
    I for one would love to see the two countries join again, and would have
done anything to prevent separation in 1947.  But not having been born at
time, nor forseeing such unification in my lifetime, I would at least like to
see a better relationship between India and Pakistan.  Although we both need
to compete for foreign markets and trying to improve our countries, this
should be done in a constructive manner, not a destructive one.  I would like
to see this happen, where we don't have an arms race with nuclear weapons,
but rather an economic race.
    This is the mentality our peoples in both countries need to have.  We
both need to have equal respect for one another, and end acts of terrorism.
This will go a long way at home, where Hindus don't demolish mosques and
Muslims don't kill the holy cows.  We have to realize that we are neighbors,
and we have to love thy neighbor.  I'm sure that's what Gandhi wanted, and
that's what Gandhi wanted to preach in both countries, but was cruelly killed
by a Hindu fanatic.
    Another area of reform is with trying to promote more interactions
between different castes in the predominant Hindu population.  I think the
government needs to provide incentives to people who marry between castes.
This is the only to be diverse and be unified.  We need to come together as
one melting pot.  We have to change people's minds to see beyond their
castes.  Marriages between religions should also be encouraged.
    We also need to greatly improve the conditions of women in India.  Indian
women are amongst the lowest in employment in the world.  Indian women are
also abused and have gone unnoticed by their husband and families.  This
needs to be ended.  We have to abolish the dowry system, that has made women
property and promote a society where women are given their equal respect.  We
also need to have more crisis centre's for rape victims, who are also on the
rise. (Only the ones that are reported not the ones that aren't reported,
since families fear ridicule.)  Affirmative action programs should be in
place, to give preference to female candidates over male candidates in all
government work places and initiatives.
    These are some of the major social changes that need to take place, in
the minds of our people, and in our society and we as descent human beings
ought to promote this.  We can only do this with education and mainly proper
scientific education.  We need to be a people of progress and unification.
We needed to keep in our minds not to fear.  We need to keep in our minds to
accept positive changes, embrace them, and design them for a better future.

- Naveen


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