Emerging India: Social and Political Problems

(A Curtain Raiser)

India , once known as the ‘Land of Plenty’ was full of riches.

However, coming of Turks, The Mughals, The Arabs and British for
extending their empires have depleted its fragile resources to a great extent
and have given various social problems in return.
Even at this juncture after sixty years of independence, we have
not transformed and are sinking in the avalanche of social & political
problems. On the one hand society is going through the snag of Casteism,
Women exploitation, Child labour, Drug addiction and on the contrary
political system is also sordid with corruption, caste based politics,
criminalization of politics. In recent past there was a lot of chaos and
pandemonium about ‘India Shining’ which was just an eyewash. The era of
‘Golden Bird’ has been enshrined somewhere and the picture looks quite
nebulous.
Political scenario is awful nowadays and going through a black
phase of corruption. Corruption is entrenching in today’s public life. In the
past 60 years we have virtually institutionalized corruption as an inseparable
part of our life. The phenomenon of corruption is rampant both in
government offices and in politics. Many people become MP’s, MLA’s and
ministers in order to make fortune and not to serve the people. Politics is
most lucrative business these days where money and muscle power are the
investments. After coming in power these tyrannous and haughty
politicians spread their act of corruption and utilize their powers to their
fullest to pursue their goal of making money. The social activities of these
politicians are just a camouflage.

Frequent Feud and Riots

Also the criminalization of politics has rendered the politicians

corrupt and bureaucracy non-functional. The valiant acts of the freedom
fighters have been trampled on, shamelessly and all its kudos goes to the
decline in democracy.

Caste Based Politics

 It is not the politicians only who should be blamed, we the
civilians of India are also not performing and deferring our duties to elect
the diligent, benevolent and honest politicians who can work with finesse
and knack. Our election criterion is mostly caste driven in India and not the
caliber and honesty. This is a major bottleneck and enigmatic impediment
in the political development of country.
Besides political system, in government offices also, the
problem of corruption is pervading right from the village officer to the head
of the government department at the centre or at state. There is a virtual
coalition between various officers of a department in act. In most
government offices members of the public cannot expect the official to do
his duty unless he gets the extra money – the lubricant that helps the
machinery to move and make it work hassle free. Modus operandi of the
government departments is like a barter system where you have to pay
money for asking an officer to do his job. Corruption has reached to this
echelon because some of us bait and abet the officers for petty gains or
convenience and rest tolerate it and accept it. These Blacksheeps present in
various government departments breach and manipulate the rules according
to themselves and embezzle money as much as they can. Honest civil
servants fail to survive under such a system and only sycophants are
considered fit for promotion. This ignominious and frivolous act of
corruption has completely paralyzed the entire system and made it a
laggard.
The social picture is no less scary, which is overflowing with
women exploitation, dowry, drug addiction, child labour, casteism etc.
Violence against women has the tacit approval of the society world over.
Crimes against the women stem from the fact that men cannot accept even
today that she can earn more money, respect and social eminence than them.
The women in India are still confined & coerced to do household work
only and has not yet been delegated their right of equality. Women are still
yearning for their right of equality.
The ignominious act of sexual assault on women is perverse and
denigrated the social picture of India. This erroneous act abducts the
rights of women. Also there are lots of impediments in delivering justice to
the victim. She has to give an account of incidence and this is an emotional
and psychological pain for her. Then there is a question of evidence. In most
verdicts the culpable or miscreant is usually let off for lack of evidence &
judicial system fails to give nemesis. The women in such cases receive only
empathy from others and fail to get the justice. This act of vandalism has
put a black mark on the face of India.

Drug addiction is another colossal problem that has spread its

paws in all sections of the society and has devastated the youth and novice.
In today’s world, in pursuit of materialistic passions man becomes alienated
from the society. Failure and despair in his pursuit often leads to
discontentment and he finds himself a misfit in this world. Thus for
momentary escape people get indulged in this habit. This problem has
spread like an epidemic in youth. If this menace will keep on spreading at its
accelerating present pace it is apprehended, anticipated and unfazed that
every second youngster will be a drug addict within next few years.
Complete abstinence from drugs is utmost necessary for abolishing this
disease and for ameliorating the image of young India.

CHILD LABOUR

India is also facing the challenges in the form of child labour and
many other social problems. We are conniving at the destruction of the
ambience of Indian values and culture by not protesting against it. The
social reforms introduced by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotibha Phule, and Pt.
Jawaharlal Nehru has opened the eyes of few individuals of the society but
still, there is a need to percolate these reforms and to give a cue and impetus
to the masses to start a crusade against it so that India can be honoured with
the ecstasy of its credentials back.

India has come a long way since 1947 but this growth is
not ample to achieve the dream of ‘Golden Bird’. The gist is that we should
not allow these social evils to eclipse the pace of development. This is a
hefty and formidable task and only a stupendous & fortuitous effort from
all of us would enable us to obliterate these evils from the society. So, it’s
the need of the hour that we should all stand together and endeavour to
envisage against this monster. It’s the time to wake up and we should pledge
to emancipate and cease these evils from the society to fulfill our dream of
that era of ‘Golden Bird’.