Women all through the ages have had a rough deal for no fault of theirs. They have been referred to as the weaker vessels and have been subjected to male tyranny. In some communities, women were denied even basic rights. Most of the women have had to feel contented and happy with the very mundane activities connected with housekeeping and child-bearing. No wonder few women have had any proper education till recently.
The causes of neglect of woman's education have been mainly sociological and economic. Women in most of the communities till recently have been forbidden to come out of the hearth and mix with others publicly. Even in advanced countries like the U.S.A and Great Britain women were denied franchise for a long time. Separate rules of conduct were prescribed for women. Custom and convention were against women being given any kind of education. They had no voice in the affairs of the family and the community. Male members of the family were treated as an asset whereas women were looked upon as a liability. This is because they were not earning members. If an enlightened head of the family had the desire to educate his daughters, he would then have been looked upon as a foolish man wasting his resources, for no return from the education could be expected as there were no jobs for women. In other words, lack of opportunities for jobs or for earning money worked as disincentive to anyone wanting to educate women.
In most of the developing and under-developed countries the predicament of women had been until recently described as above. But the activities of woman's welfare organizations and liberation movements as well as those of the governments of these countries have brought about and are bringing about remarkable changes in the attitudes of people towards the education for women. Consequently, massive programmes are under way for educating women. And the programmes have had a good response too from women. It is not very wrong to say that it was male supremacy and tyranny that in the past militated against woman's education. Women were treated in the past as intellectually inferior to men. Today we know that the biological differences between men and women do not in any way make women less intelligent than men.
The experience of Britain, and of the former Soviet Union, has proved that women are fitted to be man's comrades and colleagues both in peace and war. Women are obviously the equals of men on the stage, the screen, and the concert platform and as writers of fiction. They have begun to assert their equality with men in other spheres too. If a Madame Curie could be a world-renowned scientist, if a woman President could tackle national and international problems and if thousands of women all over the world could occupy positions of importance in various spheres of human activity, there is no reason to doubt the competence and intelligence of women who have received the right kind of education and training. Science and technology are perhaps difficult spheres of activity. If Madame Curie's example proves anything, it is that women scientists can distinguish themselves by extreme technical skill. Madame Curie, it may be said here, combined the intellect of a first-rate scientist with the skill of a first-rate craftsman. Many women have since done similar feats.
In economically advanced countries, women have been for a long time enjoying the right and freedom of education. But it has not been so in the developing and under-developed countries of the world. Today in these countries too there is an increasing awareness of the value of woman's education. India, for example, gives all kinds of encouragement to women to come out of the hearth, and the encouragement has been adequately responded to.
Democracy becomes meaningless if equality of opportunity is not ensured to all the citizens alike- men and women members of all communities. Women have the right to receive the best type of education available to men. No enlightened nation can deny them this right. To refuse education to any category of people on one ground or another is nothing but obscurantism.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Consider Drug Addiction As A Social Problem
Addiction to drugs among young men women is an acute social problem faced by most of the countries in Europe and America and by some in Asia. Illicit traffic in narcotics is on the increase in spite of vigilance on the part of governments. Heroin, cocaine, hashish, marijuana, "speed" (amphetamines) and LSD are available today. This sordid commerce has resulted in young men and women taking drugs. They (i.e. this human wreckage) can be seen sprawled along pavements and alleyways. At first the youngsters take narcotics in small doses just to get the thrill. And once they take a drug again and again they develop a compulsion to have it at intervals. Thus drug-taking becomes a habit from which escape is difficult.
Drugs are harmful not only because the use of drugs becomes a habit leading to addiction but also because those who use drugs like heroin or marijuana never grow old but die young. The users of drugs become irresponsible in their behaviour. They may talk of the hallucinatory bliss and peace they got out of drugs, they may describe to you the wonderful 'trip'. But the fact remains the LSD, hashish, marijuana, etc. cause lethal poisoning and bring about psychic problems which can lead to insanity, suicide and even murder. Many young people are seen using LSD known to drug addicts as "Instant Zen", they say that they are experimenting with it. The results, however, are disastrous. In Western countries traffic in this tasteless, odourless, almost invisible hallucinogen is becoming widespread - but it is extremely hazardous. Similarly dangerous are all the other narcotics. It has been reported in the papers that drug cults are growing even among secondary school children, beside college and university students in Holland, Belgium, France, West Germany, The U.S.A. and other Western countries. It is also believed that drug abuse is widespread in the army.
The reason for the widespread use of narcotics by students and other young men and women is the culture that is enthusiastically hugged by them. The Hippie cult and similar movements are off-shoots of this culture. The young men and women, who are frustrated because of alienation from the family and a sense of loneliness and consequent disillusionment, easily fall prey to this culture. Once they become part of that culture, they find justification for their behaviour. Some of them find justification in a back-to-nature cult.
Can anything be done to eradicate the evil of drug addiction? The first and foremost thing to do is for every nation to see that the illicit traffic of narcotics is completely stopped. Towards this end every country should have a national narcotics police force. Also, the laws pertaining to illicit traffic of narcotics should be made all the tougher. No law can be effective without the firm backing of the police and the prosecutors. This requires a massive education programme and dynamic leadership from the government. Parents, schools, colleges and universities too have a great responsibility, it is for them to be watchful and nip the evil in the bud. That is to say, if a student who has been doing well in studies or in athletics suddenly becomes a non-achiever or if he begins to show sustained periods of listlessness or should see that special classes on the dangers inherent in drug-taking are scheduled and educational films on the subject are shown.
As a conclusion, it may be said that we should tackle the problem of drug addiction on a war-footing. We must fight the battle in all possible ways. Education is our great weapon, youngsters should be told about the dangers of taking drugs. If enough youngsters decide that the "in" thing to do is to leave drugs out of their lives, the epidermic will die of its own accord.
Drugs are harmful not only because the use of drugs becomes a habit leading to addiction but also because those who use drugs like heroin or marijuana never grow old but die young. The users of drugs become irresponsible in their behaviour. They may talk of the hallucinatory bliss and peace they got out of drugs, they may describe to you the wonderful 'trip'. But the fact remains the LSD, hashish, marijuana, etc. cause lethal poisoning and bring about psychic problems which can lead to insanity, suicide and even murder. Many young people are seen using LSD known to drug addicts as "Instant Zen", they say that they are experimenting with it. The results, however, are disastrous. In Western countries traffic in this tasteless, odourless, almost invisible hallucinogen is becoming widespread - but it is extremely hazardous. Similarly dangerous are all the other narcotics. It has been reported in the papers that drug cults are growing even among secondary school children, beside college and university students in Holland, Belgium, France, West Germany, The U.S.A. and other Western countries. It is also believed that drug abuse is widespread in the army.
The reason for the widespread use of narcotics by students and other young men and women is the culture that is enthusiastically hugged by them. The Hippie cult and similar movements are off-shoots of this culture. The young men and women, who are frustrated because of alienation from the family and a sense of loneliness and consequent disillusionment, easily fall prey to this culture. Once they become part of that culture, they find justification for their behaviour. Some of them find justification in a back-to-nature cult.
Can anything be done to eradicate the evil of drug addiction? The first and foremost thing to do is for every nation to see that the illicit traffic of narcotics is completely stopped. Towards this end every country should have a national narcotics police force. Also, the laws pertaining to illicit traffic of narcotics should be made all the tougher. No law can be effective without the firm backing of the police and the prosecutors. This requires a massive education programme and dynamic leadership from the government. Parents, schools, colleges and universities too have a great responsibility, it is for them to be watchful and nip the evil in the bud. That is to say, if a student who has been doing well in studies or in athletics suddenly becomes a non-achiever or if he begins to show sustained periods of listlessness or should see that special classes on the dangers inherent in drug-taking are scheduled and educational films on the subject are shown.
As a conclusion, it may be said that we should tackle the problem of drug addiction on a war-footing. We must fight the battle in all possible ways. Education is our great weapon, youngsters should be told about the dangers of taking drugs. If enough youngsters decide that the "in" thing to do is to leave drugs out of their lives, the epidermic will die of its own accord.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
History Is Populated By Tyrants Who Have Done The Inconceivable.
History is the study of events that occurred in the past. But these events took place because of the ambitions of some persons and the actions taken by them to fulfill their ambitions. Among these persons who figure in the pages of history are a large number of tyrants. Tyrants are absolute rulers whose word is the law and who can do anything with impunity. History, right from the beginning, is full of these tyrants who did the most inconceivable things. We may illustrate the fact with a few examples from history.
One of the early kings who became well-known as a result of his conquests is Alexander who is generally referred to as Alexander the Great. Whether Alexander was a really great man or not is a doubtful matter. Though history has attached a glamor to his name, he was merciless in dealing with his adversaries. For instance, one Greek city, called Thebes, rebelled against him and he struck at it with great cruelty and violence; he destroyed it and knocked down its buildings and massacred many of its people and sold many thousands into slavery. He was undoubtedly a great general but was nevertheless a tyrant. A world-conqueror cannot but be a tyrant if he has wrought havoc.
Another king, who was an Indian and who is referred to as "the beloved of the Gods" in spite of his having conquered kingdom after kingdom and ruled from Afghanistan to Madras, is Asoka. Of him H.G.Wells has remarked, "Amidst the tens of thousands of monarches that crown the columns of history... the name of Asoka shines and shines almost alone, a star..." Perhaps Asoka deserves the praise, for he is the only one world-conqueror who had a change of heart and abandoned warfare after having won victories, one after the other. The people of Kalinga who Asoka attacked fought bravely, but they were ultimately subdued by Asoka's army after terrible slaughter. The war and slaughter affected Asoka so deeply that he disgusted with war, and he became a convert to Buddhism and spent his last days propagating Buddhist teachings. But before the change of heart came over him, Asoka had shown himself to be ruthless in the pursuit of his ambition of expanding his kingdom.
Among the Mongols, who were a force to be reckoned with for quite a long period in history, we came across a large number of tyrants who did the inconceivable. Two of them, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, stand out. Genghis Khan and his Mongols were cruel and destructive. Worse was Tamerlane; he went down in history as a tyrant noted for wanton and fiendish cruelty. In one place, it is said, he erected a tower of 2000 live men and covered them up with brick and mortar! He was attracted by the wealth of India, and therefore, invaded the country; his only aims were plunder and destruction.
The pages of early history are full of conquests and invasions by kings and emperors. Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Aurangzeb, etc. are famous names in Indian history. In China, Russia and Europe till one or two centuries ago, the rulers were emperors and kings. The stories of these rulers fill the pages of European, Russian and Asian histories. Almost every one of them wielded absolute power, and were, therefore, tyrannical in their conduct. For instance, Ivan the Terrible and the successive Czars of Russia, the Huns, the Guptas, the Caesars, etc. were noted for their desire for conquest and for the ruthless, tyrannical manner they went about in realising their ambition of founding empires. Perhaps the earlier example of a real empire was the Iranian empire under tyrannical rule and the subjects were denied every kind of liberty. Emperors and Kings, who regarded themselves as rulers by divine right, perhaps can only be expected to be tyrannical. History also tells us about Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin noted for their attempting to do the inconceivable such as Hitler's attempt at the extermination of Jews.
Though it is true that history is populated by tyrants who have done the inconceivable, yet we should not be under the impression that history is nothing but a record of the deeds of tyrants. While conceding that in history we come across a large number of tyrants, we also come across saints, sages and philosophers such as the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed, Socrates, Aristotle, Gandhi, etc. There were also men like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Jawaharlal Nehru who believed in democracy and the freedom of the individual. We and the generations to come owe a great debt to their qualities of mind and heart. These sages and great men with their words and deeds strove to make the world a better place for the human race.
One of the early kings who became well-known as a result of his conquests is Alexander who is generally referred to as Alexander the Great. Whether Alexander was a really great man or not is a doubtful matter. Though history has attached a glamor to his name, he was merciless in dealing with his adversaries. For instance, one Greek city, called Thebes, rebelled against him and he struck at it with great cruelty and violence; he destroyed it and knocked down its buildings and massacred many of its people and sold many thousands into slavery. He was undoubtedly a great general but was nevertheless a tyrant. A world-conqueror cannot but be a tyrant if he has wrought havoc.
Another king, who was an Indian and who is referred to as "the beloved of the Gods" in spite of his having conquered kingdom after kingdom and ruled from Afghanistan to Madras, is Asoka. Of him H.G.Wells has remarked, "Amidst the tens of thousands of monarches that crown the columns of history... the name of Asoka shines and shines almost alone, a star..." Perhaps Asoka deserves the praise, for he is the only one world-conqueror who had a change of heart and abandoned warfare after having won victories, one after the other. The people of Kalinga who Asoka attacked fought bravely, but they were ultimately subdued by Asoka's army after terrible slaughter. The war and slaughter affected Asoka so deeply that he disgusted with war, and he became a convert to Buddhism and spent his last days propagating Buddhist teachings. But before the change of heart came over him, Asoka had shown himself to be ruthless in the pursuit of his ambition of expanding his kingdom.
Among the Mongols, who were a force to be reckoned with for quite a long period in history, we came across a large number of tyrants who did the inconceivable. Two of them, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, stand out. Genghis Khan and his Mongols were cruel and destructive. Worse was Tamerlane; he went down in history as a tyrant noted for wanton and fiendish cruelty. In one place, it is said, he erected a tower of 2000 live men and covered them up with brick and mortar! He was attracted by the wealth of India, and therefore, invaded the country; his only aims were plunder and destruction.
The pages of early history are full of conquests and invasions by kings and emperors. Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Aurangzeb, etc. are famous names in Indian history. In China, Russia and Europe till one or two centuries ago, the rulers were emperors and kings. The stories of these rulers fill the pages of European, Russian and Asian histories. Almost every one of them wielded absolute power, and were, therefore, tyrannical in their conduct. For instance, Ivan the Terrible and the successive Czars of Russia, the Huns, the Guptas, the Caesars, etc. were noted for their desire for conquest and for the ruthless, tyrannical manner they went about in realising their ambition of founding empires. Perhaps the earlier example of a real empire was the Iranian empire under tyrannical rule and the subjects were denied every kind of liberty. Emperors and Kings, who regarded themselves as rulers by divine right, perhaps can only be expected to be tyrannical. History also tells us about Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin noted for their attempting to do the inconceivable such as Hitler's attempt at the extermination of Jews.
Though it is true that history is populated by tyrants who have done the inconceivable, yet we should not be under the impression that history is nothing but a record of the deeds of tyrants. While conceding that in history we come across a large number of tyrants, we also come across saints, sages and philosophers such as the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed, Socrates, Aristotle, Gandhi, etc. There were also men like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Jawaharlal Nehru who believed in democracy and the freedom of the individual. We and the generations to come owe a great debt to their qualities of mind and heart. These sages and great men with their words and deeds strove to make the world a better place for the human race.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
