Mission of The Civil Society Organisations
By Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani - In the context of the omnipotence of the political parties and frequent surfing of loyalties by elected representatives from one party to the other, elections are becoming a big ‘ power mela ’ where Instead of urging voters to exercise their rational faculties, candidates whip up mob fury and frenzy, tribal instincts, self-interest, emotional and sentimental attachment to personalities, and narrow caste loyalties. Every election is becoming a sterile repetition. In this context, the Civil Society organisations are tr…
What is a Civil Society Organisation?
Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani Human beings as they evolved into living in societies have acquired certain natural expectations and claims against each other, on reciprocal basis, such as, respect for life, family and property, civil liberties, fair play and justice, fraternity and solidarity. When we formed political states, we expected the state to convert those values into legal rights and duties and to reconcile them with authority in the interests of all. In our modern state, we have the constitution, which articulates the same as mandate to t…
Religion as Power and Peace
Dr Rao VBJ Chelikani Primitive feelings of bewilderment and fear in man were expressed by declaring his submission to the unknown and known forces in nature, imploring for their protection. Such submission or surrender was, gradually, extended towards many invisible and visible things and to persons on earth or in heavens in order to seek their favourable disposition and kindness. We have good evidence to conclude that before the period of established religions, people all over the world, including in India, were practicing shamanist kind of c…
Our Increasing Economic Equalities - Indicate More Prosperity, Not Less
Dr Rao VBJ Chelikani It has become a fashion or political correctness to fear that the increasing economic differences might automatically harm the society or do injustice to others. Historically, it is true that just like in political domain, in economic domain also glaring inequities and injustices were prevailing till the end of the Twentieth century. But, now, the context is totally different. The democratic rigour and vigour of the new market mechanisms and of the relevant regulatory bodies are such that growth is forging ahead and it i…
Some Reflections on Poverty
Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani Our very urgent primary task is eradication of chronic and massive poverty, which is the legacy of our old India. We have inherited systemic poverty i.e. we have resigned ourselves to poverty and from tolerating deprivation we went to accepting poverty without fighting it. We explained it to ourselves as fatality. The fact that it also happened due to lack of social solidarity among the people is a matter of perplexity. We soared very high in spiritual elation while our feet were in sinking marshy mud of humiliating pover…
Towards a New Foreign Policy
Dr. Rao VBJ. Chelikani We are living in a new India and accordingly our relations with the international community and our bilateral relations with other countries, including with our neighbours, have to be reviewed at from this new reality, afresh and very urgently. We need to declare a new foreign policy. We are, still, stuck up with Panch-sheel principles in bilateral relations and Non-Alignment policy with regard to the former super powers and big powers, which are no more relevant. For all these years we have formulated orthodox state-ce…
Minorities and Reservations
Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani India, just as it is a country of diversities, it is also a country of minorities. But, it need not be any more a country of discriminations. The British never stopped being sceptic about India becoming a united and single nation-state like theirs. All the commissions, there were many, which were appointed, took each section of the population as separate entity and took upon themselves the responsibility to protect them. Right from the very early stages of reforms, the British government representatives were proposing re…
Middle Classes: A Central Path for Social Development
Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani Today’s India is a country of middle classes run by the middle classes for the middle classes. In the past, the situation was different. A chief or a king or a dictator or a religious head used to promise to take charge of the welfare of the whole society. In independent India, we have vaguely envisaged a strategy of sarvodaya i.e. welfare of all, which, in reality, proved well-nigh impossible. Similarly, the strategy of development from the bottom, antyodaya , traditionally considered to be Gandhian approach, too tur…
Return To Political Inequalities?
Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani We are all getting very much concerned about the frequent abuse of power, rampant corruption and occasional arrogance of many of our MPs and MLAs and, in fact, by the whole political class, in general. Having removed the kings, sultans, and colonial masters and having abolished zamindars and jagirdars, now, are we returning to the rule by the feudal lords and petty dictators? We admit that there are, certainly, some exceptions. Power-Broking : Traditional political power structures still create high-sounding desig…
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