Dr. B.R.Ambedkar’s Vision of a Just Society

State has a fundamental role to play to construct a just society. It is the duty of the state to secure a social order in which the legal system of the nation promotes justice on the basis of equal opportunity and ensures that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. All humans are equal by birth but few people constructed caste system based on occupations which contributed to the evil practice of untouchability. Certain sections of the society were denied access to their natural resources and denied the right of livelihood. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s just society is based on three fundamental principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. In this presentation we will discuss the concept of social justice as propagated by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Note: Presented in Philosophy Family (A Self-organized Educational Group for Students and Faculties Welfare) Webinars “Contemporary Indian Philosophy Session (Month of November and December, 2020)” on 27th December, 2020.

Special Issue on “Marx and Ambedkar for Indian Social Change”

Call for Papers

Milestone Education Review (The Journal of Ideas on Educational & Social Transformation) ISSN: 2278-2168

Special Issue on “Marx and Ambedkar for Indian Social Change”

Year 09, No. 01 (April, 2018)

Respected Faculty/Scholar/Professor,

Milestone Education Review (The Journal of Ideas on Educational & Social Transformation) is an online peer-reviewed bi-annual journal of Milestone Education Society (Regd.) Pehowa (Kurukshetra). For us education refers to any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character, or physical ability of an individual. The role of education must be as an instrument of social change and social transformation. Social transformation refers to large scale of social change as in cultural reforms and transformations. The first occurs with the individual, the second with the social system. This journal offers an opportunity to all academicians including educationist, social-scientists, philosophers and social activities to share their views. Each issue contains about 100 pages.

About Present Issue:

Karl Marx, in full Karl Heinrich Marx (born May 5, 1818, Trier and died March 14, 1883, London, England) was a philosopher, revolutionary, sociologist, historian, and economist. He published The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, anticapitalist works that form the basis of Marxism. It was Capital’s 150th anniversary in autumn 2017, the 170th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto will be in February 2018, and it would have been Karl Marx’s 200th birthday in May 2018. The Communist Party of the Philippines calls on all Filipino workers to start a year-long commemoration and celebration of Marx’s 200th birthday on May 5, 2018. The whole revolutionary movement must salute Karl Marx’ and Marxism’s great role in history and in the continuing world struggle for the emancipation of the proletariat and the entire humanity. This celebration is of great relevance to the working class, from politics to philosophy to academics as Karl Marx made a lasting imprint on the face of history. The Centre has also an intention to commemorate the 200 years of Karl Marx by various activities including essay competition, seminar, special issues and books on this great thinker.

Karl Marx was the first thinker to draw sharp attention to the highly deleterious impact of caste on Indian society and its causal link with the relations of production. In his famous essay on “The Future Results of British Rule in India” Karl Marx characterized the Indian castes as “the most decisive impediment to India’s progress and power”. Marx clearly and causally connected the archaic social formation of caste in India with the relations of production. It followed logically that the abolition of the caste hierarchy and the oppression and exploitation of the ‘lower’ castes could not be separated from the Marxian form of class struggle. The adivasis or indigenous people of ancient India suffered more or less the same socioeconomic disabilities as the atisudras, and were virtually indistinguishable from the latter with regard to their status in relation to the socioeconomic structure of chaturvarnya. They were also both geographically isolated and socially marginalized, and relegated to the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid. There is abundant evidence in the dharmasastras and Sanskrit literature to show that these indigenous people were also treated as untouchables. Ideologically, one can place Ambedkar in the leftist traditions, though not in its traditional forms. He was one of the few people in modern India who had developed a home-grown genre of Marxism and for Ambedkar this stood in comparison with the ideology of Buddhism – a peculiar, yet profound blend that is characteristic of an Indian philosopher. In his essay titled “Buddha or Karl Marx”, Ambedkar compared the common ideals of Buddha and Marx and submitted an ultimate analysis that socialism can only be sustained if it walks on the path lay out by the Buddha. According to him, Buddhism was “an ultimate aid to sustain Communism when force is withdrawn” and so he criticised Lenin because he failed to deliver ‘liberty and fraternity’ in the pursuit of equality. He declared that: “Equality will be of no value without fraternity or liberty. It seems that the three can coexist only if one follows the way of the Buddha. Communism can give one but not all.” It is indeed the contribution of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar that the commitment towards liberty, fraternity and equality through the means of non-violence and democracy, has become a central characteristic of our constitution. He categorically stated while addressing the constituent assembly (November 25, 1949) that, “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy, which means, a way of life which recognize liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life.” In this sense there will be a great need of study both revolutionary figures to study on the same platform and to their relevance in the Indian social change. This is a special call for papers for Milestone Education Review, Year 09, No. 01 (April, 2018) issue.

Last date for paper submission: 10th March, 2018 Format of Submission: The paper should be typewritten preferably in Times New Roman with 12 font size (English) and Kruti Dev (10) with 14 font size (Hindi) in MS-Word 2003 to 2010 and between 2500 to 3000 words. They should be typed on one side of the paper, double spaced with ample margins. The authors should submit the hard copy along with a CD and a copyright form to be sent to the editorial address. Originality of Work: Only papers which have not been published elsewhere will be considered. Proofs will be sent to the authors if there is sufficient time to do so. An undertaking via a “Forwarding Letter” be submitted alongwith the paper.

Reference Style: Notes and references should appear at the end of the research paper/chapter. Citations in the text and references must correspond to each other; do not over reference by giving the obvious/old classic studies or the irrelevant. CPPIS follows The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition. The Chicago Manual of Style presents two basic documentation systems: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date. Choosing between the two often depends on subject matter and the nature of sources cited, as each system is favored by different groups of scholars. The notes and bibliography style is preferred by many in the humanities. The author-date system has long been used by those in the physical, natural, and social sciences. CPPIS follows the first system i.e. Notes and Bibliography. For detail information downloads our “CPPIS Manual for Contributors and Reviewers” from below given links:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/137190047/CPPIS-Manual-for-Contributors-Reviewershttps://www.academia.edu/8215663/CPPIS_Manual_for_Contributors_and_Reviewers

All contributions to the Journal, other editorial enquiries and books for reviews are to be sent to: Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal, Near Guaga Maidi, Balmiki Basti, H.No.255/6, Pehowa, Distt. Kurukshetra (HARYANA)-136128 (India) Mobile No.09896848775, 08288883993, E-mail: cppiskkr@gmail.com, mses.02@gmail.com, Website: http://milestonereview.webs.com

Link:

Special Issue on “Marx and Ambedkar for Indian Social Change”

Role of Religions in Imparting Social Justice in Indian Socio-Political Context

                                                    Abstract

Religion is a deriving force for social change in India since ancient times. Although we boast about ancient Indian ideals of social stratification, which made a long lasting discrimination within society, and most of the times we do not do any justice to social-political life of a billion peoples. The study of the relation between religion and politics showed that this relation always made a problematic situation for the indigenous people and always benefitted invaders. The idea of the interface or mixing of religion and politics being problematic and potentially dangerous is a byproduct of the rise of secularism, often regarded as one of the hallmarks of modern society. The concept of social justice is an important concept for the social-political harmony in present times. Social justice denotes the equal treatment of all citizens without any social distinction based on caste, colour, race, religion, sex and so on. It means absence of privileges being extended to any particular section of the society, and improvement in the conditions of backward classes (SCs, STs, and OBCs) and women. Social justice is a public and collective good that involves an equitable sharing of the earth’s power, resources and opportunities to enable people individually and collectively to develop their talents to the fullest. Its realisation requires social relations embedded in trust, acceptance, mutuality, reciprocity and solidarity. Under Indian Constitution the use of social justice is accepted in wider sense, which includes social and economical justice both. Ancient social structure allows us to see the discrimination made to indigenous people with reference to their socio-political life. These evils not only effects Hindu social order rather it also haunts the social structure of newly established religions in Indian continent. The objective of this paper is to disuses the role of religions in imparting social justice to Indian socio-political structure of our society. First we will see the place of religion in society then sees its effect on socio-political order whether it is affirmative or negative which allow us to make any rational conclusion.

Key-Words: Religion, Indian Society, Social Justice, Social Inclusion and Indian Constitution

Note:

To be presented at National Seminar on Social Security and Social Inclusion for Inclusive Growth in India,  PG Department of Economics and PG Department of Sociology, PGGCG-11, Chandigarh to be held on 5th August 2016.

Crime against Dalits and Indigenous Peoples as an International Human Rights Issue

Abstract

In India, Dalits faced a centuries-old caste-based discrimination and nowadays indigenous people too are getting a threat from so called developed society. We can define these crimes with the term ‘atrocity’ means an extremely wicked or cruel act, typically one involving physical violence or injury.  Caste-related violence has occurred and occurs in India in various forms. Though the Constitution of India has laid down certain safeguards to ensure welfare, protection and development, there is gross violation of their rights such as killing, murder, torture, burning, abduction, rape and molestation.  According to a report by Human Rights Watch, “Dalits and indigenous peoples (known as Scheduled Tribes or adivasis) continue to face discrimination, exclusion, and acts of communal violence. Laws and policies adopted by the Indian government provide a strong basis for protection, but are not being faithfully implemented by local authorities.”  Human rights issues are very often understood and analyzed from socio-political and cultural perspectives. Apart from such perspectives, the issue of human rights also can be analyzed from a strictly philosophical perspective, which implies that the idea of human rights is centered on the inspiration of human dignity. Several studies on the situation of human rights of Dalits in several parts of India show more reports on violation of human rights than on protection of them. Dalits are discriminated against, denied access to land, forced to work in degrading condition, and routinely abused at the hands of the police and higher-caste groups that enjoy state protection.  For example, Dalit women are regularly subjected to sexual violence as a result of their lower caste status-often in response to their demands of basic rights.  Hate crimes towards indigenous peoples is a daily reality in many countries across the globe.  The challenge is to change such a dehumanized situation. The challenge is to each one of us that whether engaged in governance of the civil society or voluntarily engaged in social and economic development of society, one thing to remember is that leaving behind the vulnerable units of our society – Dalits and indigenous peoples – will not take us to a prosperous society.  This paper is an attempt to study the situation of human rights of two most neglected segments of society namely, Dalits and STs as a serious international human rights issue.

Address for Communication:

Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal,

Assistant Professor (Philosophy),

P.G.Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh-160011

Mobile No.08288883993, email: dr.sirswal@gmail.com

Note: To be presented at

National Seminar on ““Human rights for the marginalized groups: Understanding & Rethinking Strategies” to be held on

5^th Feb 2015  at PG Govt College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh.

‘महिषासुर’ -प्रमोद रंजन

प्रिय साथियों

बड़ा दुःख का विषय है की भारत जैसे लोकतान्त्रिक देश में भी अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता को खत्म करने की कोशिश की जा रही है. क्या किसी को भी अपनी बात कहने का अधिकार नहीं है. भारत में आर्य-अनार्य, सुर -असुर का विवाद शुरू से रहा है.  भारत में नंगी और हिंसक प्रवृति की  फिल्मों और किताबों के ऊपर कभी भी बैन नहीं लगाया जा रहा हैं . और तो और आतंकवाद से देश खत्म हो रहा है इसका हमारे नेताओं को संज्ञान नहीं है . लेकिन जातिवाद, कर्मकांड और हिंसा का पक्ष लेने का सबको समय और अधिकार है .  टीवी कार्यक्रमों में अन्धविश्वास को फ़ैलाने से किसी को कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता और ना ही खाप पंचायतों द्वारा कानून का उल्लंघन दिखाई देता है. दलितों की बहु बेटियों को सरेआम नंगा किया जाता है, बलात्कार किया जाता है और घर तक जला दिए जाते हैं, धर्म के नाम पर दंगे करवाए जाते हैं और भ्रष्टाचार फैलाया जाता है, साथ ही मीडिया बिकता है तो किसी के कानों पर जूं नहीं रेंगती . पैसे के दम पर बलात्कारी और भ्रष्टाचारी  कानून की धज्जियां उड़ा रहे हैं. पर हम संवेदनहीन  हो गये हैं . हाँ चिन्तन को खत्म करने की कोशिश जरुर की जा रही है और इस पर हम ठहाके मार रहे है .

Ideological Crisis in Indian Society (A Tribute to Dr. B.R.Ambedkar on His Death Anniversary )

A Tribute to Dr. B.R.Ambedkar on His Death Anniversary on 6th December, 2013
Dear Friends,
The Milestone Education Society (Regd.) Pehowa (Kurukshetra) working since 2005 in the field of school education, social work and higher education through its research initiatives. It started Center for Positive Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies (CPPIS) in 2010 and contributing continuously in the field of higher education through research journals, various programmes, and published books.
The present initiative Centre for Studies in Educational, Social and Cultural Development (CSESCD) will work on the issues related to downtrodden people though its various activity like discussions, programmes and publications etc. It also promotes the ideology of the educational thinkers who positively contributed in the society.
The present book, “Ideological Crisis in Indian Society “is the first initiative of the Centre. It includes six essays of the students who participated in the essay competition organized by the Centre for Positive Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies (CPPIS) and the Department of Philosophy, P.G.Govt College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh to celebrate World Philosophy Day with the theme “Indian Society and Ideological Crisis” on 21st November, 2013. These essays highlight writers’ thinking and need further improvement on the basis of ideas.
On the occasion of Death Anniversary of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, we dedicated this volume to this great personality who is the real motivation for us. His vision of social democracy and equality was closely related to good society, rationality and the scientific outlook.
I must congratulate all the members of Milestone Education Society (Regd.) Pehowa (Kurukshetra) for this new initiatives and submit my humble gratitude towards their positive efforts and kind-cooperation.

(Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal)
December 06,2013
Download the book by click this link:
Ideological Crisis in Indian Society (e-book)

गांधीवाद और मजदूर -वर्ग (मई दिवस पर विशेष )

अंतर राष्ट्रीय मजदूर दिवस हर वर्ष मनाया जाता है इसे मई दिवस के नाम से भी पुकारा जाता है . 8 0 के करीब देशों में आज राष्ट्रीय अवकाश होता है। आज का दिन मजदूरों के संघर्ष को याद करने का दिन है और एक प्रेरणा स्त्रोत भी है. भारत जैसे देश के सम्बन्ध में ये कितना मायने रखता है इस पर भी विचार करना जरूरी है .

भारत में जहाँ गाँधीवाद का बोलबाला हैं वहां पर इस बात पर चिंतन करना अति आवश्यक हैं की मजदूरों के संघर्ष के लिए आदर्श विचारधारा कौन सी है . मेरा तो स्पष्ट मत है की अगर सही मायने में चिन्तन को दिशा देनी हैं तो अम्बेडकर , भगत सिंह और मार्क्स से बढकर दूसरी कोई और नही हो सकती . गाँधीवाद सिर्फ उन नेताओं के संघर्ष को सफल बना सकता है जिनकी कोई राजनितिक पहचान हो .मजदूर अगर सिर्फ अनसन करेगा तो बस उसे लाठी और असफलता के अलावा कुछ नहीं मिलेगा ,जैसा की आजकल हो रहा है. इसलिए अपने लिए उन्हें इसका चयन करना होगा .

आप सभी को मई दिवस की हार्दिक बधाई।

जय भीम जय भारत

When We Will Understand ” I am becuase we are”

Today I read a story on facebook at Karl Marx (Group) about African children. It touched my heart as our Indians didn’t understand it since 8000 years and continue with discrimination with our fellow beings. Although our great thinkers or socalled great culture teaching about universal brotherhood. But it is a bitter truth that we are far from the meaning of INDIANNESS and continue with our sick mentality of socalled great Hindu Order.

This can be a good lesson for Dalits and Women , if they will be organised for their struggle, there will be not any evil of society that can be harmful to their happiness and freedom. Only need is to get organised for a proper goal.

Just read the story and think over it:

An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who ever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and …ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: ”UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?” ‘

UBUNTU’ in the Xhosa culture means: “I am because we are”.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/gaurav.heer.7?fref=ts#!/photo.php?fbid=10151404983916769&set=a.10150570315436769.375356.52617111768&type=1&theater

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN INDIA

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN INDIA

Merina Islam

Effective human rights education is a necessary pre-condition for a healthy democratic society especially in times of crisis threat locally, nationally and globally. The understanding and experience of human rights is an important ingredient of preparation of all young people for life in a multicultural and democratic society.

The inclusion of human rights education in the curriculum of schools is a derivative of a series of factors. First, the definition of human rights education varies. There is the legal definition which is drawn from the international documents that many nations have signed over the years. Some of the socialist nations offer their own political definition, which functions like a codicil attached to the international agreements. More important, teachers’ and administrators’ definitions of human rights education often include only those human rights which they think can be accommodated in their curriculum and classrooms.

Visit for details:

Milestone Education Review (October, 2012)

http://milestonereview.webs.com/apps/auth/login?why=pw&next=apps%2Fdocuments%2F

 

PHILOSOPHICAL DIVERGENCE: A LEAP TOWARDS HUMANITY (SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INDIAN SOCIAL ORDER)

PHILOSOPHICAL DIVERGENCE: A LEAP TOWARDS HUMANITY (SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INDIAN SOCIAL ORDER)

T.V.Krishnan

Abstract

The social relation within society shapes accordance the dominant class philosophy. In primitive stage of mankind, it is based on the natural rights gradually the place of natural law replaced by the philosophy of institutionalised religions. Religions and dominate the classes generate the social sphere  accordance their interests, which uphold their upper hands in the social attributes  such as  economics, education and technology and secure their dominance and subjugated the others. The dominants group’s intellectuals and their texts succeeded to centralise the power into their class members.

In every prevailing social sphere, these dominant groups philosophy defines the value and rightness of an act and depicts the appropriate characteristics of actions in society, by centralisation of power the dominate class or religions became the authority and illustrate the do and do not. Through the dominance, they cleverly disarm the individual thoughts and actions, in Indian society through the concept of purity and impurity the so-called Hindu religious philosophy implemented the domination of upper castes in others. Where the power centralised into the hands of Brahmins, the intellectual class of Hindu society, who emphasise the importance of this irrational philosophy and implement it as a social order to all by these, they bracketed and destroyed the multiplicity of culture and remained the masters of all other’s thoughts.

Even after the Indian independence and accepting the Universal Declarations of Human Rights into the Indian social sphere their still lacking equal rights in public sphere. The emerging ideals of postmodern philosophy and ethics offered an alternative mode of a sphere to renovate the harmonically one to relational and understating on the basis of humanity creates an ideal platform for social progressive, which comprehend the society as a whole.

Keywords: philosophy, dominance, institutionalism, education, intellectuals

 Visit for details:

Lokayata: Journal of Positive Philosophy (October, 2012)

http://lokayatajournal.webs.com/apps/documents/