... Religion Plus Castes Equals Political Divide In India, religion is an integral part of the lives of the population. The writers at asianinfo.org claim that, “For the majority of Indians, religion permeates every aspect of life, from common-place daily chores to education and politics.” No part of Indian life exists without the presence and influence of religion. Over ninety percent of the Indian population state that religion plays an extremely important role in their lives. India is the founding place of four major religions; which are Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism, and the country has remained religious even during and following modernization. The religions practiced may have shifted a bit, nevertheless, the country remains deeply religious. Among all aspects of Indian life, religion also plays an important role in the politics of India. A political party’s support greatly depends upon the religion the group acknowledges. The two main religions practiced in India are Hinduism and Islam and each religion has parties from whom support is given. Often political support rallies can become so animated that the participants have the need to take action against other religious and political groups. The purpose of this paper is to highlight religion and the caste system of India and explain its impact on Indian political structure and lifestyles. Of the two religions, Hinduism is overwhelmingly more popular. Eighty-two percent of the Indian population...
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...Indian Politics and Politicians Indian Politics refers to the activities of the political parties associated with the governance of India as a country. A Politician is person who is professionally involved in politics. It is to be said politics is the art and technique of government. Every idea contains an intention, similarly political idea also contains intention for implementation, but recently people observe negative sense. Introduction to Indian Politics Mahatma Gandhi stated regarding the place of ethics in politics. He told that politics without ethics and principles were not desirable. The principles are the moral principles. According to his philosophy political, life should be governed by truth, morality and self-purification. Gandhiji’s politics were bound up with truth and non-violence. He also prescribed that country should concern with the morals of her leaders. Devotion to truth was drawn by him to half corruption. He had no intention to indulge the religious matter. He interpreted that religious matter is a death-trap because it kills the soul. He also expressed that “For me there is no politics without religion, not the religion of the superstitions or the blind religion that hates and fights, but the universal religion of toleration”. Roles and responsibilities of Politicians The role of the Politicians is to deal with national issues and are driving the country in full gear. It is the duty of the Politicians to check Corruption, nepotism, crisis in...
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...followed by the Malays, who moved there from mainland Asia in ancient times. Chinese and Indian cultural influences made their mark when trade began with those countries, and increased with immigration to Malaysia. Other cultures that heavily influenced that of Malaysia include Persian, Arabic, and British. The many different ethnicities that currently exist in Malaysia have their own unique and distinctive cultural identities, with some crossover. Arts and music have a long tradition in Malaysia, with Malay art dating back to the Malay sultanates. Traditional art was centred around fields such as carving, silversmithing, and weaving. Islamic taboos restricted artwork depicting humans until the mid-20th century. Performing arts and shadow puppet shows are popular, and often show Indian influences. Various influences can be seen in architecture, from individual cultures in Malaysia and from other countries. Large modern structures have been built, including the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers. Malaysian music has a variety of origins, and is largely based around percussion instruments. Much early Malaysian literature was based on Indian epics, which remained unchanged even as Malays converted to Islam; this has expanded in recent decades. English literature remained restricted to the higher class until the arrival of the printing press. Locally created Chinese and Indian literature appeared in the 19th century. Cuisine is often divided along ethnic lines...
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...Hindu-ness. Savarkar defined it as a coherent pattern of concepts that applied only to Hindus. Hinduism and nationalism simultaneously developed and progressed throughout 19th and 20th century India. Towards the end of the British era, Indians were confused about their national identity and it was this identity crisis that gave birth to the concept of Hindutva. This was also the time during which Indians wanted to stick to their indigenous culture, but continued to do everything ‘English’ to uplift themselves and their status in the society. It was one of the many attempts to define an “Indian” identity. Savarkar, along with others, called for the killing of the Muslims and other minorities, who did not accept this ideology. Hindutva is essentially a political consciousness, which does not embody or promote respect for other faiths. Hindutva is not about religion or faith, but rather about something embedded in the cultural politics of exclusion. It is not about religion or philosophy, as it initially does come across, but more of a violent theocracy. Hindutva is a caricature, an attempted perversion, of Hinduism and hence cannot be equated with the latter. The entire concept of Hindutva, has metamorphosed under the belief that all the ancestors of Indians are Hindus. In this paper, I will show the distinction between a putative Hinduism and Hindutva, critiquing the latter as a fascist ideology that distorts Hinduism. The definition that luminaries like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi...
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...PAPER 28 THE HISTORY OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT FROM THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT DAY READING LIST: 2012-13 C. A. Bayly cab1002@cam.ac.uk 1 The History of The Indian Subcontinent From The Late Eighteenth Century To The Present Day A fifth of the world's population lives in the Indian subcontinent. While today the region’s place in the global world order is widely recognised, this is in fact only the most recent chapter in a longer history. This paper offers an understanding of the part played by the Indian subcontinent role and its people in the making of the modern world. From the decline of the great empire of the Mughals and the rise of British hegemony, to the rise of nationalism, the coming of independence and partition, the consolidation of new nation states despite regional wars and conflicts, and the emergence of India as the largest democracy in the world, this paper is a comprehensive and analytical survey of the subcontinent's modern history. The dynamic and complex relationships between changing forms of political power and religious identities, economic transformations, and social and cultural change are studied in the period from 1757 to 2007. In normal circumstances students will be given 6 supervisions in groups of 1 or 2. Key themes and brief overview: The paper begins by examining the rise of British power in the context of economic developments indigenous to southern Asia; it analyses the role played by Indian polities and social groups...
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...with Secularism INTRODUCTION Secularism is one of the most important aspects in the present Indian socio – political – economic scene. Unfortunately, Secularism in the present Indian context seems to be incomplete due to the intermingling of religion with politics and thus Secularism has been criticized by many. This project first defines the term “Secularism”, then puts light on the Secularist ideas followed by us and finally analyses the various critiques attached to it which have developed over time. What is Secularism and Why Secularism? “Secularism is the process by which sectors of society and culture are removed or separated out from religious symbols and institutions so as to constitute their own domains. The Secular state is a state that guarantees individual and corporate freedom of religion, deals with the individual as a citizen irrespective of his religion, is not constitutionally connected to a particular religion, nor seeks either to promote or interfere with religion.” The Secularism in question is basically the interrelation between the state and multiple religious communities in India. In addition to this, we also need to know why Secularism was needed for India in the first place. The following arguments are the most apt arguments which show the need for a Secular state. Firstly, the Indian society at large was a mixture of numerous cultures, religions, customs and languages. Thus if the dream of a single nation was to be fulfilled, it was important...
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...Many countries in the world today follow the democratic form of government. Democracy depends on the following conditions (i) coexistence of ideas and of parties; (ii) the right to free discussion; (iii) universal adult suffrage; and (iv) periodic elections. Indian is the largest democracy in the world. The Constitution of Indian was enforced on 26 January, 1950. It ushered in the age pf democracy. India became a democratic republic infused with the spirit of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The Preamble, the Directive Principles of State Policy and the Fundamental Rights reflect the Indian ideology as well as the caste, creed, religion, property, or sex have the right to cast their vote. After and election, the majority party or coalition forms the government and its leader become the Prime Minister. Political parties are the vehicles of ideas. Parties act as the bridge between social thought and political decision in democracy. The Indian politics system is a multiparty system. However, gradually politics has become a game of opportunism and corruption. Most political parties are only interested in coming to power. Every party adopts different caste politics. Some try to influence the people thought caste politics. Some try to raise the religious sentiments of the people. The...
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...the democratic form of government. Democracy depends on the following conditions (i) co-existence of ideas and of parties; (ii) the right to free discussion; (iii) universal adult suffrage; and (iv) periodic elections. Indian is the largest democracy in the world. The Constitution of Indian was enforced on 26 January, 1950. It ushered in the age pf democracy. India became a democratic republic infused with the spirit of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The Preamble, the Directive Principles of State Policy and the Fundamental Rights reflect the Indian ideology as well as the caste, creed, religion, property, or sex have the right to cast their vote. After and election, the majority party or coalition forms the government and its leader become the Prime Minister. Political parties are the vehicles of ideas. Parties act as the bridge between social thought and political decision in democracy. The Indian politics system is a multiparty system. However, gradually politics has become a game of opportunism and corruption. Most political parties are only interested in coming to power. Every party adopts different caste politics. Some try to influence the people thought caste politics. Some try to raise the religious sentiments of the people. The Indian ideology...
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...follow the democratic form of government. Democracy depends on the following conditions (i) co-existence of ideas and of parties; (ii) the right to free discussion; (iii) universal adult suffrage; and (iv) periodic elections. Indian is the largest democracy in the world. The Constitution of Indian was enforced on 26 January, 1950. It ushered in the age pf democracy. India became a democratic republic infused with the spirit of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The Preamble, the Directive Principles of State Policy and the Fundamental Rights reflect the Indian ideology as well as the caste, creed, religion, property, or sex have the right to cast their vote. After and election, the majority party or coalition forms the government and its leader become the Prime Minister. Political parties are the vehicles of ideas. Parties act as the bridge between social thought and political decision in democracy. The Indian politics system is a multiparty system. However, gradually politics has become a game of opportunism and corruption. Most political parties are only interested in coming to power. Every party adopts different caste politics. Some try to influence the people thought caste politics. Some try to raise the religious sentiments of the people. The Indian ideology today is...
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...secularism as we take it to mean today had originated in the 13th century Europe. But we can trace the philosophical concept of secularism in the writings of Kautilya, a thinker of ancient India, who lived in the 3rd century B.C. The history of Indian secularism the protest movements in the 5th century B.C. The three main protest movements were by the Charvaks, Buddhism and Jainism. All three of them rejected the authority of the Vedas and any importance of belief in a deity. It can thus be seen that the ancient thought had a profound impact on the development of the theory of secularism over the centuries. Writers differ about the origin of the concept of secularism as to whether it had its roots in the eastern or the western thought. D. E Smith says, “The Secular State is, in origin, a western not an Asian Conception. This is not to deny the obvious fact the certain elements of the ‘secular state – have a long tradition in Asia.’ The term “Secularism” was first used by the British writer George Holyoake in 1851. Although the term was new, the general notions of free thought on which it was based had existed throughout history. Holyoake invented the term “Secularism” to described his views of promoting a social order separate from religion, without actively dismissing or criticizing religious belief. An agnostic himself, Holyoke argued that, “Secularism is not an argument against Christianity, it is one independent of it. It...
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...it didn’t even interest me. However, at the end of the class, my classmates’ reaction toward the film wiped out my stagnation. I recognized that I had misjudged the film by its very few minutes and I started to watch the film again as I felt I didn’t belong to them. Based on Bapsi Sidhwa’s Cracking India, Earth is an Indian film directed by Deepa Mehta launched in 1998. It is the second part of her Elements Trilogy which consists of Fire, Earth, and Water. The story is narrated through the voice of Lenny (Maia Sethna) who is from an affluent Parsee family. She has a close relationship with her nanny, Shanta (Nandita Das) who is passionately involved with the Muslim masseur (Rahul Khanna). The Ice Candy Man (Aamir Khan) who also adores Shanta is disappointed for her choice and finally their complicated relationship causes the unexpected disaster of friendship, love, politics, and religions. Lahore is part of the borderlines between India and Pakistan. When the British Empire in India started to collapse in 1947, the haste independence caused turmoil in the partition of Indian Subcontinent. Even though the United Kingdom declared the independence to Indian Subcontinent, did India and Pakistan gain their so-called independence? Is it strange? The historical event in the timeline is stimulating. People need power. We are pleased to be inferior to others so that we feel safe. Nehru said on August 15, 1974: “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will...
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...According to definition, caste is just a social stratification. But, beyond definitions, caste is the phenomenon by which people identify themselves with, in India. This indeed became a tool for caste politics in India. “India is heterogeneous is nature. Democratically if you see, we are...
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...India, Personal Laws, Uniform Civil Code, Gender Justice Introduction India is a secular state, world’s largest democracy and second most populous country (1,205,073,612 in 2012) emerged as a major power in the 1990s'. It is militarily strong, has major cultural influence and a fast-growing and powerful economy. With its many languages, cultures and religions, India is highly diverse. This is also reflected in its federal political system, whereby power is shared between the central government and 28 states. Religions not only have been serving as the foundation of the culture of India, but have had enormous effect on Indian politics and society. In India, religion is a way of life. It is an integral part of the entire Indian tradition. A vast majority of Indians, (over 93%) associate themselves with a religion. According to the 2001 census 80.5% of the population of India practice Hinduism, Islam (13.4%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%) and Jainism (0.4%) are the other major religions followed by the people of India. There are also numerous minor tribal traditions, though these have been affected by major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. It is in this diverse context we have...
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...Soumi banerjee. Presidency university ,Kolkata Political sociology paper, TAUGHT BY Y.S.SIR Changing dynamics of Caste In Indian Politics The word ‘CASTE’ is derived from Spanish word ‘CASTA’ which means , ‘breed or lineage or race’. It was first applied by the Portugues to the particular Indian Institutions known by the name of ‘Jati’. CASTE is a ‘state of mind’, ( Ambedkar, 1936 : 33) In 1955, M N Srinivas presented a paper, ‘Castes: Can They Exist in the India of Tomorrow?’, at a national seminar on “Casteism and Removal of Untouchabilty” in Delhi, attended, among others, by such distinguished persons as S. Radhakrishnan, Jagjivan Ram, Govind Ballabh Pant V .Rao, Kaka Kalelkar and Irawati Karve. The paper was published in the seminar report as well as in the Economic weeky , under the title, ‘An Obituary on Caste as a System’. Srinivas expanded this title into a sentence, “While caste as a system is dead, individual castes are flourishing” (Srinivas ,1962 : 51) M.N.Srinivas defines ‘caste’ as a hereditary usually localised group, having a traditional association with an occupational group and a particular position in the local hierarchy. (ibid : 52) Colonial Understanding Of Caste The Colonial rulers understood caste as a feature of Hindu Religion. It is through the Colonial census that ethnographic details and theories of caste evolved. According to this understanding , Caste derives it’s legitimacy from the ‘ four-fold verna hierarchy’ found...
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...PEIYUAN YAN Final Paper Intolerance Problem Part 1 - 1: There are many different cultures, religions and political parties in the world. Everyone is different, different people have different cultures, religions and experiences, so intolerance is a major problem in our lives. Intolerance is the act of not liking someone, or respecting them, because they are different. An intolerant person wants everybody to act in the same way. Intolerance is a principal problem all over the world. It has been an international problem within last 10 years, as all of the wars originate from problems such as religion, race, politics and so on. “Religious oppression and intolerance in China”, “African in America” and “Ghost Dance at Wounded Knee” all talk about intolerance problems. Firstly, I will talk about the “Religious oppression and intolerance in china”. In the last 10 years, the Chinese government relentlessly suppressed non-registered religious groups. Falun Gong is a good example of the suppressed. In order to suppress the Falun Gong and other non-registered religious movements, the Chinese government used the anti-cult movement to limit and suppress them. The Chinese government said: “Falun Gong is a cult, cults do not obey the law, they upset the social order, and they often use the deceit of creating a religious freedom and a stable society to deceive more people to join their religion. They participate in political activities, some of them even tax evasion, drug trafficking, fraud...
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