Unlike dynastic politicians in the North, Jharkhand's Hemant Soren and Tamil Nadu's MK Stalin managed to win recent state elections. By doing so, they busted the myth that Indian politics is now turning against dynasty politics. And the reason they succeeded was ideological honesty and clarity.
Posts tagged as “social reform”
Despite widespread condemnation, caste continues to be a factor everywhere in India today, in our quotidian lives. Even our choices of abuse are casteist and we think it is harmless or innocuous as we have modernised as a society. Caste continues to persist through the lived experiences of people.
We are a country of societal recluses. We overly emphasise the idea of falling in line. You cannot fall in love with an older person; you cannot be a homosexual; you cannot indulge in independent decision-making without facing the wrath of families if not the entire clan. In short, you cannot follow your heart.
In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Anusha Madhusudhan spoke to Michael Sheldrick, co-founder of Global Citizen. Sheldrick spoke about his experience with anti-poverty campaigns in India, making governments accountable, and how technology has revolutionised policymaking.
Patriarchal gender norms underlie honour killings and love jihad. Girls and young women in India continue to be deprived of their free and full choice on whom and when to marry. This abuse of women's rights is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Mental health is gravely affected in numerous ways by regressive social norms, which curtail individual freedom. Improving the state of mental health in India requires a multidimensional approach - more inclusive policies, better law enforcement, and sustained social reform.
In multi-ethnic societies, will removing statues reduce inequality and racism? Will it improve the lives of people, lessen societal divides, and increase representation and opportunities for the marginalised? Or will it further polarise societies, with people of colour bearing the eventual brunt?
In a 2019 survey, 36 percent of Indian police officers admitted to meting out their own punishment for minor offences rather than pursuing a legal trial. Half of the public surveyed also supported such atrocities. India needs both social and legal reform to ensure better law enforcement.
Some believe that the migrant crisis unleashed by India's lockdown was inevitable. But the government's own track record proves otherwise. It already has the infrastructure and capacity to respond, including several assets that are not currently being used.
A UCC does not have to place different faiths under the chokehold of the majority’s idea of what personal law ought to be; instead, a UCC should include idiosyncrasies from every faith in India. This is an opportunity for India to examine its social norms.