Value-building is today’s biggest call

When democracy was born in free India, it came with the hope of including the voices of masses. But in many pockets of our country, public will was bought with money power, snatched by muscle power, openly manoeuvred by corrupt elements and not earned. So, in that sense society driven by might is considered to be right, and that is why many young people, who had seen their families suffer a life of suppression and exploitation — physical, social and economic — saw violence to be the only way to make their voice felt.

Its so pathetic that in a country known for its vast diversity and disparity, little has been attempted or rather done by the governments to cultivate the spirit of nonviolence, ideals of secularism and the feeling of hope, security, emotional integration, benevolence and brotherhood. For the youth faced with growing challenges, the country has failed to institute a system that would guide them to take the ethical course.

On the other hand they are continuously being ‘misguided’ by vested interests, alien ideologies, commercial cinema, television and internet which justify and glorify theculture of violence, to avenge the ‘wrong’. Gandhi ji showed us that nonviolence could be the basis for collective response to achieve social or political goals. He also spoke extensively on the need to imbibe nonviolence at an individual level, in thought and in action.

This can be best achieved through early education within the family first, and then the school and finally society at large. Education must thus become the central objective in our society, as all subsequent behaviour or action by individuals, would be influenced by it. Today the need of hour is to create a mass awareness among the people to accept each other’s opinion or action and live in harmony with each other. People in power should realize that value-building, especially among the youth, is the biggest call of our times. .