India has a long tradition of social and communal harmony between people of different faiths and groups. It is the responsibility of every citizen to preserve it. Today’s youth should defeat the designs of vested interests who are trying to divide society on various grounds, social activist and Janavadi Mahila Sanghatane vice-president K. Neela said in Dharwad on Sunday.
“Youth should not give an opportunity to divisive forces to weaken the roots of the social fabric of the country. They should dismantle the attempts of those spreading lies and creating illusions,” she said.
She was addressing a session at a convention on communal harmony at Naukar Bhavan there.
“The rich Indian literature, songs of Sufi saints, Vachanas and Tatwapada songs reflect the harmonious tradition of the country. Now is the time to adopt the preachings in these texts and bring them into practice for the betterment of the country,” she said.
“One has to understand that there is a direct link between harmony and equality. Today, women are facing various problems and are victims of dogmas. They are exposed to religious intolerance, domestic violence, sexual harassment, inequality in the workplace, untouchability, among others. To eradicate this, young minds should come forward and initiate steps to create gender equality,” she said.
“Women are subjected to ill treatment despite them being educated. Women should come out of such orthodox practices and leave indelible footprints on the social map of the country,” she added.
Karnataka State Higher Education Academy director M. Chandra Poojary spoke about the provisions of the Constitution that have turned India into a Republic.
“We should realise that voting is a weapon given by the Constitution to all its citizens. This weapon should be used to elect people who are concerned about the poor and the deprived classes and who help them. However, due to some long-standing issues in the system, the super-rich get elected and they continue to influence policies suiting them,” he said.
“The political landscape of the country can change only when the poor, workers from the unorganised sector and farmers join the power structure and work for their fraternity,” Prof. Poojary said.
