Have we really progressed?

Prof Javed Mughal
‘Progress’ is an in fact very vast term which has a multi-dimensional connotation in itself.  The true progress does not consist in merely physical amelioration, scientific and technological advancement, erecting sky-scrappers, travelling in high class convertible cars or having guge bank balances, it actually lies in moral and ethical character, in being true to one’s conscience, dedication and devotion to the cause of nation or mankind, respecting others and being respected by others and above all in honest and fair disposal of privy and common affairs of life and society. It does not mean that the progress like material progress is of no significance at all or it should ruled out from the very being of social set-up. It must, rather, be subordinated to the human values-the very essence of life. Wealth without morality leads to a great astrayal and ethical disaster which has ever been responsible for the destruction and devastation of mankind. It is hence, futile to brag of what we have done and achieved during last over some decades but the right moment to lament over what we lost and wasted.
The tragedy is that though we have established name and fame in the field of science and technology, morally and spiritually we are at the rock bottom. At the time of independence people thought that they would have would have enough food to eat, enough money and enough happiness. But within a few years they had to abandon the concept of utopia. Our independence was not one of unalloyed joy, as people could not forget that the united India was divided into two regions on the basis of religion, which was a tragic blow to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideal. At the time of partition the country was ripped asunder by religious hatred and violence. People got killed in thousands and since then violence has been going on. The seed of hatred sowed at the time of partition have sprouted into a many-headed hydra. Once in pre-historic times India had been a prosperous country, where spiritualism reigned supreme. But gradually violence and social disharmony sowed the seeds of discontent. When the British came, the spiritual culture of the country was at low ebb. Taking advantage of the situation the British took over the whole country. So India remained under the foreign rulers for a long time and people in general suffered a lot. At present the socio-economic condition of the country is far from satisfactory. Several problems have adversely affected the progress of the nation. While the British were here the Indians were united in their struggle for independence. But in all these years after independence various castes and sub-castes have emerged demanding diverse facilities. At one time the country was fortunate to have leaders who were dedicated, honest and strong. But today in place of those iron men, we have leaders, who have feet of clay. The leaders of the past did everything possible for the welfare of the people and for the progress of the country. But the present stuff of leaders is not original.. Whatever they do is for self-interest. They are totally ego-centric without having the least thought about the common people and that is the crux of the matter. The question naturally comes to our mind, why such things have happened? What has gone wrong? But the answer is not easy to find. You just can’t pinpoint only one cause; maybe we can blame the total degeneration of humanity all around. Morality is a thing of the past and it has been relegated to the darkest corner by our present generation.
Prudence and morality no larger go together. Corruption, dishonesty, depravity and avarice have played havoc in our society. No wonder, we have lost our proportion in our wild chase after money. Utter indiscipline and debauchery have broken the back-bone of the society. Caste difference has given rise to caste politics and caste-related violence. Independent India has witnessed a large number of crimes motivated by caste. The Mandal commission was established in 1979 to “identify the socially or educationally backward” and to consider the question of seat reservations and quotas for people to redress caste discrimination. So through the years there has been a provision for reserving fixed percentage of seats for the scheduled castes, tribes and other backward classes. The intention was possibly good, as it was meant for the progress of the backward classes. But unfortunately reservation has brought many disparities and lots of problems. The upper strata complain that the excessive quotas for the undeserving members of the backward classes deprive the former of their rightful claim. The other section regards reservation as their basic privilege. But caste should not be the sole criterion of reservation and the economic and the social condition also should be taken into account. Excessive reservation may put obstacles in the path of progress, which would be detrimental to national prosperity. Reservation may also amount to gross injustice to others, which affects the efficiency and quality of public service. Inefficient and inapt persons may do immense harm to society. In spite of bringing benefits to some sections, the reservation policy has created many problems.
The temporary provision has become a perpetual privilege for some people, and it has created disparities between two sections of people. This also has given rise to a peculiar class-consciousness, which has adversely affected national integration. Poverty is a major obstacle in the path of progress. Though it is difficult to gauge the approximate figure of poverty, there is no doubt that there are a large number of poor people in India, who cannot afford to have two square meals a day. Some of them send their minor children to work just to eke out a living and some of them even sell their little children for a small amount of money. The government has adopted various measures to reduce poverty. Kerosene, cheaper grains and other food items are made available through the public distribution systems. The rural and urban employment programmes and the free medical facilities are among the other programmes that have been taken up. But ironically enough the lot of the poor people have not improved. The “Garibi Hatao” scheme has remained a mere slogan, without any meaning. Inflation is a global phenomenon. The prices have reached the sky and it has become near impossible for the common people to buy even the basic necessities. The situation is going from bad to worse through the years. Regarding education the government has taken various measures to improve the education sector. Everybody realizes the value of education and programmes like ‘Sarva siksha abhijan’, mid-day meal, free  text book, free education schemes have helped immensely in making people aware of the importance of education. Yet they have not been entirely successful in eradicating illiteracy. All these problems lead to one major problem which the country is facing and that is corruption. Love of money has become a curse to us and it has darkened the whole spectrum of human life. Everybody wants to make money by hook or by crook. Love of money has made us totally irrational.
The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that even for getting the simplest service you have to bribe the person concerned. The high-up executive in three-piece suit and shining shoes also does not hesitate to make money transactions under the table for bestowing some favour on somebody. Even the deserving ones cannot get their dues unless they are prepared to pay handsomely to some unscrupulous official. Do not think that because you have the adequate qualification and adequate competence you can get the job. For getting the job you have to scatter money like confetti. Jobs are sold and bought like any other commodity. The better the job more is the demand money. It is money that counts. One who spends most deserves the job according to the present norm.
That is the harsh bitter truth. Merit has taken the second place and the job goes to the highest bidder. If you have money and can give more than the others, then you can have the job and no questions would be asked. But whether you deserve it or not is another matter. In recent times we have heard about scams involving thousands of crores. In fact, all the welfare schemes of the government fail due to the money-gabbing instinct of the officials. Corruption in high places has become an open secret. If everybody is corrupt, then who would bell the cat? It is frightening really if we think for a moment about the power, which often leads us to the wrong path. That is the tragedy of our life. Material progress has not made us happy; rather it has made us terribly unhappy. In our senseless pursuit of money we have lost our peace of mind and solace of heart. Unless we revive our humanity and morality, we can never have a happy life. That is the tragedy of progress. It is time we changed our mind set to make India a prosperous, peaceful and respectable country.

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