Universal Human Values & Human Rights (Undergraduate Textbook PDF)

UNIVERSAL HUMAN VALUES AND HUMAN RIGHTS (A TEXT BOOK FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS) PSGR KRISHNAMMAL COLLEGE FOR WOMEN College with Excellence (An Autonomous Ins tu on - Aﬃliated to Bharathiar University Reaccredited with 'A ' grade by NAAC, An ISO 9001: 2008 Cer ﬁed Ins tu on) Peelamedu, Coimbatore - 641 004 Throw away all weakness. Tell your body that is is strong, tell your mind that it is strong, and have unbounded faith and hope in yourself. “We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary, Thoughts live; they travel far.” UNIVERSAL HUMAN VALUES AND HUMAN RIGHTS (A TEXT BOOK FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS) Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny. - Mahatma Gandhi. PSGR KRISHNAMMAL COLLEGE FOR WOMEN College with Excellence (An Autonomous Institution - Aﬃliated to Bharathiar University Reaccredited with 'A ' grade by NAAC, An ISO 9001: 2008 Certiﬁed Institution) Peelamedu, Coimbatore - 641 004 ISBN ______________________ © Copyright reserved Copies printed - First edition - September, 2022 © All rights reserved PRICE : `......../- Printed by M/s. KALAIKATHIR ACHCHAGAM Kalaikathir Buildings, 963, Avinashi Road, Coimbatore - 641 037 Tamilnadu p India Phones : 0422 - 2223454 Mobiles : 98422 21172 p 98422 64640 Editorial..... Dr. (Mrs) N. Yesodha Devi Secretary PSGR Krishnammal College for Women Peelamedu,Coimbatore Dr. (Mrs) A. Shaimitha Begum Dean, Academic Aﬀairs Dr. (Mrs) R.Padmavathy Dean, Academic Support and Alumni Relations Mrs. W. Hilda Sahaya Rani Assistant Professor, Gandhian Studies Centre Mrs. P. Soﬁa Helen Ponmalar Assistant Professor, Regional Centre in Geriatric Care Mrs. K.S. Paviyazhini Assistant Professor, Dept of Psychology Mr. Keeran Vinitha Assistant Professor, Dept of English CONTENTS Chapter Title Page No Unit I Introduction to value Education Chapter I Education Systems In India....................................... Chapter II Personal, Family and Social Values............................. Unit II Introduction to Universal values Chapter III Universal values........................................................... Unit III Promoting Universal Human values Chapter IV Harmony in the Human Beingv - harmony in Myself!...................................................... Chapter V Harmonyin the Family and Society............................. Chapter VI Harmony In the Nature (existence)............................. Unit IV Holistic Well-being Chapter VII Inﬂuence of Universal Human..................................... Values On Holistic Well Being..................................... Unit V Indian Constitutional Values Chapter VIII Human Rights............................................................... Chapter IX Indian Constitution....................................................... Preface...... Dr. N. YESODHA DEVI Secretary Sandwiched between the materialis c onrush of the western inﬂuence and the enviable tradi on, rich culture, and deep spirituality of our past, we are now in a dilemma. Today, our convenience ma ers most and so we are not hesitant to compromise on the do's and dont's. Values that have permeated down the ages appear to be disintegra ng into thin air. It may or may not be so, but as perpetuators of a glorious past, it is our privilege and preroga ve to impress the all - inclusive sa sfac on and happiness that value educa on and prac ce can ensure. Value educa on is an essen al need to cul vate vital values to manage the complexi es of life. It begins at home and is con nued in schools. It aids in shaping one's life. The need is constantly on the rise, since we witness increasing violent ac vi es, behavioural disorders, lack of unity in society and absence of tolerance, compassion and na onal pride. This book retains the essence of universal values to be imbibed so as to understand life and also gives a greater emphasis on Human rights. In this age of turmoil and confusion, it is only natural that an individual looks for his rights and seeks possible redressel through law, whenever he is in trouble. The contents narrate brieﬂy all that a graduate student should be aware of. Certain contemporary signiﬁcant issues add weight to the contents. The Cons tu on is the watch dog of our democracy and provides the laws, logis cs and protec on for the common man. A li le knowledge of the Cons tu on would stand in good stead and hence a brief outline of the key concepts have been added. The style and narra on is simple and ﬂowing. Hope the book assists in developing a thirst to go into further details for the be erment of one's personal and professional standards. The informa on provided in the text is not meant to be used only for the purpose of examina on. On the other hand, it could provide guidance and support to choose the righteous path in life by reforming the a tudes and leading a disciplined life with a strong mo va on to serve the country and its people, to work for the upli ment of humanity to build a peaceful world. Compiling a book does require many heads put together. This text does vouch safe the same. The faculty in the editorial board have put in a lot of eﬀorts to edit pieces of informa on from right sources and give it a form. We also acknowledge the various resources of informa on that have been included in the text. We deeply acknowledge the support of our Managing Trustee Sri. G. Rangaswamy and our Chair Person Smt. R. Nandini. We are grateful to Dr. N. Yesodha Devi, Secretary for encouraging us to bring out this text emphasising on universal human values and human rights, both of which are equally necessary. We welcome feedback from the readers about the contents of the book, so as to help us in making this a be er and valuable text for the genera ons of students. Forward.... RAJESH GOVINDARAJULU Founder & Chief Curator Hiralmaye PVT LTD Value educa on is acquiring importance once again. Our country is the Fountainhead of philosophy. We have survived many a storm over the centuries because of our accent on the value system. The world and our country in par cular is facing a lot of challenges. Values are being given a go by due to commercial priori es. Pursuit of success in the form of money has set the civiliza onal clock backwards. India was always known for its individual and family social responsibility system. It is high me we return to the same. The best way to imbibe values is by taking it to the youngsters. Our country has the largest number of youngsters in the world. Once this process is ini ated in a big way, our country will become a global leader once again. Our country was the global leader in every facet because of our knowledge and wisdom. Universi es at Nalanda ,Vikramshila and Takshashila shared our knowledge with the rest of the world. Seekers from around the globe came to India in order to assimilate her value system amidst their people. The concept called the ' Purusharthas ' or the goals of life were prescribed by our teachers. The goals spoke about rightouesness, survival , responsible indulgence and libera on of the mind. Our seers have helped us to navigate the ocean called life through teachings. Indian knowledge and value based wisdom was taken by people of other lands and they reaped rich dividends due to the same. P S G R Krishnammal College for women is known for its adherence to our eternal value systems. The ins tu on has ensured that its academic success does not compromise its stand on our eternal values. The founders , management , teachers and students of this wonderful ins tu on have been sen nels in this regard. This publica on is one more step in their path which has been leading them to value based excellence. The book has come out well and I take this opportunity to congratulate the members of editorial board for bringing out this book. Needless to say, this will act as a beacon light to the readers. I earnestly pray that the good work of PSGR Krishnammal College for Women is emulated by one and all. Wishing them Godspeed in their endeavours during the mes to come. CHAPTER - I EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN INDIA “All education is on the one side a search for truth; On the other side it is a pursuit of social betterment: You may discover truth but should apply it to improve the status of society” - Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Education is a platform in which young generations are trained and made future-ready. Education provides an individual with knowledge and skills in order to makethem employable. India had a great education system even before the advent of paper and printing technologies and it was superior even to the European system. During the freedom struggle several great leaders of modern India, who were also educationists, challenged the British system of education to provide students not only lessons on Indian heritage but also to prepare them as good citizens of future India. The pioneers among them were the following leaders: Maharishi Dayananda Saraswathi inspired the Gurukula system of education and asserted the great role of the teacher in uplifting the talent and character of the pupil. Mahatma Gandhi emphasized the training of the Hand, Heart and Head arched over by the values of truth, non – violence, self control and renunciation, equal respect to all religions, life of simplicity, equality in a social set up and the empowerment of the weak and the oppressed. Education System in India: The Indian education system is very popular and diversiﬁed than the education systems of other countries due to its change in the evolution from ancient to the modern education system. 1 Ancient System of Education Education system of a nation is an integral part of its culture and value system that reﬂects the constituent forces of a nation's life. The character of a state, its socio-political and economic condition and the distinctive identity of the people inﬂuences national culture and education. Education of a nation does not simply reﬂect the nation's past it reﬂects the present values, demands and needs of life too. A system of education is the creator, conserver and custodian of the nation's culture. Crises of education arise when there is a gap between the ancient and present culture, between spiritual and material bases of life and between tradition and progress of life. The roots of many current problems of education are to be discovered through the study of history of education properly. A present system of education simultaneously reﬂects the past, present and the projected future. The educational thought of Mahatma Gandhi is the reﬂection of the glorious past, ancient tradition, values and culture. The present culture and education of India is the solid absorption of Vedic-Brahmanic education, Budhistic education, Islamic and British education. Culture and education represents continuity from the ancient, through the Medieval and to the Present. Several social, political, economic, geographical and cultural factors are there to form the shape of education of a certain period. Factors that Inﬂuenced Ancient Indian Education: 1. It is amply proved that the civilization of our country has been greatly inﬂuenced by the both Aryan and Non-Aryan culture. The Aryans emphasized on spirituality. The Non-Aryans were skilled in arts, literature and constructive works. Both the 2 spirituality of the Aryans and constructive excellence of the Non-Aryans inﬂuenced and reﬂected in ancient Indian education. 2. Religious and Philosophical thoughts also inﬂuenced ancient education. Religion in ancient India represented certain basic ways and was considered as a regulating principle of every sphere of life. The humanitarian appeal of Vedic religion became an absorbing cauldron with 'humanity' Social and economic inﬂuences are also equally powerful in shaping the ideals of education. 3. The geographical environment nurtures human nature that reﬂects education. The human thoughts and activities diﬀer from region to region. The Aryans settlement in the Ganga- Yamuna valley gave them advantages of fertile soil and relieved them of hard struggle for existence. Relieving from the stress and strain of nomadic life the Aryans could engage in search of truth. The nature's bounty and quiet grandeur helped their free thinking and speculative mind. The output was the Vedic literature literary development. 4. The social system during the Vedic period regulates the educational system. The 'Chaturashrama' and 'Varnashrama' imparted social values which were reﬂected in education. Education according to 'varna' became a principle. The 'shudras' got no scope of education. The 'Brahmanas', 'Khatriyas' and 'Vaishas' got the opportunity to receive education. The caste division led to vocational education. Curricula: The curriculum was formulated on the ﬁrm founda on Vedangas of Vedas and Vedanta The various subjects are taught to the pupils living in Gurukul. They are Phonetics, matrics, Ritualistic knowledge, Grammar, 3 Exegetics, Astrology, theological discourses, cosmological myths, explanation of Mantras, Ritualistic verses, Science of numbers, Science of lunar mansion, Astronomy, Demonology, Science of snakes, Science of conduct, Science of worship of God, Science of Art and Music and many other subjects. Teacher-Pupil Relation in Ancient India: v Mahatma Gandhi believed that Teacher is the creator, preserver of knowledge and destroyer of weeds of ignorance. Salvation, illumination and enlightenment constituted the basic aim of education in ancient India. v The ultimate aim of education was self-realization and the proximate aims were the character building, inculcation of good habits, moral values and social duties. v Formation of ideal character through proper instruction and training is possible after receiving the direct contact of Rishis in Gurukul. So the residential pupilage came into existence. v Mahatma Gandhi gave more emphasis on ideal Student- Teachers relationship and was possible in the Ashramic system of education. Teachers were highly qualiﬁed and spiritually well versed. They looked after the comforts of the students and performed parental duties for the all round development of the pupils. v Teaching was oral and professional teaching was imparted under personal guidance. Pupil's practical apprenticeship was under direct contact of the Gurus. Teachers considered their duty as service. They did not receive fees for their noble duty. v Teachers were considered guardians to take care of student's health, habit and conduct. Teachers had to nurse the students in their ailment and they had immense moral responsibilities. They had to detect the shortcomings of the students and repair the same with brilliance and wisdom. 4 v Teachers had the sole responsibility of maintaining institutional activities including admission, expulsion, reward and punishment. Hence teachers were held in high esteem in the society. Students respected their teachers from the core of their heart. v The pupils had to salute the teachers whenever they met. They had to take lower seat and never touched even the shadow of the teachers. They had to render many Ashramic compulsory services. v The relation between teachers and students were cordial and intimate. In Buddhistic education the students had to rise early, prepare and serve their meal, wash bowl and accompany their teachers in begging. v Students had to pay reverence, show devotion and respect the Upadhyayas. Teachers always inspired the students to be aloof from immoral and irreligious duties. v Thus the direct contact in residential system of Gurukul and Buddhist Sangharam made the relation between teachers and students more intimate, direct and cordial. Education was never the concern of the state in the ancient period. It was in the hands of the wise men of the local communities who would automatically take charge and instruct them in basic social skills, code of conduct etc., through the local schools. In the natural process of growth, a few of these schools became centers of higher learning. The earliest names that ﬁgure in history are the Taxila University (600B.C – 500A.D) in Rawalpindi, Punjab province, presently in Pakistan followed by Nalanda University (500 A.D-1300A.D) in Bihar Vikramashila in the east, and Kanchi in the South. 5 Medieval System of Education During the period of 10th century A.D to the middle of the 18th century, the rise of Mohammedanism is one of the most extraordinary events in the history of the world. In India the Arabs and Turks brought many new customs and institutions. Islamic pattern of Education was remarkable and in many respects diﬀered vastly from the Brahmanic and the Buddhist systems. The education was highly valued by the followers of Islam. The foremost aim of education during the Muslim period was the extension of knowledge and the propagation of Islam. During this period education was imparted for the propagation of Islamic principles, laws and social conventions. Education was based on religion and its aim was to make people religious minded. It further aimed at achieving material prosperity. Aims of education: a) Developing love for Muslim culture and religion. b) Enabling the individual for Islamic life. c) Preparing the students for the next world. d) Equipping the students for a vocation. e) Preparing individuals for running administration. 6 Chief characteristics of Muslim Education:- 1) Patronage of the rulers: The rulers helped in the spread of education. They built educational institutions and universities. They endowed them with the funds. Big landlord also provided ﬁnancial help for the spread of education. The rulers patronized the men of learning. 2) No state control: The rulers neither claim any authority over the educational institutions nor interfered with their management. 3) Religion dominated education: In the words of S.N. MUKERJI, “The whole educational system was saturated with the religious ideals which inﬂuenced the aim, the contents of study, and even the daily life of the pupils.” The pupils acquired knowledge as a religious obligation. 4) Countryside as the centre of education: By and large, educational institutions ﬂourished in the countryside. 5) Provision of various discipline: Education was primarily religion- oriented; it included the study of many intellectual activities like mathematics, astronomy, grammar, polity and politics. Art and literature were also encouraged. 6) Norms of conduct: Adequate stress was laid on well- deﬁned norms of behaviour, pattern of thought, building up personality and character of the pupils. 7) Teacher-pupil relationship: In the Muslim period also the teacher was respected as during the Brahmanic or Budhist period. There was intimate relationship between the teacher and the pupil, although the practice of living with the teacher was not as common with the Muslim as it was in the case of Brahmanic and Budhist period. 8) Learned teachers: Teachers took to teaching for love of learning. They were held in high esteem. Prof. S.N. Mukerji 7 has observed, “Learning was prized for its own sake and as a mark of the highest human development and teaching was never handicapped by examination requirements. 9) Individualized instructions: Since the number of students with the teacher was limited, he paid individual attention to each students. 10) Monitorial system: Although a teacher did not have many pupils to teach yet, still the teacher would take the help of senior and advanced students to teach theyounger or the junior. 11) Discipline: Punishments were quit severe. Truants and delinquents were caned on their palms and slapped on their faces. A strange mode of punishment was to make the children hold their ears by taking their hands from under their thighs while sitting on their tiptoes. 12) Types of institutions: Primary education was imparted in 'Maktabs' and secondary and high education in 'Madrasahs'. 13) Vocational education: Provision was also made for vocational, technical and professional education. Emperor Akbar took considerable interest in education as is evident from the passage in 'Ain-in-Akbar'. The passage makes interesting reading and provides valuable information on the system of instruction, i.e., curriculum, methods of teaching etc. Thus Muslim education prepared the students for practical life. In the Muslim period learning was held in high esteem. The great Mughal Emperors were patrons of learning and promoters of education. Important posts of the States like, judges, lawyers, commanders of the army and ministers were ﬁlled up from the educated classes. Many Hindus were attracted towards Muslim education with a view to get these employment facilities. 8 Colonial system of Education The value system followed in the ancient system of education disappeared with the establishment of the foreign and colonial system of education of Lord Macaulay. He explicitly stated that the purpose of the system was “to create a class Indian in blood and colour but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and intellect, who would be an interpreter between the British and the teaming millions that they ruled”. He ordered the closure of educational institutions of oriental learning and established schools and colleges as per British norms. The curriculum was in tune with the colonial economic and employment policies, encouraged mechanical learning through memorizing discouraged inquisitiveness and scientiﬁc temper. In such an education system, universal human values like truth, non-violence, love and compassion were relegated to the background. Without values, community life would be in chaos and individual life would be rendered meaningless. Objectives of education by the British in India There were mainly two objectives of education by the British in India during the colonial rule 1. Firstly the British realized that they required people who can act as the mediator between them and the locals. It was diﬃcult for the British to understand local culture and laws as well. So the British thought of creating an anglicised community commonly known as Babus who can understand the locals as well as understand the English language. Through these babus the British used to establish communication with the local people and locals could understand the British policies of Governance. 2. Another objective of the British was to spread Christianity in India through education. To achieve this objective the British 9 had a constructed number of English missionary schools, colleges and other educational institutions. British were ﬁrst in introducing academic programs among women who until now had remained subjugated in the society. The objective was to inﬂuence people to convert from other religions to Christianity thus making the religion strong and dominant. This tactic worked successfully as many people belonging to the oppressed class adopted Christianity as their religion. Modern Education System. In the Post-independence period, when all the colonial rules were demolished, India aimed at providing revolutionized education system. Aim of modern education system. 1. To create vigilant and elite citizens. 2. To induce cultural values and learning 3. To develop scientiﬁc and systematic approach in ethical and moral learning. Methods of education Initially blackboard/duster was used in classroom, but with the advancement in technology teachers started using digital systems like computers, projector, smart board, smart class, virtual classroom, ﬂip classroom, on-line lectures. Internet has changed the way of teaching and learning. Scientiﬁc and Technical knowledge are introduced in national curriculum. Even after India's freedom, education could not bring any 10 fundamental change in the individual / societal values as envisaged by our great men who fought for independence as well as for the restoration of Indian values in education which had been the hallmark of the Indian civilization. The main objective of education today is passing the university examinations with good marks and ﬁtting into a job by developing a few vocational skills. In fact, the underlying philosophy of the contemporary Indian educational system spreading out to rural areas too is preparing the children for 'export', that is to make them good engineers, technicians, scientists, and doctors, not for serving their country but to enable them to go and settle abroad. Value Erosion at Various Level: Value crisis in a society implies the erosion of traditional values of society or a situation of a dilemma when there is little balance between traditional values and modern values. There is a lack of synthesis. Material values override ethical, moral, social, and spiritual values. The social scenario at present is disturbing and dismal because the values and ideals, by which a family and the society at large grow and stand ﬁrm, have deteriorated thereby shaking the very foundation of the social set-up. People have become the victims of moral and spiritual blindness. Materialism and pursuit of money have turned the people especially the youth into cold and callous machines in search of worldly comforts. Man has lost peace of mind and quietude. In the past social norms bound the society together but now the attitudes are changing. Young generations today become so much self-centred that they are mostly busy in serving their own interests. Thus it has been commonly believed that there has been a rapid erosion of ethical and moral values among the youth in our society. Religion plays an important role in nurturing values. It is the decline in spirituality in the society that has led to the erosion of values, which is one of 11 the major concerns of the society today. Inspite of all the technological and economic progress that India has made in the last few decades an all pervasive crisis in values is seen in diﬀerent walks of life – at personal, familial, national and global levels. Personal level The greatest tragedy of the modern world is that people take decisions on the basis of what lies in the external world instead of being driven from within. Increasing skills, the fast pace of life, keen competition and over ambitiousness to a mass wealth in a short span of time etc., has made today's man less principled. He fails to realize there are many more precious things in life that money cannot buy, like honesty, sincerity and commitment to family, society and humanity. Family level Nuclear family norms, the changing role of women in family as working and professional women, the hectic life style of parents and lack of quality time with children have changed family values and many parents have failed to be role models to their children. Teaching values and ethical standards has long been the domain of parents. Today parents have no time to teach values to children. The responsibility of teaching ethical standards to children has shifted from parents to social institutions. The attitude of parents has also changed. They dream that their wards become doctors and computer engineers and in this process fail to make them good citizens. They mainly expect their wards to amass wealth and material comforts. The youth of the present generation is much attracted by western customs and culture such as celebrating 'Friendship Day', 'Valentine Day', 'Mother's Day', 'Father's Day' etc. As long as such celebrations are not merely events for merry making, but reminders of love and gratitude and support in times of both joy 12 and distress, which they owe, it is not disturbing. If not, this can be disastrous to the society. Youth must be taught to appreciate Indianess and the glory of its past. Societal level Today there are images of powerful people without any ethics and values who seem to be leading a happy and contented life. Respect is proportional to money and external achievements, and not to the quality or the means employed to get them. Impressionable young “minds choose unhealthy role models for themselves early in their lives. Respect for law is on the decline. Criminals believe that they can escape provided they have money and inﬂuence at higher levels of the law enforcing system. There is nobody to question misappropriation of public fund. Yet another feature of great social evil, which has taken a deep root over the years, is 'corruption'. India is rated as one of the most corrupt countries in the world today. According to the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency Internations, India ranks at 72 out of 91 countries. N.Vittal, Customs Vigilance Commissioner describes corruption as “nothing but ﬁnancial terrorism”. The Mumbai blasts of 1993 where 300 people were killed are not only an act of mere terrorism but a case of ﬁnancial terrorism. The RDX that was used to kill innocent people was smuggled by bribing certain customs oﬃcials to the tune of 20 lakhs. Hence such types of ﬁnancial terrorism can have a disastrous eﬀect on human lives. National level Political and economic corruptions, scandals, anti - social and anti - national activities are on the rise in the present national scenario. The Upanishads have taught the ideal of 'Vasudeva Kutumbakam', that is, the concept of the entire world as one family. Yet a lot of enmity leading to violence in the name of religion, region, language, caste etc., is the order of the day. The national value that 13 is relegated to the background is 'patriotism'. Can there be an independent India bereft of the sacriﬁce of millions of patriotic ancestors of varied economic strata, of all castes and creed? Armed forces defending the borders of the country and saving the people from foreign invaders, terrorists and criminals deserve to be recognized by every citizen. Global level Violence is emerging in an unprecedented manner in the human society at the global level in several forms such as terrorism, war, crimes, injustice, oppression and exploitation.Looking at the world today any sensible person feels disheartened and even horriﬁed to see the kind of violent acts being committed by man against man and nature. There is so much of disorder and confusion in the society that man has built for himself. These conditions obviously affect the young minds who naturally absorb the spirit of violence in such an atmosphere and will soon grow to be the next generation perpetuators of violence. Today's education system has lost its luster and relevance because of the western inﬂuence. It has succeeded in developing within us a hatred towards our own tradition and culture and in making us look at the western way of life with respect and admiration. Today's education gives importance to the total marks, merit positions, awards etc. The education system has changed into the examination system and now it is becoming an information system; pushing back the value system that the earlier system used to emphasize. Today we have failed to perceive the real value of our past instead we are attracted towards negative values which cause men to be greedy without investing and as a result there is no peace of mind. Consequently restlessness, dishonesty, immorality, and corruption are intensifying day by day. To address these challenges value- 14 based education is imitable and has a crucial place in the betterment of society as well as nation. Keeping the value-based education in new certain educational policy, curricula and syllabi should be framed. While framing value-based curriculum responsibility, co-operation, peace, respect, honesty and humanity should be incorporated but the entire process must be completed under the supervision of an expert teacher and both the teacher and learner must be humble and cooperate with each other and work together. The erosion of human values in our society today has become a phenomenon. There is a maddening pursuit to accumulate wealth, power and status to the total exclusion of humaneness in us. In the real life situations we are swayed by narrow parochial considerations and there the situation is marked by violence, greed, thefts, drug addiction and terrorism etc. Our institutions of learning are preparing eﬃcient individuals, but not good citizens or humans. Thus it has been commonly believed that there has been a rapid erosion of ethical and moral values in Indian society. Education without values is crime; education without mission is life burden. Education in our life enables us to become comfortable and to look after our family well out so far as the social progress is concerned, value based education is need of the hour for this purpose value based education is an indispensable device. Value erosion in the contemporary society is causing great concern to everyone since it has left a negative impact upon the mindset of the adolescents and youngsters Today's youth are the citizens and nation builders of tomorrow and the values inculcated will certainly have an impact on the society, nation and the world. Not only in India, but throughout the world there is a cry for ' back to basic values'. 15 Value Education Value Education is the need of the hour as mankind is passing through a crisis. The tremendous emphasis on the scientiﬁc and mechanical ways of life is reducing man to the status of a machine. Moral and religious values are being undermined. The fundamental principles of civilization are being ignored. Conﬂicts of ideas, manners and habits are pervading the atmosphere. Disregard for everything old is the fashion of the day. At this situation, the solutions for all these social and global evils are through value education. Emphasis should be laid on such education through which moral values can be developed among the students so that they can conduct their life morally. They can decide what is right or wrong; what is good or evil; what is justice or injustice. If we can make a student a good human being, the development of moral values within him is the prior task of education. Concept and importance of Value Education: Education is essential for all round development of a child. Education has always been linked with society. It has both apersonal and social dimension, and like the two sides of same coin, they are inseparable. According to Gandhi, real educationdoes not consist in packing the brain with information, factsand ﬁgures or in passing examinations by reading prescribed number of books, but by developing right character. 16 National Policy on Education (1986) says, “In a culturally plural society, education should foster universal and eternal values oriented towards the utility and the integration of people.” Such capital value education should help eliminate religious fanaticism, violence, superstition and fatalism. Besides, Value Education has a profound positive content based on our heritage, national goals and universal perception. Today we are living in a world of paradox; on the one hand, science and technology are advancing very fast while, on the other hand, most societies are facing problems of alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness, stress, crime etc. Therefore value should be introduced at the college level. Value education also helps students to become more and more responsible and sensible. It helps them to understand the perspective of life in a better way and lead a successful life as a responsible citizen. It also helps students to develop a strong relationship with family and friends. Value-based education is essential to develop an individual and help him/her lifelong in many ways: · It gives a positive direction to the students to shape their future and even helps them to know the purpose of their life. · It teaches them the best way to live that can be beneﬁcial to individuals as well as the people around them. · It develops the character and personality of the students. · Value education develops a positive view of life in the student's mind. Value education should produce young men and women of character and ability committed to national service and development. Such an education will play a vital role in promoting national progress. Education is not merely a process of information transmission nor of imparting specialized professional skills to earn a living. It should help to produce good and responsible human beings leading to Human Excellence. 17 Incorporating Universal Human Values in Higher Education The main aim of value education is to make the students good citizens who may share their responsibilities in changing the set up of the society in order to give a diﬀerent shape to the society and country at large. This issue has been projected as one of the priorities in the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986. The policy brings out the growing concern over the erosion of essential values and the need to incorporate it in the curriculum to make education a powerful tool for the cultivation of social and moral ideas. Value education tries to develop the social, moral, aesthetic and spiritual values of a person. It teaches one to preserve whatever is good and worthwhile and retain the rich culture inherited from the forefathers. There are three methods of introducing values to students - directly, indirectly or incidentally. Deliberate systematic instruction is direct value inculcation. Inculcation of values through the subjects and co-curricular activities are indirect means of introducing values. Inculcation of incidental values can be through events and incidents related to good values occurring around us. Higher education is leadership education. In the institutions, students are members of a small society that exerts a tremendous inﬂuence on their overall development. Universal Human Values in Higher Education: · Inﬂuences our perception of the world around us. · Provides understanding of the attitudes, motivation and behaviours. · Represents interpretation of “right and wrong” · Provides a way to understand humans and organisation Many institutions of higher education simultaneously show 18 excellence in academic subjects, are green campuses with manifold ethics curricula, are active members in community engagement, and also are adept in providing value orientation to all stakeholders. 19 CHAPTER - II PERSONAL, FAMILY AND SOCIAL VALUES Human Values:. Meaning and Deﬁnition Human values are the virtues. Human values are the foundation for any viable life within society; they build space for a drive, a movement towards one another, which leads to peace. Human values are universal, they are shared by all human beings, whatever their religion, nationality, culture, personal history. By nature, they induce consideration for others. Human values have the eﬀect of bonding, comforting, reassuring and procuring serenity. What are Values? ▪ Values are principles, fundamental convictions, and ideals, standards of life which act as general guide to behavior or as a reference point in decision making. Values are beliefs about what is right and what is wrong and what is important in life. Value literally means something that has a price, precious, dear and worthwhile, one is ready to sacriﬁce for. ▪ It is a set of principles which guide the standard of behavior. Values are desirable and held in esteem. They give strength to a person's character by occupying a central place in his life. It reﬂects ones attitudes, choices, decisions, judgments, relationships, dreams and vision. ▪ The guiding principle of life which are conducive to all value development. It is like the rails which keep the train on track. Without values, life will be chaotic. 20 Need for Human Values: Inculcation of human values is needed on the following grounds. 1. To shape one‟s life and to give one an opportunity of performing on the global stage. 2. To curb violent activities, disorders, social and political crisis. 3. To strengthen democratic culture in the society. 4. To overcome the narrow thinking about caste, religion etc. 5. To instill national unity and integrity. 6. To develop linguistic and communal harmony. Categorization of Values : Values can be categorized in many ways such as by their content (aesthetic, scientiﬁc, educational, economic, political, and social values), extensiveness (societal, national and global values) and process (exchange modes) modern and traditional values. Here, we will focus on the categorizations of values on the basis of their extensiveness because of their importance in their dynamic role in society as well as in the world. Hence, human values can be categorized in to Personal Values, Family Values and Social values. Personal Values: Personal values are those you take for yourself and which constitute a critical part of your values and are apparent in attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Personal values may be prioritized, such as honesty then responsibility then loyalty and so on. Personal Values are “broad desirable goals that motivate people's actions and serve as guiding principles in their lives". Everyone has values, but each person has a diﬀerent value set. 21 These diﬀerences are aﬀected by an individual's culture, personal upbringing, life experiences, and a range of other inﬂuences. Human values incorporate the values pertaining to the community, the neighbourhood and the person himself. human values include love, forgiveness, sharing, service, team spirit, hospitality, justice, nonviolence, repentance and accountability. Personal values have a 360 degree approach in developing human values through cleanliness, dignity of labour, diligence, punctuality,honesty, appreciation of nature, endurance, Integrity, self reliance, hope, evaluation and commitment. As shown in the ﬁgure 1 Personal values help focus and align our life choices. Cleanliness Cleanliness is next to Godliness. A clean thought, a clean body, a clean action and a clean environment are the resultants of practicing cleanliness; “As we sow, so we reap”. “As are our thoughts, so will our actions be”. Great men have identical thoughts, words and deeds - “Manasa aekam, vaacha aekam, karmana aekam - mahatmanaha ; Manasa anyam, vaacha anyam, karmana anyam - durathmanaha” — the weak have no link between their thoughts, words and actions. Hence cleanliness represents straight forwardness and openmindedness on the part of the personal value practitioner, all through his life. Dignity of labour Swami Vivekananda had said “work like a master and not like a slave”. No duty is unattractive; no duty is impure. Work is divine. Work is always a worship and can never be categorized as below or above one's dignity. The dignity of labour lies in performing the allotted or self-assumed tasks with 22 integrity, commitment and diligence, as every duty is holy, and devotion to duty is the highest form of worship. It is a source of great help in enlightening and emancipating the deluded and the ignorant. Diligence Diligence or hard work aids careful and conscientious performance of one's duties. Perseverance and scrupulous eﬀorts in attaining the goals depend entirely on devotion with which one performs the tasks on hand. Diligence results in a state of being busy, and will not permit an idle mind as it is a devil's workshop. Further diligence requires a meticulous and a sincere attitude in getting things done on time. Empathy Empathy is social radar. Sensing what others feel about, without their open talk, is the essence of empathy. Empathy deﬁned as the ability to put one's self into the psychological frame or reference or point of view of another, to know what the other person feels. Punctuality Doing the right thing at the right time and keeping to the appointed time are the two aspects of success, as “time and tide wait for none”. Honesty Being honest is being truthful and incorruptible. Honesty can have no compromise as it relates to goodness, honour, and truthfulness, sense of justice and virtues of a person. Truth cannot be partial. It is for the good of all. Everything can be sacriﬁced for truth, but truth cannot be sacriﬁced for anything. 'Satyameva Jayathe' “truth alone 23 triumphs” is the golden mantra inscribed on the Ashoka Chakra of our national ﬂag. Appreciation of nature One of the signiﬁcant basic qualities of a person is his “appreciation of nature”. Nature is homogenous and is a mirror of one's own self. To give and to take is the law of nature and man is at its 'beck and call'. But he does destroy nature as well. Progress of mankind by destroying nature cannot result in success. Industrialization and progress should run shoulder to shoulder with preserving nature and her delightful wonders. Global warming and pollution of nature have to be fought against assiduously. Endurance Enduring relates to suﬀering and coping with life's experiences that ache, agonize, hurt and cause pain. Shrimad Bhagavath Gita is an exposition that translates pain into peace through a balanced perception of contradicting conceptual pairs- success and failure; heat and cold; happiness and sorrow; pain and peace; good and bad; and birth and death. An individual should practice the attitude of maintaining equanimity in all such pairs of contradictions and emerge with greater mental strength. Integrity Integrity is the quality of being honest, morally upright and trust worthy. This results in the state of being 'whole' or 'uniﬁed'. Integrity breeds decency and ﬁdelity in a person that will ultimately lead him towards the path of righteousness. It is a virtue that is capable of eradicating hypocrisy that manifests in the form of 'double dealing', 'double standards', and 'double talk'. 24 Self-Conﬁdence Self-conﬁdence provides self-suﬃciency and independence to a person who has concrete ambitions to achieve. Self-conﬁdence refers to having faith in one's own powers and resources that can produce a strong character and the tenacity to achieve excellence. The progress of a nation depends on this important attribute. Commitment Dedication to a cause or a policy is 'commitment'. Adherence to positive personal values to attain the goals with loyalty towards oneself and others is called “commitment”. It is an assurance to guarantee and preserve the promises made to oneself and the society at large. An impeccable good behavior is churned out of single-minded, whole hearted and unwavering pursuit to be good and to do well.All these personal values are not independent of each other. They are inter related, inter linked and inter woven to build up the character in man which Mahatma Gandhi had described as being the pinnacle of man's life. Family and its values “The future of humanity passes byway of the family “ - Pope John Paul 25 “A family is a set of people living together attached to each other with blood relations. This is heterogeneous in nature and start with marriage followed by reproduction of generation, supported by economic and social bonds.” Indian family Amidst great social, economic and political changes over the centuries, India has a long heritage of stable family life and structure. The spirit of family solidarity has remained a sustaining power that has provided meaning to the daily lives of the Indian people. Parents are the ﬁrst educators and education of the art of living begins at birth. In India we ﬁnd three types of family structure such as Ø Joint Family , Ø Nuclear Family Ø Extended Family System. What is a joint family? A joint family can also be known as a complex family, parents and their children's families often live under a single roof. This type of family often includes multiple generations in the family. In India, a joint family is usually a large undivided family where members of more than one generation live together under one roof (grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and their children). The Joint family comprises of people of two or three generations. The members of this unit are closely knit together. They share the various routines, problems and joys of social living, have strong feelings of mutual 26 obligation during crisis and regard self-interest as being identical with family welfare. This environment provides an 'umbrella 'of support which covers ﬁnancial loss, decease of a spouse, social security and even provides informal counselling. The aged and the inﬁrm are assured of shelter, care and protection. What is more, they are respected and in turn they feel themselves wanted and useful. The child, on the other hand grows up in an atmosphere of security and aﬀection both essential for the growth and development of personality. This system has its disadvantages too. Being tradition- bound, the family protocol left little room for a person to take any leadership and individual eﬀort to bring about personal gain. Characteristics of a joint family · The family is usually headed by the eldest member of the family. · The responsibility of making decisions rests with the head of the family, although family members can give suggestions. · The family members share a single kitchen · All the members are expected to contribute ﬁnancially towards running the family. · All the members have to share the household chores. · They should cooperate with and support each other, making the system have its share of both merits and demerits. · After marriage, the children also live in the same house along with other family members. ii) The nuclear family is one where the parents live with their children. A married oﬀspring ﬁnds a new home and lives away from his parents, his brothers /sisters. A silent social transformation is taking place in the Indian family, with the educated women breaking away from accepted 'family 27 tradition' and 'family controls' and looking beyond their homes for self expression. The spread of liberal education, the new ideas of equality and self respect, the value attached to the development of individual personality, the desire for economic and social freedom are some of the main factors which are aﬀecting the pattern of marriage and family life and drawing women away from their major ﬁeld of responsibility i.e. management of the home. iii) The extended family is one where the nuclear family lives with one or both grandparents or an aunt or uncle. In any case the concept of family has to be strengthened and sustained. Family as a custodian and transmitter of values The following values are nurtured and enriched with the family concept: 1. Value of appreciation A deep union of minds and hearts in genuine love should ﬁnd day-to-day acceptance and appreciation amongst the family members. They should consult one another and share the views, of gladness and sorrows with openness, freedom and understanding. They must think of each other as 'persons' and not just as 'parents and children. 28 2. Value of teamwork Parents and children should learn through sharing a common goal that mutual give and take by each member of the family is essential and valuable for the well-being of everyone. Dining together, praying together etc., can keep the family spirit intact. 3. Encouragement A constructive sympathetic and comprehensive approach and reassurance is far more valuable and eﬀective (than any amount of nagging in bringing out good qualities and in overcoming faults. 4. Moral Value According to Dr. D.Goodman , a family expert '……,when we abuse a worker, slander a neighbour or connive at a rival's downfall - all this aﬀects our children and undermines their faith in moral values”. Living according to moral values and consciousness is expected from the member of every family. 5. Value of adjustment and tolerance Treating people with respect, encouraging good ideas and deeds, praising the sincere eﬀorts of others, participating in healthty competition and mooting new ideas in the honoured tradition of the past, both within the family and outside can help one to come to grips with a complex and challenging world and change it for the better. 6. Value of Good discipline Discipline should not inhibit the personality rather it should bring out the best qualities in all the family members. It is useless if one conquers everything else, but does not conquer one's own self. Such discipline calls for an understanding, 29 appreciative, accepting dialogue between the members of the family, fostering genuine co-operation, kindness and love. 7. Value of service Einstein said “A life lived for others is a life lived well “. Service to others and setting a good example are valuable assets of family life. Service and good example should be shown to members within the family and gradually to the ever- widening circle of humanity. The youth, often confused and disillusioned by the double standards prevailing in the society need help and guidance from parents in developing, strengthening and reinforcing their value system. The most exciting factor lies in the fact that today's adolescents are a new generation open to new ideas, willing to explore alternatives and try new approaches, are open to logic, and scientiﬁc thinking more than their parents or grandparents They are more sensitive to their environment and more ready to experience life to its fullest and to take on courses which they believe are crucial to their future and prosperity. Types of family values Most core values for families fall into speciﬁc categories.Here are ﬁve types of family values that all families should establish. Not all families will have the same approach to these values, but deﬁning them is important. 1. Relationship to others Your family likely has a set of values that dictate how to behave around others. These values can also deﬁne how you develop relationships with other people. You don't just 30 have to deﬁne values for how you want to treat the people you have close relationships with. How do you and your family believe you should treat other people in general, including strangers?. Some families believe everyone deserves respect. Other families believe this respect needs to be earned ﬁrst. How your family views their relationships with others can also help you determine how to handle unpleasant situations. For instance, how would you deal with children in your family being bullied? Or, how would you react if children in your family bullied someone else? And how do you treat relationships with your extended family? These are all important questions to consider when establishing your family values. 2. Relationship with each other In some cases, the way you handle family relationships will diﬀer from how you handle outside relationships. For instance, some families work under the assumption that fa mily comes ﬁrst, no matter what. Other families prefer a more egalitarian approach. In either case, it's important to deﬁne values that determine how family members treat each other. These values can deﬁne: · How children should act with each other · How children should act toward their parents · How spouses deal with their children (how child care is handled) · How spouses treat each other · How parents co-parent 31 3. Relationship to oneself Family values can set rules for how to treat others, in and out of the family. But they can also guide how every person treats themselves. How should individuals act when they’ve done something wrong? What should they do when they are having a bad day or having a hard time dealing with their emotions? Values about how to treat oneself can often be forgotten or set aside. But how you treat yourself is just as important as the way you treat others. 4. Priorities What does your family prioritize? Some values can deﬁne what matters to your family ﬁrst and what is less important. Some examples include: · How you spend time with your family. · What spiritual or religious rituals matter to your family · What type of education you will provide for your children · How you deal with holiday stress · How you create traditions and celebrate diﬀerent cultures Deﬁning priorities can also guide your family when making tough decisions. For example, where will you make budget cuts when your family is under ﬁnancial stress? 32 5. Dealing with challenges Challenges are inevitable. No matter how much you prepare yourself and your family, you will one day have to face hardships. Your values dictate how your family reacts and adapts when these challenges come your way. Examples may include: · Resilience · Perseverance · Patience When you establish these types of values, you'll give your family the tools they need to get through tough times. How to instill values in family There's more than one way to instill values in your family. Each method has its pros and cons. Plus, not everyone will respond the same way to each method. Here are three methods you can consider when implementing your family values. 1. Modeling what to do This method involves modeling the values you want to teach. It works well for people of all ages. Before you can expect younger members of your family to follow along, you and other adults need to model the behavior yourself. When you make a mistake, acknowledge it and treat yourself with kindness instead of making self-deprecating comments. 2. Moralizing Moralizing means that you speak and explain values to your family. You need to sit down and walk them through the values you want to instill. 33 3. Clarifying Clarifying values is a great way to involve other people when instilling family values. You can guide and help others identify, understand, and question their own values. As a family. SOCIAL VALUES Meaning and Deﬁnition: Social Values are values (standards) concerned with social aspects of human life. For example, truth, honesty, justice, kindness, generosity, tolerance, patriotism, perfection, excellence, etc. the business organisations are expected to participate in the development of social values through educative advertising, cultural programmes, national integration programmes , assistance to educational institutions, etc. Social values are deﬁned as standards, which individuals and social groups employ to deﬁne personal goals and essentially shape the nature and form of social order in a collective i.e., what is acceptable and not acceptable, what ought or not to be, what is desirable or non-desirable Individuals constitute the society which in turn involves wider interaction between groups of people. A society has certain ideals and norms in respect of social behaviour, duties and responsibilities towards one another. Social values are always practised in relation to neighbours, community, society, nation and world. Some of the social values are listed below: 1. Love 5. Sharing 9. Accountability 2. Forgiveness 6. Service 10. Sympathy 3. Brotherhood 7. Team spirit 11. Hospitality 4. Repentance 8. Responsibility 12. Justice 13. Non violence 34 Personal and social values are a complex of knowledge, values, attitudes and abilities that contribute to the development of a sound moral character. Moral values include values such as truthfulness, compassion, fair-mindedness, justice, respect for the environment, respect for the rights and property of others and respect for democratic processes. Responsibilities towards society/ community Societies are formed by individuals. Hence the role played by individuals in developing a value based society is immense and the responsibilities of individuals to build such a society and its beneﬁts are ever growing. Some of the values promoted through such strategies are: · Forgiveness — This builds bridges of human understanding. The magnanimity of forgiveness repays evil with good. Taking the ﬁrst step to pacify people guilty of oﬀence demonstrates the nobility of forgiveness · Promoting peace and harmony - Maintaining peace and concord in the neighbourhood by purposeful eﬀorts. India is a peace loving country. Indian statesmen and leaders not only worked for peace in India but also contributed a lot towards global peace as well. · Voluntary sharing - This may include undertaking group activities willingly for the welfare of the society. The promotion of adult literacy programmes is “knowledge sharing”. Sharing ideals and experiences of tolerance foster communal integration. Sharing also moves man to contribute his might for the development of the nation. · Service - Includes the willingness to sacriﬁce self-interest for others' sake and also sympathize with and help those in need 35 and distress. Service to the underprivileged members of the community, and taking positive measures to alleviate their suﬀerings through services like: Ø Teaching children in slums Ø Visiting institutions such as homes for the aged, home for destitute women and children. Ø Helping families that need assistance in times of distress and taking steps to create a cheerful atmosphere Ø Taking steps to rehabilitate the mentally and the physically challenged Ø Expressing tenderness towards members of the family in times of illness Importance of Social Values v Economic Progress: -Social Values foster economic progress of a society. For instance, if truth and honesty are practised by every body, it will promote fair dealings in all walks of life such as business, education, political, social services, etc. v Social Development: -Social Values foster social development also, for instance, several industrialists and charitable institutions have shown generosity and started schools, colleges, hospitals, cultural centres for the beneﬁt of common people. v Social relations: -Social values like co-operation, tolerance, respect for seniors, etc. tend to improve social ties or relations. When a person extends his hand of co-operation to others, even the enemies will have to check their inimical relations. v Regional Co-operation: -Social Values like co-operation, patriotism, and tolerance can help to mitigate the diﬀerences between the regions, states and countries. These three values, 36 if practised it will promote social and economic development of the nations. v Love, peace and happiness: -Values like respect for others, co-operations, tolerance develop a bond of togetherness. As a result, conﬂicts and clashes get solved through mutual understanding. v Standard of living: - Values of perfection and excellence enables people to develop new methods, process and techniques. As a result, new and better products and services become available in the market. This ultimately led to raising the standard of living Beneﬁts of services undertaken · It will foster positive values amongst youth and make them good citizens. · Serving for the sick and the aged conﬁned to homes will promote compassion and a sense of responsibility · Service rendered to families in distress or in bereavement strengthens the community bonds Impact of globalisation on values Owing to rapid technological changes, between 1990 and 1999 access to television grew from 10% to 75% of the urban population. Cable television and foreign movies became widely available for the ﬁrst time. Most of these channels telecast, western programmes, which are obviously heavily loaded with western values and ideology. As a consequence even the indigenous channels, governed by commercial considerations, followed their media programming on the lines of their western counterparts. The media has a strong social and cultural impact upon society. This is because of its ability to reach a wider audience often imparting 37 strong and inﬂuential messages. As a result a new global culture is emerging. The spread of multinational companies and employment opportunities for youth has brought about several changes, such as changes in quality of life (better living standards than in past) and the social architecture of society (conventional to modern). Cultural values (for which India is held in high esteem) and joint family structure has given way to nuclear families. The Indian society was considered conservative during pre- liberalization period but changes are clearly visible in the post liberalization era. Globalization has both positive and negative inﬂuence on Indian society. The negative impact includes: · Increase of violence, particularly against women. · Vulgar material (Pornographic CD's or DVD's of Hollywood movies, pornographic movies, sex toys, foreign channels like MTV) have made entry. The positive impact includes: · Acquisition of information from far and wide. · Change in life style due to scientiﬁc and technological innovations · Changes in the communication scenario - In India, a land-line or telephone was a prestige symbol few years-back but now even people who are in the lowest economic strata enjoy the luxury of having a mobile phone in hand. · Territorial distances have disappeared and the world has become a global village. · It is an eﬀective mode of entertainment. Commercials, advertisements and political campaigns in the media inﬂuence people's behaviour. 38 · The drastic changes in the recent past in the information sector are an integral part of the changes taking place in the political and economic spheres. · A technological explosion is in the oﬃng. So much so that what is new today becomes outdated within no time. · Mass media should play a positive role in fostering the concept of a united India with its rich cultural heritage like democracy, secularism, social harmony, promoting peace, economic empowerment and above all, the concept 'live and let live. 39 CHAPTER - III UNIVERSAL VALUES “If there is righteousness in the heart there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in character there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.” - Sri Satya Sai Baba Values are acquired and not learnt. Theories, concepts and methodologies can be taught, but values cannot be taught even as the art of cooking cannot be taught merely through texts and lessons, but needs to be demonstrated and practiced. Values are formed by a series of processes, of interaction of individuals with their environment. Everyone is subjected to the values and concepts of their parents, teachers and colleagues /friends. Universal Human Values is a systematic study of human being, the nature/existence and human conduct (the role of human being in nature/existence). Therefore, UHV is one way to understand the relatedness, undividedness, connectedness and co-existence, which can be at the base. Values may change from one society to another and also from time to time. Every society follows certain basic moral values and if these values are accepted by all societies, they become global values. These are also the core universal values.These core universal values are classiﬁed under the following ﬁve core human values or prime values or eternal values are : 40 v Truth: The Highest Truth is absolute, changeless in the past, present, and future, true at all times and in all places. Truth is not relative, changing according to our perceptions and circumstances. Truth manifests as being truthful, honest, and sincere, acting with integrity according to the dictates of our conscience. v Right Action: True Right Action is speaking and acting on the truth that emerges from the heart, the source of human conscience and human values. When we engage in right action, we treat others the way we wish to be treated, with respect, kindness, compassion, with an understanding and appreciation of the unity of all life. v Peace: Absolute Peace manifests as inner mental calm, and the ability to maintain equanimity in all situations. When we feel peaceful within ourselves we will naturally feel peaceful towards others. v Non-Violence: Avoiding causing harm to anyone or anything in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Non-Violence allows us to appreciate diversity, cultivate tolerance, and recognize the unity of all beings and respect for all life. v Love: The highest Love is selﬂess Love. It is Love that is unconditional, without attachment, not expecting anything in return. All actions emanate from the heart. Love is the force behind the other Human Values, and our actions: These are values that people are expected to follow in all situations. They represent the ﬁve domains of human personality - intellectual, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual. They are also correspondingly co-related with the ﬁve major objectives of education namely knowledge, skill, balance, vision and identity. 41 Dharma /Right Conduct Meaning of Dharma 'Dharma' has a wide variety of meanings. For instance, the word is used to mean justice, what is right in a given circumstance, moral values of life, pious obligations of individuals, righteous conduct in every sphere of activity being helpful to other living beings, giving clarity to individuals in need of it or to a public cause or alms to the needy, natural qualities or characteristics or properties of living beings, duty, law, etc Dharma (rules of good behaviour) is a Sanskrit expression of great importance. There is no corresponding word in any other language. There is no deﬁnition for this word but it can only be explained. In an ordinary sense, it is taken to mean giving alms, feeding and providing lodging to pilgrims, adherence to one's traditional profession, law abiding nature etc. As per Hindu Sastra the four categories that includes all the pursuits of life are — dharma (virtue) a moral value, artha, (seeking security - wealth) an economic, value, kama (seeking fulﬁlment of desires - pleasure) a psychological value and moksha (self realization - freedom) a spiritual value. When Right Conduct is associated with others, the value takes the form of good behaviour, respect for others, helpfulness, capacity to cultivate good relationships. It later broadens into ethical skills and morality, developing attributes such as courage, ecological sensitisation, determination, initiative, sense of duty. Finally, the highest level of Right Conduct results when we act in accordance 42 with our conscience and carry out thoughts and intentions that are rooted in love. Every child is born with a sense of dharma. So every human being comes into the world with a sense of dharma. That is how a two year old can make judgment of the right — wrong based on his mother's facial expression. If she has a stern look “0h! This is wrong. Hence what I am doing is adharma”- the child is able to decipher. The.child assumes dharma and adharma as concepts based on the acceptance or rejection of the parent. But as the child grows, he recasts this concept as pleasant versus unpleasant, good versus bad etc. Characteristics of dharma 1) Social Principle: As the highest purusartha, 'dharma' represented the cosmic law operating in the natural, moral and religious phenomena. Dharma was deﬁned in terms of certain duties and obligations which were codiﬁed in the great sastras within the social order. 2) Principle of Good: Dharma is closely connected with the principle of good or 'punya'. Good is the principle closely associated with 'dharma'. Nothing is considered greater or higher than 'dharma' in this world. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad considered dharma as the 'sreya' or good. Therefore 'adharma' means the opposite of good or evil. It has been prescribed that one must follow 'dharma' in order to attain 'moksha' or salvation. 3) Principle of law and order: Dharma Sastras consider that dharma represents the principle of law and order. The ancient Indian legislation and the theory of punishment solely depended upon the principle of 'dharma'. 43 'Dharmarajya' was the name given to the country which observed law and order. Manusmriti enjoined the king as the repository of all 'dharma' and responsible for maintaining the order of law and for ensuring that all his subjects live by the law of dharma. Thus the rules according to 'dharma' not only included legal justice but also social justice.: 4) Humanism: The philosophy of humanism is among the most signiﬁcant characteristics of 'dharma'. Dharma is basically a moral principle which is essentially human. Man has to acquire some sort of speciﬁc 'dharma' in a particular place and time and the sole aim of his life is to realize it. In real terms, humanism itself too has a 'dharma'. Humanism propounds unity in diversity, in individual, national and international aﬀairs. In the like manner there are speciﬁc 'dharma's' and also 'sadharana' or common 'dharma's' having universal forms. 5) Practical Principles: The, concept of 'dharma' is not devoid of practical principles. Although the sastrakaras attached the highest importance to moral qualities, nevertheless their major aim was a practical one i.e., to guide people to right acts in everyday life. They dealt more elaborately with the acts, rites and ceremonies that each person had to perform, keeping in view his own place and position in society 6) Criteria of duty: Another signiﬁcant characteristic of dharma is the sense of duty. Whatever is enjoined by Vedic injections is dharma or duty, provided it is not intended to produce any injury to other persons. 44 The sacriﬁces performed according to the principles contrary to that of Vedic injunctions, cannot be regarded as 'dharma'. Dharma may be known only by the way of Vedic sacriﬁce i.e. only such prescribed sacriﬁces of the Vedas as have not been associated with any harmful eﬀects. Therefore, 'dharma' may be interpreted as those principles which are either enjoined by the Vedas or directed towards beneﬁcial ends. 7) Integral approach: Dharma may be viewed from the integral standpoint. 'Swadharma' is the basis of unity in diversity in society. Indian culture has always been self-suﬃciently characterised by an integral approach. The contemporary Indian thinkers have adopted the integral approach in philosophy. Dharmasastras are also univocal regarding a multisided integral progress. They consider it as ideal. This has also been reﬂected in the Indian ideal of four purusarthas such as, 'Dharma', 'Artha', 'Kama' and 'Moksha' which present an integral view of life 8) Principle of statecraft: In ancient Hindu polity the king was made responsible for upholding dharma. It was his duty to ensure that all his subjects followed the principle of law and order. So dharma is the principle of statecraft and the basis of law and order of the state. 9) Characteristic of Indian Culture:: The term culture has a very close association with the concept of dharma. So, all the characteristics of Indian culture coincide with that of 'dharma' in Hinduism. Indian culture is characterised by religious orientation, spirituality, religious tolerance, freedom of thought, integral approach and unity in 45 diversity. Dharma also possesses all such characteristics. Dharma is, in fact, a cultural organization and spirituality. Spirituality enables one to realize dharma and to understand Indian mind. 10) Combination of continuity and Dynamic diversity: Dharma has never been static in nature, rather dharma has the characteristics of dynamic principle. Dharma brings about happiness, means of happiness and ﬁnal deliverance. Dharma is super sensuous and as such it is produced by the contact of the man with the internal organ, S.C. Crawford said “Hindus call their religion 'Sanatan dharma' which literally means “Eternal law”. Dharma of a Student: What is the essential dharma of a student? Self-respect, selfconﬁdence, selﬂessness and self-support constitute the dharma of a student. The modern students of today lack all these four qualities. In the ﬁrst instance students should acquire self-respect which in turn enables them to cultivate self-sacriﬁce. It is only the person who does self-sacriﬁce can acquire self-satisfaction. Since the students have lost all these four qualities, education, students and teachers too have lost their value.. Universal love springs out of this Atmic oneness. This love is the basis of universal brotherhood. Man ﬁnds fulﬁlment by experiencing this nectarine love and sharing it with fellow humans Practicing Dharma in Daily Life 1. Abide with authenticity and integrity. Be willing to say YES to develop what matters, say NO to what is harmful, take risks and be adventurous. 2. Cultivate daily acts of love/kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity. Know that practice includes 46 wise attention and reﬂection/inquiry into all forms of relationships. 3. Develop Dharma through ethics/virtue of non-violence/non- exploitation–mindfulness/concentration–wisdom/seeing/ knowing liberation. 4. Develop love of solitude and love of connectedness. 5. Take a profound interest in the threefold human process of intentions-actions-results. Realise and explore an awakened life. Truth in action be considered as right conduct. It represents unity in thought, word and action of an individual. It cover all aspects of life and concerned not only in one's own welfare, but in the well-being of all. Truth “Everything can be sacriﬁced for the truth, but truth cannot be sacriﬁced for anything”. - Swami Vivekananda Meaning and Deﬁnition Truth has to be discovered and established through truth itself. Hence Gandhi always laid stress on truthful means. The means, to him, had to be as true an d pure as the end. However worthy and noble a cause might be, it had to be accomplished by worthy and noble means alone, and never by unfair means. He closely associated truth with non-violence. Satyagraha, the passion for truth, was the name given to the means. 47 “Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.” – Gandhi. Truth (Satya) is one of the central subjects in philosophy. It has been a topic of discussion in its own right for thousands of years. Moreover, a huge variety of issues in philosophy relate to Truth, either by relying on these about Truth, or implying these about Truth. Importance of Truth Truth matters, both to us as individuals and to society as a whole in the following ways: Ø Truthfulness is a prerequisite both for building a stable, lawful society and engaging in meaningful interaction with others. The social existence of human beings depends on truth telling. Ø Truth is the very basis of trust, faith and loyalty among human relations. All relations of men with each other, the whole of life of the community, institution of marriage, business, commerce, everything ﬁnds its basis on the intrinsic value of truth. While truthfulness makes social bonds, lying and hypocrisy break them. Ø In the absence of truth telling, the interpersonal relations as well as ordinary transactions of common life will be ridden with doubt, suspicion and anxiety. Ø Truth is the foundation for a fair and just society. In court, we require witnesses to swear to tell 'the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth'. If witnesses habitually start lying, judicial proceedings will end in mockery of justice. Ø The importance of truthfulness lies in vanity about lying. It is often said that one may gain success by lying for a short time, but in the long run he is bound to suﬀer. 48 In India the need for speaking truth is incorporated in all ancient Upanishads. The motto of the Government of India says only truth prevails, nothing else succeeds —'Sathyameva Jayate'. Value aspects for truth include: · Courage · Discernment · Following Conscience · Honesty · Integrity · Self-inquiry · Sincerity · Trustworthines · Wisdom Truthfulness Truthfulness is very much important as it is directly related to a person’s moral character. A truthful person is respected, trusted, regarded by people everywhere i.e. in the family oﬃce, society, among their children etc. Even after a truthful person has died, his truthfulness blossoms in the society and their children enjoy this in their career. The quality of truthfulness shines like sun-light forever. The value of truthfulness is mentioned below : 1. The moral character of a person improves if he remains truthful. 2. Truthful people have high self-esteem and are more conﬁdent than a liar person. 3. A Truthful person gets respect, regards and love from other people everywhere. 49 4. Truthfulness causes people to be humble and responsible towards the society. 5. A truthful person wins the hearts of people. 6. A truthful person can become the source of inspiration for others. They become a true guide and Guru to their students. 7. Truthfulness is a kind of a personal trait which cannot be measured by money nor bought by money. Beneﬁts of Truthfulness The beneﬁt of telling the truth can make you feel terriﬁed, yet your heart will be at ease. Try to stick to the truth even if it hurts you. 1) You will feel more conﬁdent v Being truthful with people around you will make you feel comfortable. v When you remain truthful with other people, they trust you even more. v And this trust builds conﬁdence inside you.. Conﬁdence makes you feel better, and when you start getting comfortable with speaking truth, you will begin to prosper. 2) You won't have a fear of remembering the lies v You will always be in fear of getting caught. Therefore, it is better to let others know the truth instead of feeding them lies. Never try to be fake in front of people, live a less anxious life. 3) Trust creates opportunities v Trust and love is something we crave for, and that's what we must have for others. 50 v And when you are an honest person, people will trust you for being truthful. They will believe in you, and you will feel honored and respected. 4) You will earn more respect and trust v When you try to be honest, people get attracted to you for your honesty. v You start getting people's love and respect, they start trusting you. You begin building deeper connections with your people. It can be your relative, friend or even acquaintance. v People always respect those individuals who stick to the side of truth. They are more easily relied upon and respected. 5) Lying always requires energy v Every time you lie remember, and before that, you have to decide whether it is a lie or the truth. v If you choose to lie to some people and make some people aware of the truth, then it requires energy. You will get confused about these things; it will lead to a dilemma. v Mental and physical pressure always hits you when you are burdened with lies. 6) Truth attracts truth In today's society, it's rare to be an honest person and be 100% truthful. But you must remain on the side of reality. There are diﬀerent types of truth; it can be factual or objective, be it any, stay with it. This will help you ﬁnd good people. People often are attracted to those who are honest and want to be friends with them. So this is one of the beneﬁts of being correct. Truth always attracts truth. 51 Nonviolence “The essence of all scriptures is : Help Ever, Hurt Never” - Sri Sathya Sai Baba Non violence is a well-accepted principle of human conduct. It is advocated by all religions. Interpreted in a very general and broad way, it may mean that one is not to do any harm to any living being. This may go a long way in establishing a peaceful and progressive social order. Non –violence means not to injure others either by our thoughts, words, or action. Non-violence is based on the understanding of oneness or underlying unity of all beings. Personal nonviolence involves respect for one's personal well- being, as well as that of others. self-control over negative thoughts, and the importance of forbearance and pardon. Social nonviolence encompasses a sympathetic regard for all life. It includes refraining from bad company, criticism and inconsiderate speech. Universal non-violence is kindled by a sense of kinship with all forms of life and the earth itself, and brings understanding of unity in diversity. The Gandhian Principles of Non-violence “The only devils in the world are those running around in our own hearts, that is where the battle should be fought…..” “Truth is my religion and non-violence (love) its only realisation” - M K Gandhi 1. Respect 2. Understanding 3. Acceptance 4. Appreciating diﬀerences 52 5. Truth and Truth fullness 6. Absorbing suﬀering 7. Ahimsa (non-violence) 8. Trusteeship and Constructive Action The above principles postulated by Mahatma Gandhi have universal applicability across ages. Gandhiji's idea of Ahimsa entitles not just abstaining from violence but embracing even an enemy with love. It generally implies an act, not only of not killing but also abstaining from causing any pain or harm to another living being either by thought, word or deed. This idea of a non violent national defense made its way even to the western world which was on the brink of war. Gandhiji ardently believed that truth is an objective moral reality as real and as mighty as God himself. Truth is so important and so fundamental that it is divine. He aﬃrmed that ' Truth is God'. UN General Assembly has declared Gandhiji's birthday, 2nd October as 'Non Violence Day' in recognition of his role in promoting the message of 'Peace through Non Violence'. Gandhiji marched forward using non-violence as a weapon to counter immorality with morality, inhumanity with humanity and injustice with justice. His objective was to create a peaceful society based on the principle of non-violence. His theory is acclaimed worldwide and is relevant even for the ages to come. Non violence - Its application in handling today's conﬂict : Mahatma Gandhi's principles can be applied to various conﬂicts that have taken place in the recent past. Wars produce the worst violations of human rights worldwide and are the greatest impediment to human development. The number of conﬂicts between nations has decreased since World War II, yet there have been more than 50 major armed conﬂicts since the Cold War ended 53 in the late 1980s. Most of those have been internal clashes over religion, national or ethnic identity, or access to natural resources or wealth. Some recent wars have been the bloodiest, most devastating of modern times: 4 million people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo; two million people got killed in Sudan and genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia- Herzegovina. In 2007, 14 major armed conﬂicts were active in 13 locations in the world. Six Guidelines to Carry Out Nonviolent Action Here are six guidelines that can help you carry out nonviolent action more safely and eﬀectively, while drawing upon nonviolent practices from your own cultural heritage. These guidelines derive, as you'll see, from two basic points to bear in mind: v We are not against other people, only what they are doing. v Means are ends in the making; nothing good can ultimately result from violence. 1. Respect everyone–including yourself. The more we respect others, the more eﬀectively we can persuade them to change. Never use humiliation as a tool–or accept humiliation from others, as that only degrades everyone. Remember, no one can degrade you without your permission. Healing relationships is the real success in nonviolence, something violence can never achieve. Even in a case of extreme violence, Gandhi felt it was possible to hate the sin, not the sinner. In 1942, when India was held down by the British and fearing a Japanese invasion, he advised his fellow compatriots: 54 “If we were a free country, things could be done nonviolently to prevent the Japanese from entering the country. As it is, nonviolent resistance could commence the moment the Japanese aﬀect a landing.” Thus, nonviolent resisters would refuse them any help, even water. For it is no part of their duty to help anyone to steal their country.. 2. Always include constructive alternatives. Concrete action is always more powerful than mere symbolism, especially when that action creates constructive alternatives: setting up schools, forming cottage industries, establishing farming cooperatives, devising community-friendly banking. As Buckminster Fuller said, “You never change things by ﬁghting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” 3. Be aware of the long term. Nonviolent action always has positive results, sometimes more than we intended. Violence sometimes “works” in the sense that it forces a particular change, but in the long run, it leads to more misery and disorder. We do not have control over the results of our actions, but we can have control over the means we use, even our feelings and our states of mind. 4. Look for win-win solutions. You are trying to rebuild relationships rather than score “victories.” In a conﬂict, we can feel that in order for one side to 55 win the other must lose, which is not true. Therefore, we do not seek to be winners or rise over others; we seek to learn and make things better for all. 5. Use power carefully. We are conditioned to think that power “grows out of the barrel of a gun.” There is indeed a kind of power that comes from threats and brute force–but it is powerless if we refuse to comply with it.There is another kind of power that comes from truth. Let us say that you have been petitioning to eliminate an injustice. Perhaps you have made your feelings known in polite but ﬁrm protest actions, yet the other party is not responding. Then you must, as Gandhi said, “not only speak to the head but move the heart also.” We can make the injustice clear by taking upon ourselves the suﬀering inherent in the unjust system. This allows us to mobilize Satyagraha, or “truth force.” In extreme cases, we may need to do it at the risk of our own lives, which is why it is good to be very clear about our goals. Do this with care. 6. Claim our legacy. Nonviolence no longer needs to take place in a vacuum. Always note that if you are using nonviolence with courage, determination and a clear strategy, you will more than likely succeed: win or lose, you will be playing your part in a great transformation of human relationships that our future depends on. 56 These six principles are founded on a belief that all life is an interconnected whole and that when we understand our real needs, we are not in competition with anyone. As Martin Luther King said, “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.” How to promote principles of non-violence? We need to adopt multi- dimensional strategies to promote the principles of non- violence in order to ensure eﬀective and consistent conﬂict resolution in all walks of life. We need to focus on the source of conﬂict to promote appropriate principles of non – violence which may include negotiation, mediation, respect to other's views, understanding the diﬀerences, mutual consultation and discussion etc. People need to be exposed and made aware of diﬀerent principles of non – violence as propounded, preached and practiced by diﬀerent personalities of the world from time to time. Lessons from history always need to be kept in sight while aiming for conﬂict resolution through nonviolence. Whenever confronted with any dilemma or doubt over the adoption of suitable ways for conﬂict resolution, one has to keep in mind that the method of non – violence is the only permanent and eﬀective method. People of all ages irrespective of sex, caste, creed, race, religion and nationality, will have to be indoctrinated through various means to the eﬃcacy of non – violent means. In a nutshell, it would be most appropriate to infer that promotion of non– violence is the only potent tool, nay strategy, to ensure conﬂict resolution in any sphere of human life. In today's world, where we have been witnessing a lot of conﬂict in all ﬁelds, be it social, political, religious, ethno-cultural or economic etc., non- violence is the only panacea. We need to believe in it, preach it and practice it in true sense if world is to be made a perfect place to live 57 in. Needless to emphasize, non-violence is the harbinger of peace, conﬂict-less environment by removing both external and internal conﬂicts and ensuring a “Win-Win” situation for all parties Love Selﬂess love is the most fundamental moral value and is the source of happiness, truth, peace, sacriﬁce, endurance and all the higher values of life. Love is the unseen undercurrent binding all the universal values. “Love in thoughts is Sathya (truth), Love in feelings is Shanthi (peace) Love in action is Dharma (righteousness) and Love in understanding is Ahimsa (nonviolence.)” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba Need of Love Love is the supreme value. It is a form of energy which each individual transmits and receives. The essence of value education is to train students to start the day with love, ﬁll the day with love and to end the day with love Love is powerful feeling that establishes a bo

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