1.4 Pillars of Democracy
Ice Breakers
1) Choose the correct alternative.
(i) ‘Government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth’. This famous statement is made by –
(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Abraham Lincoln
(b) Nelson Mandela
(d) Dalai Lama
Answer: Abraham Lincoln
(ii) A system where the government is elected and ruled by people is called-
(a) Bureaucracy
(b) Aristocracy
(c) Democracy
(d) Autocracy
Answer: Democracy
(iii) A democratic country is governed by, its-
(a) Military
(b) Police
(c) Politicians
(d) Constitution
Answer: Constitution
2) Match the following.
Sr. | A | B |
1. | Constitution | a) It is the freedom to go where you want, do what you want etc.
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2. | Liberty | b) It is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights or opportunities.
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3. | Equality | c) It is the sense of common brotherhood.
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4. | Fraternity | d) It is an aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
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Answer:
Sr. | A | B |
1. | Constitution | d) It is an aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
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2. | Liberty | a) It is the freedom to go where you want, do what you want etc.
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3. | Equality | b) It is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights or opportunities.
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4. | Fraternity | c) It is the sense of common brotherhood.
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3) Explain
Pillars form a support for concrete buildings. Metaphorically speaking a strong nation too depends on strong pillars. Explain the pillars of a democratic nation. Make a list of obstacles that are a threat to the progress of a nation.
Answer:
The pillars of democracy are liberty, equality and fraternity. Liberty, equality and fraternity lead to an ideal nation. These three concepts build a strong, supportive, caring and united nation. Here people work for the well-being of all. They love and respect other persons. There is no separation in respect of social life. So, such nation is an ideal nation. They build the foundation of a strong nation.
Obstacles that are a threat to the progress of a nation.
1) Communalism
2) Casteism
3) Excessive pride for Language
4) Regionalism
5) Economic Differences
6) Terrorism
7) Racism
8) Large growing population
9) Gender inequality
10) Corruption
11) A lack of capital investment
12) A crushing level of debt
13) Poor development of trade and commerce
14) Illiteracy
15) inadequate technology
16) Unemployment
Writer: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
He was born on 14th April 1891 in the town and military cantonment of Mhow (now Dr. Ambedkar Nagar) in Madhya Pradesh. He got his degree from Elphinston College, Mumbai. He subsequently obtained the doctorate from Columbia University, USA and London School of Economics. He was also assigned the big and challenging task of framing the ‘Constitution of India’ in the capacity of Chairman of the Drafting Committee. He was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’ posthumously for his dedication and commitment for the welfare of our country. He wrote various thought-provoking books.
About the topic: Pillars of Democracy
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar has laid emphasis on the values of liberty, equality and fraternity. According to him, these principles will make India a strong nation. These principles make our life livable.
He opines that hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship and the collapse of a nation. He shows the threats of such hero worship and asks the readers to keep away from such thinking.
Important points:
According to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, for maintaining democracy not in form but in fact it needs to do the following things.
1) To hold fast to constitutional methods for achieving our social and economic objectives.
2) Do not use any unconstitutional methods as these methods create the Grammar of Anarchy leading liberty at stake.
3) One should not lay liberties at the feet of even a great man. The man may have sacrificed for the nation, but it is not justified one lay liberty at his feet.
4) One should not trust the man with powers which enable him to subvert the institutions. It is dangerous to liberty of the people.
5) There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men but there are limits to that gratefulness. It is not good for democracy; it the limits are exceeded.
6) In this concern, Irish patriot Danniel O’Connel says that No man can be grateful at the cost of his honour, not woman can be grateful at the cost of her chastity and no nation can be grateful at the cost of liberty.
7) Here Dr. Ambedkar has given an example of Bhakti. It subtly fits to the gratefulness theory in India. Bhakti or hero-worship plays diametrically opposite roles in Indian religion and Indian politics.
8) Dr.Ambedkar says ‘on the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. The Indian people will get political right of equality. But they are away from equality in social and economic life. In politics, the principle is one man one vote and one vote one value. But the same principle is not applied in social and political life of India.
9) Dr. Ambedkar says, ‘If we continue to deny one man one value i.e. equality in our social and economic life, we are putting our democracy in peril’
10) Fraternity means a sense of common brotherhood of all Indians. According to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, it is not easy to achieve fraternity in Indian social life.
11) Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar gives example in the words of Jame Bryce. ‘In American Protestant Epicopal church, at its triennial convention a prayer for all the people was said. The words ran as “O Lord bless our nation” But the objections were raised by the people of a religious community and later on the words in the prayer was changed as ‘O Lord, bless these United States’.
12) USA has no caste problem still the people did not accept as they were a nation. In India there are so many castes. Castes are anti-national. They bring about separation in social life. Castes are antinational as they generate jealousy and antipathy between common people.
13) According to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, in believing that we are a nation, we are doing a great mistake. People divided into several thousands of castes can’t be a nation.
CONCLUSION:
Fraternity can be a fact only when there is a nation. Without fraternity, equality and liberty will be no deeper than coats of paints.
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