The Proliferation of Gandhian Impact on the Deep Interiors of South India in Raja Rao's Kanthapura

Gandhian ideology is rooted in the everlasting human values handed down to us over centuries such as truth, non-violence, righteousness, tolerance and love. Gandhi only reiterated these values taught by Upanishads, the Buddha and the Gita. Gandhian ideology also corresponds a number of contemporary issues like rural poverty, untouchability, plight of women and communal violence. Gandhian thought engineered a mass-based social and political revolution in India. Gandhian movements made an extraordinarily deep impact on literacy writers of Indian writing in English. It provided the writers, for the first time, a vision of a society on the move towards socio-economic reconstruction and political independence. Spiritually and intellectually, it instigated them to seek a new identity: a sensitive blend of the traditional and the modern. This revealed itself in the emergence of a number of Indian Novelist in English

Mapping Ecological Footprints of Migrants: A Gandhian Perspective

Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, migrants have suffered immensely not only across nations but also within the countries. Migration has been an inevitable phenomenon with the onset of globalization. With the commencement of globalization, humans are driven towards more and more consumerism. Thus, increasing levels of consumption have set further pressure on the limited resources in nature. On one hand, it is not ethically viable to cease migration, while on the other hand, while following their dreams or due to unavoidable circumstances, this international and inter-regional mobility results in a high level of consumption. The paper attempts to resolve the dilemma of the ethical responsibility of embracing immigration and the crises it imposes on ecological footprints. The study reveals that by adopting the attributes of the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence, tolerance, and adaptability the immigrants themselves can ensure the immigration process as a peaceful journey of life. The other aspects of Gandhian philosophy such as self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and minimum consumption become the guiding force in setting the goals in life. Thus, migrants themselves feel responsible for maintaining the ecological balance and the state must ensure equal opportunities and secure inclusivity, the two fundamental elements of sustainable development endorsed while advocating human migration and settlement

Formative exploration of students’ perception about Community Medicine teaching at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram, India

Objective: The objectives of the present formative research were to explore the medical undergraduates’ study problems and their perceptions about various teaching approaches in currently practiced teaching curriculum of Community Medicine. Material and Methods: The present formative research was undertaken at Dr. Sushila Nayar School of Public Health incorporating Department of Community Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram. The respondents were 17 (26.5%) conveniently selected final year exam appearing medical undergraduates from 2004 regular batch of 64 students. A triangulation of qualitative research methods like free listing, pile sort exercise and a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were used. A two dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis was completed with the pile sort data. The data was analyzed by using software Anthropac 4.98.1/X software. Results: The medical undergraduates could understand the topics like Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood (IMNCI), Primary Health Care (PHC), cold chain system for vaccines, immunization and health education, dietary survey and cluster survey method taught in the community based camp approaches. Students found it difficult to comprehend the core of subject from the scattered lecture series over a long teaching period, especially using lengthy over head projector/liquid crystal display presentations. The major problems encountered in studying the subject of Community Medicine were difficulty in understanding the concepts of biostatistics, confusions due to apparently similar text in National Health Programs and difficulty to recall disease statistics due to vast syllabus. Conclusions: Students perceived the community based camp approach of teaching as a best method to understand the subject, which is an integration of task oriented assignments, integration of social sciences within medical domain and active community involvement. Hence, the community based camp approach can be scaled up as a best Community Medicine teaching approach. The active learning methods could be used to improve the lectures and the clinics which should be more concentrated in final year of teachin

Contextual Reference of Gandhian Philosophy in Human Resources Management Practices

India is a land of philosophers; Gandhi is a reformer and a modern philosopher who invented tools to inspire the masses. These tools find relevance in present day, Gandhian Philosophy is based on the four pillars; Truth, Non-Violence or Ahimsa, Self-Respect and Satyagraha. He practiced and preached the life of austerity, humbleness and truth. His philosophy of simple living and high thinking attracted the peasants, humbled the mighty and the rich. The present paper analyses the application of the principles in the present context with respect to human resources practices. The present global context requires inspirational leadership style with appropriate strategy; Gandhiji is the best strategist with follower centric approach. The human resource management practices were linked with human factor theory and defined as a bundle of practices. The strike as a right, collective bargaining, arbitration and self-introspection were some of his contributions

Social and Political Consciousness in Nayantara Sahgal’s This Time of Morning

The present paper deals with the socio-political issues encountered after independent India represented in Nayantara Sahgal’s novel, This Time of Morning. On the one hand, the study explores the conflict of ideas between power hungry and crafty politicians and ideal and national conscious politicians. It explicates disillusionment about the functioning of democratic institutions, the calibre of the new leaders. The erosion of moral values in politics found their articulation in her fiction. On the other hand, the novel reveals the perception of marriage of both traditional woman and new woman. In a nutshell, it deals with the theme of the conflict between idealism and materialism in post independent India’s political world and tradition and modernism in the lives of man woman relationship in the society

The Depiction of Karma Philosophy in the Novels of R. K. Narayan

Not availabl

Is Narayan’s Bharati a Crocus of an Ideal Indian Woman?

India is a land with deep-rooted value system. Exhibiting the trends associated with being a ‘true Indian’, R.K. Narayan, who is celebrated as a pure and simple writer, affirms the values of life and reposes faith in moral order in his novels. At the time when he started writing, Indian society underwent a sea change. Social reformers and intellectuals were busy in redefining the image of an Indian woman. Narayan also felt the pressure of the prevalent ideology and put forward the idea of what it is to be an ideal Indian woman and created a female character named Bharati in his novel Waiting for the Mahatma (1955). The novel is seen as a ‘liberation fable’ with Bharati as the central character who is viewed as a crocus of an ideal Indian woman. Her view of life is considered viable and authentic. Critics opine that Bharati, who is bold, self-dependent, and strong is an example of Narayan’s true vision of women’s empowerment. Although when her character is studied closely, it becomes apparent that Bharati internalizes myths and accepts roles that afford her no real choices and no real values. She perfectly resembles traditional women who possess neither agency nor any will of their own and spend their energy in the service of patriarchy. Even though Bharati radiates through the novel and finds a space, her attributes as a volitional force reserved for Sriram suggest that she is the subject of the novel who lacks artistic expression and self-assertion. Narayan, despite his awareness about the predicament of an Indian woman and his sincere effort to be judicious towards woman, fails to transcend the forces of history that allows him to look at women with stereotypical vision

PACIFISM AS AN ETHICAL RESPONSE TO WAR AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Abstract. An early perception of pacifism was known even in Latium, a small area in Ancient Rome. Its meaning, in the language then spoken, arose from the word (ficus) that personifies the very coming into being of harmonious relations between nations (pax). In other words, the term portrays creation of peace on a continuum from complete to moderate resistance to armed conflict while different arguments of abstract, spiritual and scriptural nature defend its core. Pacifism maxim that war is wrong as killing is wrong belongs to the primary theory virtues that the paper will attempt to visualize in sections of absolute, deontological, and consequentialist conviction as well as that of contingent belief and civil rights movements. Another hallmark refers to pacifists’ belief in nonviolence as what only defends the innocent or prevents breaking out the conflict. The theory disapproves armed dispute; it simultaneously means moderate opposition and denial of cruelty in building peace. It is concentrated on overruling war and represents, at the core, a moral attitude calling upon political philosophy to uphold the principled negation of war. Violence nowadays is an inevitable part of life, but insisting that taking up arms is not a part of the solution is what permeates discourses too. Key words: pacifism, absolutist, deontological, consequentialist, contingent

The Influence of Gandhi's Economic Thoughts on the Indian Economy

Gandhi wanted the Indian economy to center around autonomous village republics rather than work on the back of large-scale industries or consumption expenditure. Gandhi's principles for formulating his economic thoughts were based on a call to 'return to the nature'. He would have liked people to reduce their wants in lives and to concentrate instead on development of their faculties for achievement of spiritual goals. This would not require people in villages to madly rush to cities in search of work. All people would live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. He would justify use of machines and industrial production systems in the economy only when the outcomes serviced the fundamental and most basic needs of people. This paper describes Gandhi's economic principles in order to analyze how they contrast with the free operation of the market today which has created multiple new inequalities in society. The liberalized rapid economic growth model in India has made development of the rural sector secondary to rapid growths in trade and manufactures of consumer commodities in the urban centers. This has gone the opposite way from the paths Gandhi outlined for his country, and it has exacerbated the same societal inequalities he wanted to see reduced.Gandhi quería que la economía india se centrara en las repúblicas de pueblos autónomos en lugar de trabajar sobre la base de industrias a gran escala o de costos de consumo. Los principios de Gandhi para formular sus pensamientos económicos se basaron en una llamada a "regresar a la naturaleza". Le hubiera gustado que la gente redujera sus deseos mundanos y se concentrara en cambio en el desarrollo de sus facultades para el logro de metas espirituales. Esto no requeriría que la gente de las aldeas haya de apresurar locamente a las ciudades en busca de trabajo. Todas las personas vivirían vidas más satisfactorias y significativas. Justificaría el uso de máquinas y sistemas de producción industrial en la economía solo cuando sus resultados satisfagan las necesidades fundamentales y más básicas de las personas. Este artículo no se detiene en los principios económicos de Gandhi, sino que analiza cómo se contrastan con el libre funcionamiento del mercado que hoy en día crea múltiples desigualdades en la sociedad. El modelo liberalizado de rápido crecimiento económico en la India ha hecho que el desarrollo del sector rural sea secundario al rápido crecimiento del comercio y la fabricación de productos de consumo en los centros urbanos. Esto ha ido en sentido contrario a los caminos que Gandhi delineó para su país, y ha exacerbado las mismas desigualdades sociales que él quería ver reducidas