Introduction
A great many students and
office-workers around the world go to work only for five or six days. And rest
on the weekends. Yet, very few people who relax on their day off realize that
this holiday is the outcome of a long struggle by workers. That the work-day
should not exceed eight hours, that men and women should be paid equally for
doing the same work, that workers are entitled to social security and pension –
these and many other rights were gained through social movements. Social
movements have shaped the world we live in and continue to do so.
Educational Significance
Not only students but also all the
people in India should be aware of the social movements in India. Then only
they are able to understand the values of the rights and freedom that they are
enjoying. Through such studies only they can understand the influence of social
movements in shaping our society and to know the contributions of the great
people to the formation of the existing society.
Description of the topic
The history of India is
full of social movements launched against the structural and cultural barriers
which prevented people from moving up or in their desired directions. Social
movements generally aim at achieving an egalitarian social structure. However,
there are also counter-social movements, which resist such efforts and do
whatever is possible to maintain the status too.
A social movement requires sustained
collective action over time. Such action is often directed against the state
and takes the form of demanding changes in state policy or practice.
Spontaneous, disorganised protest cannot be called a social movement either.
Collective action must be marked by some degree of organisation. This
organisation may include a leadership and a structure that defines how members
relate to each other, make decisions and carry them out. Those participating in
a social movement also have shared objectives and ideologies. A social movement
has a general orientation or way of approaching to bring about (or to prevent)
change. These defining features are not constant. They may change over the
course of a social movement’s life.
India has experienced a whole array
of social movements involving women, peasants, dalits, students, and others.
Here social movements are classified into the following nine types on the basis
of the socioeconomic characteristics of the participants and the issues
involved:
1. Peasant movements:
Demands:
Ø Demanded freedom from economic
exploitation for peasants, workers and all other exploited classes.
Results:
Ø These movements created an atmosphere
for post- independence agrarian reforms, for instance, abolition of Zamindari.
Ø They eroded the power of the landed
class, thus adding to the transformation of the agrarian structure.
2. Tribal movements:
Demands:
Ø
All the factors of land alienation,
usurpation, forced labour, minimum wages, and land grabbing compelled many
tribes to revolt.
Results:
Ø The
revolts have not helped them to achieve their goals.
3. Dalit movements:
Demands:
Ø This is a struggle for recognition as
fellow human beings.
Ø It is a struggle for self-confidence
and a space for self-determination.
Ø It is a struggle for abolishment of stigmatization,
that untouchability implied.
Ø It has been called a struggle to be
touched.
Results:
Ø Untouchability is abolished but
injustice practices are not.
4. Backward caste movements:
(1. Dravidian Movement, 2. SNDP Movement, 3. Mahar Movement)
Demands:
Ø Attempts
of the untouchable castes to alter the traditional balance of power besides
improving their own positions.
Results:
Ø The
movement motivated them to take to modern education which in the long run
enabled them to aces to the modern occupation and professions which carried
high rewards in terms of prestige and wealth.
Ø These
communities successfully raised their status in society.
5.
Women’s movements:
Demands:
Ø The
post-independence movement demanded gender equality, questioned gender-based
division of labor and highlighted the oppressive nature of the existing
patriarchal structure, issues
of land rights, employment have been fought alongside rights against sexual
harassment ,dowry system and domestic violence.
Results:
Ø Improved the status of women in the
society.
Ø A number of laws were issued by the
court for the protection of women.
Ø A large number of governmental &
non governmental organizations are evolved for ensuring protection and
promotion of women.
6. Industrial working
class movements:
Demands:
Ø Against
excessive workload, low wage and absence of minimum security, child labour etc.
Results:
Ø A
numbers of acts were declared which expanded the rights of workers, abolished
child labour, working hours and rest hours were set properly by providing
Sundays as holidays.
7. Students’ movements:
Demands:
Ø Main demands of the Student
Federation included increasing Government allocations to education, the right
to form student Unions and the recognition of all democratic and political
rights of students and teachers, the right to a job, free and compulsory
education to all those below 14 years of age, the distribution of books at low
cost, the liberation of the syllabus from colonial overtones, the withdrawal of
India’s name from the commonwealth, voting rights at the age of 18, rights of
assembly and protest to all sections of society, and helping the peoples of
Asia in their struggles against imperialism and oppression.
Results:
Ø The New Education Policy(1986)
changed the entire scenario of Indian education. A major achievement of the
student’s movement in the 90’s was the recognition of Education as a Fundamental
right. Most of their demands were satisfied.
8. Human rights movements
Demands:
Ø The emergency period (1975-77)
sensitized the people to fight for human rights mainly for basic rights to life
& freedom.
Results:
Ø The movement achieved the entire goal
successfully. Now also we are enjoying a good and happy life as we are
protected by human rights.
9. Environmental movements:
(Chipko Movement- 1973, The Silent Valley Project-1978, Jungle Bachao Andolan- 1980, Navdanya Movement- 1982, Narmada Bachao Andolan- 1985etc)
Demands:
Ø Against deforestation, over exploitation of natural
resources, destructive development etc.
Results:
Ø Environmental protection laws and
acts were established to protect our environment and natural resources.
Afforestation is promoted. Gives more importance to sustainable development.
Relevant quotation on
the topic:
According
to T.K. Oommen (1977: 16), “the movements will neither have the potentialities
to root out the existing system completely nor will they succumb to the
traditional structures entirely. Essentially then, social movements provide the
stage for confluence between the old and new values and structures.”
[Source: Ghanshyam
Shah; Social Movements in India; A Review of Literature; Sage publications Pvt
Ltd; 2004.]
Comment on the topic:
Ø
“Social movements generally mobilize
members or participants to seek redressal of a grievance, or to struggle for
specific goals and objectives”.
Ø “Social
movements generally aim at and result in change”.
Suggestions:
Ø People’s movement should not be
violent in nature.
Ø The school curriculum should give
more stress on this topic.
Ø Promote such movements that bring
development to our society.
Ø Resist those activities that create
harm to our society.
Conclusion
The programmes of social movements are based on the aim of
restructuring of society. We may define a social movement as a collective
effort to transform some established sets of social relations. A social movement has a general
orientation or way of approaching to bring about (or to prevent) change. They are very essential for the proper functioning and
the development of the society. People’s movements in India directly influenced
the development of the entire country.
References
1.
Ghanshyam
Shah; Social Movements in India; A Review of Literature; Sage publications Pvt
Ltd; 2004.]
5.
http://www.intercoll.net/bdf/_docs/social_movements_india.pdf
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