THE STUDY OF CHALLENGES TO PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE IN INDIA: AN EXPLORATIVE STUDY

This paper is dedicated to Muslim Friends with Eid Mubarak Greeting.

 Dr.M.DOSS, STATE TRAINING CENTRE (SCERT), PONDICHERRY

 1.   Introduction

  The Indian society which is dynamic in nature is never homogenous and it is highly religiously and culturally diverse. People belonging to different religions and different cultures are the active members of the society in which they are living. Members of the society should live peacefully with others which is the primary function of the welfare state. With a view to achieving social objectives, society creates social institutions such as family, school, media and religion to teach socialization, social justice, social control, religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence, non-violence and understanding others perceptions. A social institution is a structure of a society that is organized to meet the needs of the people chiefly through well established procedures. Do the social institutions help people acquire the above mentioned objectives? In a pluralistic society or in a multi-cultural society, do minority people live peacefully while communal problem breaks out? During election time, hundreds of people, whether they are minority or majority will experience social trauma and torture without being involved into it. Citizens of India, most of them are silent spectators, have become preys to the numerous social and political atrocities so that they become political and communal victims. Even, they don’t have right to die peacefully and in turn they die hundred times in the society where they live in.

  The challenging components against the establishment of peaceful co-existence are as follows: impotency of social institutions, religionism, fake leadership, pseudo system of education, political interference, socio-economic disparities, lack of cultural assimilation, absence of socialization among the young, irreligious activities, absence of media ethics and lack of life skills for the youth. Educating students and youth is the only way to redeem India from the clutches of evil spirits like -- politicizing issues, misguiding leaderships, power hegemony, communal clashes and riots, religionism, religious intolerance and social unrest.

  Peace begins with the individual and spreads to the family, to the community, to the nation, and to the global village. Peace is a prime requirement for progress and national integration. Peace can be nurtured or inculcated by nurturing the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that comprise a culture of peace. Peace mandates the practice of values such as love, truth, justice, equality, tolerance, harmony, togetherness, and self-control. Peace is not achieved through any ideology, it does not depend on legislation. It comes only we as individuals begin to understand our psychological process. If we avoid the responsibility of acting individually and wait for some other new system to establish peace, we shall mearly become the slaves of the system.(Sharma, Promila, 2008).

  If any country wants to help their people to live peacefully with others who belonged to different religion and culture, it should begin ‘education for peace’ from the school itself. Faith in education as a means of promoting personal adjustment, of reshaping attitudes to keep pace with changing social conditions and of re-orienting the social structure.(Elmer H.Johnson,1978). Adjustment, tolerance, creating conducive environment for harmonious living, education about religions not religious education, foster universal and eternal values are primary components for peaceful coexistence, which should be nurtured among the young minds and the youth of India through formal education.

 The study was undertaken with the following objectives:

1. To understand the roles of social institutions in relation to peaceful coexistence

2. To identify the factors/components that are challenging to peaceful coexistence

3. To suggest remedial measures in the name of Action plan to be adopted.

  As a research design of the study, normative survey method was adopted. Some sociological works and a few case studies were considered for primary sources of the study. Besides, social science text books at secondary level of respective state government were used. As a secondary sources of study, materials from research journals and newspapers were used for the study. The academic coordinators of the training centres were interviewed with interview schedule. This study attempts to explore the possibilities of creating peaceful existence among the people between minority and majority through certain remedial components – cultural assimilation, introduction of multi-cultural education, innovation in systemic reforms in school education, moulding children with good leadership qualities, development of social justice, inculcation of religious tolerance, greater importance on morality, socialization of students and youth of different religions and mutual understanding including international understanding.

 2. Social Institutions and their Related Functions

Social institutions like schools, families, peer groups, media and other provide various environments to them to grow with unique personality. As the child grows and interacts with the parents and others, he learns a complex system of social responses through observational learning. Bandura and Watters (1963) endorsed the above mentioned statement through their researches. Sear says that dependency is the principle source of reinforcement of the initiative behaviour and this leads to identification and adult role adoption. In the absence of dependency motivation of identification would not develop.  In this period, the child develops his conscience

   Family

Family is a small component of a society interwoven with the fabrication of love; it’s a bridge connecting parents with the children; it’s a social institute that fulfills children’s needs to get socialized (Merill, McIver and Page, 1952). It is universally known that family is the first school and that mother is the first teacher to teach preliminary concepts to the children. Society expects certain functions from the family to be carried out for the welfare of the children. They are: affectional function, economic function, recreational function, protective function, religious function, educational function, socialization, race perpetuation, cultural function, accumulation and transmission of social heritage.  But could it be possible for a family to foster these objectives after modernization, urbanization and industrialization? After the advent of science and technology and its related impact on the society, family’s role has been considerably reduced.

  Islam is very deeply concerned with the welfare of human society, and the family is considered to be the cornerstone for building the right society. Raising children in this culture and expecting Islamic values from them is a unique and very tough challenge. Muslim families are at disadvantaged in meeting the psychological and spiritual needs of the children(Ahama, Aftab, 2009). The sociologists said that the modern family is gradually disorganized – lack of family unity, decrease in family control, strife, laxity in marital bonds, conflict between parents and children and lack of protection. Disintegration of joint-family into nuclear family, employment of both father and mother and economic satiation are the major hurdles for a family to pay attention for the development of their children. One among the functions of the family is religious function which is very important for social adaptation in a pluralistic society. Family should educate them about the importance of religious functions and how other people are celebrating their religious functions in the name of comparative religion. Religious activities, rituals, faith in religion, pious minded, feeling of brotherhood, sense of sacrifice for others, respecting other’s religious feelings etc., should be imparted to the children by the family members either directly or indirectly for better human understanding. We should be attentive on the children not to have developed any kind of contradiction and indecent feeling against religions. As Sigmund Freud and Adler had pointed out:

 “Children would behave in the society as they behave in a family. Deviant behaviour that starts at the family would slightly creep into the society and change it into chaotic form.”

 Family should take initiatives to create a peaceful world where our offsprings will coexist peacefully, stretching one’s hands towards others with warm and affection. Provision of education to our children will make them doctors, engineers and scientists but not a human being. Proper religious education will do wonder and keep them with wet heart for ever.

 Schools

            School, like family, is another social institution aiming to change students behaviour in socially acceptable ways. School is built with the expectation that it could impart training in civics, in exchange of culture, in using leisure time properly, and in reading socially useful books, in addition to teaching text-based materials. Our obvious aim of education is – character building, development of personality, preparation of adult life, control and sublimation of basic instincts, creation of useful citizens, encouragement to social welfare, increasing consciousness of other cultures, improving emotional unity and national development. In conformity with the objectives of teaching, do the schools prepare children to attain the so-called objectives?

            In fact, sincere teachers with human concern cannot say ‘yes’ to this question immediately. Most of the schools whether private schools or government schools pay too much attention in raising pass-percentage. According to National Educational Policy (1986), School should reduce the rate of cultural shock and disintegration, and using education as an instrument should inculcate social and moral values in the minds of the students by doing apt changes in the school curriculum.

 “Child’s mind is unwritten black slate was an important concept in the eighteenth century, characters can be changed easily, so even the child with deviant behaviour can be redeemed”. (Wardle, 1974).    

            Everyone in the teaching line should realize that teaching is not sharing information with the students but making them socially competent through exposing them towards cultural education, ethics and moral education and nation-based awareness education (Mrs. Indira Gandhi, 1966). If we want to achieve these objectives, we ought to use hidden curriculum apart from using open curriculum. Stephen J. Bail (1986) says that hidden curriculum comparing with other curriculum helps children understand the concepts better, because it creates conducive educational atmosphere in the classrooms.  When schools concentrate on result-oriented approach, how do we expect them to prepare children with all-round development, ignoring the principles of educational psychology? It is not uncommon to say that schools can do wonder in changing students behaviour through academic and non-academic counseling and using a few psychological techniques.

  Education stands for the development of an integrated personality of a student who is to construct healthy community. Right development means right values that arise from ones attitude. This attitude is the result of ones efforts, ones environment and ones inherited disposition. It has strong belief that the proper environment and efforts can definitely modified ones personality.      According to Freud, school children are influenced by desire instinct and evil thoughts such as intolerance, violence, disobedience, disloyalty, etc. We hardly understand the behaviour of some children. Instead, we blame them seriously. Though we study that school students are non-conformists, apathetic youth (Block et al 1968), traveler with no aim and destination (Sorenson, 1962), unattractive growing boys with more nuisance (Tagore), helpless creatures (Stanley Hall, 1904) and alienated souls, we are not considerate to them in solving their problems, J. Krishnamurthy sadly observes that the students come to schools from a background of fear, with psychological wounds and that they are not properly understood by the school authorities. We refuse to analyze the reason for his poor performance in the examination. Even the manured teachers in most of the time would show the mentality to revenge the adolescent students instead of remediation.

  Schools should develop an indirect technique to produce desirable changes for around development by developing suitable study habits among the students. Reading books is one of the significant study habits creating unbelievable changes in the youth. This habit, says Jagannath Mohanty (1990), will help the students improve their reading strategy and polish their language. The right step to develop creativity is to make them read more and more books and understand the techniques of presentation (Alan Davis, 1990). Above all, it provides outlet for social as well as domestic based emotion which is one of the real factors for moulding personality. This is one of the reasons why textbook committee introduced supplementary reader for secondary school students. Keeping this principal in mind that reading habit should be inculcated, books are selected for the prizes on special occasions (Wardle, 1974 and Mc Lure 1965). But books are not properly used as far as Indian schools are concerned.

 “Students should be taught how to use books; make them feel the value of books; chances are to be made to read more knowledge based books at national international level books are kept in the closed almairahs in the libraries, instead of circulation”. (Yash pal, 1993).

  In schools, the teachers who studied educational psychology at the college of education hardly use the principles of educational psychology towards the welfare of the students. This trend should be eliminated from the system and encouraging atmosphere should be created. It is fitting to highlight what Mr. Chilana (1978) says, “Ideal School is a second home and the teachers are parents in absentia and should give same education to other children as they would like to give to their own children.

 2.3. Media    

           Communication is a fundamental human and social process. The function of any society depends upon the quality of the communication among its members. In other words, the prosperity of the society is judged by the extent its members can afford and use various modes of communication – newspapers, radio, television and computers etc.

  Media plays an important role in disseminating knowledge on cultural heritage and stimulating cultural activities. Culture is a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, morals, arts, laws and customs acquired by a human being as a member of the society (Contractor, Fulk, Monge and Singhal, 1986). It is apparent that there are differences in these cultural factors of various societies all over the world. Hence, the adoption of new technologies to the country like India where people are heterogeneous will create numerous cultures based problems. During riots, media – print and non-print media should be impartial in presenting matters of incidents to the reading public. Certain news for the boosting of sales of newspapers need not be published or may be postponed in order to maintain social harmony and peaceful coexistence. There is a lot of evidences that after publication of news in the local dailies about communal clashes, death rate was drastically and pathetically improved in riot affected areas. Do media help us live peacefully?   In the information age, media is equally responsible with regard to socializing school students. Television, radio, computer and newspaper, being easily available to the student mass, are the effective media for this purpose whose impact on school students cannot be measurable. How many students re watching these educational programmes? When enquired students about these educational articles and programmes, only 15% of the students responded that they had availed of the educational opportunity intermittently.  After the advent of multi-media, the students are exposed to misleading programmes which would disintegrate our cultural fabrics. They ignore carefully prepared serials which are sermonizing and dogmatic in nature.

  As Alvin Toffler (1974) pointed out, “Each one of us should be ready to fight with ‘culture shock’ which would disintegrate our cultural fabric and to create will-power in the minds to fight against it”. Consequent upon this, the role of schools and family in this regard has been multiplied to safeguard students from the media.

 2.4.  Religion

Religion is instinctive to man which has saved humanity through the spreading of education. All the founders of religion the world over have preached love and non-violence. All the good activities in the name of religion in society do not imply that the immoral acts have not been done under religious pretext. The great philosopher Cunt says, “Religion is value based” and Mathew Arnold says “Religion is the embodiment of value based consciousness”.

The following are the functions of religion:

·        Spreading value based education

·        Augmenting the feeling of brotherhood

·        Sense of sacrifice and service

·        Removing selfishness and material tendencies

·        Fostering the concept of non-violence, compassion and sympathy.

  But religion has lost its shape and identity in the modern days. Dogmatism, exploitation, laziness and fatalism, violence and war, and despise and hatred are the tools of religion which disintegrate our country into unrecognizable pieces. It takes us to politics considering it a vote bank. With these conditions, do you believe that religion can socialize students in a better way and other social institutions foster religious tolerance. It is disheartening to note that religion hardly creates positive impact on the children after the advent of science and technology and politicization.   Religious feelings and related principles are to be developed by the family and be received through generation as a kind of integrated experiences to the children.

  Alport, the great psychologist, says, “In the time span, we may say that impact of religion has been reduced and we cannot argue saying that there is no impact at all. It has been still creating impact on the students in the name religious rituals. These rituals are tools to make the students realize the importance of value based power which either directly or indirectly create significant effect on them (Red Cliff Brown).

  Those who are willing to establish peaceful world can guide students using in an integrated approach to attain energetic mind which is the resultant product of power of reasoning with logical analysis and religious feeling. This is the only way to do wonders in the problematic world. (J. Krishnamurthy, 1974). In her book ‘Asian Drama’, Ginner Mirdal says:

 “There are two types of education. One is to understand the text and retain it for future use and the other one is for production. First type of education is to propagate good ideals, principles and values in the society and the second one is to remove superstitious beliefs, incorrect opinion and wrong ideology from the society.”

   Accordingly, the teachers and parents have to do the tasks relating to the second type of education which is the need of the hour. If we do so, we can foster religious harmony, cultural assimilation, accommodation of ideologies and tolerance among the students thereby socialize students to become better citizens of the country. Religious education in the true sense is to encourage the child to understand his own relationship to people, to things and to nature. Everyone should understand that there is no existence without relationship (Sharma,Promila, 2008).

  No religion teaches us violence in the world but preaches love, spiritual development, self-discipline, peaceful coexistence, sacrifice to others and ethical way of social life to the mankind with numerous empirical examples. But the emergence of globalization, industrialization, automation and urbanization has distorted the image of religion among the people. Moreover, misinterpretation of scriptures to suite their ill designs also augments conflict-based- relationship among the people. As J.Krishnamuthy, a noted philosopher in India has pointed out that religion is meant for spiritual development, meant for devotional concentration and not for any other purposes. It’s an insight or inner feeling that develops the concept of oneness in our community establishing unity among the people. The great philosopher Cunt says, “Religion is value based” and Mathew Arnold also says

  “Religion is the embodiment of value based consciousness.” Religion, according to National Curriculam Frame Work for School Education is a source of value generation(2005). Values and attitudes are the building blocks of the culture of peace. National Policy on Education(1986) expressed concern over ‘ the erosion of essential values and an increasing cynicism’ in society. It advocated turning education into ‘a forceful tool for the cultivation of social and moral values.’

 2.                 Religionism

  Religion is more important than religionism. Similarly, comparing with religion, humanism is more important than any other principles in the world. The latter concepts will alone will help the people to live peacefully with others. Religion makes the man to be a man whereas religionism makes him a beast. It will infect the surroundings immediately and spoil the affectionate web of social relationship with others. Religious addicted people will behave differently before others and involve in unlawful activities. The activities – criticizing ones religious rituals and beliefs, conversion based on ones poverty or indirect compulsion, claiming supremacy over other religions, spoiling interpersonal relationship by writing slogans against other religion – are threatening social issues that do not allow Indians to live with other minority people in India. In South India, most of the communal clashes occurred because of severe criticism against other religion and a few on conversion. Nowadays, communal clash also takes place within the same minority for power.

  It is very proud to say that Puducherry, the small Union Territory where all linguistic minorities are living, never witnessed any communal clashes in the history of Puducherry. The reason behind this is that different cultures and religious faith are assimilated by people of Puducherry. Hindus in Puducherry will go to Velankanni, a noted Christian Pilgrim centre in Nagapattinam and Nagore, a prominent pilgrim place for Muslim between Karaikal and Nagapattinam to fulfill their religious vows. Similarly Muslim and Christian friends participate in Hindu festivals. What is note worthy is that one Muslim friend constructed a Hindu temple in Puducherry not because he does not like his religion. He is a pious Muslim and also has faith on one of the God of Hinduism. Since faith and cultures get assimilated among the people easily and convincingly, Puducherry people hardly experienced any religious clashes. This kind of feeling should be developed among the young people and students too if we want to live peacefully in the future.  

 4. Socio-Political Scenario in India

  Throughout history, the Indian society was never homogenous and it was highly religiously and culturally diverse. Society plays a very important role in the genesis of communalism. Communalism is a powerful in India. It is wrongly used as a synonym for religion. A communalist is basically interested in exploiting religion for political, electoral and economic gains The challenges of casteism, communalism and religious fundamentalism involving separatism in India are the major threats to our society. They weaken the working and stability of our democratic secular federal state and militate against the basic principles governing our national life. There is an inseparable linkage between democracy and secularism in India. In this multi-religious and multi-cultural society, democracy cannot function if it propagates any one religion. At the same time, the people will not tolerate discrimination on the part of the state on two religious matters. Therefore, secularism, as a complimentary value of democracy and nationalism, is a compulsion for Indian democracy.

  Politicians are also equally responsible for social disorganization. They know who are the vote banks with whom they play with sentiments: religious, political and geographical sentiments. Even the people belonging to different religions, willing to live peacefully with others, the so-called politicians will not allow them to do so. In case, if the people understand their ill-design and decide to live with harmoniously, it will be a closure of the public life of the politicians. The following is the excerpts of the interview held between English writer ‘Ian Rankin’ and Prakash Karat, published in the English Daily The Hindu. In one of the questions posed by Mr.Karat to Ian, Ian says as follows highlighting the involvement of politicians either in a good way or bad way. “ What I am very impressed by is that India actually works, because you have got different cultures, different religions, people of different colours, all trying to work in this huge vibrant country. As technology comes in, as the middle class becomes established a much broader middle class than used to exist. I think some vast changes are underway in the country and its up to the politicians to keep it together.” (The Hindu, 2010). It is indirectly mentioned the role of politicians whose roles will be whether constructive or destructive way

  In the name rationalism, Ministers and MLAs are selected on the basis of caste basis who follow divide and rule policy between the communities. Politicians who belonged Dravidian Movement preached against the existence of God especially Hindu God but the next day they are participating other religious functions like Ramzan and Christmas where there is also given importance for God. If they want to develop rationality among the people irrespective religion, they must propagate it standing before temples, churches, Mosques and Gurduwara. Why before only a particular religion has been exposed bitterly and unnecessarily. They criticize Hinduism in Mosques and churches, and on another day they criticize other religions on the premises of Hindu temples to create religious tension which leads to religious disharmony. Religion is meant for spiritual development and science for logical development and power of reasoning. No religion can be responsive to all types of logical and reasoning questionings.    

  Communal   conflicts not only create bitterness and a sense of insecurity but have far-reaching economic and political consequences as well. They retard economic development and weaken the forces of democracy and damage the nations image outside the country (Kumar,Richa: 2005). It is therefore necessary to ponder over the question of communal riots that take place and device measures to prevent their recurrence. It is firmly believed that education will help in the eradication of the basic feature of communal disharmony. Education equips students and youth with the knowledge that all faiths are equal and develop respect for other religious people. Besides, it sows in each and every one of us the seeds of respect, tolerance, faith and harmony (Kharbas, priyanjali:2005). 

  5. Systemic Reforms

  With reference to the systemic pattern of the Indian system of education being followed currently, the researcher browsed prescribed social science text books from class VI to XII as to know how much exposure is given to the concept of secularism, mutual coexistence, social disharmony, peace education and peace movement. Very little exposure is given to the students on the above mentioned issues which may not help them understand the concepts in a lucid way. Even under evaluation exercises for higher classes, mere textual questions are repeated instead of debatable and brainstorming questions for better understanding. However, a few chapters in social sciences are important like Muslim Invasion to India, certain chapters should not be introduced for young students where they are living in multi-cultural society for peaceful coexistence. History is necessary to know how our ancestors had taken decision for certain social problems amicably and how they had lived peacefully controlling such a larger areas in those days. But if the same history is introduced to divide the people of India, to kill one another in the name of religion, to develop enmity and hatred between the people let the academicians think to re-introduce it with some changes. According to NCF (2005), text books convey attitudes and values explicitly and implicitly. Care needs to be taken in the use of diction and illustration of social science text books. Authors should be aware of socio-economic inequalities, negative attitudes, discriminatory stereotypes, prejudice based on caste, creed, and gender.

Apart from the textual matters of social science, methodology for teaching social sciences for secondary and higher secondary students is not conducive to understand the concept. Less than 1% of the in-service raining programmes were organized to school teachers on how to teach social science especially how to teach some sociological concepts like secularism, understanding the challenges to peaceful living etc., to students who are living in a pluralistic society or multi-cultural society. Since most the teachers in social science are product of distance education, they are not able to teach convincingly on certain issues. Hence it is suggested that policy, curriculum, syllabus, text books on social science, evaluation pattern including project works and teacher training with innovative methodology should be revamped so that future generation can live peacefully. As a part of academic education, social education focuses on the problems of living in organized groups, enhancing the capacity to sustain constructive relationships with other persons and strengthening awareness of the need to balance self-interest and responsibilities to others in family, work, neighbourhood and other groups…it is a vital means for developing the community participation (Elmer H.Johnson, 1978).

  Educationists and educational authorities in general had framed educational policies considering the problems in those days. The policies enumerated at that time may not be suitable to remedy the present situation, as they hardly contained futuristic needs of the teachers. In the words of Toffler (1974), “ All education springs from the images of future and all education creates image of future. If the image of the future held by the society is grossly inaccurate, its education system will betray its youth.” This view motivates futuristic educational sytem to visualize alternative structures and forms of education(Passi and Sahoo, 1991).

 6. Fake Leadership

Leaders with autocratic style does not pay attention to what others say in any issue. Whether social or political issue. Therefore, result may be irreparably chaotic in the society. Autocratic leaders will play with emotions of other human being but leaders with democratic attitude will consider opponents views and welfare of the common people. If all the religious leaders or instructional leader follows democratic values, India will live peacefully with other religious people. Leaders with laissesses fair attitude will remain inactive for all kinds of happening but enjoying his political or religious power. Such type of leadership in India is highly dangerous. Hence, people should be cautious about such leaders whether they are in the political field or religious field or educational field.

  Politicians, communalists and fundamentalists who assume different leadership roles as and when necessity arises are responsible for all kinds of social disorganization that occurs in the society. In order to retain their power in the particular field, they can violate ethics and values. Even the people belonging to different religion and willing to live peacefully with others, the so-called people mentioned above will not allow them to do so. If the people, belonging to different religion and culture, understand their ill-design, it will be a closure of their public life. This is the correct time for the people of India to identify false leadership who misguide us and who are against the concept of peaceful coexistence among the people. The goal of leader is not to exert force, but to empower his or her followers. Leaders are more like holy men than muscle men (James Mac Gregor Burns).  

 7. Socio-Economic Disparities

According to Sachar Committee’s Report, Muslim community whose literacy rate is only 59.13% is lagging behind from other religious minorities and is relatively poor, illiterate and socially excluded. Numerous official surveys and documents have admitted this fact, but the state as well as community leaders have done little to redress the situation. From the study conducted by Jha and Jhingram 92002), Muslims are disadvantaged educationally with only 59.13% being enrolled compared to Hindus(72%) and even other minorities 83.5%). NFHS II DATA on the level of education by background characteristics show that Christians, Sikhs and Jain women have substantially higher literacy compared to Hindus and Muslim women. According to Government reports, Muslim women are the poorest, educationally disenfranchised, economically vulnerable group and most disadvantaged cadre on the earth and continue to remain so.

  The problems of Indian education are of financing, equity and excellence. As these problems have been confounded by rapid globalization, the traditionally excluded social groups are now victims. In the case of Muslim Minorities of India, the growing trend of globalization and liberalization has a deleterious effect on the livelihoods of Muslims as large chunks of the population are dependent on the unorganized sector of the economy for employment and income.(Josephine, Yazali,2009). Inadequate education of the Muslim minority will not bring employment from the organized sector. Therefore, they seem to be restless or dejected looking at the economic disparities in the society. This condition could be aggravated when a state or community is not taking any constructive step to remedy or improve the life style of the Muslim minority in the years to come. The ignorance on the part of the government to provide proper academic facilities for the Muslim minority for their vertical mobility in the employment market will increase the social unrest among the Muslim fraternity. With a view to neutralizing social and religious unrest among the Muslim minority, the government of India should provide the following opportunities: establishment of pre-vocational training centres in a thickly populated Muslim habitation, facility to learn through Urdu medium, vocational training centres for adolescent girls, Counselling for Muslim mothers, scholarships for Muslim girls, construction of residential schools like Kasthuriba Gandhi Balika Vidhyalaya Scheme and rural information centres for students and youth of Muslim minority (Doss, 2009).

 8. Life Skills for Peaceful Co-Existence

  We live in the age of unprecedented levels of violence with constant threats posed by intolerance, fanaticism, dispute and discordance. Ethical action, peace and welfare are facing challenges. Under theses circumstances, educating students and the public is a significant dimension of the long-term process of building up peace—tolerance, justice, intercultural understanding, and civic responsibility. School is one of the social institutions that nurture ethical development, inculcating values, attitudes and skills required for living in harmony with oneself and with others. However, education as practiced in schools often promotes forms of violence. So the need of the hour is to safeguard the individual first and then the group from social disharmony, destruction of social fabric, disorganized nature with furious conflicts, religionism and fundamentalism by imparting ‘Life Skill Education’ to students and youth of India. Life skill education is a social vaccine to the youth that helps them act meaningfully and reflectively. Life skill education is defined as the abilities and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal with the demands and challenges of everyday life. These abilities facilitate physical, mental and emotional well-being of an individual(AEP: 2008). Life skills are essential possessions for any young person for inevitable turning points in life. This approach is an interactive educational methodology that not only highlights on transmitting knowledge but also aims to shape attitudes and develop interpersonal skills. Life skills can be summarized under three heads: thinking skills, social skills and personal skills.

 Thinking Skills

• Self-awareness
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Critical thinking
• Creating thinking

 Social Skills

• Interpersonal skills
• Effective communication
• Active listening
• Empathy
• Managing feeling/emotions
• Coping with stress

 

Personal Skills

• Co-operation
• Adaptability
• Self-discipline
• Responsibility
• Accountability
• Respect

 

The students and youth should be trained how to make use of these life skills in various situations to safeguard themselves from the perils of social disharmony. In this regard, role play can be introduced in schools and colleges in order to use those sklls in simulated situations.

 9. Remedial Measures

Government of India is to undertake the following action plans to help the disadvantaged groups to enhance their social status.

Introduction of Peace education in schools in establishing ‘Peace Clubs’ at secondary level.

1. Social education or civic education should be given priority in social science subjects at secondary and higher secondary level.
2. Leadership training should be imparted to students of higher level.
3. Organisation of in-service training to pre-service and in-service teachers on peaceful coexistence, teaching social science for students who are living in a pluralistic society or multi-cultural society.
4. Strategies to socialize school and college students
5. Pre-vocational training centres in Minority areas
6. Vocational training centres for Minority girls
7. Development of life skills among the students
8. Abstaining from unlawful activities
9. Counselling centres in Minority areas
10. Removal of unwanted textual portions in social science
11. Introduction of new literature in supplementary readers at secondary and higher secondary level.
12. More literature about minorities should be included
13. Education about religion is more important than religious education
14. Enhancing social and financial status of the minority people
15. Provisions for better schooling for increasing employability
16. Provision for learning other languages
17. Inclusion of Member from Minority community in the village education committee.
18. Screening films on ‘Unity in Diversity’, ‘peaceful co-existence’ and harmonious living for village people for motivation.
19. Organisation of healthy debate on social and political issues for better explanation.
20. Training on Emotional intelligence among the youth of India
21. Managing stress in restless areas
22. Establishing FM Radio for developmental education for minority people
23. Arranging visit to the prison to understand social reality.
24. Participating in other religious functions
25. Contribution for the development of social justice through collective bargaining or any other peaceful ways.
26. Offering social service to the needy areas especially where other community people are living.
27. Construction of Ashram schools for girls especially from religious and linguistic minorities.
28. Sparing of SSA’s intervention to enhance girls’ education from minority group
29. Improving Health of the adolescent girls.
30. Advocate others not to involve in any other destructive activities however it is justified.

 10. Conclusion

The success of the nation depends on the qualities and positive behavioural pattern of the students, as education transmits values and accumulated knowledge of the society to the future generation. In fact, education will help in eradicating the features of communal disharmony and also equip students and youth with the knowledge that all faiths are equal. It sows in each and every one of us the seeds of respect, tolerance, faith and harmony. Therefore, every national issues are addressed to the school children first because when they learn any concept in their younger age, it won’t disappear from their mind. The students and the youth of India need peaceful world to live in the future, not the luxury and highly sophisticated system of life pattern that devours our peace, culture and spiritual development. Education for peace or coexistence needs to be seen as an enterprise for healing and revitalizing nation. Undertaken in this fashion, education for peace could be an effective catalyst in activating a holistic vision for education (NCERT: 2006).

“ If any person raises his hand to strike down another on the ground of religion I shall fight till the last breath of my life, both as the head of the Government and from outside”(Jawaharlal Nehru).

 

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This Research paper is published in the International Seminar on Peaceful Co-existence in Islam and Indian Religions, organized by Al Mustafa International University (Iran), New Delhi from 4 and 5th March 2010 in New Delhi.

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