On the Importance of Social Reform
Surendra Munshi, Calcutta
Reform refers to changes in the way something is
done or organised. Its purpose is to bring about an improvement, a change
for the better. Human beings may reform themselves or be persuaded by
others to adopt a better way of life. Thus, a person may give up bad
habits and proudly present himself or herself as a reformed character.
These are personal reforms. When reforms are addressed to social issues
with the participation of several persons it is usual to think of them as social
reforms. To differentiate between reforms and revolution is common in
sociology. Reforms are believed to be in favour of a change that preserves
the existing values but provides improved means to realise them.
Revolution on the other hand is believed to be directed towards replacement of
existing values. While reforms are seen as gradual, revolution is seen as
abrupt. Some people plead for reforms on the ground that unless they are
carried out in time a sudden sweeping change may become necessary. Not
many enjoy the thought of being swept off their feet! When an organised
effort is made in favour of a common cause by a number of persons over a period
of time it is usual to talk of that effort as a movement. There can be
reform as well as revolutionary movements. History teaches that what
appears as sudden is hardly ever without prior preparations.
A distinction has been suggested between personal reforms and social reforms.
This distinction is valid only up to a point. Even our most personal
reforms are not divorced from social life. Thus, what will be considered a
bad habit depends largely on the society or the social group in the society to
which a person belongs. A small episode stands out in my memory.
When I was doing my first fieldwork as a student of sociology at Agra, an
elderly person made a comment to me to which I had no reply. He belonged
to the Jatav caste that is traditionally associated with leather work. He
said to me that when persons from his caste indulged in drinking alcohol,
upper-caste people looked down upon it as an inferior activity. But when
persons belonging to upper castes enjoyed their drinks they regarded it as a
modem activity. Not only the perception of a bad habit but the method of
its correction is often suggested by the society to which a person belongs.
Human beings usually draw from their cultural resources.
History provides many examples of social reforms from different parts of the
world. Several concerned persons in Europe in the nineteenth century were
interested in the social problems of their time. Reforms were suggested by
reformers as remedies for poverty, squalor, broken families, child labour, and
other early results of the factory system, just as these problems were
approached from a different angle by revolutionaries. Important advances
in social research and sample surveys were made in the course of assessments of
the extent of these problems in society.
The role of women in reform movements, as in other social activities, is not
fully appreciated. Women in the United States during the nineteenth
century, for example, participated in several reform movements: to improve
education, to improve prison conditions, to ban alcoholic drinks, and, during
the pre-Civil War period, to free the slaves. Some women compared their
position with that of the slaves. This brought into prominence some
remarkable women who were feminists and abolitionists, pleading for the rights
of women and also for the rights of blacks. It is not widely known that
the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the American Constitution, adopted in
1868 and 1870 respectively, granted citizenship and suffrage to blacks but not
to women. Women had to struggle longer to secure their rights. Even
now they have to struggle for child-care centres for working women and for their
other demands.
From the very beginning of social reform in British India social reformers
were concerned with the ills of their society. Such illustrious figures as
Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwarachandra Vidyasagar, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, Jyotiba Govind
Phule, and Dayananda Saraswati stand out from the early period. In the
religious field, Ram Mohan's main concern was the Hindu system of idolatory, its
rituals and superstitions. As a social reformer, he was involved with the
condition of women in Hindu society. It was Vidyasagar who took up the
cause of widows, a cause that was taken up all over the country. The
reform he advocated and brought to a successful conclusion was the legal right
of a highcaste widow to remarry. Deshmukh spoke against the caste system
and the poor condition of women. Phule took up the fight against the oppression
by Brahmins and did much to promote the interests of untouchables and women.
Dayananda was concerned with the corruption in Hinduism of his time, and he used
his considerable energies for reform. Later, nationalism and reform came
together most notably in the personalities of Bankim Chandra Chattejee and Bal
Gangadhar Tilak. Both of them wanted India to become strong again, and
they proposed the internal reform of Hinduism for the Purpose. Some of the
most influential leaders who followed were Lajpat Rai, Vivekananda and Aurobindo.
Vivekananda saw the deficiencies of Hinduism which he denounced, and the reform
he preached drew from what he believed to be the true spirit of Hinduism.
No mention of social reform in India can overlook the remarkable personality
of Gandhi. He believed in the truth of all religions, and that accounts
for his religious tolerance. This devotee of Rama drew his inspiration
from the Bhagavad Gita. He struggled against the excesses of his own
religion, such as untouchability, and tried to promote amity between all
religious communities, especially Hindus and Muslims.
Kashyap Bandhu was another reformer who took up the cause of women. He
advocated widow remarriage and also emphasised the need for girls to get equal
opportunity with boys in education.
How are we to view the question of social reform and social reformers?
Social reform is directed towards developing an enlightened view of society.
Its task is to rebuild by removing defects; its promise is to bring a better way
of life into existence. Defects cannot be removed if they are not examined
without prejudice. A biased doctor cannot make the right diagnosis.
The tools of social reform are reason and persuasion. All social reformers
have used their capacity to think for identifying defects. They have then
used their capacity to persuade for convincing others about the need to change
their ways.
The path of social reformers is not easy. They do not always receive
flowers for their efforts. Social reformers are remembered well not by
garlanding their pictures once in a year but by keeping their spirit alive.
No society can develop without this spirit of struggle for improvement.
Social reformers have shown care rather than its absence in their criticism of
their societies. They knew that improvements in the social sphere were
closely connected with improvements in other spheres. Thus, for example,
it has been universally recognised that economic and political development is
not possible beyond a point without the education of men as well as women.
This insight is bome out by social science research. It is useful to keep
in mind that the problem of over population in this country cannot be solved by
coercive methods that Sanjay Gandhi made popular at one time in this country.
The problem can be solved in a sustainable manner by education, especially of
women, and by better health care. Both are important areas of reform that
have attracted the attention of social reformers all over the world.
It is clear that Hindu society has not seen through the reform that some of
its most distinguished members have pleaded for in different parts of the
country. All of them were moved by the spirit of making their country
strong. We do not seem to have learnt much from them. Turning to our
own community, when Kashyap Bandhu advocated restrictions on wasteful
expenditure during social occasions, he wanted to channelise the resources of
the community for creative purposes. There is an urgent need for reform in
this sphere. Several, concerned observers have noted in the words of
Udainath Kaul how 'extravagance and one- upmanship' have increased in the
community over time. We need also to go beyond Kashyap Bandhu, We need to
ask ourselves what ails our community currently and how we can overcome our
present defects. Any social reform that we undertake must answer the
questions of our times, especially concerning the younger generation. They
must not lose their identity and their rich cultural heritage. This
identity cannot be preserved by becoming defensive and by turning to obscure
practices but by a creative adaptation of our heritage to our present needs.
We have also to think of novel ways of carrying out reforms, for our dispersed
physical condition requires all the resources of innovation to create a
movement.
Can we overcome our egoism and stand together as a community so that we may
emerge stronger and perform a useful role for our state and our country ?
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