Hindi English Translation || Editorial || In conjunction: On evolution of democratic society

In conjunction: On evolution of democratic society

Individual obligation is meaningful only when rights are guaranteed by the state (राज्य, सरकार)

The evolution (विकास, उन्नति, प्रगति) of a democratic society (लोकतांत्रिक समाज) is centred around (ध्यान केंद्रित करना, केंद्र के आसपास) the expansion of rights — civil, political, economic and cultural, leading to (नेतृत्व करने के लिए, में परिणत होना) the empowerment (सशक्तिकरण, अधिकार-प्रदान) of people. Democratic nations respect individual and group rights for moral and instrumental (सहायक, उपयोगी, महत्वपूर्ण) reasons. Duties, both legal and moral, are cherished (treasure, prize, value highly, hold dear) in order to (के लिए, उद्देश्य के साथ) reinforce (सुदृढ़ बनाना, मज़बूत करना, सहारा देना) those rights. The obligations (कर्तव्य, प्रतिबद्धता, जिम्मेदारी) of the individual to the collective (सामूहिक, समुदाय, सहकारी) must be understood in that context (सन्दर्भ, परिस्थितियाँ); rights and duties complement (पूरक होना, वृद्धि) each other, just as responsibility comes with (साथ आना, के साथ आते हैं) freedom. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to suggest a dichotomy (a division/separation/partition of something (ideas, things, groups, or etc.) into two parts that are either entirely different from each other or completely opposite to each other; duality, polarity) between the rights and duties of citizens when he said last week that the country had wasted a lot of time “fighting for rights” and “neglecting (disregard, ignore, pay no attention to, overlook) one’s duties”. His speech was not the first time that he or other Hindutva protagonists (supporter, advocate/champion, proponent) have called for (require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand) a foregrounding (the most important position.) of duties over rights. Service and the sacrifices of nameless (unnamed, unidentified, anonymous) and faceless (anonymous; unknown) nation-builders (a person who practises nation-building) have formed the bedrock (core, basis/base, foundation) of the modern Indian Republic, but their sacrifices were indeed (in fact, actually, undeniably) for rights, dignity and autonomy (independence, freedom (from external control/influence)). Any notion of rights and duties being adversarial or hierarchical (relating to the hierarchy (social order/ranking)) is sophistic. The Indian Constitution enshrines (to enclose in, preserve, treasure, protect (as valuable)) equality and freedom as fundamental rights, along with (together with, accompanying) the right against exploitation (taking advantage, making use, misuse, ill treatment, unfair treatment), freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, and the right to constitutional remedies (solution, answer, antidote/panacea). The deepening (growing, strengthening) of Indian democracy has led to an expansion of rights — education, information, privacy, etc. are now legally guaranteed rights. The state’s fidelity (faithfulness, loyalty, allegiance, attachment, closeness; devotion, adherence; dependability, reliability) to these rights is tenuous at best (taking the most optimistic view; only, simply, but, nothing but). Citizens are generally duty-bound (beholden, under an obligation, obliged, obligated to do something) to protect the integrity and the sovereignty (autonomy, independence, self-government, self-rule, freedom; (power, hegemony, domination, authority)) of the country, and this is true for India though there is no conscription. Other constitutional duties expected include a duty to promote harmony (unity, solidarity, cooperation, agreement/concord) and brotherhood, and to develop scientific temper (it refers to an individual’s attitude of logical and rational thinking. Jawaharlal Nehru in The Discovery of India, writes, “Scientific temper is a way of life — an individual and social process of thinking and acting which uses a scientific method which may include questioning, observing reality, testing, hypothesising, analysing and communicating.” Scientific temper can be viewed through two lenses — one of the traditional scientific community and the other of society as a whole), humanism (a democratic and ethical life stance that affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. Humanism stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities) and a spirit of inquiry.

Any shift in state policy emphasis (importance, significance; priority, insistence) from rights to duties will be absurd (unreasonable, irrational, illogical, nonsensical, pointless) and a disservice (disfavour, injustice, hurt, damage) to many for whom the realisation (fulfilment, achievement, accomplishment, attainment; (awareness, understanding, comprehension, recognition)) of even fundamental rights is still a work in progress. An enlightened (educated, knowledgeable, learned, wise, informed, intellectual) citizenry (all the people/citizens (of a place/country considered as a whole)) is critical to progress and good governance (administration). But duty is not something that the citizens owe to the state. The obligation of individual citizens to the collective (combined, united/joint, cooperative (by all people as a group)) pursuit (activity, quest, search for something) of a nation can be meaningful when their rights are guaranteed by the state. The citizen has a right to use a public road, and a duty to obey traffic rules. The right and the duty are meaningful only in conjunction (संयोजन में, साथ में). The Prime Minister’s comments come against this backdrop — formal and informal (unofficial, illegal; casual) restrictions on the rights of citizens are on the rise (increasing) along with coercive (overbearing, forceful, intimidating, high-handed) powers of the state. The emphasis on duty along with the de-emphasis (unimportance, insignificance; slightness, paltriness, negligibility) of rights also raises the spectre of a descent into ((of a situation) fall, slide, degenerate, deteriorate, decline) pre-Republican norms (standard, convention, rule, criterion) in social relations. The celebration of India as a traditionally duty-driven (determined to do one’s duty) society carries with it the inescapable connotation (meaning, understanding, reading, explanation) of an exploitative division (separation, segregation, disconnection; dividing, break-up) of labour and norms that are antithetical (directly opposed to, contrary to, conflicting with) to constitutionalism. Needless to say (of course, as you would expect, obviously, clearly), that is not progress.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.in conjunction (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - संयोजन में, साथ में
English Meaning - together.

2.evolution (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विकास, उन्नति, प्रगति
English Meaning - progress, advancement, progression, development.

3.democratic society (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लोकतांत्रिक समाज
English Meaning - a democracy by definition is government through elected representatives. It is a form of society which favours equal rights, freedom of speech and a fair trial and tolerates the views of minorities. A healthy civil society requires responsible and active citizens who value the system of government and work towards a shared vision of civil life.

4.obligation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कर्तव्य, प्रतिबद्धता, जिम्मेदारी
English Meaning - duty, commitment, responsibility.

5.the state (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राज्य, सरकार
English Meaning - the government.

6.centre around (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ध्यान केंद्रित करना, केंद्र के आसपास
English Meaning - focus, concentrate, pivot, hinge on.

7.lead to (verb)

Hindi Meaning - नेतृत्व करने के लिए, में परिणत होना
English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about.

8.empowerment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सशक्तिकरण, अधिकार-प्रदान
English Meaning - the degree of autonomy and self-determination; the granting of rights, authority & power to an individual or group.

9.instrumental (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सहायक, उपयोगी, महत्वपूर्ण
English Meaning - useful, helpful, significant, important; influential, involved, active.

10.in order to (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के लिए, उद्देश्य के साथ
English Meaning - with the purpose of; with the intention of.

11.reinforce (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुदृढ़ बनाना, मज़बूत करना, सहारा देना
English Meaning - strengthen, support, fortify, bolster up, underpin.

12.the collective (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामूहिक, समुदाय, सहकारी
English Meaning - community, society, cooperative (by all people as a group).

13.context (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सन्दर्भ, परिस्थितियाँ
English Meaning - circumstances, conditions, situation.

14.complement (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पूरक होना, वृद्धि
English Meaning - supplement, augment, enhance, be the perfect companion to.

15.come with (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - साथ आना, के साथ आते हैं
English Meaning - to be provided together with something.

16.cherish (verb)

English Meaning - treasure, prize, value highly, hold dear.

17.sought past tense of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

18.dichotomy (noun)

English Meaning - a division/separation/partition of something (ideas, things, groups, or etc.) into two parts that are either entirely different from each other or completely opposite to each other; duality, polarity.

19.neglect (verb)

English Meaning - disregard, ignore, pay no attention to, overlook.

20.protagonist (noun)

English Meaning - supporter, advocate/champion, proponent.

21.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

22.foreground (noun)

English Meaning - the most important position.

23.nameless (adjective)

English Meaning - unnamed, unidentified, anonymous.

24.faceless (adjective)

English Meaning - anonymous; unknown.

25.nation builder (noun)

English Meaning - a person who practises nation-building.

26.nation-building (noun)

English Meaning - nation-building is defined as a process which leads to the formation of countries in which the citizens feel a sufficient amount of commonality of interests, goals and preferences so that they do not wish to separate from each other.

27.bedrock (noun as modifier)

English Meaning - core, basis/base, foundation.

28.republic (noun)

English Meaning - a group of people involved in a particular activity with certain equality; “The Republic” is a form of government in which a state (country) is ruled by elected representatives of the people (citizen body).

29.indeed (adverb)

English Meaning - in fact, actually, undeniably.

30.dignity (noun)

English Meaning - self-esteem, self-respect, morale.

31.autonomy (noun)

English Meaning - independence, freedom (from external control/influence).

32.notion (noun)

English Meaning - idea, belief, concept, opinion, view.

33.adversarial (adjective)

English Meaning - involving conflict or opposition.

34.hierarchical (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the hierarchy (social order/ranking).

35.sophistic (adjective)

English Meaning - fallacious, misleading, deceptive, false.

36.enshrine (verb)

English Meaning - to enclose in, preserve, treasure, protect (as valuable).

37.equality (noun)

English Meaning - equal rights, equal opportunities, non-discrimination.

38.Part III Rights/Fundamental Rights (noun)

English Meaning - The Fundamental Rights, embodied in Part III of the Constitution, guarantee civil rights to all Indians and prevent the State from encroaching an individual’s liberty while simultaneously placing upon it an obligation to protect the citizens’ rights from encroachment by society. Seven fundamental rights were originally provided by the Constitution - the right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation, right to freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, right to property and right to constitutional remedies. However, the right to property was removed from Part III of the Constitution by the 44th Amendment in 1978.

39.along with (phrase)

English Meaning - together with, accompanying.

40.exploitation (noun)

English Meaning - taking advantage, making use, misuse, ill treatment, unfair treatment.

41.constitutional (adjective)

English Meaning - legal, lawful, legitimate.

42.remedy (noun)

English Meaning - solution, answer, antidote/panacea.

43.The Right to Constitutional Remedies (noun phrase)

English Meaning - The Right to Constitutional Remedies gives the citizens the right to approach the Supreme Court or the High Court to get any fundamental right restored in case they are violated. Thereafter the Supreme Court or High Court can issue an order or directives for the government regarding the enforcement of these rights.

44.deepening (adjective)

English Meaning - growing, strengthening.

45.fidelity (noun)

English Meaning - faithfulness, loyalty, allegiance, attachment, closeness; devotion, adherence; dependability, reliability.

46.tenuous (adjective)

English Meaning - slight, insubstantial, negligible, weak/shaky; doubtful, dubious, questionable, vague, unspecific, indefinite.

47.at best (phrase)

English Meaning - taking the most optimistic view; only, simply, but, nothing but.

48.duty-bound (adjective)

English Meaning - beholden, under an obligation, obliged, obligated to do something.

49.integrity (noun)

English Meaning - unity, unification, wholeness, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity.

50.sovereignty (noun)

English Meaning - autonomy, independence, self-government, self-rule, freedom; (power, hegemony, domination, authority).

51.conscription (noun)

English Meaning - compulsory enlistment for military service.

52.harmony (noun)

English Meaning - unity, solidarity, cooperation, agreement/concord.

53.brotherhood (noun)

English Meaning - society, group, union, community.

54.scientific temper (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to an individual’s attitude of logical and rational thinking. Jawaharlal Nehru in The Discovery of India, writes, “Scientific temper is a way of life — an individual and social process of thinking and acting which uses a scientific method which may include questioning, observing reality, testing, hypothesising, analysing and communicating.” Scientific temper can be viewed through two lenses — one of the traditional scientific community and the other of society as a whole.

55.humanism (noun)

English Meaning - a democratic and ethical life stance that affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. Humanism stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities.

56.spirit of inquiry (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to an ongoing curiosity about the best evidence to guide clinical decision making; desire for knowledge, inquiring mind.

57.emphasis (noun)

English Meaning - importance, significance; priority, insistence.

58.absurd (adjective)

English Meaning - unreasonable, irrational, illogical, nonsensical, pointless.

59.disservice (noun)

English Meaning - disfavour, injustice, hurt, damage.

60.realization (noun)

English Meaning - fulfilment, achievement, accomplishment, attainment; (awareness, understanding, comprehension, recognition).

61.in progress (phrase)

English Meaning - happening, occurring, taking place, proceeding.

62.enlightened (adjective)

English Meaning - educated, knowledgeable, learned, wise, informed, intellectual.

63.citizenry (noun)

English Meaning - all the people/citizens (of a place/country considered as a whole).

64.critical (adjective)

English Meaning - crucial, vital, essential, all-important, important.

65.governance (noun)

English Meaning - administration.

66.owe (verb)

English Meaning - be under an obligation to, be obligated, be beholden to.

67.collective (adjective)

English Meaning - combined, united/joint, cooperative (by all people as a group).

68.pursuit (noun)

English Meaning - activity, quest, search for something.

69.backdrop (noun)

English Meaning - situation, scenario, context.

70.informal (adjective)

English Meaning - unofficial, illegal; casual.

71.on the rise (phrase)

English Meaning - increasing.

72.coercive (adjective)

English Meaning - overbearing, forceful, intimidating, high-handed.

73.de-emphasis (noun)

English Meaning - unimportance, insignificance; slightness, paltriness, negligibility.

74.spectre (noun)

English Meaning - threat, menace, danger/peril.

75.descend into (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - (of a situation) fall, slide, degenerate, deteriorate, decline.

76.pre- (prefix)

English Meaning - before.

77.republican (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the quality of a republic.

78.norm (noun)

English Meaning - standard, convention, rule, criterion.

79.duty-driven (adjective)

English Meaning - determined to do one’s duty.

80.inescapable (adjective)

English Meaning - unavoidable, inevitable, certain.

81.connotation (noun)

English Meaning - meaning, understanding, reading, explanation.

82.exploitative (adjective)

English Meaning - unprincipled, unethical, immoral, dishonest, fraudulent.

83.division (noun)

English Meaning - separation, segregation, disconnection; dividing, break-up.

84.labour (noun)

English Meaning - manpower, human resources.

85.antithetical (adjective)

English Meaning - directly opposed to, contrary to, conflicting with.

86.constitutionalism (noun)

English Meaning - limited/restrained/controlled government.

87.needless to say (phrase)

English Meaning - of course, as you would expect, obviously, clearly.