SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IN INDIA SICE 1990s

EMERGING SOCIAL STRATEGEM IN INDIA-ONGOING SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AND ADVENT OF NEW SOCIAL VALUES!

SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

CAUSES

EFFECTS

  

              MATERIALISM                                                         AWARENESS
            COSUMERISM                                                          SELF AWAKENING

            COMMUNICATION                                                  RISING ASPIRATIONS
           TECHNOLOGY                                                           DEMASSIFICATION
            ENVIRONMENTS                                                      NUCLEAR FAMILY

 

UNIFORMITY IS THE KEY TRAIT	DIVERSITY IS THE KEY TRAIT
OLD SOCIAL                        ORDER	NEW SOCIAL                             ORDER

THEME	TREND	EFFECT	T R A N S I T O N A L S O C I E T Y	THEME	TREND	EFFECT
FAMILY MAN	NO SELF IDENTITY	FAMILY INTEREST SUPREME		INDIVIDUAL- ISTIC	SELF - IDENTITY	SELF INTERESTS SUPREME
FAMILY HEAD IS MESSIAH	RESPECT FAMILY ELDERS	AMENABLE TO AUTHORITY		SELF IS SUPREME	INSENSITIVE TO OTHERS	NOT AMENABLE TO AUTHORITY
FAMILY GOALS SUPREME	MEANS I IMPORTANT NOT END	UPHOLD FAMILY ETHOS		SELF GOALS THRU ANY MEANS	END JUSTIFY MEANS	SELF ORIENTED
SELF- CONTENT -MENT	CURB PERSONAL DESIRES	PEACE AND HARMONY		ASPIRING AND AMBITIOUS	RISING EXPECTATION	CONFLICT AND QUESTION
MASSIFIED AND A NON INFORMED SOCIETY				-DEMASSIFIED AND A KNOLEDGEABLE SOCIETY
- LARGE IS STRENGTH -TREASURE YOUR OLD				-SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL DISPOSABLE CULTURE

1. The socio-economic changes and the modern communication system have transformed the social values and social percepts of our society. Individualistic man, fueled by the on-rushing fires of materialism, has emerged on the scene. Advent of the sky-waves into Indian homes has sky-rocketed the general level of awareness and aspirations of the new social man. He is no more a joint-family-man who lived in oblivion with little self-identity and who largely suppressed self-desires to avoid conflicts in the family. Thus, while the old social man was easily amenable to authority because of the very design of the old social order the new and the emerging man is ready to question, ignore and circumvent the family ethos which restrains him in self-goal realization. The essentials of the transformation can be seen in the graphic form above. The notable difference is while the old social order encouraged closely knit and self-weaving family system, put together to make it a one big social mass, the new social order aims at de-massification of society into smaller islands in the stormy sea of social mass. Technology, information and communications have played a vital role in ushering up consumerism and materialism which resulted into self awareness, rising expectations and loosening of the family grip on the men, it, thus, climaxed into de-massification of society where individual assumed prominence family and others.

2. It would be seen form the above that the new-social-man is more self-centered, self-oriented and self-seeking. He will use any means; do anything to ensure the attainment of his self-set goals. He is cunning and sheered. He weighs the effect of all laws, rules, regulations and orders on his self-determining scale. He is intelligent and thinking who does not accept any thing on its face value. He will question, criticize and denounce what, according to him, is not right. He will frame his own definitions of ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’. Such a new-social-man will not respect institutions, customs values and the work-cultures founded on the myths of old social stratagem. Message, thus, he sends to the protagonists of old social order is clear and simple. Change, alter and modify to suit the new social man or else he will trample, maul and mutilate them. There will be social chaos, upheaval and disorder, if the massage is not heeded.

3. Alvin Toffler, in his book ‘Third Wave’, makes an interesting observation that the failure of the modern leadership was not because of the lack of qualities amongst the leaders but the break down of the very institutions on which their power depended. This has to be very clearly understood by all social scholars and comentators. In the context of governmental authority and power one got to redefine CORRUPTION. While it is perks and privileges for one type of servce, it can not be misuse for others. Privileges can not be confused with pilferages. What has been approved and accepted by the new social system as mutually exclusive, however thin the dividing line, it can not be treated as mutually non-exclusive to others. Social intellectuals ought to stop seeing the society through tinted glasses of old value system. Ours is no more a colonial set-up and it can not remain isolated from the acceptable social norms, currently in vogue, in the society. Moralities and values which have been discarded by the social system can not be enforced on the PUBLIC SERVANTS in the name of discipline, austerity and economy. This is the lesson which has to be kept in mind by all leaders and SOCIAL COMMENTATORS.

4. Attributes of a New-Social-Man As PUBLIC SERVANT (PS). The new social man, when enrolled in the GOVERNMENT SERVICE or placed in a POST of POWER and PELF would bring in his new social ethos and values. There will be conflict and frustration, if basic ethos of governmental work culture is based on old value system. There will invariably be cries of MALPRACTICES, which probably be accepted as privileges by modern society. Some of the salient ingredients of new PS (POLICEMEN, SOLDIERS, BUREAUCRATS, DOCTORS, TECHNOCRATS etc)would be:-

o Being materialistic and individualistic, he will be always guided by self-interests. Self-advancement will be his single-minded purpose. He will mend, break and interpret rules and regulations to suit his scheme of things.

o A very high level of awareness would nudge him to disregard pseudo-orders and instructions which seek to deny him his privileges generally enjoyed by his counter-parts in other societies/organizations.

o Liberal and democrat, he would like more freedom of action. He would like to express his views frankly and be heard patiently. He will resent autocracy and top-down flow of orders.

o Cunning and shrewd, he will live by ‘opportunism’. He will compromise and temporize based on his scheme of self-advancement. He will allow ‘Wrong-doing’ seem harmful for him. He will assert himself legally and question the moralities of his superiors. ‘Live-and-let-live-philosophy will be given new interpretation by him.

o When in position of authority, hypocrisy and double standards would characterize his conduct. He will have different set of rules for self and others.

o And most important, being self-oriented, self-seeking and calculating, he will encourage and stand by play-safe-work-ethos. In its applied and functional form, it would evolve into a work-culture reading, “Mistake occurs if you work. If you do not, you make no mistake.” He will sugar-coat his indecisiveness by keeping his superior informed on all trivial matters of administration. Though in reality, if something went wrong, he would retort back to his superior, “Well1 you know it, I did so and so under your benign guidance, blessings, advice and instructions.” Element of failure would nudge him either to over-insure or pass on the buck. Risk-taking will not be his forte.

Ethos of the old family system in India , not only encouraged but sustained old philosophy of Social-Trust. Men were easily amenable to authority because of the very design of the family system and the social order. ‘Elder-does-no-wrong’ was the key NOTE OF SOCIAL OBEDIENCE, DISCIPLINE AND SOCIAL HARMONY. Being a family-man, he readily accepted the organizational supremacy of the family (read organization). Family goals became his life’s ambition. Less educated and less aware, he could accept personal discomforts, willingly and voluntarily. In short, old family system was the ware-house of made-to-order TOLERANCE and PATIENCE in a man, who fitted well into the ‘Social-Trust of a COMMUNITY/POLITY.

If, technological, social and economical factors have transformed the social forestry of the nation, then definitely the new social man is not tailor made for the existing TOLERANCE and PATIENCE for peace and harmony in the society. He needs to be handled, guided and caressed in such a manner so as to make him fill the slot. Otherwise, he will remain a square peg in a round hole.