HUMANITY AND EARTH : PERSPECTIVE, CHALLENGES

HUMANITY AND EARTH : PERSPECTIVE, CHALLENGES AND
CHANGING DISCOURSE
DR. ALOK CHANTIA
Lecturer (Anthropology)
SJNPG (KKC) College
Lucknow-1
E-mail: alokchantia@rediffmail.com
ABSTRACT
Man is maker of himself, this well known proverb is witnessed by the path traveled by
man from the very beginning of his evaluation. Man has accepted every challenge of
nature. Later on man challenged the nature by introducing an innovative world which
is known as cultural world. The word culture is not only denotes a way of living of
man but also is an armor of man's existence on this earth. Man created many local
cultural groups while traveling on this earth from one place to another. It is a well
known fact that culture has its own limit, it cannot fulfill all the needs and desires of
its people. Therefore people move out in search of some new cultural traits and in the
process they become victim of circumstances. At this juncture comes philosophy of
humanity which binds the people of one cultural group with that of people of other
cultural group. Humanity is a wider concept it travels beyond barriers of race, sex,
caste, place of birth, Nation etc. It is only because of humanity (Vasudhaib
Kutumbakam) that one group feels for the other or empathies with the other. In the
absence of humanity not only a particular group but the whole world stands divided
into super country and subordinated country. Humanity in the colonial period and
humanity after the rise of independent nation states are different entities.
Today the world has become one due to process of globalisation, Nations are coming
together to form a federation, the whole world has become a global village where one
nation feels for the other and empathizes with the other. It all has led to global culture
of humanity which is entirely different from the local culture of a group where people
felt only for themselves within a group.
It is very difficult to put a socio-cultural structure at global level because it hits the
religious feeling and cultural feeling, so instead a global concept has been put in the
frame of humanity and a very good example of it is human right. Existence of United
Nations Organisation, United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,1948 provides a
dialogue between two countries and also within a country to protect the life of an
individual without considering his act or status. Even a terrorist can get full
opportunity for his right of hearing and survival. Even though he is accused of serious
bomb blast, serial killing etc. Today Earth has developed a new concept of humanity
in the world of terrorism.
In spite of having Constitutional obligation of social and economic justice, the gap
between people has widened. People have become more conservative in their
attitude. Religious fanaticism, casteism, poverty, malnutrition and child mortality has
increased. Poor have become poorer and rich have become richer. People have
become insensitive. The crime against women children, and other weaker sections of
the society has increased manifold. The exploitation of natural resources has led to
environmental degradation and dehabilitation of the poor people, especially of the
tribal groups.
Human rights provide a number of alternatives and opportunities which are otherwise
not available to many local cultures due to their rigidity and immobility. In Indian
context tribal groups are increasing of day by day. These were 212 tribal groups at the
time of independence which have now increased to 698 (2001 census). It is against
the process of development. Though scheduled caste and tribal groups are down
trodden people but are making better livelihood with the help of reservation policy.
The government policy has changed the traditional discourse. Now many groups are
trying to get themselves declared as schedule caste or scheduled tribe to avail better
government facilities as are given to real SC/STs. Dhankut, a group living in Bahraich
is a very good example. they are not mentioned in any literature, they are listed
neither in four folded caste, sub-caste nor given in government protected group as
SC/ST/OBC. Today they are victim of circumstances. They are poor, uneducated,
they have no full time work, they are engaged in small time retail work. They want
their status as SC/ST. They are not willing to associate themselves with OBCs. Study
shows that the feeling behind this idea is to avail more opportunities because they
think that life is very tough as general caste group. This study shows that process of
tribalization and sanskritization is wrapped with the idea of betterment which is
directly linked with humanity. Apart from Dhankut, Rawain Jaunpur of Uttarkashi of
Uttaranchal state, Harizan Bhotia of Pithoragarh want more attention because of
scarcity of benefits.
Humanity is not merely a religious term, it is associated with many factors such as
legal factors, cultural factor etc. Human right ensures minimum requirements of
individual of any culture during the era of globalization. New Marketing system,
Banking system and management provides a new meaning of humanity to every one
who is poor and unaware about his surrounding. Liberalization, Privatization,
Globalization has given an opportunity to every man to live with all amenities. The
new discourse of humanity should be discussed in anthropological manner i.e. at
micro level to understand the changing value system and adaptation of a universal
culture in modernity instead of traditionality.
Present paper discusses global humanitarian system in the light of local culture.