WHERE INDIA IS LEADING TO? INTOLLERENCE, CIVIL WARS, CRIMES

In retrospect, it terms of achievements, 2017 will be mainly remembered as the year India elected its 14th president Mr Ram Nath Kovind and implemented the Goods and Services Tax (GST). India also became a full member of Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Supreme Court banned instant triple talaq, calling it unconstitutional.

Manushi Chhillar won the Miss World beauty pageant, Rohit Sharma scored his third ODI double century against Sri Lanka and Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli got married. In terms of scientific and technological progress, India can boast of the successful testing of nuclear-capable Agni IV missile and the launch of the PSLV – C37 rocket.

In spite of all this, 2017 will sadly be remembered as the year where women’s safety experienced an all-time low, as numerous little girls were raped and murdered by criminals. Children’s safety was another major problem when little Pradyuman Thakur was killed and 290 children died at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.

Religious intolerance was again on the rise and one’s patriotism was questioned when journalist Gauri Lankesh was killed. Social media abuse knew no boundaries when Priyanka Chopra and Mahira Khan were trolled for nonsensical reasons. Even the nature god remained unhappy with the country as India experienced the highest snowfall in two decades in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 20 people, and in July, heavy floods in Gujarat, which killed over 200 people.

We have seen phenomenal growth in terms of technology and science, but basic needs like sanitation, hygiene, education, healthcare still remain a distant dream. India still has a long way to go to become a super power in the true sense and achieve social and economic development.

To begin with, for the year 2018, India has to deal with some major social issues on priority, which have emerged unexpectedly, and in a big way, in 2017. These are the issues which have the power to pull back the progress of our country as they not only expose the hidden villains of the country but also pose a question on the basic rights and safety of the citizens.

1. Shaming

All kinds of shaming – slut shaming, body shaming, mother shaming, victim shaming. For instance, Priyanka Chopra was shamed for wearing a frock to meet PM Narendra Modi and Mahira Khan was shamed for smoking. Rape and molestation victims were shamed for sharing their experiences and Zaira Wasim was shamed because apparently, it was a publicity stunt when she talked about getting molested. Numerous other common girls and women were shamed for numerous other things. Shaming is a way for the perverts of the world to get some sort of twisted pleasure at the expense of women. If we are intelligent enough, we have to stop all kinds of shaming or risk becoming a shoddy and crude nation which does not understand the value of personal choices.

2. Intolerance – Everything From Religion And Art To Personal Choices

Padmavati has to be a unique case of misplaced beliefs. The movie’s release was delayed because as per the Karni Sena, it showed the Rajput queen in a bad light. After its delayed release it is found that movie has no such intentions and this was only a political stunt. Still the movie is not released in sevral parts of the country.

3. Baseless Criticism Of The Government</>

We are the biggest democracy in the world and everyone has a right to express displeasure about the workings of the government. But criticism without knowledge is like firing in the dark. It is also an invitation for radical opportunists to influence the mind and decisions of citizens. This phenomenon is on the rise in recent years and we would need a great deal of maturity and wisdom to eradicate this attitude

4. Blind Faith In The Government

This is exactly opposite to the earlier problem of baseless criticism. Thousands of the citizens of our country have taken it upon their shoulders to be blind soldiers for the government. So any criticism or opposition to the government is considered as ‘anti-national’. These people consider it their ‘moral’ duty to uphold the pride of our nation but by through wrong and violent means. We need to start classifying people who, while blindly supporting the government, are, in fact, promoting their own radical agenda.

We need to mark the difference between patriotism and blind faith.

7. Women’s Safety:

A WORLD WIDE NEWS "ASIFA RAPE CASE" is we all know.This is one issue which does not need any further explanation. It is the fourth most common crime against women in India. In 2015, there were over 34,600 rape cases and yet, as we can see, rape conviction rates continue to remain low. Women – both adults and minors – are getting raped and reports are coming in from all quarters of the country. Yet, there has not been any significant improvement regarding women’s security and safety. Women still have to feel scared to wander the streets at night, away from their homes, while rapists still roam free. India still has a long way to go in ensuring a safe and secure life for women.

There are still a number of other social evils, like illiteracy, malnutrition, access to healthcare and corruption. The entire country needs to deal with these. Yet, the above-mentioned problems can be controlled to a large extent by the active participation of the citizens themselves. Most of the problems are based on attitudes and perceptions and just a slight change in mentality can make a huge difference to our country.