Rabindranath Tagore Portal of History, Development and Human Security in South Asia

My name is Fawad. I am a Pashtun South Asian. I want to introduce you to my home. My home has been called by various names by various people through different ages. Indo, Hind, Hindustan, Baharat, Indies, the Subcontinent, Dakshan Asia and South Asia are all the various epithets and nouns used for my home through various eras of the History.

My South Asia is home to one of the world’s largest concentration of human population. It has been a seat of one of the world’s most ancient civilization whose recorded History stretches back over five millennia. It has one of the world’s most varied Geography containing regions ranging from some of the world’s highest mountains, fertile plains, thick jungles, large deserts, a long coast abetting the India Ocean to some of the world’s largest plateaus.

It has historically produced some of the world’s most profound and impressive cultures. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, three of the world’s great religions were born in my South Asia. Its value systems have always been steeped in universally respected values of humanism and respect for nature and life in all its forms. This respect for nature and life has been the vital spirit that has animated my home in even some of the darkest epochs of its life. As long as this spirit lives, my South Asia stays immortal.

Ever since the dawn of the civilization, South Asia has gifted humanity with extraordinary literature, sculpture, drawing, painting, fine arts, theater, music, dance, architecture, Philosophy and knowledge in various forms and shapes. Mathematics, Astrology, Economics, Finance and medicine have all evolved in significant ways throughout the History in my South Asia.

Sports, such as wrestling, chariot races, swordsmanship, martial arts, running, hiking and climbing have all remained a part of the fitness culture of South Asia. Games such as Kite flying, Chess, marbles play and hopscotch have always been a part of the entertainments for the children and elders alike.

South Asia has always had some of the World’s most delicious cuisines and delightful cooking and food cultures. A strong tradition of guest service and being good hosts has remained an important part of the good eating and cooking culture in my South Asia.

Modest and beautiful dress has always remained a part of the South Asian cultural tradition across the length and breadth of its diverse Geography ranging from the Hindukush and Himalayan mountains to the coasts of Malabar and Kania Kamari. Hand stitched sandals and shoes suited to the geographic conditions have similarly been worn by South Asians for centuries. Beautiful jewelry made of various metals and stones has also been popular with men and woman alike.

From the age of the Mohan Je Darro and Harrapa in the Indus Valley through the Vedic era, the Buddhist-Jain age, the epoch of the epics Ramayana and Mahabahrata, the Muslim age the times of the Bhakties and the Sikh Gurus, a souls illuminating mysticism has remained a part of the social and cultural life of South Asia. Mystics and their adherents have not only sought personal enlightenment and salvation but have generously contributed towards the spiritual guidance and social reform of the society at large. When men of the world would burn, tire and exhaust themselves through relentless competitions for power, riches and women, these mystics and their shrines and hospices would step in to offer them physical and spiritual shelter from the travails of the material world. Gautama Buddha’s abandonment of a life of comfort to look for Nirvana in his travels, Chandragupta Maurya’s abdication from the throne to settle as a hermit with the Jain monk Bhadrabahu, Ashoka the Great’s renunciation of violence and riot after the battle of Kalinga, the unworldly, itinerant travels of the scores of the Hindu Rishis and Jogies to find truth and enlightenment and the spiritual wanderings of the Muslim mystics and Sikh Gurus are all illustrious examples of the vibrant and vital traditions of South Asian mysticism.

As we study, comprehend and live through my home, the South Asia, we shall stay connected to this rich tapestry of cultural, spiritual and humanitarian compartments of my abode. Welcome to my home, welcome to a Dharamshala, a hospice of peace, tranquility and spiritual salvation. It has been a pleasure meeting you.

Climate change, environmental pollution and ecological degradation are making lives insecure in large parts of the world. Climate distress and ecological degradation driven insecurity has become a big hazard for the world’s largest population concentration. This growing insecurity is the story of the lives of large number of humans living in the World’s only subcontinent called the South Asia by the regional geographers. If governed and looked after well, South Asia’s large demography is a potential social and economic asset. For a diverse array of historic, political and administrative reasons a very large number of South Asians are, however, not living safe, healthy and prosperous lives. As one studies the climatic, environmental, ecological and human indicators describing the various aspects of human existence in the region, one sees insecurity and deprivation.

Environmental pollution and climate change are the major challenge to the human beings and other life forms in South Asia today. The mountains of South Asia hold world’s largest alpine glacial ice. The region is called the Third Pole by the geographers due to the presence of such large amount of ice. This Alpine ice is a huge reservoir of water that feeds the one dozen large rivers of the region. Rivers ranging rom the Kabul river in the North West of South Asia to the Ganges river valley and the Brahmaputra river in the East most of the rivers of the northern South Asia are fed by the glacial ice of the Hindukush, the Karakorum and the Himalayas. Over millions of years, these rivers have built fertile plains in the river valleys and deltaic regions of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. Waters of these rivers provide the life blood for Bio-climatic resources of these various countries. Agriculture, forests, vegetation and animal lives ranging from the microbes to elephants, flora and fauna are all dependent on the health of these rivers and the ecological well-being of their watersheds and catchment areas.

Years of environmental pollution, deforestation, irresponsible tourism, hunting games and, of late, housing and real estate practices are threatening all; the alpine glaciers, the rivers, the forests, the agriculture, the wild life and biodiversity in most of the South Asia. Climate Change triggered by irresponsible human practices is putting a huge stress on both the hydrology and the ecological balance in the region. The precipitation patterns and temperature trends are aggravating to points where they are becoming a threat to the agriculture, agroforestry, livestock and cattle on one hand and the healthy subsistence of human beings in the urban and rural areas alike.

Much of the population density on the banks of the rivers in South Asia has depended on the agriculture and food supply derived from the rivers. The cropping patterns and the harvests have always relied on favorable supply of water from the rivers and through precipitation. The regular annual cycles of temperature changes through the winters, spring, summers, Monsoons and autumn are critically important for ensuring robust agriculture in the region. Any unusual variation in their trends can hit the crops production, livestock raising and animal husbandry in ways where the food security of the teeming millions of the region shall be threatened.

An adverse climatic change or stress can thus bring about an economic collapse which shall unleash uncontrollable social and political tensions. The questions of environmental security and climate change are therefore the major security matters in the whole of South Asia. Paleontology shows us that extinction of species including the human groups has been a reality of life for a number of times in the history of human civilization. A considerable historical opinion attributes the decline and destruction of the Indus Valley Civilization to the changes in the course of, or , the extinction of a major river in the Indus valley. A major shift in the regional climate is cites as a reason for that hydrological calamity. We hope that human activities in South Asia and the neighborhood today would not jeopardize the regional climates to points where they become a major hazard for humans and other living beings.

South Asia is experiencing a youth bulge in the second quarter of the twenty-first century. In countries such as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan the young people constitute more than 60 % of the total population. The young people consist of 63 % of the total population in Afghanistan, 64% in Pakistan, 65% in India 28% in Bangladesh, 23%, in Sri Lanka, 45 % in Nepal, 40 %, in Bhutan and 37% in Maldives. Most of the South Asians live in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This makes South Asia primarily a home of the young people. Young people of the region have some diverse particular social, economic and cultural needs. The South Asian societies have to ensure the fulfillment of these needs of their young people in order to remain stable and peaceful.

South Asia is a modestly urbanized society with many cultural habits and attitudes of the pre-modern times. Today India is only 35% urban, Pakistan 43%, Bangladesh 41 %, Maldives 42%, Afghanistan26%, Bhutan 44%, Nepal 27 % and Sri Lanka is only 20%, urban. This means that the majority of the young people of South Asia live in the villages and small towns. South Asian rural life is conservative, rustic and restrictive. Young people are often not happy in such societies.

Most of the rural South Asia is also poor and illiterate. 20 million school age children in Pakistan do not go to schools. In countries such as Afghanistan, the education system has virtually collapsed due to years of wars and conflicts. Education in rural India is barely struggling and in Nepal it has suffered serious setbacks due to conservatism of the ruling elite and a decade of civil war. Sri Lanka is an educated country with a literacy rate of 92.5%. At 98%, Maldives has the best South Asian literacy rate.  India is 75 %. literate, Bangladesh 77%, Bhutan 73 %, Nepal 72 %, Pakistan 62 %, and Afghanistan 37%.

There is a direct relationship between empowerment, enfranchisement and education in societies around the world. Illiteracy means disenfranchisement and perpetual relegation to the lowest strata of the society. Widespread illiteracy among the youth and incidence of high poverty go hand in hand in South Asia. An uneducated and impoverished youth have to contend with a large number of challenges and difficulties. They often do not know how to organize and struggle for their social, political and economic rights. They are superstitious and prone to fall under the spell of any populist demagogue or political extremists who might walk them up a garden path. This has often happened, in varying degrees, to many young people in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Children of the impoverished and illiterate societies are often very vulnerable to a diverse array of challenges and deprivations. Most of South Asian children experience some kind of deprivation and poverty through much of their lives. Child malnutrition is very common in Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Many of them do not get access to sufficient health and hygiene services. Diseases and epidemics are a recurring part of their lives. Opportunities for entertainment, good sports activities, personal improvement and proper growth are limited for a large number of South Asian children.

As adults these children do not have sufficient economic security. Poor education and poor health means they have limited economic prospects in life. Underdevelopment has a young face across much of South Asia. Widespread anxiety, depression and a general nervousness leads to drug abuse among many of them. Countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan experience widespread drug abuse among its young people.

The female child and young person is more vulnerable and insecure than the male person in South Asia. In societies where the sexual behavior and conduct of the women is associated with a family’s honor sexual freedoms are limited. Women often do not have much choice in selecting their partners. If they are from the lower strata of the society the often run the risk of sexual abuse by much older men. Rape is a fact of life for a large number of poor young women and girls in South Asia. Incidence of female illiteracy and unemployment are disturbingly high. In countries such as Afghanistan and large parts of Pakistan women are restricted to the confines of their homes. The female headed family where there are no male members left to look after the rest, situations become very dire and difficult in these countries.

Even a cursory look at the human and social indicators in South Asia suggests that the children and young people of the region are not living a good life. They are illiterate, deprived and poor. Societies in the region have to make some robust and concerted efforts to improve the living standards of their children and young people who constitute the largest segment of their populations.

South Asia faces a diverse array of transnational challenges today. Their solutions require regional efforts. Transnational solidarity for solving the problems our South Asia faces at the regional level is a crying need today. Climate change, protection of rivers and other water bodies, efforts against environmental pollution, protection of vulnerable habitats promotion of peace, tolerance and pluralism all require struggles that transcend national boundaries. 

The present day information age where communications across boundaries and cultural divides are easy makes it easy for activists to connect with people who share common goals and targets. A transnational solidarity for development, conservation, peace and protection of human rights can be built that pushes the frontiers of freedoms and possibilities across the whole of our South Asian region. We must remember that at the end of the day, we are all the scions of the great civilization of the Indus, the Brahmaputra and the Gangetic river valleys, the children of the Hindukush and the Himalayas, the guardians of the Rajputana, Thar and the Thal deserts, the denizens of the Eastern and the Western Ghats, the natives of the Baluchistan, Potohar and the Deccan Plateaus and the inhabitants of the Indus and Gangetic River Deltas.

Our Geography binds us in bonds where our fates are intertwined. Fogs and smog in Lahore are definitely going to affect Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. Vehicular and industrial emissions pollute the air across the national boundaries. Water pollution in the watersheds and catchment areas in the Karakorum, Hindukush and Himalayan mountains are going to have adverse health and ecological consequences across the length and the breadth of the upper and lower riparian river valleys in the Pakhtunkhwa, Panjab, Sind, UP, Bihar and Bengal in Pakistan and India. Drought in the Thar and the Rajputana deserts are going to be a common hazard for South Panjab and Sind in Pakistan and Rajasthan and parts of North Western Gujrat in India.

The rise of religious extremism in Afghanistan, Pakistan or India are going to cast social and Geopolitical stresses across the whole of the South Asian region and beyond. Terrorism and organized crime festers in in any part and country of the South Asian region is going to be a collective challenge for all of us.

If our problems are common and regional, it makes great sense to unite for their solutions in a transnational solidarity of likeminded progressives. Cultural, religious, caste, political, regional and ethnic fault lines are a harsh, unfortunate reality of life in South Asia. We have all inherited religious, cultural and historic baggage of differences, hate, rivalries and prejudices. Civilization, wisdom and good sense consists in realizing their futility fast in our modern age of science, reason and technology driven societies. If they are futile, they must be thrown overboard. They should never be allowed to become a reason for hating, discriminating against or fighting our fellow human beings living in our common neighborhood and the world at large.

Let us only own those parts of our cultural, religious and social inheritance that encourages, peace, cooperation, tolerance, love, welfare and development. Let us learn that the exigencies and demands of the modern day human existence require a new humanitarianism coexistence where we shall all have to tolerate, accommodate and cooperate with each other in good faith in order to improve our lives and bequeath a better world to our future generations. This requires a new imagination and struggle that shall drive a transnational solidarity for making our South Asia a beautiful and peaceful place of the world.

Bengal witnessed dramatic changes in its fortunes through the latter half of the 18th century and the first four decades of the 19th century. The advent of the East India company rule transformed the political, economic and social landscape of the region in significant ways. The ravages of the aftermath of the Battle of Plessey, 1757 led to a devastating Famine in 1770. The East India Company administration and its misrule were responsible for the chaos and sufferings during these years. A regular pattern of socio-cultural exchange and interaction between the new English rulers and the Indians emerged during this century. As a colonialist ruler, the East India company administration extracted resources from Bengal on a rapine scale. But the new rulers also brought in Westernization and modernization in a number of ways. How would the Bengalis respond to the currents of westernization and modernization triggered by the arrival of the English rule in the region? Some remarkable Bengalis were to answer this question through their remarkable lives and careers. Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was one such remarkable Indian.

 Gifted polyglot, man of letters, scholar, educationist and a social reformer, the list of Raja Ram’s attainments and contributions is diverse, long and an impressive one. He was among the pioneers of the Bengali reformers and activists who were to settle the rules and terms of engagement between the English rulers and the Indian subjects in British India.

Mohan Roy was raised in the cosmopolitan, eclectic, Hindu-Muslim socio-cultural milieu of the last quarter of the 18th century Bengal. He learnt Persian, Sanskrit and Arabic during his early education in Bengal and Patna and Banaras. The man had an impressive gift for learning languages as he was to learn English and Greek a little latter in his life. His language proficiency in these important languages meant that he soon became an excellent ambassador of cross cultural communications between the Indians and the Europeans. Within India he was an excellent model of Hindu-Muslim hybrid culture, He was among the authors Maha Nirvana Tantra, a treatise that was widely used by the English jurors as they laid out the basic structure of the law courts for administering Justice in Bengal. Alongside that he wrote a good book Tuhfat-ul-Muwahideen, a scholarly work promoting monotheism.

Ram Mohan Roy followed a syncretic religious tradition that believed in the universal acceptance of the noblest and the best in all religions. It put great stock in reason, logic and a variety of progressive social and cultural values. It was humanitarian and open to all who wanted to enter its fold. This religious tradition was evolved by Ram Mohan Roy and his friends under the ambit of a Hindu Reform Movement called the Brahmo Saba (1828). He was in association with the versatile Tagore family during the foundation of the Brahmo Samaj. The Brahmo Saba was to evolve into a vigorous religious reform movement, Brahmo Samaj, under the remarkable scions of the Tagore family such as the Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905) and his son, the dazzling renaissance man, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to win a Noble Prize for literature in 1913. The chief influences on the Brahmo Samaj are Hinduism, Unitarian Christianity and European rational Philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a humane and a highly committed social reformer. He advocated against social ills of his times from the platform of the Atimya Sabha (1814), a debating society that stood for eradication of superstitions, inhuman cultural and social practices and exploitation in all its forms. The Bengal Sati Regulation of 1829 criminalized Sati. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s advocacy went a long way in the passing of this legislation. He targeted the feudal elite of his native Bengal in order to discourage their exploitation of the poor and humble people of the region.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy believed that education was an essential prerequisite for empowering and protecting the Indians. He correctly realized that the struggle for the rights of the common people cannot make much headway as long as the Indians stay illiterate. In order to impart modern Education to the Indians he supported his friends and associates to establish the Hindu School of Bengal in 1817. It became a college in 1855. Now the Presidency University of Bengal, it is one of India’s oldest educational institutions imparting modern education. Ram Mohan Roy also advocated for press freedoms in India in order to promote learning, information access and education. The Hicky’s Bengal Gazette was the first English language magazine to be published in India. Established in 1780, it was stopped by the East India Company administration in 1782. The Bengalis noticed the importance of the free press for the struggles for freedoms and rights, early on.

People such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy rubbed shoulders with the elite. He went to Britain in 1830 in order to plead the case of the Mughal King Akber Shah II (1806-37) for a better treatment by the East India Company administration in India. The Qila-I-Mualla or the Mughal Royal Household in Delhi bestowed the title of Raja on him for these services. He came into contact with some very influential people during his visit to Britain. The locals in Bengal called men such as him with the term Bhadralok or the westernized, British-connected locals of Bengal. They stood at some remove from the locals and the working people of India. No doubt, Raja Ram Mohan Roy too was a Bhadrilok. He was elitist but his heart lay in the right place when it came to the struggle for the rights and freedoms of the Indians. He was among the earliest Indians to point out the extraction of the Indian resources by the East India Company rulers on a loot scale. Men such as him must be assessed within the context of their historical settings in order to understand what they did or did not do. When viewed from this perspective Raja Ram Mohan Roy emerges as a great well-wisher and benefactor of all Indians through the testing times of the early years of the British colonial rule in India.