A Study of Current Indian Social Conflicts and Challenges

Abstract

Every age in human history has tried to find out the solution of its contemporary problems in its mythological texts. They have always worked as the mirror of the age and society. The Modern Hindi literature is full of such examples. The social set up in 21st century in india is surrounded with the conflicts and challenges which are in nature quite comparable to the conflicts and the challenges that existed during the Mahabhartha period in the society. Some of the problems in present time have become far more serious and pose great threat to the unifying code of Indian society. The present paper tries to examine some major social, political, cultural and even religious issues with which the whole Indian Society seems to be fighting. There are quite a number of literary works in Hindi poetry that are very much influenced by Mahabharatha and many such other epics in India. The major Hindi literary works(poetry in particular) that can be listed in this context are, ‘kurukshetra’, ‘rashmirathi, ‘andhayuga’, ‘mahaprashathana’, ‘senapatikaran, and ‘droupadi’ etc. The main thread that tied up these literary works(poetry) together like a garland shows how the hopelessness and disappointment crept in the very thinking of the intellectual people of India in 21st Century. This century has witnessed hundreds of research works that have engaged with ‘Dalit vimarsha’ and ‘Nari vimarsha’. The present paper is an attempt and effort to examine the above mentioned conflicts that resulted in the following catastrophic forms in the contemporary Indian literature: a. The major concerns of ‘Dalit vimarsha’ and ‘Nari vimarsha’ b. The Indian social stratification system that was based on the work got settled later on the basis of the birth c. The loss of the importance of duties(karma) d. The purposeful protection of the ‘cast and religion’ based division of the society for Politicians’ self-interest e. Distancing of the society from the values of ‘faith’, ‘truth’, ‘non-violence’, ‘equality’, ‘sacrifice’, ‘nationalism’, ‘prestige’ and ‘policy’(niti) f. Unawareness of the impact of colonialism g. The marathon for the possession of Nuclear weapons Having examined the above mentioned issues in the historical context of modern Hindi poetry, the paper also tries to establish the virtue of the system in 21st Century in India that can be made on the basis of the deeds(karma). The paper also provides a platform to correlate the ancient and modern thinking and paves the path that can help and lead to various other kind of research and it can be done on the other mythological texts of India subcontinent.