Chapter 1
On Equality
India is a democracy. In the Class VI book, we looked at the key elements of a democratic government. These include people’s participation, the resolution of conflict, and equality and justice. Equality is a key feature of democracy and influences all aspects of its functioning. In this chapter you will read more about equality – what it is, why it is important in a democracy, and whether or not everyone is equal in India. Let’s begin by looking at Kanta’s story.
Equal right to vote
The story above begins with Kanta standing in line to cast her vote. Look again at the various people who are standing in line with her. Kanta recognises her employer, Ashok Jain and Chotte Lal, her neighbour. In a democratic country, like India, all adults irrespective of what religion they belong to, how much education they have had, what caste they are, or whether they are rich or poor are allowed to vote. This, as you have already read in the Class VI book, is called universal adult franchise and is an essential aspect of all democracies. The idea of universal adult franchise is based on the idea of equality because it states that every adult in a country, irrespective of their wealth and the communities she/he belongs to, has one vote. Kanta is excited to vote and happy that she is equal to all of the others because each of them has one vote.
But as her day goes on, Kanta becomes less certain about what this equality really means.
What is it that makes Kanta unsure? Let’s take a look at a day in her life. She lives in a slum and has a drain behind her house. Her daughter is sick but she cannot take the day off from work because she needs to borrow money from her employers to take her child to the doctor. Her job as a domestic help tires her out, and finally she ends her day by again standing in a long line. This line, in front of the government hospital, is unlike the one in the morning because most of the people standing in it are poor.
Other kinds of equality
Kanta is one of many people who live in democratic India and who have the right to vote but whose daily living and working conditions are far from equal. Apart from being poor, people in India experience inequality in different ways. Let us see what this means by reading the two stories given below. Each of these is based on real incidents in people’s lives and reflects the different kinds of inequalities that exist in India.
One of the more common forms of inequality in India is the caste system. If you live in rural India your caste identity is something that you probably learned or experienced very young. If you live in urban India some of you might think that people no longer believe in caste. But just look at these matrimonials shown from a leading English newspaper and you will see how important the issue of caste continues to be in the minds of highly educated urban Indians.
Now let us read a story about the experiences of a Dalit child attending school. You have already read about Dalits in the Class VI book. Dalit is a term that the so-called lower castes use to address themselves. Dalit means ‘broken’ and by using this word, lower castes are pointing to how they were, and continue to be, seriously discriminated against.
Omprakash Valmiki is a famous Dalit writer. In his autobiography, Joothan, he writes, “I had to sit away from the others in the class, and that too on the floor. The mat ran out before reaching the spot I sat on. Sometimes I would have to sit way behind everybody, right near the door…sometimes they would beat me without any reason.” When he was inClass IV, the headmaster asked Omprakash to sweep the school and the playground. He writes, “The playground was way larger than my small physique could handle and in cleaning it, my back began to ache. My face was covered with dust. Dust had gone inside my mouth. The other children in my class were studying and I was sweeping. Headmaster was sitting in his room and watching me. I was not even allowed to get a drink of water. I swept the whole day,…From the doors and windows of the school rooms, the eyes of the teachers and the boys saw this spectacle.” Omprakash was made to sweep the school and the playground for the next couple of days and this only came to an end when his father, who happened to be passing by, saw his son sweeping. He confronted the teachers and then walking away from the school holding Omprakash’s hand, he said loudly for all of them to hear, “You are a teacher…So I am leaving now. But remember this much Master…(He) will study right here…in this school. And not just him, but there will be more coming after him.”
EXERCISES
1. In a democracy why is universal adult franchise important?
2. Re-read the box on Article 15 and state two ways in which this Article addresses inequality?
3. In what ways was Omprakash Valmiki’s experience similar to that of the Ansaris?
4. What do you understand by the term “all persons are equal before the law”? Why do you think it is important in a democracy?
5. The Government of India passed the Disabilities Act in 1995. This law states that persons with disabilities have equal rights, and that the government should make possible their full participation in society. The government has to provide free education and integrate children with disabilities into mainstream schools. This law also states that all public places including buildings, schools, etc., should be accessible and provided with ramps.
Please refer to attached file for NCERT Class 7 Civics Equality in Indian Democracy
