By S Paul
The introduction of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a bold initiative to make the citizens participate in being a nation of a disciplined race. UCC is a great step towards that, and it may as well be called a Unifying Code for Citizens of Bharat because some among us, though born and grown up on this soil, have adopted cultures alien to our land. When we look at our own fellow citizens in military or paramilitary uniform we feel a semblance of a disciplined part of our society. We appreciate it and realise unconsciously that it is this part of the disciplined citizens who are responsible for our safety, strength and national integration. Why then do we hesitate to adopt Uniformity in our governance?
Is it not a miracle that when the viciousness of humanity has extirpated great cultures and civilisations like the Egyptian, Mayan, Inca, Greek and even Roman, our Vedic culture, with the guidance of our Shastras and ancient wisdom, has survived all the subjugation, slavery and plundering? Our culture is still alive and thriving in our attitude, our practices, our festivals, our ancient temples and our traditional social practices. That ought to be an indication enough that our creator, the ‘Paramatma’, has desired for us to take up the lead and spread the ethos of our culture; that of ‘Vasudev Kutumbakam’ to the entire planet. Therefore, to fulfill this honourable task we must discipline ourselves as a race and as a nation. We should always keep it in our minds that our culture has achieved this supremacy in spiritual knowledge by the utmost discipline of our intensely meditating Rishis-Munis for achieving ‘nirvana’ that gave them the wisdom that the world elsewhere discovered thousands of years later. And that wisdom has been preserved in the annals of our shastras for us by the same disciplined ilk of sages. Now ponder, if the disciplined set of those Bharatiye has given us a culture that is indestructible and is being recognised as the most ancient and learned, why can’t our nation achieve that greatness even now by adopting UCC and such like initiatives being thought of by our leaders who are trying to unshackle us from our complexes ingrained in our psyche by foreign influences.
Our attitude towards our traditional social practices needs a sea change. In democracy it is not the ‘rights’ but ‘duties’ that take precedence for a nation to become affluent. UCC is not a new concept but ingrained in our constitution vide Article 44. The UCC is mentioned in Article 44 of the Indian Constitution as a Directive Principle of State Policy to formulate a set of laws that would apply to all citizens, regardless of their religion, region, community, race, sex, or caste. UCC would replace our personal laws based on religions and traditions. UCC would apply to matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession. Why it was not implemented in all these years of independence smacks of the selfishness of our earlier political leadership which would rather adopt the principles of divide and rule as practiced by our vanquishers for centuries.
The UCC does refine the moral fabric of our society but, yet, it is not complete and may be redefined to address a very significant aspect of our social life; and that is of ‘proliferation’ by ‘prolification’. In simple words, ‘family planning’. Family planning too is covered in the concurrent list of the Indian Constitution. The Concurrent List is a list of items in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Population control and family planning are listed as item 20A under economic and social planning. That is how significant it is. India’s public sector family planning programme offers a variety of methods, including female and male sterilisation (male sterilizsation is reversible and very simple as compared to the female one), intra uterine contraceptive devices (IUCD), oral contraceptives, and condoms. Since a regulatory act is being adopted under the proviso of UCC for improving the quality and discipline of citizens’ families, the family planning must also be brought under its ambit.
Bringing family planning (FP) under UCC as a compulsory social obligation would have multifarious benefits for the citizens as well as the nation as a whole. This aspect of our social disciplining has not been pursued seriously by any government. The one who tried forcing it on the citizens were subject to great humiliation and losses. That happened because the implantation was very harsh and indiscreet. But, first let us count the benefits of the FP. Fewer numbers would enhance quality of health, educational opportunities, financial status and all-round citizens’ welfare. It should not be as drastic as the Chinese by forcibly adopting the One Child norm per couple, but as per our slogan ‘HUM DO HAMARE DO’. No more, no less. No more for the benefit of the entire family and no less for the benefit of the nation and for a child’s social development by learning to care-share and be considerate of others. Some religion’s ethos that having children is God’s blessings is based on the premise that more in number the more dominant they will become. However, we have seen that all over the world such a following makes them into an immoral poverty ridden rowdy mob and a burden for the societies only to be pitied and classified as poor immigrants. Such a provision in future UCC would negate such an anti-national and anti-social practice. The families would amply benefit due to their smallness.
The political atmosphere would also improve by providing a more educated, healthier, less vulnerable to being manipulated and just electorate. The nation would also benefit by having more suitable political talent available than being restricted to a dynastic few. The politicians’ point of view more the population more is the vote bank would also change. It would also lessen the burden on the nation’s exchequer on spending for citizens’ welfare and mostly at the time of elections being currently practiced as ‘freebies’. For the citizens who break this, some punitive actions laid down by law should be devised. Simultaneously, incentives should be given to those who have used family planning.
All such measures may, at first glance, sound non-democratic but it would be redefining democracy to become more beneficial to the nation as a whole for its prosperity and unity. This I submit as food for thoughts of all nation loving citizens of Bharat.
