Is India a Democracy without Human Rights?
Is India a Democracy without Human Rights?

Perspectives on India’s structural resilience

Summary/Abstract: India is increasingly a society without citizens, as is the case with major parts of Asia, instead they have silent masses, suffering in anonymity devoid of all rights. When we talk about rights, in general we think of something concrete that is both tangible and attainable. We assume that these rights can be enforced and guaranteed. This perception is a costly illusion for all parties involved, especially those that are economically, politically and socially disenabled. It is often true that the middle-classes everywhere are better equipped to materialize their rights, although they might not always be in need of these rights. This means that a big majority of the people are unable to transform their theoretical rights into a workable reality in their everyday life. One of the reasons for this is that human rights are often perceived as a top-down issue, where rights are created at the top and imposed at the lower level. Crafted by the few and imposed upon the many. Human rights are therefore treated as a product of pedantic thinking, bestowed as a gift by a higher authority on a passively and obediently accepting masses. I have a difficulty in accepting or accommodating to such a perception, I see a fundamental need to remain at the empirical level when it comes to Human Rights.

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