Discourses of Society

Participation in Discourses of Society

The Bahá'ís of India are engaged with the government agencies and organizations of civil society in a series of social discourses such as on advancing towards the equality of men and women, on what constitutes effective governance and addressing issues of rampant corruption. They also explore collectively with others in various social spaces the question of the role of religion as a progressive force in society and strive to better understand the harmony of science and religion in their efforts towards individual and collective transformation. The issues of human identity, and the role of human rights in uplifting individuals and communities in realizing their innate material and spiritual potential is another area of discourse focus in which the Bahá'ís are actively engaged. With the concern of bringing about a level of material prosperity to the 400 million of our country’s population, the Bahá'ís engage in the discourse that addresses the fundamental issue of the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty which is the greatest sign of injustice  in policy formulation, programme implementation and evaluation. The growing number of those underprivileged people who live in absolute poverty in India is a matter that requires the active engagement of all who work for human development.

The Bahá'ís of India also participate in the promotion of discourses on human development through the production and broadcast of news magazine series (Ek Behtar Samaj ki Aur) that focus on the impact of the creative word of God on the lives of ordinary Indians. With a firm conviction that development is knowledge-driven, the Bahá'í community is engaged in a process of learning about sustainable human development at grassroots levels and in urban areas of the country. This process entails human resource development targeting all members of the population from different age groups. The curriculum which is inspired by the spiritual and social principles of the Bahá'í Faith,  help the participants to get an understanding of their essential identity and the nobility of the human nature, the purpose of life and the roots of motivation. With their heightened capacity, they rise to new levels of service to society, and see the direct correlation of that service with the ownership of the process of their own individual transformation. Hence they are empowered to become conscious protagonists of their all round growth and simultaneously participate in educational activities that address the needs and aspirations of children, junior youth, youth and adults of their society. This movement of the population towards transforming their own village community provides great learning in understanding relationships between the three constituent elements of society, namely: the individuals, communities and institutions.

The other medium by which the Bahá'í community participates in the discourses of society is by reflecting this learning through its websites, such as www.bahai.in and www.bahaihouseofworship.in