Ethics and Values in Public Governance

This presentation is based on Short Term Three Days Training Course on “Ethics and Values in Public Governance” Sponsored by Department of Personnel and Training, Govt. of India and organised by Haryana Institute of Public Administration, Gurugram from September 5-7, 2018. We used both course-content as well as our other open reading for this ppt. It was presented in the lecture organised by IQAC, Smt. Aruna Asaf Ali Govt. P.G.College, Kalka on 15th September, 2018.

Link:

https://www.scribd.com/document/390311423/Ethics-and-Values-in-Public-Governance

Philosophy of Life of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

Philosophy of Life of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal

Abstract

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh gurus (the last teaching being the holy scripture Gurū Granth Sāhib Ji). It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, with over 30 million Sikhs and one of the most steadily growing. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally 'of the gurus').  The Sikh Scriptures outline the ways in which one can bring their own thinking in line with the Hukam. If one engages in the service of God's creation, this is the best way of working in harmony with the Divine Will. Further, by remembering Waheguru one becomes aware of "God desires" and "Divine essence" within the person is realised. By following these "Divine Values" that benefit His Creation, one ends the cycle of Karma and Transmigration.  The objective of this paper is to study the basic life values taught by Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji.

Note: Submitted for International Seminar on Life and Philosophy of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on 24^th  of November, 2017 at Desh Bhagat University Campus Mandi Gobindgarh, Village Sounti Amloh District Fatehgarh Sahib.. 

Epicureanism, Charvaka and Consumerism: A Search for Philosophy of Happiness

Epicureanism, Charvaka and Consumerism:  A Search for Philosophy of Happiness

Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal

Abstract:

Epicurus was a Greek philosopher and more interested in pleasure or its pursuit than other ideals. He said, “No pleasure is a bad thing in itself, but the things which produce certain pleasures entail disturbances many times greater than the pleasures themselves.” Epicurus tells us that wisdom is the knowledge of which pleasures are good for us. While at times this led to a negative view of his philosophy, the reality is his thinking was very advanced and developed, leading to his ideas becoming highly influential in modern thought in many regions of the world today. His simple philosophies of avoiding pain, leading a simple life, and attaining knowledge have made his philosophy both attractive and influential to many.  One important Indian Philosophy “Charvaka” take this world to be the only reality.  Out of the four human values - Dharma, artha, kama, and moksha - they advocate pursuit of kama only and artha merely as a facilitating means for the purpose. For Charvaka, the goal of human life to attain the maximum amount of pleasure in this life, avoiding pain as far as possible. A good life is a life of maximum enjoyment. A good action is one which leads to a balance of pleasure and a bad action is one which brings about more pain than pleasure. In present times, consumerism is all pervading, the real spirit for any developing economy is to develop products and marketing practices advocating consumerism and it is inevitable to safeguard the interest of consumers at large. Consumerism is the belief that personal wellbeing and happiness depends to a very large extent on the level of personal consumption, particularly on the purchase of material goods. The idea is not simply that wellbeing depends upon a standard of living above some threshold, but that at the center of happiness is consumption and material possessions. It is an attempt of this paper to see the relation between these philosophies and try to find common characteristics which lead man to lead a happy and satisfactorily life.

Key-Words: Epicurus, Charvaka, Pleasure, Happiness and Consumerism.

Presented at National Seminar on CONSUMERISM AND CONSUMER PROTECTION IN THE ERA OF OPEN MARKETS IN INDIA (Sponsored by Panjab University, Chandigarh) PG Govt. College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh on 30th January, 2018.

Principles of Good Governance Advocated by Ancient Greek Thinkers

Principles of Good Governance Advocated by Ancient Greek Thinkers

Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal

ABSTRACT

Good governance, first appeared in the nineties within the United Nations, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund refers to describe how public organizations best conduct public affairs and deliver public goods and services. Today, about three decades later good governance seems to be still popular since there are still many challenges ahead for many governments especially in less-developed and developing countries.  Hence the notion of good governance was emerged as a normative commencement of the principles, values and ethics to realise the acts of governance. Some thoughts on good governance and related topics advocated by three great ancient philosophers, who appear to be relevant at the present time are considered herein. One of the said philosophers is Kautilya (also known as Chanakya and Vishnugupta), who lived in India around 150AD. The others are the two great Greek philosophers Plato (427- 347BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC), who stand with Socrates as the shapers of the whole intellectual tradition of the West. The thoughts are extracted from that detailed manual of state-craft and the science of living known as the Arthashastra written by one of classical India’s greatest minds Kautilya, Plato’s great work known as ‘The Republic’ and Aristotle’s treatise titled ‘The Politics”.  The objective of this paper is to study the thoughts of ancient Greek philosophers who lived many centuries ago and their ideas are still relevant today. 

Key-Words: Good Governance, Democracy, Greek Philosophers, State.

Presented at:

92^nd SESSION OF THE INDIAN PHILOSOPHICAL CONGRESS 5^th to 7^th January, 2018  Venue: Holistic Science Research Center,Vitrag Vignan Charitable Research Foundation, Near Dada Bhagawan Mahavideh Teerth Dham, Kamrej Xing, Dist. Surat, Gujarat (India) PIN-394185

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: A Modern Indian Philosopher

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: A Modern Indian Philosopher

Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal

Abstract

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is one of the names  who advocated to change social order of the age-old tradition of suppression and humiliation. He was an intellectual, scholar, statesman and contributed greatly in the nation building. He led a number of movements to emancipate the downtrodden masses and to secure human rights to millions of depressed classes. He has left an indelible imprint through his immense contribution in framing the modern Constitution of free India. He stands as a symbol of struggle for achieving the Social Justice. We can assign several roles to this great personality due to his life full dedication towards his mission of eradicating evils from Indian society. The social evils of Indian society, also neglected this great personality even in intellectual sphere too. The so-called intellectuals of India not honestly discussed his contribution to Indian intellectual heritage, rather what they discussed, also smells their biases towards a Dalit literate and underestimated his great personality.  This paper will attempt to discuss important facts about life and a short description of the literature written by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. This is followed by  discussion his philosophy in the five major sections i.e. Feminism and women empowerment, philosophy of education, ideas on social justice and equality, philosophy of politics and economics and philosophy of religion.

Key words: Indian social system, social equality, philosophy of religion, women empowerment, Indian education.

Presented at:

92^nd SESSION OF THE INDIAN PHILOSOPHICAL CONGRESS 5^th to 7^th January, 2018  Venue: Holistic Science Research Center,Vitrag Vignan Charitable Research Foundation, Near Dada Bhagawan Mahavideh Teerth Dham, Kamrej Xing, Dist. Surat, Gujarat (India) PIN-394185

महात्मा गाँधी के अनुसार आधुनिक सभ्यता: एक अवलोकन

महात्मा गाँधी के अनुसार आधुनिक सभ्यता: एक अवलोकन  

(Mahatma Gandhi on Modern Civilization: An Overview)

डॉ. देशराज सिरसवाल 

सारांश 

महात्मा गाँधी भारत के कुछ महान विद्वानों में से एक हैं जिन्होंने विश्वपटल पर अपनी एक अलग छाप छोड़ी है. उनके दर्शन को भारतीय जनमानस ने खुले मन से आत्मसात किया जिसका उदाहरण स्वतन्त्रता आन्दोलन के समय में उनके प्रभाव से जाना जा सकता है. गाँधी के सत्य के प्रयोग, अहिंसा, सत्याग्रह, सर्वोदय आदि विचार आज हमारी भारतीय शिक्षा का एक अभिन्न अंग बन चुका है. राजनीति, धर्म, सामाजिक समस्याओं पर उनका चिन्तन हमें आश्चर्य में डाल देता है. उनका साहित्य लगभग सौ ग्रन्थों में प्रकाशित रूप में हमारे बीच उपलब्ध है. गाँधी के जीवन पर भारतीय दर्शन का व्यापक प्रभाव था. गीता और बुद्ध के ‘सर्वभूत हित’ के आदर्श से गाँधी प्रभावित  रहे. उनके चिन्तन पर रस्किन एवम् टॉलस्टॉय  का भी प्रभाव था. इस तरह गाँधी में पूर्व और पश्चिम का समन्वय दिखाई देता है. गाँधी के अनुसार आधुनिक सभ्यता अनीति और अधर्म पर आधारित है इसीलिए सर्वग्रासी है . गाँधी ने वर्तमान सभ्यता की चार प्रमुख समस्यायों को चिंताजनक माना-हथियारों एवम् हिंसा की समस्या, पर्यावरण , निर्धनता एवं मानवाधिकारों की समस्या. यह समस्याएं आधुनिक सभ्यता की देन है अत: उन्होंने इसकी आलोचना की तथा विकल्प में एक नई मानव सभ्यता का प्रारूप प्रस्तुत किया जो सादगी, संयम , अपरिग्रह एवम् स्वावलम्बन की जीवनशैली के साथ अहिंसात्मक एवम् शुद्ध साधनों तथा प्रकृति के साथ मैत्री व साहचर्य पर आधारित विकास पद्धति का पक्षधर हैं. आज गाँधी एक व्यक्ति न रहकर एक वाद की तरह हमारे सामने प्रकट होते है जो हमारे सामाजिक और राजनैतिक जीवन पर असर डाल रहा है. आज गाँधी –वन्दन एवं गाँधी-विरोध का प्रवाह निरंतर चल रहा है लेकिन देश एवम् विश्व की परिस्थितियाँ गाँधी चिन्तन की प्रासंगिकता को व्यापक रूप से उजागर कर रही हैं  प्रस्तुत पत्र का उद्देश्य आधुनिक सभ्यता पर उनके विचारों को जानने का प्रयास है तथा आज के समय के अनुरूप समीक्षा करना भी है.

मुख्य-पद: महात्मा गाँधी, भारतीय दर्शन, आधुनिक सभ्यता, भारतीय समाज एवम् मूल्य.

Presented at:
International Seminar On Sustainable Development, Gandhian Legacy and 21st Century Challenges (9-10 March 2018) Sponsored by ICSSR    Organized By Department of Gandhian and Peace Studies Panjab University, Chandigarh.