PROUT Study Guide - 01 Introduction

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Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar propounded the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT) in 1959 as an alternative to capitalism and communism.  His ideas on this subject are enunciated in Proutist Economics, Prout in a Nutshell, Neo-Humanism in a Nutshell, Human Society, Part One, Human Society, Part Two, and A Few Problems Solved.

The experience of contemporary history has exposed the fallacies of cherished social, political and economic ideas, classical as well as revolutionary.  The world is full of opportunities – material, mental and spiritual – and so to build a better and freer society is a practical possibility.  Yet we are observing a process of social decadence, moral degeneration and the collapse of values which is corroding the springs of human action and corrupting the ideals of a civilized life.  Failure and disappointment are bound to follow from attempts to solve the problems of our time with the ideas of previous centuries.  These ideas emphasized material progress and scientific development. However, the mental makeup and moral standard of the civilized community have not matched the level of material progress.  In other words, the development of civilization – refined cultural progress – has proven far slower than material scientific development.

Communism, which promised material well-being and security in an atheistic and socially regimented life has collapsed, creating disillusionment about revolutionary ideals.  The great promise of the industrial nations has also remained unfulfilled despite enormous accumulation of wealth, because of the underlying psychology of individualistic hedonism.  This radical hedonism postulates that happiness can be achieved by the fulfilment of any material or sensual desire whatsoever, and that in order to fulfil these desires, egotism, greed and selfishness have to be encouraged.  The achievement of sensory pleasure has been sold as the achievement of harmony and peace.  Radical hedonism, it should be known, is the philosophy of rich people.

The ideals of intellectual liberalism and intellectual refinement have also failed us.  The cherished belief that the spread of reason would abolish our irrational outbursts toward each other has all but disappeared.  Antagonism between ethnic, racial, and religious groups has become the fundamental reality of the nation-state.  When human security becomes threatened, social, ethical and religious energies get expressed through unprecedented oppression, violence and enmity.  The disconcerting experiences of the contemporary world compel thoughtful people to reconsider the fundamental philosophical principles from which different political theories – of the Right and the Left, conservative and liberal, reactionary and revolutionary – are alike deduced.

The capture of power, irrespective of the diversity of the means that are advocated, is the common postulate of all political theories.  Today, the so-called free world heralds the victory of liberal democracy and its corollary the capitalist economic system.  Through modern liberalism the individual has become 'economic man', lured by the glittering projections of a consumer psychology.  In the context of capitalist society, people exist mainly as units in the work force, with our thoughts, feelings and tastes manipulated by the government and industry and the mass communications they control.

Simultaneously, gaining momentum among the poor and disenfranchised is a tendency to relapse into medieval obscurantism in search of an illusory safety in the backwaters of dogmatic faith.  With the collapse of the Soviet Empire, movements for self-reliance are being sentimentalized with slogans from religious fundamentalism, slogans presented to the innocent person as an antithesis to pseudo-culture, economic domination and Western values.

This represents a new flare-up in the age-old struggle between religion and science – between faith and reason, and between mystic agnosticism and empirical knowledge.  Probably the last gasp of a life and death struggle, it has lasted long, and has always placed civilized humanity in the breach. The material scientific mode of thought, having driven religion from pillar to post over a period of several centuries, is meeting the final assault of a hitherto vanquished adversary.  Denying humans the possibility of ever knowing reality through experience, religions preach a neo-mysticism and a teleological view of life, which is the expression of humanity's loss of faith in itself.  This is in contradiction to spiritual enlightenment, which leads the human mind to experience the real essence of freedom and the organic wholeness of the Universe.

Science, attempting to free the mind from the shackles of dogma, emphasized that truth is contained only in that which can be recognized clearly and distinctively through physics and physical laws.  Knowledge is defined as the result of the intellectual analysis of our sense experience.  In this way, however, science created a new barrier beyond which the mind could not elevate itself to greater thresholds of consciousness.  Hence, science could not prevent the emergence of a materialistic dogma that devalues human potential, encourages the mechanization of life, and curtails freedom of thought.

The quest for freedom is much more ancient than either religion or physical science and can be referred back to our earliest struggle for existence.  This quest accounts for the human triumph over nature in the course of efforts to satisfy biological needs.  It provides the basis for the constant search for knowledge, and it enables us to progressively free ourselves from the tyranny of natural phenomena and social environments.  If we are to be guided by this deep human longing, the philosophy of the future should judge the merit of any social organization or political institution by the actual measure of freedom it affords the individual in the physical, mental and spiritual spheres.   


A Comprehensive Guide to the Study of PROUT
By The Proutist Writers Group, New York Sector
© Proutist Universal, Inc.  1998
This edition published by Proutist Universal Global Office, March 2010
P.U.  Global Office
Platanvej 30
DK 1810 Frederiksberg C

Denmark

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous when Economic Democracy is established.   Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE   How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE   http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

PROUT Study Guide Introduction - 02 Spiritual Humanism

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Sarkar's philosophy is founded on the assumption that matter is not separate from consciousness but is rather a metamorphosed form of it.  Similarly, consciousness is not the result of mental activity but rather thought is also a form of consciousness.  It is Consciousness that underlies psychophysical reality and provides the inspiration for a rational view of life, moral integrity, and spiritual wisdom.  

Spirituality and morality should not be equated with religious dogma and faith in God.  All religions are frankly dualist systems that separate humans from their progenitor and the manifest universe.  The rationalist rebels against theology – Descartes, Leibnitz, and Kant – also failed to escape the vicious circle of dualism.  To offer security, religion impressed upon people the need to submit before the imaginary will of God or a theological ethical code, sanctioned by the scriptures and defined by religious institutions.  Morality in this sense, however, is the absence of freedom.  


A philosophy based on spiritual and moral values, on the other hand, is able to explain human existence – including desire, emotion, instincts, intuition, will and reason – as an integrated framework and do so in a way that is accessible to human comprehension.  Such a philosophy is required to build the new social organism and political institutions that can foster not only the harmonious relations of all races and cultural groups, but also the harmonious relation of human beings with all animate and inanimate objects.  


For Sarkar, human existence is physical, mental and spiritual.  He defined progress as evolution to higher consciousness and ultimately to the state of absolute freedom.  Simultaneously, he explained that ”spiritual progress can only be attained on a firm physical and mental base.  … This physical and intellectual base has to be progressively adjusted to changing conditions of time and space.”  The natural human aspiration is to achieve freedom in all three spheres.  


In our march towards freedom we cannot neglect other living beings.  We have to develop a social system where all living beings can live securely, and where people can move towards emancipation by freeing their minds from superstition and dogma.  This universalistic spirit is Neo-Humanism or Spiritual Humanism.  Human history thus far is a story of ruling classes trying to enhance their own social and material wealth at the cost of human values.  This is why temples, churches, scriptures, laws, constitutions, corporations and international trade agreements have become more important than human beings.  To confront this, Sarkar maintains that a fundamental human philosophy is required to cement a new social system and not the changing social values based on self-interest that are embodied in ruling institutions.  


Human values find their root in spirituality.  Spirituality is not mystic speculation of life after death, but is realized in relation to the manifest universe.  The philosophy of monism, which postulates the self to be in union with the rest of the universe and responsible for its well-being, is the essence of spiritual humanism.  Sarkar wrote in his book Neo-Humanism in a Nutshell:  Part 1:  “What does the state stand for, what is the use of these regulations, and what is the march of civilization for, if human beings don't get a chance to build a good physical well-being, to invigorate their intelligence with knowledge, and to broaden their hearts with love and compassion?  Instead of leading humanity to the goal of life, if the State stands in the way, then it cannot command loyalty, because humanity is superior to the State.”  


A Comprehensive Guide to the Study of PROUT
By The Proutist Writers Group, New York Sector
© Proutist Universal, Inc.  1998
This edition published by Proutist Universal Global Office, March 2010
P.U.  Global Office
Platanvej 30
DK 1810 Frederiksberg C

Denmark

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous when Economic Democracy is established.   Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE   How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE   http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

PROUT Study Guide Introduction - 03 Society and State

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In Human Society:  Part 2, Sarkar described the inner spirit of 'society' as to ”move together.”  Society originated as a family in the early phase, and was strengthened subsequently under the guidance of group mothers and group fathers.  Later, with growing social complexity, group leaders emerged as queens and kings during the age of empires.  The emergence of classical religion strengthened political power and under the dominance of the priest class the Church State arose.  In modern times, under the rise of the capitalist class, the Nation State has become the norm.  In this proces, Society itself has lost its identity and importance, and social laws, norms and values possess little meaning.  All social structures have been politicized both in democratic countries and totalitarian countries.  Nevertheless, realistic relations between society and State could be formulated to create a congenial atmosphere for security and freedom.


Sarkar's main goal was to revitalize society, and through his writings and action he clearly demonstrated that he wanted to establish a 'moral society' which he termed 'Sadvipra Samaj'.  He was not so concerned with the political structure because he concluded that it will continue to evolve and change its character in different phases of history.  On the other hand, he felt that in the absence of a strong society, neither moral standards nor strong social relations could be realized or maintained.  He also believed that a strong society would balance the power of the political structure.  He considered human society to be one and indivisible; hence, he emphasized the formation of a social structure from the village to the global level.


When he laid the foundation of his own organisation, for example, he set up a structure that consists of 35 branches, each extending from the village to the global level.  This means that each locality should have at least 35 persons to take decisions on multifarious activities without being dependent on the dictates of the political structure.


Considering the above, the relation between Society and State can be defined as follows:  

• Society has a wider scope than the State.  As an assemblage of human beings, society should be considered one and indivisible without any boundaries of race, religion or nation.  The State is a political machinery within society to maintain law and order and other co-related functions delegated by society.   


• The State refers only to the politically organized portion of society.  Society takes priority over the State.  A sense of collective living creates society, and society in turn creates the State.   


• The State needs an organized government to enforce its will.  Society also needs a structure to regenerate moral and social values and maintain social cohesiveness free from the influence of the State machinery.   


• Society is universal and without any boundaries.  But the State may have specific boundaries flexible enough to be changed when there is need.   


It is necessary to define the relation between the two structures in the clearest language to be able to set goals and coordinate between the two.  Ultimately, however, the success of socially benevolent institutions will depend on the evolution of a proper social culture based on the values of spiritual humanism.  The materialistic orientation of life and the marketing character of modern industrial religion has created extreme forms of alienation, isolation and identity crisis in the affluent Western world.  Third World countries, besides suffering economic crisis, carry the psychological burdens of passive psychology, inferiority complex, religious dogma and other group sentiments.  These narrow and stagnant ideas damage social integration.


The creation of social institutions on the world level with organs on the lower levels can eliminate threats from political and economic oligarchies and religious fanatics.  Members of the social institutions should be established in the spirit of universalism.  Sarkar explained that to be established in cardinal moral principles is essential for the qualitative transformation of the personality as well as society.  He frequently used the term 'sadvipra' in this regard.  Value-oriented intellectuals and spiritually free persons, who have moral integrity and are not motivated by selfinterest, are the best persons to organize themselves to form the new social structure.  Their leadership is vital in creating social unity.   


A Comprehensive Guide to the Study of PROUT
By The Proutist Writers Group, New York Sector
© Proutist Universal, Inc.  1998
This edition published by Proutist Universal Global Office, March 2010
P.U.  Global Office
Platanvej 30
DK 1810 Frederiksberg C
Denmark

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous when Economic Democracy is established.   Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE   How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE   http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

  

PROUT Study Guide Introduction - 05 PROUT's Economic Development

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Ideas Worth Living

The idea that maximum consumption will create happiness has been challenged before.  Economist E. F. Schumacher states in his book Small is Beautiful: 

 “Economy as the content of life is a deadly illness, because infinite growth does not fit into a finite world.  That economy should not be the content of life, has been told to mankind by all its great teachers; that it cannot be, is evident today. If one wants to describe the deadly illness in more detail, one can say that it is similar to addiction, like alcoholism or drug addiction.  It does not matter too much whether this addiction appears in more egotistical, or more altruistic form, whether it seeks its satisfaction only in a crude materialistic way or also in an artistically, culturally or scientifically refined way.  Poison is poison, even if wrapped in a silver paper.  ...  If the spiritual value of inner man is neglected, then selfishness, like capitalism, fits the orientation better than a system of love for one's fellow beings.”

Sarkar asserted that economic development is only a means for survival and the fulfilment of physical needs.  The economy must maintain balance with Nature and other aspects of social and cultural development.  The spirit of all-round collective welfare, not limitless profit, should guide future economic development.


Considering the above, Sarkar's guidelines and goals for economic development are as follows:   


• The minimum requirements of all should be guaranteed.   


• Economic power should be decentralized and economic democracy should be introduced.   


• Production should be designed for meaningful consumption, not profit.   


• The gap between rich and poor nations should be narrowed.   


• Production should serve the real needs of people and not the demands of the economic system.   


• Harmonious relations of cooperation with Nature should be established.   


• The psychology of competition must be replaced by a psychology of cooperation.   


• It should be accepted that economic fulfilment cannot satisfy the infinite desire for happiness.   


• Supramundane and spiritual potentialities should be explored and utilized to balance the mundane, finite character of the economy.   


• Psycho-economy, which aims at neutralizing dehumanization by the economic system and effecting the progressive expansion of the individual and collective minds, should develop as a branch of the economy.   


This Study Guide is intended to provide an introduction to Sarkar’s philosophy of spiritual humanism, which he called NeoHumanism, and the political-economic theory of PROUT which addresses the practical application of this value system.  This introductory material has been presented in the form of a Study Guide because our objective is to do more than share ideas.  We want to create organizational cadre who will work to lay the groundwork for a new era in human society.   


We encourage the formation of Study Circles to “study” the requirements of a benevolent society.  It cannot be created by merely mouthing philosophy.  It requires that we first transform ourselves.  This is accomplished through spiritual practices and by studying and working together for the greater good we put meaning into our lives.   


Sincerely,  


The Proutist Writers Group of New York Sector

A Comprehensive Guide to the Study of PROUT
By The Proutist Writers Group, New York Sector
© Proutist Universal, Inc.  1998
This edition published by Proutist Universal Global Office, March 2010
P.U.  Global Office
Platanvej 30
DK 1810 Frederiksberg C
Denmark

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous when Economic Democracy is established.   Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE   How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE   http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

Evolution of World Government - Bicameral Congress

As nations reach toward each other to exercise their responsibilities in unity, inevitably the capacities of arriving at such unity and universal standards will result in world governance.  Arriving at such stasis is necessarily a slow process for such a grand scale, while doing so in an ethical and progressive manner is essential and necessary.  

by Prabhat Sarkar, Founder of PROUT

Two houses

Universalism does not depend upon any relative factor, hence it is free from the vices of ism.  Ism thrives on the angle of group interest.  Among many other factors, ism is a major factor in war.  War is not an ideological clash.  Those who are eager to establish peace should shake off nationalism and other allied isms.

If we are to shake off these isms, we have to organize a universal body and go on strengthening its power.  This will be the first phase in establishing a world government.  In the initial stage it will be a law-framing body.  The first beneficial effect of such a body will be that no country will be allowed to frame laws detrimental to the interests of its minorities.  The right to execute those laws will be vested with the local government and not with the world government.  The world government will decide the principles on the basis of which a particular law will be enforced in a particular country.

There will be two houses:  a lower house and an upper house.  In the lower house, representatives will be established according to the population of the country.  In the upper house, representatives will be country-wise.  First bills will be placed before the lower house, and before their final acceptance they will be duly discussed in the upper house.  Small countries which cannot send a single representative to the lower house will have the opportunity to discuss the merits and demerits of proposed acts with other countries in the upper house.

From Discourses on PROUT – 2

The Evolution of World Government

To run the world government, two houses may be maintained for an indefinite period.  The lower house will be composed of representatives from various parts [countries] of the world, elected on the basis of population.  The members of the upper house will be elected country-wise.  This will provide opportunities to those countries which cannot send even a single representative to the lower house due to their small population, because they will be able to express their opinions before the people of the world by sending their representatives to the upper house.  The upper house will not adopt any bill unless it has been passed by the lower house, but the upper house will reserve the right to reject the decisions of the lower house.

Initially the world government should go on working merely as a law-framing body.  The world government should also have the right to make decisions regarding the application or non-application of any law, for a limited period, in any particular region.

In the first phase of the establishment of the world government, the governments of different countries will have only administrative power.  As they will not have the authority to frame laws, it will be somewhat difficult for them to arbitrarily inflict atrocities on their linguistic, religious or political minorities.

From Problems of the Day

Copyright 2011

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous

when Economic Democracy is established.  

Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE  

How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE

What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE  

http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

.  

Benefits of Global Government

Humanity's productivity and ability to reach far and wide to embrace people from other cultures and distant places demonstrates an escalating inclusiveness of humanity as one family, and with all its diversity establishing universal norms and practices accommodating such diversity while augmenting assurances of just and fair intercourse around the world.  Such efforts, at best, are what have unified geographic tribes into nations, nations into federations, and federations into a unified planet.  We are at the threshold of unifying the planet, as the vicious parasitics of one nation over another are addressed with more ethical more's and practices.  

by Prabhat Sarkar, Founder of PROUT

Many people say that different national interests are the only hurdle in the formation of a world government.  In my opinion this is not the only obstruction; rather, this is just a minor difficulty.  The real cause lies in the fear of local leaders losing their leadership.  With the establishment of a world government the powerful influence, which they enjoy today in different countries, societies and in national life, will no longer exist.

Different national interests and popular skepticism may hinder the formation of a world government.  The progress of this work must be carried on step by step to remove the baseless fears in people's minds.  Besides, due consideration will have to be given to removing any possible obstacles to the formation of a world government.  The world government has to be strengthened step by step and not suddenly.

For example, two houses may be formed for an unspecified period for administration.  The lower house will comprise representatives from parts of the world elected on the basis of population, while members of the upper house will be elected country wise.  By this arrangement those countries which cannot send a single representative to the lower house due to their small population, will benefit by expressing their opinions before the people of the world by sending their representatives to the upper house.  The upper house cannot adopt any resolution unless the lower house has ratified it, but it will enjoy the privilege of disallowing the decisions of the lower house.

In the first stage this world government may act only as a law framing body.  The world government will be vested with framing the rights of implementation or non-implementation of any particular law in any particular region.  In the beginning when the world government is being established, the government of different countries will have only administrative power.  As they will not have any power to enact any laws arbitrarily; it will not be easy for any government to inflict atrocities on its linguistic, religious, or political minorities according to the whims of the governing majority.  

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous

when Economic Democracy is established.  

Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE  

How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE

What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE  

http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

.  

Requirements of an Ideal Constitution

Constitutions are the intersection of conjugating noble ideals with pragmatic adjustments in societal intercourse providing steadily purpose, continuity, and actional propriety for executing such principles and designs, and remediating conceptual and practical conflicts in a progressive manner, made better with amendability to accommodate for changes over time.  The need for a Constitution at the helm of governments is substantial and quite obviously so.  

New thresholds of excellence in constitutional development include the well thought out and articulated United States Constitution, albeit with retention of absurd and unconscionable concepts as slavery, which, by compromise, were put off to later for remediation over time to arrive at an otherwise viable constitution more immediately.  The Preamble and other elements of the U S Constitution are reflected clearly in the United Nations' Constitution and other Constitutions around the world.  

As time, place, and persons progress over time, so should Constitutional elements come forth as inalienable true and essentially included within Constitutions.  Prabhat Sarkar, founder of PROUT, covers some of such factors that for modern society to progress in an escalatingly more ethical manner must include within governmental Constitutions.  


by Prabhat Sarkar, Founder of PROUT

With the changes of the social cycle, the human society has developed several social institutions to carry out its duties and responsibilities.  The state is one such vital institution which organizes a group of people in a certain area of land, rules them, promotes their welfare and oversees their good.  This institution is powerful because it also enjoys sovereign power.  

Accumulation of power is dangerous if it is not guided by some rules and basic principles.  The guide book in which all such rules, regulations and principles for the proper conduct of a state are codified is called a constitution.  A constitution guides a state with policies and principles to render all-round services to the people for their rapid progress.  

The first written constitution was framed by the Licchavi Dynasty of Vaeshali (in northern Bihar) in ancient India over 2500 years ago.  Prior to that, the words of the king were law and kings ruled according to the advice of their ministers.  The first republican democracy was established by the Licchaviis.  The Licchavi Republic comprised some portion of Muzzaffarpur, portions of Begusharai, Samastipur and Hajipur between the Gandaka and Kamala rivers, all in the present state of Bihar.  It was the first democratic state and they had their own written constitution.  

Differences Among Some Constitutions

There is no British constitution – it is only a collection of traditions and conventions and not a written document.  The theoretical head is the crown queen or king.  All power is vested with the crown but practically it is exercised by the prime minister in a parliamentary form of government.  The French system is a presidential form of government where the president appoints the prime minister and all other ministers.  The USA also has a presidential form of government.  In France and the US there is a written constitution.  In the US the president exercises power or rules the country through secretaries appointed by the president who is directly elected by the electorate.  There are no ministers, only secretaries in the US system whereas there are ministers in the French system.  When there is no ministry in Britain a lame-duck ministry is formed by the crown and the crown can head that ministry until a new parliament is elected.  In India the president has no power and is only a signatory authority or rubber stamp.  The Indian president cannot even head a caretaker government.  The Indian prime minister can remove the president but the president cannot remove the prime minister.  Although the prime minister is powerful according to the constitution, he or she is not directly elected by the electorate, that is, by the people.  The prime minister is elected only as a member of parliament and then is made prime minister by the party.  

The US presidential form of government is a better form of government, but there is a shortcoming in the US constitution and that is that individual rights are given maximum scope: this leads to an unrestrained capitalist order.  Now India is also going to suffer the same disease and this is leading to regionalism.  Too much individual freedom should be curtailed in an ideal form of government.  PROUT will introduce social controls so that collective interests will be supreme.  In the US constitution purchasing power is not guaranteed to the people.  The best form of government is the presidential form where the president is elected directly by the electorate and there is less individual liberty.  

Common Constitutional Defects

Everyone has the right to physical, mental and spiritual development.  But all constitutions have been written in such a way that they do not ensure the all-round welfare of all citizens.  A constitution should be fair and just.  The least bias on the part of the framers towards any particular ethnic, linguistic or religious group may undermine the unity and solidarity of the concerning country and thus disturb the peace and prosperity of the society as a whole.  

Judged from this perspective some of the defects of the Indian constitution are easily discernible.  India should have a new constitution to establish unity in diversity in a multilingual, multi-social and multi-national country.  

While drafting the constitution of a country the framers should keep in mind the population structure of the concerning country.  The population of India is a blended population of the Austric, Mongolian, Negroid and Aryan races.  But the Indian constitution, due to inherent defects, has not helped establish social amity, cultural legacy, equality and unity among these races.  As a result fissiparous tendencies have developed in the country.  

There are several fiscal and psychological loopholes in the Indian constitution.  The fiscal loopholes include the following.  First, there is no check on unbarred capitalist exploitation.  This is because the leaders of the independence struggle did not give any economic sentiment to the people.  The only sentiment was an anti-British sentiment.  Thus the independence struggle was only a political movement and not an economic movement.  After 1947 instead of white exploitation, brown exploitation emerged.  1947 brought only capitalist political liberty but not economic freedom.  As a result, unbarred economic exploitation continues today.  

Secondly, the constitution gives no guarantee for increasing the purchasing capacity of every individual.  Thirdly, the president has no constitutional power to check financial or fiscal matters.  The Indian economy is controlled by a few business houses through some chambers of commerce.  The president has no constitutional power to check either the price level or the degree of exploitation.  Neither the president nor the prime minister can check these.  Fourthly, there is no provision for inter-block planning for socio-economic development.  Fifthly, there is no clear concept of balanced economy.  

The psychological loopholes in the Indian constitution include the following.  The first is the imposition of a regional language as the national language.  English imperialism has been followed by Hindi imperialism.  Hindi is only one of many regional languages.  The selection of one such regional language as the official language adversely affects the psychology of people who speak other languages.  As the consequence of such a defective language policy in the constitution, the non-Hindi-speaking people face unequal competition at the national level and they are forced to use a language, either Hindi or English, which is not their natural language.  Hence they are relegated to “B class” citizens.  No regional languages should be selected as an official language in a multi-national, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country like India.  Such a selection would affect the minds of other non-Hindi-speaking people.  Hindi is just a regional language like Tamil, Telegu and Tulu.  It is a good language but it should not be forcibly imposed on others.  

India is a secular country but Pakistan is a Muslim state and Nepal is a Hindu state.  They may or may not impose a language on their people, but in India this imposition should not take place.  The spirit of secularism provides equal scope and equal avenues for all for the maximum psycho-social-economical development of every individual.  

When the Indian parliament debated the issue of official languages, the constituent assembly was equally divided into two.  The then chairman of the Constituent Assembly at that controversial stage cast his all-important vote in favour of Hindi.  Thus Hindi becomes the official language of India by a single vote.  

Sanskrit may be the national language of India.  It is the grandmother of almost all the modern languages of India and has a great influence on the languages of India.  It may take five, ten, fifty or hundred years to spread this language to all people.  Roman script should be used since Sanskrit has no script of its own.  All groups of people including linguists of India should join together and decide this controversial matter.

The second psychological loophole is that there are several disparities in the law.  The constitution of India proclaims that all are equal in the eye of the law.  But in practice, this principle is not followed, and as a result disparity is growing in the arena of law and justice.  Such disparity is adversely affecting the different groups of people in the country.  For example, there are disparities between the Hindu Code and the Muslim Code.  Hindu women and Muslim women, although they are all Indian citizens, do not get equal advantages of law.  For instance, according to Hindu law, a man cannot have more than one wife, but a Muslim man is entitle to have more than one wife.  A Hindu husband or a Hindu wife is required to approach the court to secure a divorce, while a Muslim man is entitled to divorce his wife without the permission or approval of the court.  Moreover, a Muslim husband can divorce his wife but a Muslim wife cannot divorce her husband.  Besides, a Muslim husband is not required to show any reason for the divorce.  

Disparity in the eye of the law is creating all these problems.  The root of all these evils lies in the psychological loopholes of the Indian constitution.  Why is the constitution allowing the Hindu Code and Muslim Code to stand side by side?  Let there be only one code – the Indian Code.  This Indian Code should be based on cardinal human values, with a universal approach and [neoumanistic] spirit.  Then only equality before the law can be established in practice, and equal protection of the law for all can be guaranteed.  So the constitution should remove the psychological loopholes by eradicating existing disparities in the eye of the law.  

The third psychological loophole is that there is no law against the indiscriminate destruction of flora and fauna due to the absence of neohumanistic sentiment.  In the [Cosmic Family of the Supreme Consciousness], humans, animals, plants, and inanimate objects exist together and maintain a harmonious balance.  However, human beings, because of their superior intellect, are indiscriminately destroying plants and animals for their own narrow, selfish ends.  In the constitution, there is no provision for the safeguard of the plants and animals.  In a constitution, there should be safeguards for the lives of plants and animals.  The absence of such provisions in the constitution creates psychological loopholes which should be corrected without delay.  

Fourthly, the relation between the centre and the states in a confederation should be clearly defined in the constitution.  Otherwise, there will be centre-state conflict and the whole country will be psychologically affected.  Among all other aspects of this relation two important aspects should be clearly defined; the right of self-determination, and the right of secession of a particular component of the confederation.  In the constitution of India these are not clearly stated.  As a result, the relation between the centre and the states is always strained and pressured.  

Fifthly, in the constitution of India, no clear definitions of scheduled tribes and scheduled castes are given.  Rather, these lists have been wrongly prepared on the basis of racial considerations.  Instead of this unscientific approach, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste lists should be based on economic backwardness and educational backwardness.  

Constitutional Reforms

To overcome these fiscal and psychological loopholes, all constitutions in the world today need to be reformed.  The following reforms should be implemented.

(1) Dissolution of the ministry or parliament.  The president may discharge the ministry or dissolve the parliament under certain circumstances: in case of inimical action within the country; in case of disorder or the breakdown of law and order; in case of external inimical activity; and when a democratic ministry is rendered a minority in the parliament.  When a democratic ministry is discharged because it is a minority in the house, the president has to explain the reasons for his or her actions before the parliament within one month from the day of taking such action against the ministry.  If the parliament is already dissolved then the president will have to arrange a general election within six months and explain the position before the newly elected parliament within one month of the election.  

(2) Period of emergency.  The president may continue the period of emergency with the approval of parliament for a period of six months, and with such a parliament the president may continue a period of emergency for not more that two years.  

(3) Advice of a lame duck ministry.  The president may or may not act on the advice of a lame duck ministry.  If the advice of a lame duck ministry is not honoured by the president then the parliament will be dissolved.  A new parliament will have to be formed through a general election, and the president will have to explain his or her position before the new parliament within one month of its formation.  

(4) The moral standard and character of the president and prime minister.  The president or prime minister must be of high moral character.  The president or prime minister must not divorce his or her spouse, marry a divorcee or have more than one spouse.  

(5) The power of the president to issue any statement.  The president must not issue any statement under normal conditions without consulting the parliament or the prime minister.  In normal conditions when there is a ministry, the president will have to act according to the advice of the ministry.  In case the ministry is dissolved the president will have to act according to the advice of parliament.  

(6) Parliament in the role of constituent assembly.  The parliament will play the role of constituent assembly only with a majority of 7/8 of the members, because changing the constitution at regular intervals reduces the status of the constitution.  

(7) Language.  All living languages of a country must have equal status before the state or the government.  

(8) Equal rights.  All citizens must have equal rights before the law.  Physical requirements are to be equally considered for all citizens so that all citizens will have equilibrium and equipoise in collective life.  

(9) Review board.  To review economic progress and development of different parts of the country, a high-level review board should be constituted by the president.  If there is any difference between the ministry and the board, the president must act according to the advice of parliament.  And if there is any difference between the parliament and the board, the president should seek advice from the supreme court of the country and act according to their official advice, according to the provisions of the constitution.  

(10) A case against the prime minister or president.  A case may be filed in the supreme court against any person in the country including the prime minister and president, because every citizen in the country is equal before the constitution.  

(11) The right of self-determination and plebiscite.  The right of self-determination for a part of the country may be recognized only on the basis of a plebiscite held in that area with the permission of the parliament functioning as a constituent assembly.  If the plebiscite is to be held, it should be held under the strict control and supervision of the central government by the chief election commissioner of the country.  

(12) Education.  Primary education for all must be guaranteed and education should be free from all political interference.  

(13) The law and the constitution should be the same.  The law and the constitution should be the same for the entire country, as each and every individual is equal before the law and before the constitution.  According to the constitution, each and every part of the country will enjoy the same power.  For example, special rights or facilities for Kashmir should not be allowed.  Today a Kashmiri can go to Bengal and purchase land, a house, etc. but a Bengali in Kashmir cannot enjoy that facility.  This kind of discrimination must end.  

Charter of Rights

The formation of a World Government will require a world constitution.  A charter of principles or bill of rights should be included in such a constitution and encompass at least the following four areas.  First, complete security should be guaranteed to all the plants and animals on the planet.  Secondly, each country must guarantee purchasing power to all its citizens.  Thirdly, the constitution should guarantee four fundamental rights – spiritual practice or dharma; cultural legacy; education; and indigenous linguistic expression.  Fourthly, if the practice of any of these rights conflicts with [cardinal human values] then that practice should be immediately curtailed.  That is, cardinal human values must take precedence over all other rights.  All the constitutions of the world suffer from numerous defects.  The above points may be adopted by the framers of different constitutions to overcome these defects.  

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous

when Economic Democracy is established.  

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