[0:00]My dears, welcome to Malayali's Talks. Hello dears, welcome back to my channel. Calicut University 4th semester BA VSC Malayalam, today we are starting the fourth module. The name of the fourth module is new time, new values. So, its introduction part is democracy, secularism, and a few other things are given. So, that class is what we are taking today. If you are watching our channel for the first time, don't forget to subscribe. I have started a vlog channel. Please support it. I will put the link in the description. Also, I will put the links of all classes and notes in the description. So, you can check it out. So, let's start. First, let's talk about values. Values are of two types: one is traditional values, and the other is eternal values. The meaning of the word 'Sanatana' is that which exists in all times. Similarly, 'Shashvata' means imperishable. So, earlier, values were considered imperishable and valid for all time. However, changes in society have also changed the perception of values. In the ancient text Manusmriti, it is stated that women are to be protected by their fathers, husbands, and sons at all times and do not need independence. Similarly, in Islam, a woman's testimony is not considered equal to a man's. So, the reality here is that a woman is considered to be inferior. Also, until the 20th century, many countries in the world did not grant voting rights to women. The value system of that time did not consider women equal to men. As times changed and perspectives evolved, there was a realization that the old values were not suitable for the new era. That is, old values that did not consider women were not suitable for today's world. By abandoning what needed to be abandoned and reforming what needed to be reformed, new values that aligned with the times were formed. At one time, despite gender discrimination, those considered backward came to the forefront when they received educational opportunities, and there are many examples of them gaining the ability to lead society. That is, a woman, regardless of her caste, religion, class, or gender, was given a lower status. So, when she received education, she came to the forefront and gained the ability to lead society. If we were still following the old value system, which was based on the four-tier caste system and monarchy, then women who are not Kshatriyas by birth, like K.R. Narayanan and Smt. Draupadi Murmu, would not have become the President of India. Next is democracy. Democracy is a form of government run by the people, for the people.

[3:03]So, this is a governance system and a public social culture. When rulers make decisions regarding state matters, they must consider and include all the people of that country. Only then will the idea of democracy be complete. Therefore, democracy strengthens legal equality and the rule of law in a nation. That is, the right to decide who should govern them and which policies should be implemented in the country came into the hands of the people. That is democracy. This did not happen suddenly. Society transformed into this system through decades of continuous ideological conflicts, awareness campaigns, and protests. Even though people live in groups, their differing interests always created conflicts within those groups. We know that even within a family, each person has their own preferences. So, there are many conflicts in every household because of it. It's the same with our country. That is, even though there is unity among everyone, differing opinions always created conflicts. Similarly, the quality of leadership began to define power instead of brute force. So, tribal chiefs or elders, and later kings, were appointed to such positions of power.

[4:22]So, this power was passed down through blood relations to the next generation. For centuries, our social order was shaped by the control of such kings or feudal lords. That is, it was individual power systems that our society had. It states that some people were considered superior and prioritized over others. When the minority enjoyed more rights and privileges, the majority of people lived without receiving any of these facilities. Thus, with the emergence of the idea of equality among people, a governing system arose where inherited powers were transferred to elected representatives.

[5:08]It can truly be said that a system where people have control over the government is democracy. So, Demos means people, and Kratos means rule. So, the word 'Demokratia' was formed by combining these Greek words. Herodotus, a Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC, is believed to be the first to use this word. When this word came into English, it became democracy. In Malayalam, this system is called 'Adhipathyam', meaning people's rule or 'Janathipathyam'. Abraham Lincoln defined democracy most beautifully. He defined it as 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people'. So, democracy is not, in its fullest sense, the rule of the people, but rather the rule of elected representatives. The rule of representatives is as old as monarchy. That is, in ancient times, wasn't it the kings who took over and ran the government? So, when the government was taken over and run, the kings often sought the help of influential people in society. In the early days, the king considered the opinion of the representatives only in financial matters like tax determination. Later, they were allowed to interfere in other administrative matters. That is, we know that for tax collection, kings had appointed various people. So, they had a lot of influence in this administration. In 1295, the representative assembly convened by Edward I of Britain is known as the first model parliament. This is very important. Sometimes it is asked for two marks. There were disputes between the King of Britain and the people's representatives regarding power. So, with the revolution of 1688, the people's representative assembly, that is, the parliament, gained ultimate power.

[6:54]The king had to rule under the parliament. In the early stages, very few people had the right to vote to elect representatives to the British Parliament. In 1832, it was decided to expand the right to vote. Women got the right to vote much later. When India became independent, it was decided to remain a democratic nation. India is one of the largest democratic countries in the world. Based on population, India ranks first. Our constitution made democracy a legally existing one. In India, multi-party democracy is prevalent. That is, many political parties with different interests contest in our elections, and the party or front that gets the majority in the group comes to power, and they form the cabinet, and thus it is called parliamentary democracy. So, in some countries, there will only be two parties. In some other countries, the president will be elected by the people or an electoral college appointed by them. In those places, the cabinet will not be people's representatives. This system is in America. Sometimes these are asked for two marks, these are all important. Also, there are countries where a person is considered a winner only if they get more than half of the recorded votes. That is, if there are more candidates, and one of them does not get more than half of the votes in the first round, then the first and second place winners contest again. That is their system. That is, we consider the one who gets the most votes. If they get less votes, then they will again conduct voting like this and elect from that. Such countries also exist among us. Then, in the right to decide who their ruler should be, without giving any consideration to any kind of voter's importance, democracy brings equality. Similarly, the interests of the people are given primary consideration here. So, when voting takes place, privacy is mainly maintained. That is, we have the freedom to vote according to our wishes, with our independence.

[9:02]The idea that elected representatives should be accountable to the citizens upholds the dignity of the citizens. So, this is what democracy is all about. Next, let's talk about secularism. Secularism is one of the main values upheld by our constitution. We just talked about democracy.

[9:25]Next is secularism. The words secularism and religious neutrality are often used interchangeably in many places. The state has no religion, or the state does not officially consider any religion. That is its meaning. That is, religion is not given importance here. The government will not promote any religious belief or specific religious values, nor will it persecute religions using its administrative power. However, the state does not envision a place free of religion. That is, it does not promote religion, but it also does not say that religion should not exist. So, one can believe in any religion or not believe in any religion. That is one's own choice. No one should experience discrimination in the name of religion. This is what the framers of India's constitution desired. So, this place has given rise to, and other places have given birth to, numerous religions that have become an integral part of India's culture centuries ago, even though they were born in other places, it is said.

[10:39]That is, the Tharisa Palli Sasanam and the Juda Sasanam, these are all examples of this. We can't say that foreign countries came for trade and then religion came. Even before that, religion was accepted and supported, and various help was given to those who believed in it. If a country has an official religion, there will be many conflicts in its name. It is with this understanding that we arrived at the concept of religious neutrality. Religion should not interfere in politics and governance. Political interests should not be mixed with religion. This is the basis of this view. Okay, that is, religion is supported, but it is never said that a certain religion is the official religion. One can believe in a religion or not believe in it. That is everyone's choice. In its name, there will never be any administrative interference, and no religious believers will face any kind of hardship. That is the system of religious neutrality or secularism. Okay dears, with this, our class today is over. So, the rest of this part, since it's a big chapter, will be uploaded as a second part. If you have any doubts, please ask. Thank you for watching.