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Language and Community Empowerment

Dayananda sagar.G.S

Assistant Professor of English, Govt. college for women, Mandya

Before entering into the space of my article I would like to deal with the core part title of my article. Let me convey the meaning in which I would like to use the term ‘empower’. According to Webster’s new world dictionary means ‘to give ability or power or enable’. There are aspects as well but for my discussion I will use the above mentioned meanings. In this article English language stands as a pretext to substantiate the importance of language in empowering humankind.

In this expeditiously changing world there are countless issues which will remain considerably dormant. In spite of immense changes otherwise , people’s ideas on development , academic affairs, medium of instruction ,society and social relationships and other global factors are ,even now unaltered. This paper lays emphasis on one main question which is whether the English language is a boon and an empowering tool of the academic classes to empower the literates. Literates are there in India and worldwide but, the question here is about literates and educated classes have been lit rated and educated through their ages old and limited speaking mother tongues. As we know we are living in multi- lingual world. The recent globalization has made the vast cosmos a global village .In this scenario, a man has to encounter other man of a different lingua franca. Then, there is a need of a unique language. But such a uniqueness in a sole language speaking is possible only through the language which has universal usage and approval. The largest speaking tongue may get approbation of the global village.

In the modern scientific era everything is possible. What need is an attitude to accept the change and a will to open ourselves to the course of change. The words ‘community and empowerment themselves have become cliché from the concept of globalization. Every citizen on the earth has given a chance to adopt and adept the things which may empower him to get overall development. We may question why only one universal language and why can’t many languages or our own mother tongue only? It is very simple to answer as we are living among the several language speakers. But the complexity in the answer is what was the world or a particular place before the present necessity of the unique world language. If we theoretically deal with this question, we may get the contrary concepts. We can go with the theory of ‘Structuralism’ and ‘Post structuralism’. Ferdinand Saussure outlines that the language is ‘arbitrary, relational and systematic’. In which he says the meanings we attribute the words are entirely prescribed through usage and convention only. So, language is a system in itself. Language constitutes our world and our very existence .That is language which constructs the very nature of our perception of reality. Thus, literary visual, musical texts are structured like a language. In post structuralism, language is never stable. Even Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction and post structuralism give new approach to the language, narratives, and interpretations. If we speak about Gayathri Spivak, a well- known literary and cultural critic, she tells that ‘Subaltern’, who are inferior or below the status cannot speak for him /herself because the very structure of colonial power prevents the speaking. What Spivak argues that the work of intellectuals is to make visible the position of the marginalized. According to her the subaltern must be spoken ‘for’. Then what they need is a language which convinces and demands their rightful claim for the natural living.

In the course of my paper I would desire to delineate the importance of a language. Therefore, I have used these memorable and fundamental theories literature and language in loose and somewhat in irrational usage to describe the language with. My intention is to show how the language plays an important role in signifying something out of nothing. The subaltern, who are socially and economically below the high ranks are capable to speak for themselves when they will get adequate usage of the language which fulfills their dream and desired status. The world is seeing a boon in the usage of new discoveries. But that is language which makes the boon fruitful and reachable to the every nook and the corner of the world. A language may passes, shares, expresses the ideas and feelings and experiences. It builds democracy; it creates an ideal society on basis of liberty, fraternity and equality. This is the gab or craft of language which destroys Julius Caesar and his tyranny; this is the language craftsmanship which made NarendraModi, prime minister of India. With the help of language only, innovations and communication are made possible. Young people need something to believe in. In searching of identity, they experiment with ideas, actions and devotions .This results in polarities in their behavior and thinking. These all are relation with the language which is an easy access to the contemporary world.

Now it is the time to discuss English, as a boon to empower a community. The community in the sense a collective living of the same or for some extent similar kind of people. The empowerment of a community may not be in whole, may be in individual. As I said earlier, in the present scenario of the global and multi –lingual world English language stands as an international link language. The language must primarily be able to satisfy the speaker’s economic, educational and social requirements. It’s interesting to note that a mono- lingual individual cannot be held responsible for the death of any language. When an individual finds that one language has a competitive advantage over the other, in terms of providing better opportunities, in terms of education, employment, lifestyle, he is gravitate towards that language and that is what happening in concern with the English language in the world today. The importance of English language is naturally very great. English is the language not only of England but of the extensive dominions and colonies associated with the British Empire and it is also the language of the U.S.A.

As a result of colonial expansion of England, English speaking nations are about a quarter of the earth’s surface. English language was the language of many nations’ transactions of nearly three or four hundred million people. The academic, political, social, and economical changes in India are the result of English education in India introduced by the British Raj. The English education was resulted for many social reforms in the orthodox Hindu religion. Many reformers from the western education had put their effort to change the course of Indian social life. The English language only that can link a remote Indian to the front part of an international frame work. English has become the language to link the people of different countries and different cultures to the one perspective. It is through English language that many are getting the opportunity to work in abroad where they are alien in respect of speaking language.

After the British Raj in India, English was the language of upper and privileged class people. But the globalization has made it mandatory and obligation to learn the English language. Even the least concerned untouchables in India are capable to get the world language and they have been getting working opportunity in multinational companies in India and abroad. It is through English language only ,Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had succeeded to become the architect of Indian constitution and worked hard for the welfare of dalits and other downtrodden people in India. Through the individual development and empowering many social reformers, business entrepreneurs, economist and political leaders catering their knowledge and service to the whole community irrespective of castes and nation’s .English language and education has made the teachers and other professionals are enabled to practice worldwide beneficial theories and services to their respective nations and places. This is what the English language that awakes the suppressed women of India and other countries from the nightmarish of the cultural and patriarchal construct. Through the English language only the Euro-centric values became universal and deconstructed the ages old construct of women in the male dominated ; hegemonic society.

Thus, we can conclude that language is the primary source of development and empowerment of an individual and a community in whole. It enriches and enables the people or community to changing global demands.

References:

Webster’s New world Dictionary

A Course in General Linguistics (1916), Ferdinand de Saussure.

Derrida and Difference, (p53), ,Cultural Studies(2008) Pramod k.Nayar.

IMPACT OF RURAL ROADS ON RURAL ECONOMY - A CASE STUDY OF KOLAR DISTRICT

Dr. BALAPPA

Associate Professor of Economics, Government First Grade College, Chamaraja Nagar, Karnataka, India

ABSTRACT

There are innumerable references to the Road Policy and Road Construction in vogue in different periods in the Indian History. The excavations at Mohenjo-Daro in Sindh and Harappa in Punjab have revealed that in these cities which existed in 3,500 and 2,500 B.C. In 1943 for the first time British Government convened a Conference of Road Engineers at Nagpur which gave out a Blue Print for the Road Development in the Country, popularly called the `Nagpur Plan'. The need for rural roads for the rural economy in the third world particularly in India tends to have a crucial place in the process of socio-economic transformation for the rural masses. The study has the following specific objectives such as (1) To examine the role of rural roads in rural economy in general and agriculture in particular. (2)To examine and analyze the socio-economic development due to the rural roads. (3)To study the changes in the socio-economic levels of the rural farming families due to road and access to communication in the case study area.An attempt is made to collect primary level data by using random sampling method selecting a sample of 200 farmers, 50 families each from in four villages of Malur taluk of Kolar district. This study was undertaken to study the impact of roads on Rural Economy in four villages. With emphasis on the Socio-Economic impact before and after the construction of roads. The major findings are: (1) Marginal and small farmers are dominated in the rural sample households of farming community having the average land holding of 1.5 acres and 379 acres respectively in the study area, (2) Construction of village link road and improved transport system has direct bearing on the income generation, (3)Out of the state total length of the road rural road account for 56.1% in Karnataka(4) In Rural areas the total geographical area and the rural population show 98% and 69% respectivel.

Keywords-Road policy, Nagpur plan, Third world, Rural Economy, Marginal Farmers

INTRODUCTION

There are innumerable references to the Road Policy and Road Construction in vogue in different periods in the Indian History. The excavations at Mohenjodaro in Sindh and Harappa in Punjab have revealed that in these cities which existed in 3,500 and 2,500 B.C, there were broad streets with proper drainage system. Emperor Ashoka recognized the importance of highways in the fourth century B.C. In 1943 for the first time British Government convened a Conference of Road Engineers at Nagpur which gave out a Blue Print for the Road Development in the Country, popularly called the `Nagpur Plan'. This plan clearly classified the roads in the country assessed the needs of roads for 20 years and laid down ambitious construction targets for ten years. The responsibilities of central provincial and local bodies were also clearly indicted. The modern are of Indian roads commenced from then onwards.

The need for rural roads for the rural economy in the third world particularly in India tends to have a crucial place in the process of socio-economic-cultural transformation for the rural masses. In the emerging scenario, the need for rural roads gets prioritized due to the availability of very limited resources .In addition the rate of growth of rural roads often outstrips the population growth rate for the less developed countries seem to make up for the lost