Thus volume is an outcome of the departmental seminar proceedings under the Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) programme of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Our thanks are due to the UGC for funding this project.
Some of the articles of this volume are a product of group discussion held regularly during the last five years. We have tried to arrive at a particular conclusion regarding the conditions for becoming a democratic state. The members of this group have chosen different areas of democracy for the purpose of exploring the field. I would like to thank all the members of the heterogeneous group for extending their help, academic as well as non-academic, towards the publication of this book. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues whose concern and inspiration of thought-provoking comments from time to time have made the publication of this book possible.
I would also like to acknowledge my gratitude towards Professor Soumitra Basu of the Department of Philosophy, Jadavpur University and Professor Sadhan Chakraborti, Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, for their valuable suggestions.
I am also grateful to Shri Rajendra Agarwal of Suryodaya Books for publication of this volume in an attractive way.
Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. - Aristotle, Politics.
HUMAN beings are naturally social animals and that is why they cannot live outside of the umbrella of the so-called society. Generally a society is made up of some families and a state gets formed when some societies come together with their positive effort. So, there is a deep connection among the people, societies and a state. People are interdependent, so they cannot live without the other. Therefore, a state cannot be formed without societies and the formation of a state remains incomplete without a social structure.
Now the question naturally arises: what is the necessity to form a state? Just as people always want to lead a good life and man cannot fulfil her/his natural requirements without the help of others, the need for a state emerges. Similarly, a person moves forward with an ideology in order to lead a proper life in the society. That is why a state moves forward with an ideology in mind for the welfare of the people. Consequently, the main task of a state is to ensure that its people live peacefully and no person commits any wrongdoing. Because, if a person commits any crime or wrongdoing that harms another person in the society. The offender will be given exemplary punishment for that act, so that no other person in the society does that kind of crime. The state will punish the wrongdoer for maintaining peace, tranquility and the growth of the society. In other words, the state will monitor and curb the crimes of its people in order to lead the society in the right direction. Therefore, it can be said that the state is the driving force of the society.
In a situation where a state does not govern its society properly, its citizens cannot live a healthy life and they will fail to accomplish their normal needs. Only the state can meet the natural needs of the individuals through efficient governance. Not only that, if there is no governance, there will be no laws and discipline in the society. And one will not hesitate to do any kind of harm to another if there is no proper governance in the state. This kind of activity may continue due to the lack of proper laws or governance in the society or state. If people want to maintain the prosperity and growth of a society, they have to obey and maintain the rules laid out by the state; otherwise, there will be no equality in that state, consequently. It will be a state consisting of irrational or inhuman beings. So, it is very important to have governance in the state and the state has to enhance humanity and also rationality among its people through proper policies and laws.
This regime can be of two types. Good governance and/or bad governance. A system of governance, run by a ruler or a few individuals, that results in the misery of the common man can be called a bad regime. If there is such a system of governance in a state, that state cannot last long. In such a situation, the common man tries to leave this kind of governance and stay under good governance. Good governance is a system of governance that conducts its affairs for the benefit of the people without thinking of its own interests, resulting in the wholesome welfare of the people. If a state has this kind of governance in place, every person in it will be able to fulfil her/his dreams. Guided with honesty and devotion, its citizens will be able to perform their duties independently.
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