Pune: Society is becoming increasingly fanatical, with sentiments being hurt over trivial matters, said senior writer and orator Prof Milind Joshi. He expressed concern that while people had fought for the country's freedom by setting aside differences of religion, caste, region and language, they were now fighting among themselves over the same divisions.
"In today's society, where emotional heat is rising, there is a drought of empathy," Joshi said, emphasising the urgent need to cultivate rationality and keep the flame of optimism burning.
He was speaking during an interview organised by Karam Pratishthan on the theme Changing Social Mindset: A Reflection at Aksharvel Hall in Sadashiv Peth on Sunday, Oct 18.
Vaishali Mali and Ashwini Deshpande interviewed Joshi. Karam Pratishthan President Bhushan Katakkar and Bhalchandra Kulkarni were present on the dais.
Joshi said the widening gap between society's moral and material lives had led to cultural lag and growing apathy. The loss of rational thinking had fuelled blind hero-worship, he observed.
He said erudition, good conduct and character were once considered benchmarks of prestige, but people were now being judged primarily by material standards in an increasingly ostentatious society.
According to Joshi, a rapid levelling down across various spheres of life was leading to a decline in quality. Just as a society suffering from malnutrition due to a lack of food was undesirable, an insensitive society experiencing emotional malnutrition because of the loss of selfhood and virtue was equally unacceptable, he said.
He added that while an illusion of material prosperity was being created, intellectual poverty was becoming increasingly evident.
Highlighting the role of education in social transformation, Joshi said there was a world beyond academic studies and teachers had a responsibility to prepare children to face it.
He said literary figures could bring about social change through their intellectual positions. Responding to a question, he stressed that writers must pursue the truth without aligning themselves with factions or cliques.
Mukta Bhujbal shared her thoughts, while Vasanti Vaidya recited poems on the theme. Kulkarni outlined Karam Pratishthan's initiatives in his introductory remarks.
Prajakta Vedpathak and Vaijayanti Apte anchored the programme. A poetry symposium, or Kavi Sammelan, was held in the latter half of the event.
