Articles by Dr. Parvez

Domestic Violence An Analysis and Islamic Viewpoint I t’s been twenty years, but I can never forget those black eyes and bruised arms. Our former housemaid, an ageing lady draped in a tattering nine-yard sari still wore the mangalsutra around her neck and the vermillion on her forehead that she believed would protect her drunkard abusive husband from harm. How ironic… how ironic indeed! I had grown up seeing her in that pitiable state and had become somehow habituated to the apathy; but what made the ordeal even more painful was the realization that this was not her case alone. There were thousands of women out there whom she only represented- women who were battered to pulp, humiliated and made to work in people’s houses to support the family while their male counterparts would order another round of country liquor in a shabby gambling shed. Beaten for money, beaten for sex- the poor souls have nowhere to go, no shoulder to cry upon and no kind heart to heark

Role of Civil Society in Maintaining Peace and Harmony C ivil Society, as per the World Bank, refers to ‘non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) therefore refer to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labor unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations’. In other words, civil society acts as a link between the Government and the masses and complements the Government in serving the citizens. It remains outside the purview of the Government but has to abide by the law of the land, and work within the framework of the country’s constitution. In a parliamentary form of democracy, we have the ruling party/coalition and

Role of Media in Achieving Social Justice A nation is composed of citizens- men and women belonging to numerous races, colours, religions, castes, financial classes and age groups. It has both- the highly educated and the illiterate and everyone in between. The nation equally belongs to each one of them- without favour or prejudice. Its resources, its opportunities, its rights, freedoms and privileges belong to everyone without any discrimination whatsoever, and ensuring their equitable distribution among all society members is essentially ‘social justice’. The responsibility of delivering social justice rests with the Government and the Media plays a pivotal role in achieving it. To understand the role of the media in this context, we need to first understand the scope and purpose of media. A.    Link all sections of society The name itself suggests that it is a link between two or more entities. Today’s media is a means by which the Government and other authorities can com

Man-made Drought in Maharashtra D rought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply- whether surface or underground water. A drought can have serious implications on the agricultural, social, economical and health balance of the concerned area. In Maharashtra , today, 15 districts are affected by drought. Solapur, Ahmadnagar, Satara, Beed, Nashik, Latur, Nanded, Aurangabad , Jalna and Osmanabad are among the worst affected. The number of villages so affected is an alarming 12000! We shall first understand the consequences and causes of drought and then move on to the specific problems faced in Maharashtra and their plausible solutions. The consequences of drought can be enumerated as under: 1.      Famine, hunger, starvation. 2.      Health issues like malnutrition, dehydration and various other diseases. 3.      Livestock affected. Livestock requires both- water and fodder, the availability of which is badly aff