THOUGHTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN VEDIC (INDIAN) TRADITION

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH, 2014

Human beings are born equal in dignity and rights. These moral claims are articulated and formulated in what is today known as human rights. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethic origion, colour, religion, language or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. The origin of human rights may be found both in Greek philosophy and the various world religions. In the Age of Enlightenment the concept of human rights emerged as an explicit category. Origin of the idea of human rights in India though the Rigveda Perod. The term Human Rights refer to those rights are considered universal to humanity, regardless of citizenship, residency status, ethnicity, gender, or other considerations. The present topic is a burning issue and has a great significance in the world especially the developing nations like India. The experience of the last five decades in the area...

The belief that everyone, by virtue of her or his humanity, is entitled to certain human rights is 1fairly new. however, lie in earlier tradition and documents of many cultures. It took the catalyst of World War II to propel human rights onto the global stage and into the global conscience. Throughout much of history, people acquired rights and responsibilities through their membership in a group a family, indigenous nation, religion, class, community or state. Most societies have had traditions similar to the “golden rule” of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Hindu Vedas, the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, the Bible, the Quran (Koran) and the Analects of Confucius are five of the oldest written sources which address questions of people’s duties, rights, and responsibilities. In addition, the Inca and Aztec codes of conduct and justice and an Iroquois Constitution were Native American sources that existed well before the 18th century.

Human rights are essential for any civil society. In fact it is an inalienable right of every individual because she or he is a human being. The struggle to protect and preserve human rights is as old as human civilization itself. It has been a long and slow historical process for the realization of these rights. At the very beginning the concept of human rights evolved from the Doctrine of Natural Rights in which individual have right to life, liberty and property. In the LEVIATHAN, Hobbes assume that "every man has a "right to life" and the" right to its preservation" so much so that the social contract in which every man surrender all of his right to" this man or body of man" doesn't deprive the individual of his right to life."1 Apart from the doctrine of natural rights the roots of the concept of human rights can be traced back to Magna Carta (1215), the Petition of Rights (1628), Bills of rights (1689),American Declaration of Independence (1776), and French Revolution (1789).The humanity had faced continuous suffering and exploitation in world wars. Hence special efforts were made by the UNO to protect the human rights. Thus in 1948, the human right has been universally declared by UNO. It consists of 30 articles with its preamble. It is one of the greatest achievements for all peoples and nations. The charter of United Nation Organisation in its preamble declared ""we the people of UN determine to reaffirms faith in the fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of the nations large and small..."2 The concept of human rights is difficult to defined. Generally human rights are those rights which are essential for the existence as well as the development of human personality.

Every person has dignity and value. One of the ways that we recognize the fundamental worth of every person is by acknowledging and respecting their rights. Human rights are a set of principles concerned with equality and fairness. They recognize our freedom to make choices about our lives and to develop our potential as human beings. They are about living life free from fear, harassment or discrimination. Human rights can broadly be defined as a number of basic rights that people from the world have agreed are essential. These include the right to life, the right to a fair trial, freedom from torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and rights to health, education and an adequate standard of living. These human rights are same for all people everywhere-men and women, young and old, rich and poor, regardless of our background, where we live, what we think and what we believe. This is what makes human rights 'universal'. Human rights connect us to each other's through a shared set of rights and responsibilities. A person's ability to enjoy their human rights depends on other people respecting those rights. This means that human rights involve responsibilities and duties toward other people and community. Individual has responsibility to ensure that they exercise their rights with consideration for the rights of others. For example, when someone uses their right to freedom of speech, they should do so without interfering with someone else's right to privacy. Governments have a particular responsibility to ensure that people are able to enjoy their rights. They are required to establish and maintain laws and services that enable people to enjoy a life in which their rights are respected and protected. For example, the right to education says that everyone is entitled to a good education. This means that governments have an obligation to provide good quality education facilities and services to their people. Whether or not governments actually do this, it is generally accepted that this is the government's responsibility and people can call them to account if they fail to respect or protect their basic human rights. Human rights cover virtually every area of human activity. They include civil and political rights, which refer to a person's rights to take part in the civil and political life of their community without discrimination or oppression. These include rights and freedoms such as the right to vote, the right to privacy, freedom of speech and freedom from torture. The right to vote and take part in choosing a government is a civil and political right. They also include economic, social and cultural rights, which relate to a person's rights to prosper and grow and to take part in social and cultural activities. This group includes rights such as the right to health, the right to education and the right to work. The right to education is an example of an economic, social and cultural right. One of the main differences between these two groups of rights is that, in the case of civil and political rights, governments must make sure that they, or any other group, are not denying people access to their rights, whereas in relation to economic, social and cultural rights, governments must take active steps to ensure rights are being fulfilled. Human Rights is not a subject that can be studied at a distance. Students just not learn about the Universal Declaration, about racial injustice, or about homelessness without also being challenged to think about what it all means for them personally by the human rights awareness students can more aware about human rights. TAHESINBANU M MALEK 'Human Rights' 7. The table showing respondents' most useful source in understanding Human Rights. 8. The table showing awareness of United Nations 9. The table showing respondents' most useful source in understanding in United Nations. 10. The table showing the awareness of Universal Declaration of Human Rights 11. The table showing most useful source for respondents in understanding Universal Declaration of Human Rights 12. The table showing awareness of Fundamental Rights.

Human rights are basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. Human Rights are inherent and in alienable rights which are due to an individual by virtue of his/her being a human being. These rights are necessary to ensure the dignity of every person as a human being irrespective of one‟s race, religion, nationality, language, sex or any other factor. Human rights are vast, varied and dynamic. They represent so many issues that everything and anything relating to human beings come under its Jurisdiction. They also have significant contribution towards both national policies and politics as well as relations with other international communities.