Stands for SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Group discussion
Team: The National UN Volunteers.

Topic: Stands for SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Moderator: Mr. S.C. Vohra

Let's begin from what is social consciousness?

• Azeez: The mantra of SOC is:
Learn to learn
Learn to lead
Lead to excel

In simple terms: EDUCATE - ENRICH - EVOLVE. It is the consciousness shared by individuals within a society. According to Karl Marx, human beings enter into certain productive, or economic, relations and these relations lead to a form of social consciousness.

From this viewpoint, social consciousness denotes conscious awareness of being part of an interrelated community of others.The “we feeling” or the “sense of us” may be experienced in members of various cultures and social groups. By the experience of collectively shared social identity, individuals may experience social unity.

Social consciousness may also stimulate working towards a common goal. As we are here in the group, creating a social consciousness and caring it and working on it for a common goal.

School is a social group. Teachers are the social workers striving for social consciousness for a common goal. When members of a species concern themselves with matters that effect their species as a whole instead of individually, then this is enrichment of social consciousness. It is applicable to all living species. Specially human nature.

In social consciousness, It is strongly recommended that you don't bother thinking about this too much. Just go and do it. It works. Any ideas you might have about it are useless to you. Come back and read and contribute to the comments after you have done.

In school life it is existing. Due to inattention, or deliberately ignore it, because its implications can make uncomfortable. However, it is to our advantage to embrace this knowledge and there are simple ways we can leverage it for easy change. We should like to encourage everyone to perform.

In simple terms, Remember or Re - Membership to it.

Conclusion:

Social consciousness is nothing but
COMMON SENSE

• Dr. Sekar Srinivasan: Man is a social animal. Social consciousness is right from mother's lap for a child. One man's freedom is upto other's nose. So all our civilized activities are in a way related to social consciousness. So many generations has made this wonderful planet for us to enjoy and live.. so our social consciousness can only preserve the best value add for the next generation. Almost all religions and philosophical masters evolved due to this social consciousness. A family, a street, a village,state or province and at large nations how that system evolved. Selflessness is the extreme virtue. That will make it clear.

• Mrs. Buvana: Living things are interrelated to each other......as in science says food web.....same is applicable for human also...each one contribute their parts.....so social  conscious is very important for All...how when where it depends the social set ups

• Dr Sekar Seenivasan: The very purpose and motive of our groups is towards that only

• Mr. Nahid Raza: Great points. Yes sir
Indeed

• Mr. S. C. Vohra: Showing concern or thinking consciously about social issues which concern the sea of people around us is being socially conscious. We can be conscious about anything only when we realise it , understand it and feel deeply about it. Therefore, to be socially conscious one has to be socially aware. A simple example of being socially unconscious despite being fully conscious about the implications of one’s actions is an actor or a film star or any other celebrity endorsing a product or any other commodity despite being fully aware that it’s going to have harmful consequences on the targeted audience or buyers or the society at large. A company which is not socially conscious will indulge in profiteering only putting its social responsibilities on the back burner. All kinds of adulterations that we witness today are examples of not being socially conscious. Only a few years back a famous cricketer endorsed a building society without bothering whether the promises being made by him would be actualised by the builder or not. The builder encashed upon his popularity and public perception of his integrity and defrauded innocent investors. A socially conscious celebrity would never take up any publicity assignment before verifying whether the tall claims being made through him would be fulfilled satisfactorily. It’s the duty of educational institutions to create socially conscious citizens by setting personal examples.

• Dr Sekar Seenivasan: Wonderful examples

• Mr. Alok Mohanty: Social consciousness will be possible when one evolves to a level where to feel deeply beyond blood relationship. Conversely one will have social consciousness if he/she has gone through a process of true individuation.

• Azeez: Social consciousness 1

ll  Free to feel

Every tree, every flower has a season. Everyone will experience spring in their lives, not just once, but over and over. This is due to his or her social consciousness.

Life of a person should be like a flower. It should bloom on its own without any force and disturbance. And give fragrance through out the day and make others to feel happy about you on seeing, meeting and interacting. And silently fall down on the earth in the evening where it was born. This is a complete life of a human.

We are unique and each one of us do have unique method of blending spiritual seeking with materialistic ambition is changing the way spirituality is experienced.

We are uniting a world that has been divided in the name of God and religion, through ‘Faith’ and ‘Love’.

Our ability  is to expound in the simplest mode the most complicated aspects of life with simple solutions and inspirations.

And our relentless service through public discourses, inspirations , teachings, views, thoughts, residential retreats through this social media.

Of course we are born twins still we kick each other. We are friends not yet seen each other.

This feel free tool is composed with love, faith and respect.

• Mr.  S. C. Vohra: Very true. Indian culture is deeply rooted in  social consciousness in the truest form. “ Sarve bhavantu sukhinah , sarve santu niramaya “ and “ vasudhaiv kutumbkam” are the finest examples. “Ekam satya viprah bahudha vadanti” is also an example of all pervasive social consciousness.

• Dr Sekar Seenivasan: Very true and discussion goes to superior levels

• Azeez: Social consciousness 2

ll Free to feel is not costly, it is a responsibility

Thinking that abundance is anti-spiritual. It is scarcity that is anti-spiritual.

You cannot have a negative feeling about a place and want to reach it. There is no merit in thinking that your spiritual progress will halt if it is materialistic. But there is a twist — you have to grow with spiritual roots.

You look back with contentment, look ahead with ambition. Expand abundance. Live life in all its dimensions. Success comes to those who celebrate the success of others. Add value to what you do — whether you are a doctor, designer or a cleaner.

Be healthy, wealthy and loving and allow others to have the same. Take care of all forms of love, all creations. They do have a similar rights of living as we do have.

Identify a cause larger than yourself. The best will come out when you believe in yourself.

It is rare to be born as a human being, make your life count. It is a responsibility.

Feeling someone is important to someone is our responsibility. A driver knows how important you are to your family. So he acts with his social consciousness. A doctor knows how important you are to your family, so he acts with social consciousness.

• Dr Parvathi: Nothing happens without Leadership. Nothing changes without Leadership.Nothing develops without Leadership. Nothing improves without Leadership.Nothing is corrected without Leadership.

Everyone, everywhere, every time is always being led. Whatever conditions, circumstances or predicament in which a person, family, community, organization or nation may find itself, someone has led it there. We are always, directly or indirectly, consciously or unconscientiously, being led. Leadership is perpetually exercised over us, whether by a politician, priest, parent, boss or teacher. Even the blind can lead, according to the young Jewish rabbi Jesus Christ. It is said that we all get the leaders we deserve. In essence, we are usually led by the persons to whom we choose to submit ourselves whether by vote, choice, or agreement.

Anything which is achieved  with working hard and following  the right ways as correctly said in dharmasastra and geeta" to follow the principles of  dharma and dharma will take you to longer goals"will surely take you to achieve  and reach greater heights. Dharma  gives you protection from the evils or the barriers cmg across ur way of success. If human beings are conscious of all these then society will grow lk anything nobody will hurt anybody or will be hunted by anybody and success will be achieved  automatically.

All these verses describes what actual dharma is? Dharma simply is once duty to be honest,polite,sincere and so on.

• Dr. Aruna Singh: Human beings are social animals!! So it is imperative for us to know about the society we live and thrive in. Social awareness is mainly about how much you know about the society you live in, what you have to learn from it and what you can contribute to the society. Since we are the part of the system we have to learn, understand and try to correct any imperfections present. But these days we act as mere spectators alienating ourselves from any kind of atrocities committed. May be the reason for so many unwanted things happening.  The political candidates are selected to restore order in the area but alas!! Something else happens. 

Mrs. Madhu Rai Kalra: So the community as a whole has to work for betterment and should have freedom and the authority to control crime, help in counselling, get together or improve and improvise the problems of the community and society as a whole .

• Azeez: Social consciousness 3

ll Stages of social consciousness

1. The first stage is called embedded social consciousness
In simple version: It is self oriented as "How can I best take care of myself?"

2. The second level of social awareness is called self-reflexive.

In simple version: At this stage we begin to be more introspective and the question asked is: "Why do I choose to do things this way as opposed to other options?"

3. The third stage is engaged social consciousness.

In simple version: The question posed here is: "How can I make a difference in other people's lives?"

4. The fourth stage is collaborative social consciousness.

In simple version: The question posed here is: "How can we best implement these new ideas?"

5. The fifth stage is resonant social consciousness.

In simple version: The question here is: "Is my inner congruency reflected in the way I serve others?"

Cultivating social consciousness is natural to human beings.

By smiling to others and choosing to have a good attitude, we raise the positive energy around ourselves, instantly making the world a better place to live.

Let us not allow "life" to cover our true nature.

Let us not be what we are, specially in social consciousness. Let's be different. Let us be not what we are in real.

Let us not stay quiet when we see injustice being done! Let us be advocates of truth at least by our heart if we are not capable with powers and consciously choose to remove our blinders!

Let us hear the cry of pain and sorrow! Let us all become aware of our responsibility to cultivate our social consciousness!

• Dr Parvathi: Social consciousness is inside everyone same as waves and currents in the sea .

• Dr Sekar Seenivasan: Naga Naresh Karutura has just passed out of IIT Madras in Computer Science and has joined Google in Bangalore. You may ask, what’s so special about this 21-year-old when there are hundreds of students passing from various IITs and joining big companies like Google?

Naresh is special. His parents are illiterate. He has no legs and moves around in his powered wheel chair.

Ever smiling, optimistic and full of spirit; that is Naresh. He says, “God has always been planning things for me. That is why I feel I am lucky.” Read why Naresh feels he is lucky.

• Childhood in a village

I spent the first seven years of my life in Teeparru, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, on the banks of the river Godavari . My father Prasad was a lorry driver and my mother Kumari, a house wife. Though they were illiterate, my parents instilled in me and my elder sister (Sirisha) the importance of studying.

Looking back, one thing that surprises me now is the way my father taught me when I was in the 1st and 2nd standards. My father would ask me questions from the text book, and I would answer them. At that time, I didn’t know he could not read or write but to make me happy, he helped me in my studies!

Another memory that doesn’t go away is the floods in the village and how I was carried on top of a buffalo by my uncle. I also remember plucking fruits from a tree that was full of thorns.

I used to be very naughty, running around and playing all the time with my friends.. I used to get a lot of scolding for disturbing the elders who slept in the afternoon. The moment they started scolding, I would run away to the fields!

I also remember finishing my school work fast in class and sleeping on the teacher’s lap!

• January 11, 1993, the fateful day

On the January 11, 1993 when we had the sankranti holidays, my mother took my sister and me to a nearby village for a family function. From there we were to go with our grandmother to our native place. But my grandmother did not come there. As there were no buses that day, my mother took a lift in my father’s friend’s lorry. As there were many people in the lorry, he made me sit next to him, close to the door.

It was my fault; I fiddled with the door latch and it opened wide throwing me out. As I fell, my legs got cut by the iron rods protruding from the lorry. Nothing happened to me except scratches on my legs.

The accident had happened just in front of a big private hospital but they refused to treat me saying it was an accident case. Then a police constable who was passing by took us to a government hospital.
First I underwent an operation as my small intestine got twisted. The doctors also bandaged my legs. I was there for a week. When the doctors found that gangrene had developed and it had reached up to my knees, they asked my father to take me to a district hospital. There, the doctors scolded my parents a lot for neglecting the wounds and allowing the gangrene to develop. But what could my ignorant parents do?
In no time, both my legs were amputated up to the hips.

I remember waking up and asking my mother, where are my legs? I also remember that my mother cried when I asked the question. I was in the hospital for three months.

• Life without legs

I don’t think my life changed dramatically after I lost both my legs. Because all at home were doting on me, I was enjoying all the attention rather than pitying myself. I was happy that I got a lot of fruits and biscuits.

• ‘I never wallowed in self-pity’

The day I reached my village, my house was flooded with curious people; all of them wanted to know how a boy without legs looked. But I was not bothered; I was happy to see so many of them coming to see me, especially my friends!

All my friends saw to it that I was part of all the games they played; they carried me everywhere.

God’s hand. I believe in God. I believe in destiny. I feel he plans everything for you. If not for the accident, we would not have moved from the village to Tanuku, a town. There I joined a missionary school, and my father built a house next to the school. Till the tenth standard, I studied in that school.
If I had continued in Teeparu, I may not have studied after the 10th. I may have started working as a farmer or someone like that after my studies. I am sure God had other plans for me.

• My sister, my friend

When the school was about to reopen, my parents moved from Teeparu to Tanuku, a town, and admitted both of us in a Missionary school. They decided to put my sister also in the same class though she is two years older. They thought she could take care of me if both of us were in the same class. My sister never complained.
She would be there for everything. Many of my friends used to tell me, you are so lucky to have such a loving sister. There are many who do not care for their siblings.
She carried me in the school for a few years and after a while, my friends took over the task. When I got the tricycle, my sister used to push me around in the school.

My life, I would say, was normal, as everyone treated me like a normal kid. I never wallowed in self-pity. I was a happy boy and competed with others to be on top and the others also looked at me as a competitor.

• Inspiration

I was inspired by two people when in school; my Maths teacher Pramod Lal who encouraged me to participate in various local talent tests, and a brilliant boy called Chowdhary, who was my senior.

When I came to know that he had joined Gowtham Junior College to prepare for IIT-JEE, it became my dream too. I was school first in 10th scoring 542/600.
Because I topped in the state exams, Gowtham Junior College waived the fee for me. Pramod Sir’s recommendation also helped. The fee was around Rs 50,000 per year, which my parents could never afford.

• Moving to a residential school

Living in a residential school was a big change for me because till then my life centred around home and school and I had my parents and sister to take care of all my needs. It was the first time that I was interacting with society. It took one year for me to adjust to the new life.

There, my inspiration was a boy called K K S Bhaskar who was in the top 10 in IIT-JEE exams. He used to come to our school to encourage us. Though my parents didn’t know anything about Gowtham Junior School or IIT, they always saw to it that I was encouraged in whatever I wanted to do.. If the results were good, they would praise me to the skies and if bad, they would try to see something good in that. They did not want me to feel bad. They are such wonderful supportive parents.

• Life at IIT- Madras

Though my overall rank in the IIT-JEE was not that great (992), I was 4th in the physically handicapped category. So, I joined IIT, Madras to study Computer Science.

Here, my role model was Karthik who was also my senior in school. I looked up to him during my years at IIT- Madras. He had asked for attached bathrooms for those with special needs before I came here itself. So, when I came here, the room had attached bath. He used to help me and guide me a lot when I was here.

I evolved as a person in these four years, both academically and personally. It has been a great experience studying here. The people I was interacting with were so brilliant that I felt privileged to sit along with them in the class. Just by speaking to my lab mates, I gained a lot..
‘There are more good people in society than bad ones’

• July 28, 2008

Words are inadequate to express my gratitude to Prof Pandurangan and all my lab mates; all were simply great. I was sent to Boston along with four others for our internship by Prof Pandurangan. It was a great experience.

• Joining Google R&D

I did not want to pursue PhD as I wanted my parents to take rest now. Morgan Stanley selected me first but I preferred Google because I wanted to work in pure computer science, algorithms and game theory.

• I am lucky. Do you know why I say I am lucky?

I get help from total strangers without me asking for it. Once after my second year at IIT, I with some of my friends was travelling in a train for a conference. We met a kind gentleman called Sundar in the train, and he has been taking care of my hostel fees from then on.

I have to mention about Jaipur foot. I had Jaipur foot when I was in 3rd standard. After two years, I stopped using them. As I had almost no stems on my legs, it was very tough to tie them to the body. I found walking with Jaipur foot very, very slow. Sitting also was a problem. I found my tricycle faster because I am one guy who wants to do things faster.

One great thing about the hospital is, they don’t think their role ends by just fixing the Jaipur foot; they arrange for livelihood for all. They asked me what help I needed from them. I told them at that time, if I got into an IIT, I needed financial help from them. So, from the day I joined IIT, Madras , my fees were taken care of by them. So, my education at the IIT was never a burden on my parents and they could take care of my sister’s Nursing studies.

• Surprise awaited me at IIT

After my first year, when I went home, two things happened here at the Institute without my knowledge. I got a letter from my department that they had arranged a lift and ramps at the department for me. It also said that if I came a bit early and checked whether it met with my requirements, it would be good.
Second surprise was, the Dean, Prof Idichandy and the Students General Secretary, Prasad had located a place that sold powered wheel chairs. The cost was Rs 55,000. What they did was, they did not buy the wheel chair; they gave me the money so that the wheel chair belonged to me and not the institute.

My life changed after that. I felt free and independent. That’s why I say I am lucky. God has planned things for me and takes care of me at every step. The world is full of good people.

Social consciousness has helped. That's why I shared

• Azeez:  Social  consciousness 5

ll Self consciousness

You can be everything if you know who you are. You know about you well. You cannot lie to you.

You are the  richest man in the world:

• If your  spouse loves you, you are an attractive person in the world!

• If your kids think you are ideal you are a superstar!

You are an Uncle model, If the mother of the neighbor advises her children to prefer to refer.

You are a leader, if your neighbor, close relative comes to you to solve it!

You are almost near to an apostle of God, when you help someone who is in a state of  perishing without expecting any benefit and rescue him!

The big truth is that you don't need a lot of money or influence to do  all this!

All we needed are only one thing, that is the social consciousness.

• Social consciousness 6

ll Being Human

Once Mahakavi Kalidasa got thirsty while walking in the sun in the field ..!

A villager was fetching water from a well in a jug a short distance away!

Kalidasa looks at him and his mother is thirsty ...
May I have some water?  He asked .....

The village girl said, "Let me introduce you!"

💎
Immediately Kalidasa had a hilarious attitude and thought why I should tell this girl who am I so said:  I am a traveler mom!

She said: There are two travelers in the world!
One is Moon!
One is Sun !
These are the ones who travel day and night .....!
💎

Well keep me as a guest said Kalidasa!

Right away that girl was just two guests in the world!
One is wealth! [Sukran ... Suri]
One is youth!
If only these two would come as guests and leave right away!
💎

Slightly annoyed Kalidasa just said a patient!  ....

Immediately the woman and the two of them ...!
One is Earth!
No matter how much you step on, no matter who you step on!
Another one is tree
Whoever beats the stone will give the pieces depending!
💎

Slightly angry Kalidasa said I am a stubborn!

And that woman is the only two stubborn people in the world ...
One is hair!
Another one is  nail!
No matter how many times you cut both
Laughing if you grow stubborn! ....
💎

Increasingly thirsty I told myself I was an idiot!

Right away that girl, there are two idiots in the world!

One is the king of the country
The other one who  praises him, the Minister! Said the girl...

Kalidasa could not do it and fell at the feet of the woman!

Immediately, the girl said, Son ... get up ... Kalidasa who saw the upright went to the mountain!

Satsad Saraswati Devi Yeh she stood in front!
When Kalidasa bowed his head, Looking at Devi Das ... Kalidasa!  He who realizes himself to be human attains the pinnacle of human nature!

Goddess Saraswati gave the jug of water to Kalidasa and disappeared, saying,  " Be human."
💎

In the same way that children are taught by their parents to earn money and live comfortably in the future, we must also teach them what to do as human beings, mothers, fathers, wives, people, close relatives, our motherland, the earth that feeds us!

Parents should not live a life of inhumanity by mechanising life as a motherland, separating relationships, the AC room is the world, the cell phone is the relationship, earning money is life!

Be yourself "be human", enjoy the flower of humanity with the wealth of life .......

This is social consciousness.

• Azeez: Social consciousness 7

ll Nature

What we live in and around is the nature which is being gifted by the creator not for our own use, it is commonly gifted to living and non living and existing now and the future too.

Nature is a loan which we received from the generation which is not yet created or not yet get birth. It is our social responsibility to give them back with some interest or at least the same.

We need not to help nature to grow or be as it is. Nature knows how to be. If nature start realigning herself we will be nowhere in this earth.

Everything is not granted by the nature. Natural calamities, massive deaths, flood .....are a part of nature, realigning herself.

Our role is to use properly and reuse it. And our role is to give social awareness to the people in touch with us. This social awareness is called social consciousness.