- HEPL TO THE POOR
- THE UPLIFTMENT OF THE DOWNTRODDEN
Outline: Tyranny of injustice in the world – champions of the downtrodden – Mahatma Gandhi – Dr. Ambedkar – social workers and philanthropists – Martin Luther King; - conclusion.
All over the world there are people who are miserable and unhappy because they are oppressed. Some are ground down by poverty and others by tyrants and oppressors or by an unjust social system. They find themselves quite helpless because of the tyranny of injustice.
From time to time there have arisen great and noble souls who have championed the cause of the downtrodden. Among these noble souls are Mahatma Gandhi, Dr.Ambedkar, and Martin Luther King.
Mahatma Gandhi gave up all he had to identify himself with the poor starving millions of India. Gandhi asserted that cottage industries should be encouraged to enable the poor to earn a livelihood. He believed in the worth and dignity of the human personality irrespective of birth of wealth. He fought to abolish untouchability and the caste system.
Dr.Ambedkar, having been born in the ranks of the downtrodden or scheduled caste, knew that disadvantages and disabilities they suffered from. He did his best to make the scheduled castes gain social acceptability.
Many social workers and philanthropists are also constantly striving to uphold human dignity and to give man the importance that is due to him as a rational and spiritual being.
Martin Luther King was a great humanist. Being an American Negro he was rightly placed to understand the problems of his own people. The main disadvantages they suffered from were segregation and lack of opportunity to come up in life. Discrimination was practiced by the whitest against the blacks. Martin Luther King fought by nonviolent and peaceful methods to do away with discrimination and segregation. He roused the social conscience against the injustice done to the Negro. He suffered imprisonment several times because he had the courage of his life convictions.
Thus we note that all those who work for the upliftment of the downtrodden are blessed with courage, unselfishness and a high sense of human dignity.