Working for society

Photo: Rob Colvin

Man is a social being. It is generally true that man's progress depends upon the progress of society. A few persons or a section of the society may make progress at the cost of others but, as social progress means the progress of almost all in a society, this cannot be called social progress. In such a situation, harmony between an individual and the society is under strain. Social work makes an effort to maintain this harmony. Those who work to maintain and develop this harmony between the society and the social being are called social workers.
It is undeniable that every man is indebted to society, because it is society that makes someone a man. A man alienated from society cannot be a man in the fullest sense. Parents, teachers and the society have a role in the development of a human being. It is a human being who helps build another human being at any level of society. The history of the world and civilisation gives evidence of this.
This is why a man should try to do something for the welfare of the country, society and mankind. Therefore, it is an ethical duty for a man to participate in social work from social responsibility and thus contribute to social progress.
If we look at the Bengali society, we can find a rich tradition of social work. There are great persons like Raja Rammohon Roy, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, Kaliprasanna Singha, Rabindranath Tagore, Begum Rokeya and many others among Bengalis who have been distinct as social workers along with recognition in other fields. It seems that the Bengalis are by nature inclined to social work.
Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his essay Shikkhar Shangeekaron that William Adam, a friend of Raja Rammohon Roy, had shown in his report on education that there were more than a hundred thousand schools in Bengal and Bihar. This shows that there existed at least a minimum arrangement for providing education in almost every village. Besides this, rich people during that time felt socially obliged to maintain a school attached with the place of worship at their homes. Teachers used to get honorarium and residential facilities. These schools were established by society, not by the state. Education was not a means of earning money in that period. It was not a profession only; it was an act of devotion for teachers.
In the past, village doctors were loyal to their humanitarian work. They used to go to the house of a sick person any time of the day or night. They felt that treating people was their duty, in which money was not an important matter. In those days, people had a place of honour for them in their hearts. But nowadays the relationship between this profession and social duty has become too thin.
Once clubs and organisations in villages built small bridges, libraries, etc., helped the poor, organised sports and cultural programmes and did many other good things. The people worked as volunteers. The number of such local clubs and organisations has declined. It is therefore an urgent task to restructure and reestablish such local organisations at the grassroots level in the country.
People used to come to the help of victims of traffic accidents or accidents on rivers. Now such social work is almost totally absent. However, the tradition of supporting the distressed has not yet died out, and so people in Bangladesh are able to overcome the shocks of cyclones, floods and other natural disasters. This tradition of social work may not sustain if not taken care of.
Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his essay Jatio Vidyalay (National School) that it was natural for a human being to sacrifice. But it is not easy to persuade people to sacrifice with mere words. The nation which could not create a condition for sacrifice in a real way is unlucky.
Akbar Ali Khan wrote in his book Pararthoparotar Arthaniti (Economics of altruism) that doing good to others is an act by which someone in a society helps another at the cost of his own well being. At the same time the author has warned that merely intending to help the poor is not enough. One has to help them in a way that will really benefit them. It cannot be done only by relying on passion.
Many non-government organisations (NGO) are now engaged in various social works across the country. They have contributed by ridding the society of evils like bigotry, superstition, communalism, etc. While engaged in such progressive activities, they have sometimes been victims of harassment at the hands of interest groups. There is no way to belittle their role, especially in raising awareness of the marginal and poor people about their rights and in promoting women rights.
NGO activists work efficiently when disaster strikes because they have a strong network of communication up to the grassroots level. NGOs have a lot of experiences at grassroots level and made a lot of studies and researches about education, health, environmental sustainability, food security, population control, local development, community partnership, uses of information technology, cultural practices, right awareness, etc., which can be greatly helpful in launching of any big development programme by the government and the private sector.
The door of social work is open to all, so anyone can take part in it. A person may have formal or informal education in any subject and may be engaged in any profession or occupation, yet he or she can take part in some sort of social work as a social duty.
Many people, from Florence Nightingale to Ranada Parsad Saha of Bangladesh, are ideal models to be followed by social workers. Some social workers like Mother Teresa are most highly honoured in the world. Fazle Hasan Abed and Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh have earned reputations as social workers across the globe, though they have not received as much honour at home. Besides persons who are famous, there are countless other social workers who go on working in a quiet way.
We see that many people are now entering the profession of social work. As a profession, social work has to be learnt. It is an academic subject in the modern world. A professional social worker has more responsibility than a non-professional worker. However, the first and foremost condition to be a social worker is a person's sincere will to do work for society.

The writer is Founder and President, Scholars Bangladesh & Ethics Club Bangladesh.
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