The concept of social service

Extract

Man has always been a gregarious animal. It is contrary to his nature to live alone and hence has emerged in every part of the world, however backward or advanced, the concept of society which, because of man's innate desire for companionship, has developed from family life to the wider field of community and nation. No society, however, primitive or small in numbers, can prosper unless its members are united and aware of their duties and responsibilities. In order, therefore, to evolve a mode of life which contributes to the prosperity of the community, certain laws of behaviour had to be formulated and I feel that it would be interesting for us to turn our minds for a little while towards the earliest concepts of a social order. Coming as I do from a country whose civilisation stretches back to many milleniums, I should like to place before you the Indian concept of life which, though it may not be followed in action in modern India, does still sway the minds of our masses.