Basavanna’s Principles and Their Impact on Democratic Governance in Modern Karnataka: A Public Perception Study
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The philosophy of Basavanna based on equality, social justice and ethical government has been used in the Karnataka socio-political discourse. The concept of participatory and inclusive governance is stressed in his ideas of Kayaka (dignity of labour), Dasoha (social sharing), and anti-caste hierarchy. This paper investigates the social attitude in terms of the applicable principles of Basavanna in the modern democratic governance in the selected districts of North Karnataka. The study is descriptive as the empirical design and relies on primary data that was gathered on 120 respondents using a structured questionnaire. A purposive sampling method was used to facilitate representation in terms of age, education and social groups. Percentage analysis and mean score analysis were the methods of data analysis to evaluate the perceptions on equality, transparency and social justice and participatory governance. The results have indicated that most of the respondents believe that the concepts of Basavanna are very applicable in the contemporary democratic administration, specifically the need to advance social peace and moral leadership. Nevertheless, gaps between the philosophy and the practical political application are also reported by the respondents. This paper concludes that the philosophy of Basavanna is a major normative guideline to enhancing democratic governance in Karnataka.
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