Special Lecture on Human Rights at panjab University

Chandigarh, August 2, 2016: The Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh today organised a special lecture by eminent Professor of Political Science Prof.A.S.Narang.
Professor Narang delivered a lecture on ‘Human Rights: An Introduction.’ The lecture the first in the series for new academic session was presided over by Dean PU Faculty of Arts, Prof.Ronki Ram and was attended by the faculty members, research scholars and the M.A. students of Centre for Human Rights and Duties. The lecture was followed by an avid interaction between the students and the guest.
Prof. A.S. Narang highlighted the relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the fundamental elements comprising human rights. Emphasizing the significance of duties and the complimentary relationship between rights and duties, he quoted Mahatma Gandhi-‘Perform your duties, rights will follow’.
The inception of global human rights started with the establishment of UDHR, which despite having two women- Eleanor Roosevelt and Hansa Mehta, an Indian,-as its members who were entrusted with the task of drafting the document, , suffered a critical flaw of being worded from a masculine perspective. Prof. Narang further elucidated that the human rights education in India assumed a priority where, in 1993 India participated at the world conference on Human Rights at Vienna. Since, then various Universities in India adopted the courses in Human Rights. Cherishing the importance of human rights at global level, the United Nations celebrated two decades of Human Rights, one from 1995-2005 and another from 2006-2015.
Further, Prof Narang drew a distinction between rights and human rights clarifying that rights are the claims recognized by the society and enforced by the state.
Human Rights according to him are innate to human beings. He stated dignity as being the most fundamental element in the field of human rights as human beings are endowed with faculties that make them realize this element of dignity.
The lecture was concluded by the prestigious comments of Prof. Ronki Ram. Prof Ronki Ram stated that human rights can only exist in society by maintaining a healthy balance between the various types of human rights.
Coordinator, Centre for Human Rights and Duties Prof. Swarnjit Kaur proposed the vote of thanks. She also reiterated the importance of incorporating practice with textual knowledge and connecting it to the grass root level.