Izzat ( hi, इज़्ज़त; ur, ; bn, ইজ্জত) is the concept of

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...

prevalent in the culture of

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. It applies universally across religions (

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

and

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

), communities and genders. Maintaining the reputation of oneself and one's family is part of the concept of ''izzat'', as is the obligatory taking of revenge when one's izzat has been violated. The concept of ''izzat'' has been viewed as curtailing the freedom of women, yet characterised on a general level as a concept that cuts across social hierarchy and enforces "''equality in giving, but also equality in vengeance''." The idea of reciprocity, in both friendship and enmity, is deeply embedded in ''izzat''. It is required that a person come to the assistance of those who have helped that person earlier. To not do so is to dishonour one's debt and lose ''izzat''.

Dushmani and Badla

Violations or perceived violations of ''izzat'' are key to the development of both personal and family enmities (''dushmani'', दुश्मनी/, দুশমনি) as the wronged party seeks revenge (''badla'', बदला/, বদলা), which could result in cycles of counter-revenge, sometimes spanning generations. The concept of reciprocity applies to ''badla'' as well. The nature and intensity of the revenge, "''and what is taken - life, resources, or position - is governed by izzat (honour), which is the principle of reciprocity or equivalence in all things.''" Because social relations in the region emphasize social debts and "''unrestricted reciprocity''" among kin, enmity can spread to individuals who were not involved in the original infractions of ''izzat'' and "''rarely remains localized.''"

In politics

''Izzat'' has played a significant role in the political dynamics of India and continues to do so to the current day. Various state rulers in the pre-1947

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

s of British-ruled India resisted British involvement in their kingdoms, despite nominally acknowledging British sovereignty, because such "''intervention constituted an attack on their izzat.''" In post-independence India, the "politics of ''izzat''" has been cited as a key reason for the rise of elected politicians from hitherto-backward communities, who have done little to economically benefit their communities but have created greater ''izzat'' for them by creating powerful political blocs. Politicians in power often frame populist policies in terms of ''izzat'', such as with the 2009 ''Izzat Scheme'' launched by Indian Railways Minister,

Mamata Banerjee Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current List of chief ministers of West Bengal, chief minister of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal since 20 ...

, which provides a subsidy for poorer citizens to travel by train.

In military culture

The armed forces of India incorporate the concept of ''izzat'' as a powerful motivator. Several units of the military use the term in their mottos, such as the Indian Regiment of Artillery's "''Sarvatra Izzat O Iqbal''" (''Everywhere with Honor and Glory'').

References

{{reflist, 2 Indian culture Pakistani culture Bengali culture Bangladeshi culture Warrior code Codes of conduct Honor

Dushmani and Badla

In politics

In military culture

See also

References