Recently, after reading the news that thousands of scientists of the world are very concerned about the melting of Antarctica and some time back in the United Nations meeting, a 16 year old girl of a European country named Greta Thunberg reprimanded the world leaders for the environmental changes in the world, if anyone comes to mind, it is Mahatma Gandhi! 115 years ago, Gandhiji had warned about industrial development in a small book of less than 100 pages named Hind Swarajya that “This is not development but destruction!” This is coming to my mind involuntarily!
How much industrial development would have taken place in 1909? But Gandhiji used the term ‘Satanic Civilization’ for whatever he saw in Europe and America in just 100 years, mainly after the important discovery of steam power by James Watt in the beginning of the 18th century.
Today, whether it is the melting of Antarctic ice or Greta Thunberg’s scolding voice, it is also related to the Satanic civilization. Whether it is the pollution of Delhi due to the uncontrolled increase in the industrial development rate in these 100 years or the melting of Antarctic ice, it is related to it. Gandhiji warns about this 112 years in advance, so it is up to you to decide whether Gandhi is relevant or not.
Some assessment should also be done about our agriculture industry because even today three fourths of the population of our country is living on agriculture! And till now half a million farmers have committed suicide! Half of which are from Maharashtra! Many committees and investigations have been done in the last 35 years on these suicides! But no solution is coming out! The news of suicide of two farmers in Amravati is in today’s newspapers! One of my friends in Yavatmal district has installed a suicide meter! And he is now considered an expert on this subject! Perhaps even in any war field so many people would not have died as in the field of Indian agriculture. This is the saddest aspect of the 77 year journey of freedom. Even today 75 percent of the population in our country depends on agriculture! And they are falling prey to bankruptcy is a matter of nationwide crisis! Whatever government it may be, all seem insensitive in dealing with that issue which should be dealt with promptly. There is no part of India where farmers are being forced to commit suicide due to agricultural problems.
According to my estimates, the cost of farming has increased due to the use of modern machinery, seeds, chemicals, pesticides and other expensive techniques in the traditional farming of the farmers of India in the light of the current industrial production. But he is not being paid the price for his crop in comparison to that. And he is committing suicide in frustration due to the burden of debt. On top of that, the fertility of the land is also decreasing due to modern technology. Due to which the production quantity is decreasing. In this vicious circle, land is dying in a very large area. Yes, land is dying.
I am hearing this sentence! The biggest example of this is Punjab’s ‘green revolution’ farming, which initially produced record yields by using water indiscriminately and modern technology! But gradually the fertility of the same land kept decreasing and today that land is dead! This is not me, this is a special story published by Indian Express titled (The Panjab Plot!) In which it is written that “After the Bhakra-Nangal project, there was a race to cultivate using the canal water, and due to chemicals and so-called modern seeds, the fertility of the land decreased and now people are saying that the land is dead! After this, those idle farmers are called virgin lands by some African countries, a large number of which have never cultivated. To cultivate this land, the government of those countries is giving land at the rate of Rs. 500 per hectare to the farmers of Punjab and to specially call them to cultivate in their country, the representatives of those countries themselves are going around Punjab and preparations are on to send the farmers to African countries and then to other lands of the world! At present, this land is giving tremendous production! That is why the Punjabi farmers who cultivate it are being called Pint King or Cotton King! How long will this continue? This question remains.
The main point is about Mahatma Gandhi’s “crises of civilization”. What is the state of this modern farming? To tell this, I have spoken at length about Punjab’s farming. Similarly, in more or less quantity, the agriculture sector in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country is going through a very big crisis today. And the biggest reason for this is the so-called modern technology. About which Gandhiji had warned the world more than a hundred years ago that “what will be the benefit and loss of this mechanization?” But due to ignoring Gandhiji’s words, today we are facing these crises. The danger of global warming, due to which 11000 scientists and 16-year-old Greta Thunberg are not worrying but warning after their discovery that we can reduce it by changing our lifestyle. Which Gandhiji had already written 115 years ago. The name of that book may be Hind Swaraj, but he talks about good governance of the whole world.
Similarly, he has used very harsh words about the Parliament! But looking at the current parliamentary democracy, his comment seems correct! At present, take the situation after the recently concluded elections in America and the ongoing elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and other areas of the country and before this, BJP left no stone unturned to form the government in Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, and most recently in Haryana! That is why Mahatma Gandhi compared parliamentary democracy to a prostitute! He is 100% right! Take today’s elections, no ordinary man or woman can imagine being a candidate from the Gram Panchayat level to the Lok Sabha elections! How much money do they spend? And on top of that, it is turning into an election battle by using the tricks of caste, religion and language!
Satyagraha is the greatest gift of Mahatma Gandhi. Even a weak man or woman can do Satyagraha for justice. In my opinion, if there is any greatest weapon of the present times, then it is only Satyagraha. However, in the era of other destructive weapons, Satyagraha is proving to be the most effective weapon. Some time ago, Arabspring, Occupy Wall Street, and currently it is dominating most of the countries of Latin America. Satyagraha is the unique discovery of the battle of South Africa a hundred years ago. Due to which this weapon has proved effective in fighting the freedom struggle of India.
In a country like ours with a pluralistic culture, only Gandhi’s principle of equality of all religions can keep the country united. Otherwise, communal and casteist politics will divide the country into many pieces. People of all religions of the world have lived in India. Therefore, we have to live with equality of all religions. The unity and integrity of the country can be endangered by trying to impose any one religion. For the past few years, some communal forces have been doing politics by promoting religious sentiments. On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 156th birth anniversary, we need to follow the path shown by Gandhiji.
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Some people are talking about India becoming Vishwaguru! That is in the name of so-called development! But the whole world is talking about following the path of Mahatma Gandhi! And we talk about industrial development! While it is creating environmental problems! With the increasing effect of global warming, our water, forest and land getting reduced day by day, which Vishwaguru are we talking about? If we all really have some respect for Mahatma Gandhi! Then trying to follow the path shown by him is the right honour! Not making him a god and installing his statues! That is very easy! Because it is very easy to install the statue of the one whose path is difficult to follow!
Dr Suresh Khairnar is Ex. President of Rashtra Sewa Dal
