[Prev][Next][Index]
No Subject
Newsgroups: alt.hindu
Path: kumar
From: kumar@caddac1.uwaterloo.ca (M. Jagadesh Kumar)
Subject: Restructuring India's Economy: The Swadeshi Way (4/4)
Message-ID: <CnAMpA.1pM@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>
Sender: news@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Sat, 26 Mar 1994 22:34:21 GMT
Restructuring India's Economy: The Swadeshi Way (part 4/4)
----------------------------------------------------------
The Western approach believes in struggle for existence. We
say there is no struggle in this universe because the same Ulti-
mate Reality everywhere.
We do not believe in the postulate of survival of the fit-
test. We believe everybody has to survive, because everybody has
a role to play. The communists say "Whoever earns will eat". But
our culture says "He who is born will eat. He who earns will
feed" The loftiness of a culture is measured by the manner
in which it treats its weak, its downtrodden, and the destitutes.
We do not, believe in the exploitation of nature. Because we
feel that nature has provided for our basic needs, not for our
greed. We have to take what is necessary for us. We have to milk
nature and not exploit it. These two views exploiting and milking
differentiate the Western culture and our native thought. We be-
lieve in a symbiotic relationship between man and nature.
Next comes the individual rights. We do not believe in indi-
vidual rights because we believe man is not something separate
from the rest of nature. We are part and parcel of the whole.
Western culture says the world is made up of parts which are
working according to certain rules. We say the whole world is
part and parcel of the One. We call it Angaangi Bhaav, like limbs
and body. Limbs have separate functions, but not separate rights.
Every limb has its function. In turn the body takes care of the
limbs. Similarly the family is the body; we are its limbs. In
the family one's rights are protected by the duties of the other.
The children's rights are protected by the duties of the
father. Thus the whole family progesses. This is our approach.
Yuga-dharma
We also realise that various institutions, however good they
are, have to change to suit the environment at a given point of
time. We are not against changes. Alfred Tennyson said, "Old ord-
er changeth yielding place to new custom. Lest one good custom
should corrupt the whole world."
No doubt, our Dharma is Sanathan. But there again, we have
Yuga-dharma, i.e., based upon the basic principles of Sanathan.
dharma, institutions and customs have to be evolved in tune with
the change of times. It is high time a new Yuga-dharma got
evolved, where Swadeshi plays an important role.
We have to choose what type of life pattern we want?. We can-
not have unlimited consumption on this limited planet. A mental
condition should be created where wants are reduced. This condi-
tion can be created by living examples. The elite of the society
should become the ideals of such lifestyle. The public will de-
finitely follow the example.
These ideas should not be thrust or inflicted on the public.
People are to be helped to evolve. People are at different lev-
els. Every level will have to be catered to. Self-Reliance howev-
er must be a first condition, if we want to come out of this
morass. Self confidence is necessary. Our people are second to
none either in innovation or intellect.
Another urgent task before us today is to survey the human
resources we are having, the type of technology we possess. Since
Samskrit education is not being imparted, we are cut off from our
roots. Whereas in Britain, Vedic mathematic formulae have been
introduced in the curriculum.
We need not be totally against foreign technology as such.
Let us digest it selectively to suit our needs. New re-
structuring has to be undertaken. Everyone in the society must
get some job.
Decentralisation of power is another must. Ours was a multi-
centered society. One has to go in for more small scale indus-
tries and cottage industries. Because by the end of 1989 both
private and public sector employed only 275 lakhs of people while
cottage and small scale industries employed 278 lakhs of people.
The villagers should have finished products at the village it-
self. Corresponding changes in educational, political and social
spheres also have to be made.
Swadeshi slogan
As Malcom Adiseshiah, the eminent economist, observed, "We
need micro level planning which should be Integrated to the
higher level," Swadeshi is a spirit and a feeling. When the
developed countries themselves have their own Swadeshi slogans
why not we have Swadeshi.
Be an Indian, buy Indian.
--
(As a part of VIGIL's eleventh anniversary celebrations,
Sri K. S. Sudershan, a senior All India leader of RSS delivered
the above lecture at Madras. Sri Nikhil Chakravarthy, an eminent
journalist delivered the Presidential address)
The Presidential address of Shri Nikhil Chakravarthy will be
posted next.
--
