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From: kumar@caddac1.uwaterloo.ca (M. Jagadesh Kumar)
Subject: Swadeshi: Call for a National Debate (part 5/5)
Message-ID: <Cnt8BL.F5n@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>
Sender: news@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 23:38:09 GMT
>From "The Illustrated Weekly of India" dated March 28, 1992
Swadeshi: Call for a National Debate (part 5/5)
By Shri. S. Gurumurthy
_______________________________________________
In India the consumer Psychology towards foreign goods is the
reverse of the Japanese. Typical of the mind of a repeatedly defeated
race, the Indian mind, particularly of the middle class, yearns for things
foreign, and takes pride in possessing and presenting foreign goods.
To open up such a market is to lead a herd of sheep to the slaughter
house. This will invite the greatest disaster. The Indian middle class is
the largest world market after the US. With the prospect of
government-promoted or government-succumbed globalisation, the
need for swadeshi cannot be over-emphasised. The need for the
swadeshi spirit is directly proportional to the extent of integration of the
Indian economy with the West.
Global economic idea: The western model advocates large-scale
market, Production and transport-in fact, a single world market. This
idea is based on the greed of man to acquire and enjoy more and totally
disregards irreplaceability of high energy sources and the limited
accumulating capacity of the environment.
In contrast, the swadeshi thought is based on an austere life that ,
avoids over exploitation of high energy sources and over-burdening of
the environment. It advocates a largely local living with controlled ,
trans-country commerce and transport. After the energy crisis and
environmental findings, swadeshi is relevant as a global alternative.
Does this mean that swadeshi rejects large-scale industry totally?
No. Even Gandhiji was only against industrialism that uproots rural life
and not against industrialisation that subserves, and not subordinates,
the traditional economy. What needed is a Pyramid of millions of
small scale units at the base risining into a few need-based large scale
industries. The national lifestyle has to be oriented to preserve the
nation and not acquire the lifestyles of other nations.
It calls for a national debate-the very same debate which Gandhiji
wanted decades ago.
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