Satya(truth) and ahimsa(non-violence)

Gandhiji was uncompromising on two virtues-satya(truth) and ahimsa(non-violence). Truth and non-violence were the corner-stone of his views on religion. Gandhi used to say that his religion was based on the twin principles of truth and non-violence. Truth was his God and non-violence was the means of realizing him. Truth and non-violence laid the foundation for his innovative instrument to fight against oppression, which he called as satyagaraha. In other words, satyagraha was an emancipatory movement based on truth and non-violence.

Gandhi started seeking truth as a seeker strives to realize his God. In his book, Yerwada Mandir, Gandhi has written “There should be truth in thoughts, truth in speech and truth in deeds.” Truth in thoughts is significant because speech and deeds emanates only from a person’s thoughts. A person is complete in his knowledge if he is able to realize the truth. Gandhi felt that no knowledge was outside the scope of truth. Any knowledge which was not based on truth fail to qualify as a true knowledge and that it was equivalent to an unmitigated evil.

Similarly ahimsa or non-violence is an active virtue rather than a passive one. Gandhi regarded non-violence as far more superior than violence. Non-violence require trained mindset, courage, conviction and a higher moral elevation as compared to violence. It requires immense courage and strength of mind not to point a finger against a pointed pistol or desist from hurling stones at a cannonman. He illustrated that blood can be washed not with blood, but with water.

There is another dimension to non-violence. Non-violence is life giving rather than life taking. The fundamental concept of non-violence is shaped by love, compassion, fraternity and admiration for living beings.Many critics of Gandhi who initially favoured strong arm-tactics against the British for achieving independence went on to acknowledge that non-violence had a hidden strength that could overpower adversaries of any sort.

Cleaning the Ganga

The Ganga is the holy river that flows into the heart of India. The civilization of India is also widely believed to have flourished alongside the Ganga river. Despite the cultural and economic significance of the Ganga, we have failed to maintain its pious nature. Today the river is one of the polluted rivers in India.

The government initiated a plethora of initiatives to revive the Ganga. The Ganga Action Plan, 1986 is one of the landmark measures that the government solemnly undertook to purify Ganga. The current political dispensation at the Centre had invested much of its political capital in its election campaigns so as to revive the Ganga. Ironically, revival of Ganga was one of the prior agendas in its election manifesto. The government has set up committees and roped in the academicia and corporate sector to clean the river.

The essay deals with the causes of pollution of the river and the necessary solutions to cleanse the Ganga. One of the foremost causes of pollution is due to the untreated sewage that is discharged into the river. Not only the industries (tannery or paper industry) discharge untreated sewage but also the municipal bodies are equally, if not more, responsible for the deteriorated state of Ganga river. The sewage treatment plants(STPs) have been installed but they remain mostly inoperative. Delhi, alone, has only 20 percent of its Sewage Treatment Plants(STPs) that are fully operational wherein the sewage is subjected to primary, secondary and tertiary treatment processes.

Second, activities that disrupt the natural flow of the rivers also have deleterious impact on the quality of water. The construction of river-valley projects or change in the course of the river also pollute the river. Third, cultural factors like dumping of dead bodies in the river as a matter of religious rituals also pollute the river. The Ganga river along the temple towns like Varanasi is polluted as a result.

The government has done well to list the name of industries which dump waste in the river and penalize its officials. However, the government has the obligation to set its own house in order. It must ensure that the municipal corporations are technologically well equipped to dispose the waste in an eco-friendly manner. An excessive dependence on land-fills has negative impacts like pollution of ground water through underground seepage of hazardous chemicals. Therefore, innovative measures like incineration, gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion should be taken up.

There is a need of proper impact assessment of the infrastructure projects like dams that are built across the rivers. The nation-wide hydrological data could be used to determine the flow pattern of the rivers so that adequate safeguards are ensured to maintain the natural flow of river water. The rivers need to be accorded legal rights so that the self-purificating ability of the water is maintained throughout its course.

On land acquisition

Land is a sensitive subject in India. It is because more than 50 percentage of the total population are directly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Till 2013, the land was acquired by the government based on the archaic 1894 which was found wanting on many aspects. The land was acquired by the government or under the patronage of the government without following due procedures. Moreover, the farmers were paid a paltry sum which, in turn drove them into perpetual poverty. Against this backdrop, the government enacted a historic law-Right to fair compensation and transparency in land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement act- in 2013.

However, after the BJP-led NDA government came into power, the 2013 act was amended on several aspects through promulgation of ordinance. The key changes made in the amended version of the bill pertain to the following aspects:

1. The provisions related to consent clause and Social Impact Assessment have been diluted in five crucial sectors-national security, defense, rural infrastructure, industrial corridors and housing for the poor.

2. Thirteen new acts were brought under the amended land act which would entitle the land-owners for compensation as per the new norms.

In the former, the amendment would enable the government to reduce the indirect costs involved in acquiring the land. That said, taking consent from the farmers by invoking Social Impact Assessment takes unusually longer time extending greater than 5 years in certain cases. This would naturally delay the required investment by the concerned parties. While the interests of the farmers should undoubtedly be protected, development is also essential for the larger interests of the farmers in the longer run. The compensation clause has not been tampered with and thus the government is liable to pay the farmers at the market rate.

The later amendment is certainly beneficial to the farmers since thirteen previously excluded acts were brought under the compensation provisions of the new act. The land-owners can thus legally claim compensation at market prices from the government.

However, in my view, there are certain contentious provisions in the amended bill that requires further deliberation. The term ‘rural infrastructure’ is vague and open-ended. The need is to objectively define ‘rural infrastructure’ so that the land may not be snatched away arbitrarily by varied interpretations of the law. Moreover, the compensation to the farmers should be paid from the date of taking possession of the land rather than the date of notification.

The Prime Minister, in the ‘Maan ki baat’ radio program, has tried to assuage the apprehension of the farming community. He has asserted that the government would not acquire land from the farmers beyond what is necessary and that the interests of the farmers would be protected at any cost.

My views on ban on cattle slaughter

The Haryana government has imposed a ban on cattle slaughter through a legislation. Any offender would be prosecuted with a jail term extending up to 10 years. Earlier the Maharashtra government had passed a similar law to this effect.

The father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” The slaughtering of animals of any kind is widely condemned by several animal-rights groups in India. India is a land of great stalwarts like Buddha who condemned violence to living entities. The decision of the government prohibiting cattle-slaughter is therefore laudable to a certain extent.

However, the economic and cultural aspects cannot be outrightly overlooked.It is customary for a farmer to sell his cattle to a slaughter house, once the cattle outlives its economic use. As the cattle stops producing milk and becomes too old to plough, the farmer is left with no option but to earn money by selling its meat. Most of the farmers, who take to livestock farming as a means of livelihood, domesticate cattle knowing very well that they could sell their cattle in times of exigencies.

Culturally, cattle meat(particularly beef-meat) is a preferred source of food for not only the religious minorities, but also poor Hindus and adivasis(or tribals). It is a cheap protein-source for a major chunk of the people residing in South-India or the north-eastern part of India.

If at all there is prohibition on cattle-slaughter, the government would do well to explore alternative job opportunities for the people domesticating cattle. Also the government may think of managing the large number of abandoned cattle, rather than leaving to fend for itself. This would reduce the farmer’s hardships in the event of the cattle becoming unproductive. I would personally favour strict regulation on animal-slaughter rather than outright ban through legal measures.

How John Ruskin influenced Mahatma Gandhi?

In 1904,Mahatma Gandhi had a memorable encounter with Unto the Last, a book authored by John Ruskin. The book created a lasting impact on Gandhi on the basis of which he was able to chart out his political philosophy and actions.

John Ruskin’s ideology consisted of three fundamental tenets. First, the good of an individual is contained in the good of all, a principle that Gandhiji knew. Second, the work of a lawyer and a barber is equally dignified as long as they adhere to ethical ways of living. This is the thing that Gandhi dimly realized.  Third, a labour involving physical labour, that is, the life of a tiller and a handicraftsman is a life worth living. Gandhiji never have had realized the significance of manual work before 1904 in such unambiguous manner.

The amalgamation of John Ruskin’s teachings inspired Gandhi to devise his own political philosophy of ‘Sarvodaya’.The expanded meaning of sarvodaya is ‘equal upliftment of all’. Man’s ultimate aim, in Gandhi’s view, was the realization of God. In pursuit of this objective, a man needs to see God in his creation and be with it. The importance of physical labour is evident in Gandhi’s principle of ‘nai talim’ wherein he underscored that education is incomplete without the equal emphasis on intellectual development and manual work.

Gandhi’s ‘sarvodaya’ is more relevant in the twenty-first century across the world. The concept of ‘inclusive growth’ is strongly rooted in the ‘sarvodaya’ principle. The real growth of a nation lies in the inclusive development of all sections of the society, not in the blind prosperity of a select few. Although ‘sarvodaya’ was a social ideology in fundamental form, it transformed itself into an urgent political doctrine after India gained independence.  Acharya Vinoba Bhave, socialist Jai Prakash Narayan and Dada Dharmadhikari were the torch-bearers of ‘sarvodaya’ and carried forward the ideals of Gandhi after his demise in 1948.

Unseasonal rains in India

The unseasonal rains have lashed many parts of northern and north-western part of India recently.Instead of bringing joy to the farmers, the untimely rains have created hardships for the Indian farmers.The untimely rain is a product of the climate change and the disproportional increase of green-house gases in the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) in its latest report had exactly warned of such untimely downpour across the world.

The heavy downpour in recent days has affected the rabi crops,particularly wheat,in India.Other affected crops include potato, mustard and pulses.Although the inflationary pressures in food grains are likely to be weathered due to sufficient buffer-stocks with the Government, price-rise in vegetable items may raise its ugly head in the days to come.Moreover,the cost of harvesting will increase due to the the integrated harvestor having to lower its blade nearer to the ground surface while harvesting the crops.

Robust measures are needed to protect the farmers against the impact of untimely rains.First,farmers need to diversify their agriculture.The Indian farmers would do well to adopt livestock farming in addition to crop cultivation.It is because livestocks like poultry or dairy farming are resistant to vagaries in weather.Second, agricultural insurance is an area which has ample scope for improvement.As of now,the insurance penetration in agriculture is abysmally low.The awareness level among farmers regarding the merits of insurance also needs to be created.Credible insurance packages for farmers would save the farmers against overwhelming losses.Third,the government,agricultural universities and research centres should work in tandem to educate the farmers regarding proper crop practices and alternate cropping methods.They should also develop a credible mechanism to measure the losses incurred by the farmers in their fields and adequately compensate them.

Gandhiji and Environment

Gandhi was a visionary with rare foresight and insight. He took utmost interest on the environment that man lives and exhorted his fellow-men to conserve it as his sacred duty.In this aspect, he was almost a century ahead in his thinking and forecasting. Gandhiji pointed out the catastrophic impact of neglecting the environment way back in 1909 i.e decades before the Earth Summit at Rio-de-Generio adopted AGENDA-21 in 1992.

Gandhiji used to say that the world is enough for man’s need but not man’s greed.He believed that as a superior living being on earth, man has the utmost responsibility to protect the lesser beings and environment.But,man has forsaken his sacred duty in his quest for personal greed and power.He has become an annihilator of environment  instead of a protector.

Gandhiji was fiercely critical of western nations pertaining to the plunder of the natural resources.He likened the rampant industrialization to an unmitigated evil which need not be emulated by other nations for development purposes.However,it would be unfair to label Gandhiji as an outright opponent of materialistic development.It is because Gandhiji was supportive of development as long as it was equitable and environment-friendly.

Gandhiji’s views on environment was intricately related to the idea of peace and well-being of an individual.Gandhiji felt that the modern age has robbed man of physical labour in his bid to attain a life of maximum comfort.This emerging lifestyle paved the way for diseases and health-hazards.Consequently,a whole set of hospitals and medical care units cropped up to cure for the man’s illness.In a way,on the one hand man paid for the lifestyle devoid of physical labour, while on the other hand,spent the hard-earned money on curing diseases that are a product of his own creation.

It is ironical that the century-old views of Gandhiji on environment still holds much relevance today,than ever before.The modern day world would do well to take a leaf out of Gandhiji’s book.

Are subsidies needed in India?

India is a welfare-based society.Subsidy is an instrument of fiscal policy which the government has been adopting for social justice almost since independence.The developed countries too provide subsidies to its citizens so as to improve their lives.

More than half of the population in India are chronically poor and live below poverty line.Therefore,subsidies are essential to improve the condition of the poor.Since the tenth five-year plan,the government is serious about ‘inclusive growth’.The government thus provides a range of subsidies including food and fuel subsidies.However,the objective of ‘social justice’ still remains an elusive goal despite subsidies contributing about two percent of country’s GDP.That said,there are methodological flaws in the way the subsidies are doled out to the citizens.

Subsidies should be meant for the merit goods only.Political parties make hefty promises to the people like free electricity and free power in order to garner votes. The promises of subsidies are generally made irrespective of the income groups.One of the telling demerits of subsidies is that it increases the fiscal burden of the economy by widening the fiscal deficit.Thus the government is left with little fiscal space for infrastructure development and capacity building.

Many critics recommend abolition of subsidies. Their argument is that subsidies distort prices by not letting the market allocate resources efficiently.This is partly true as subsidies crowd out the private investment in the economy.The private sector is reluctant to produce goods and services which doesn’t give returns and otherwise subsidized by the government.

Moreover,subsidies impact the natural resources adversely.For instance.in agriculture sector,the provision of free power in certain areas had led to the farmers exploiting the ground water recklessly due to the rampant use of diesel pumps.Subsidies also make people lazy as free handouts by the government do not hold citizens accountable.

Therefore,the remedy is not to do away with subsidies but to target them appropriately to the underprivileged sections of the society.The government is therefore seriously considering the rolling out of Direct Benefit Transfer(DBT) scheme in social security schemes,flagship programmes and disbursal of essential goods.Subsidies should also be better targeted to consumers and therefore should be income-specific in priority sectors.It is to be remembered that  it is better to get the citizens to learn how to fish rather than handing out a fish each day for them to consume.

Women empowerment

Women in India comprise about 50 percent of the total population. But the Indian women are deprived in terms of empowerment,education,health and workforce as compared to western countries.Even our south-asian counterparts are progressive in matters pertaining to gender equality.

The enrolment of girls in primary education has impressively improved since independence.However,in matters of higher education, vocational training or skill development, women lag far behind the male section of the society.Similarly,representations of women has increased in Panchayats and urban local bodies through legislative measures.But,representation in Parliament and state legislatures reveal a sad picture due to lack of political will among the decision-makers.Thus,the proportion of women is considerably low in decision making process.

Crimes against women have been on the rise.We have enough laws and legislations to deal with crimes against women.But empirical evidence shows that laws are a necessary but not sufficient to overcome the social malaise of discrimination against women. What is important is that we need to consciously change our patriarchal mindset and make concerted efforts towards empowering women.It is important to tackle the cause of the disease rather than the symptoms.Therefore gender sensitization at the family level is imperative and boys must be psychologically trained to respect their sisters and mothers.

There goes the famous saying”If we educate a man,we educate a man,but if we educate a woman,we educate a generation.”Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to improve the condition of women. Education has a salutary impact on reducing IMR,MMR and containing undernutrition in children.

poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Bol, ki lab aazad hain tere
Bol, zaban ab tak teri hai
Tera sutwan jism hai tera
Bol, ki jaan ab tak teri hai...
Bol, ki thoda waqt bahut hai
Jism-o-zuban ki maut se pehle
Bol, ki sach zinda hai ab tak
Bol, jo kuch kehna hai kehle

Speak, your lips are free.
Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours...
Speak, this brief hour is long enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, 'cause the truth is not dead yet,
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak