Reflections
Colloquium on Emerging Challenges and Scope for Peace
January 12 -13 , 2024
1
Elements of reflection
on the contemporary world
Louis Campana
Will you be surprised if I tell you that
we are currently experiencing a third world war? This is a geopolitical,
geostrategic and economic war. I won't talk about Ukraine or Gaza...what's the
point? The spirals of violence are on the way!
Nation-States have invested all
functions of power, most of the time in direct dictatorial form or by
circumventing democratic principles. Democracy is a worn word and a lie by the
games of parties where, without a sufficient majority, unnatural adjustments
take place and prevent any real democratic expression. Thus, in this context,
the aggressiveness of these Nation States is increased tenfold as if to deceive
in the face of an impossibility of resolving insoluble internal problems and
where free expression is subject to censorship. So much so that we have heard
in France that censorship is a protection of freedom of expression by
prohibiting what is considered fake news!
The power of the British Empire over
India made Gandhi say in 1932:
“Real
freedom will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few, but by the
acquisition of the capacity of all to resist authority when abused; in other
words, freedom is to be attained by educating the people to a sense of their capacity
to regulate and control authority.”
“The
State represents violence in a concentrated and organized form. The individual
has a soul, but as the State is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from
violence to which it owes its very existence. Hence, I prefer the doctrine of
trusteeship.”
[Gandhi, Democracy: Real and Deceptive,
Ahmedabad, Navajivan Publishing House]
On the other hand, the very structure of
society has been turned upside down in less than two generations by what is
commonly called "economic development": The violence of States on
their citizens to satisfy a good place on the international scene has become
essential and priority is manifested by the progressive destruction of the
basic structures of society. centuries-old workshops have given way to
competitive industries, small family farms to agro-industry and
over-exploitation of animals. Thus, knowledge and transmissions of knowledge
inherited from past centuries were lost and have already disappeared. We have
therefore cut the branch on which the entire society was sitting and we will
see what the consequences will be with its three texts to come...
To begin with, here is
the voice of a first people, the Guaranis.
I would like to bring here the
reflections of Adolfo Peres Esquivel (Nobel Peace Prize 1980) on the subject of
development. So, he spoke to me about the indigenous people of South America,
the Guaranis, to whom he asked how they understood development.
They gave him an object lesson.
Interview:
“For us, the word development does not
exist!”
“So, what word to understand each
other?”
he continues
“With us there is the word “BALANCE”,
balance with the Cosmos, with the environment, with Mother Earth, balance with
others, with oneself, with God. And it is this balance which is Life. "
“And when this balance is broken, then
violence and its consequences begin.”
Balance with the cosmos and the
environment
In all the great traditions, women and
men are all dependent on the cosmos and their environment, sun, moon, stars. An
obvious fact that our contemporaries forget. Passive fatalities, such as a
volcanic eruption or a whim of the sun which modifies the climate, a meteor
which transforms the logic of life, all these things which we cannot change,
have been and still are objects of acceptance or sacralization. In any case,
nothing to do with the active fatalities which are human works: while knowing
the danger resulting from nuclear weapons as from civilian nuclear power, plant
diseases due to agribusiness, monocultures, the dispersion on crops pesticides
or chemical weed killers, etc... this evidence does not portend an awareness of
the pseudo-scientists in the pay of multinationals, of the king of money, of
the policies subject to lobbying by the latter. This imbalance is found in the
bodies of humans and animals who try to adapt to abuse and are subject to the
business of large chemistry and pharmacopoeia laboratories. These are the
immediate consequences of disrespect for the cosmos and the environment.
Balance with Mother Earth
Here again, ancient peoples never called
themselves owners of the land and cultivated it with respect and asked
permission to do so, simply aware that their lives depended on its balance. The
same goes for the management of animal life.
Balance with others
“Hell is other people” said Jean-Paul Sartre.
Yes, the other is by definition the other side of the ego. He is the disruptor
of my instincts of domination, profit, precedence. Reserving for him the same
rights as those I have cannot stand me, and all the work of balance consists of
recognizing in the other a status equal to mine, to the point of being able to
say that without it, I am not. This is a radical transformation, without
denying myself… “You are, therefore I am” by Satish Kumar should be able to
illuminate this balance.
Balance with yourself
Let's be clear: living, with an
awareness of being, is reserved for those who work at it every day. Fleeing is
characteristic of man when facing himself. So, we work, we get agitated, we
compare ourselves, we exploit, we are jealous, we have fun, we dissect, all
this so as not to have to confront the deep self, the deep inside which is
frightening in its simplicity and requires a meditative and serene presence.
Gandhi, in his autobiography, constantly referred to this little inner voice.
the ultimate reason for life lies in this resonance! Without this, humans miss
out on their life and die like a mistake.
Lanza del Vasto summarizes this balance
with oneself in this analysis taken from his preface to Gandhi's book
“HindSwaraj”.
Absolute coherence of thought and action
is based on three pillars: “Control yourself, control your impulses and mainly
your “will power”.
“Know yourself, seek, access to “your”
truth, which results in the coherence of your “Being” and your “Doing”.
“Love others as yourself”.
Balance with God
All of the above is in vain if there is
no reference to the Source, whatever its name.
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman: “If
you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a
drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”(John,
4.9.)
Living Water, like the little inner
voice, is always there, deep within each person, but we are practically deaf or
absent, too busy managing nothing...and we remain thirsty!
Where does this Question come from? Is
our Western civilization, which seems to want to impose itself everywhere, in
balance?
Isn’t it permanent violence? Structural
violence, violence of domination, control, threat and profit? Is she anything
other than what is called sin in all religious traditions?
Second text: “the
Temptations of Christ in the desert”
Still with this same idea, I allow
myself to travel to the 18th century and quote this Russian philosopher
Vladimir Soloviev, who questions the temptations of Christ in the desert in the
Gospels.
Everyone knows these three temptations,
but for those who do not know them, here is the text:
“Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights,
he became hungry. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves.” Jesus answered, “It is written: Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.” The devil then took him to the holy city, placed him on top of the
temple and said to him: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down! For it
is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will carry you
in their hands, lest your foot strike a stone.” Jesus said to him, “It is also
written, thou shalt not provoke the Lord, thy God.”
The devil took him again to a very high
mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and said to
him: “All these I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus
then said to him, “Get away, Satan! For it is written: The Lord your God you
shall worship, and Him only you shall serve.” So, the devil left him. And
behold, angels came to Jesus and ministered to him.
(The stone transformed into bread,
The angels preventing the fall from the
top of the temple,
The kingdoms of the world available, all
if Jesus bows down to him, Satan.)
They are summarized in the text in three
verbs in the infinitive:
“If you want to “have everything,” “be
everything,” and “power everything,” bow down before me,” Satan says clearly.
Consequence of "having it
all", greed, the hoarding of goods and the misery that results from it
both for the thirsty for greed and for its direct and indirect victims.
Consequence of "being
everything", the immediate and fleeting stardom which locks you in a
dungeon of illusions about yourself. The futility of this attitude is
disconcerting. Fortunately, they all die and reach their limits.
Consequence of “power everything”,
dictatorships, misunderstandings, abuses and revolutions… the wars and
suffering that result from them…
And Jesus sends him...to the devil!
Greek tragedy speaks of “Hubris” to
describe this excess, this thirst for power.
And what are the remedies for the
excesses specific to all potentates?
Third text: the Gita.
This is a comment by Vinoba Bhave, a
successor of Gandhi, reported by Satish Kumar, in his book “You are, therefore
I am”. (I take this opportunity to say that Descartes' famous "I think
therefore I am" is an aberration which produces the modern world where the
mere fact of thinking would justify being one's own source and therefore the
right to do what one we want).
In the chapter "Earth, soul and
society", Kumar, quoting Vinoba, distinguishes three elements:
Yajna (ritual sacrifice,
self-sacrifice), Dâna (duty of charity, recognition of others) and Tapas
(austerity, sobriety).
Yajna consists of repairing the harm
that Man has caused to the Earth by returning all or part of what He has taken
from it, an act often symbolic but cultural. The farmer, for example, returns
compost and nutrients to Mother Earth. The carpenter will plant trees. Elements
therefore of return and respect after having taken something.
Dâna consists of being aware of the fact
that at our birth everyone is nourished and raised by human society and that it
is a question of giving something back by honouring and respecting our elders
because they transmitted art to us, culture, the experience of life.
Finally, we must nourish our self
through practices such as meditation, study, fasting, rest, sleep and contact
with nature, this is Tapas.
This is what we can find in the
Scriptures or among ancient peoples, available to men, Scriptures that bear witness
to the reflections of the living on their past experiences, inherited and
always updated... There are many others...
Are these things currently taught in our
education systems? Above all, we teach how to take, use, consume and demand
rights!
State violence and
resistance.
The legitimized violence of established
States is the major problem of our current societies and the constitution of
international institutions (UN and derivatives, IPCC, Cop) without any
democratic or elective process further increases questions about decisions,
from which people are definitively excluded…
Any direct nonviolent action to
counteract these states of affairs becomes impossible or insignificant because:
The adversary cannot be found, he is
impersonal, the power being in the hands of civil servants who are prisoners of
their jobs and without any authority. Voluntary servitude for wages (see
Étienne de la Boétie).
The real instigators are the
billionaires, so-called philanthropists, who recover with the left hand what
they give the right hand, all orchestrated by the global banks, IMF and ECB
which feed the multinationals. The latter, under the guise of creating jobs
after having destroyed them, offer positions without creativity, have no
concern for the future of humanity, only immediate profit counts. Let us say
clearly that the real problems of COP28, 29 and following cannot be resolved by
ultra-liberalism since it is their source.
The media, whose role is to enlighten
citizens, are muzzled by their owners, who are both judges and parties, since
they are arms dealers, politically invested or billionaires or even owners of
multinationals. They are the true creators of a ready-made thought; I mean of
an official propaganda.
Religious authorities keep a low
profile, at least at the top, but we can hope for the renewal of dispersed
peoples.
What are the pillars of
this authoritarian society?
Banks, normally at the service of
particular initiatives, but confiscated and dominated by state banks or
international institutions such as the IMF, BCE.
The stock exchanges, where speculation
and gambling reign supreme for the sole benefit of the powerful, as legal
corruption.
The tax on labour and trade to finance
politicians and civil servants who maintain general oppression in place (this
was already the criticism of Étienne de Boétie in the 16th century), handsomely
paid instruments of oppression. Note that big fortunes everywhere are exempt
from taxes or have financial services and armies of lawyers to limit it. It is
therefore the others who pay the tax.
The multiplication of non-elected
International Institutions whose decisions are planetary and not subject to the
people, supranational.
Addiction to speed, to progress and
therefore permanent dizziness, no one can honestly and in real time follow the
processes of loss of freedoms and abuse of power. Addiction to speed and
progress are responsible for the waste of fossil fuels and the consequences on
clean air, the use of plastic which clutters the oceans and the production of
useless and bulky consumer goods. Lanza del Vasto, in “Principles and precepts
of the return to evidence” affirms that “speed is a form of nothing”.
Business and IT schools and their
thousands of little sharks scattered all over the world with their little
salesman's suitcases who, more than with weapons, have subjugated people with
the illusion of development... of the cheap and essential product (but which we
can do without), and above all the slavery of the small screen, including among
children...the current small suitcases are called Google, Facebook, Meta,
Youtube, etc.
Finally, the will not to see, the apathy
or the acceptance of the vanquished of the system, of the billions, it seems,
from the right, from the left, from the deep centre and from the depths of the
extinct soul...with “Wokism” as a cultural hurricane and groundswell.
While waiting for the chaos to come,
because it comes inexorably, let's be positive...
What are the means to hope for the
renewal of dispersed peoples?
- through non-cooperation, civil
disobedience (undeclared, but practiced),
- the spirit of sobriety that no power
can prohibit,
- the multiplication of networks for the
exchange of everyday consumer goods at the village or neighbourhood level,
artistic creativity,
- education in kindness and attention to
others.
- unconditional love for others, a
guarantee of truth and a beautiful life.
- and finally, the personal
transformation and the contagion that it can generate.
Finally, I would like to quote Lanza del
Vasto, who during these conferences said that Gandhi, if he had been asked to
create a new constitution for India, would have declared that he would choose
the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 as his constitution.
So here is what the Gandhian Beatitudes
would be, according to what I know of Gandhi:
Work your interior garden consistently.
Free yourself from all violence and
break the law if necessary.
Sowing the seeds of a sharing economy.
Give up trying to be right but
understand the other's position.
Give free rein to the imagination and
its intoxication by surpassing the puzzle of reality.
Welcome the poor and the migrant with
conviction because it is an opportunity for you and them.
Respect Life and the Cosmos because your
own life depends on this balance.
( The original text was written in French . English Translation: Shambhavi Sharma )
Louis Campana is Président, Gandhi International , 37 rue de la Concorde ,11000 Carcassonne , France www.gandhiinternational.org www.association-shanti.org
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2
The Artificial Intelligence
Vijay Tambe
In July 2022, Blake Lemoine, an engineer, was first
placed on forced leave and later fired by Google for violating a nondisclosure
agreement. He was working in the
Artificial Intelligence (hereafter we'll just call AI) department. He published various conversations with
Google's large language model 'LaMDA'. Even though ‘LaMDA’ is AI ; he declared
that it is sensitive.
On 2nd May 2023, Geoffrey Hinton, the 'father of AI'
and Turing Prize winner, resigned from Google at the age of 76. While resigning, he said, ‘AI is more
dangerous than the threat of climate change’. According to him, AI will be more
intelligent than humans and will take over this planet.He expressed the fear of
AI being used to gain power by dividing the people., People will lose their
jobs before all this happens. He
lamented that he has no solution to what was about to happen.
On 16th May, 2023, Sam Altman, the CEO of Open AI,
insisted in front of the Senate-level investigation committee of the US
government that through the cooperation of all at the international level,
AI Licensing and auditing should be
done. Since 2018 in America, efforts are underway to legislate to control and
regulate AI. But recently renowned
historian Yuval Noah Harari gave a
different reaction on AI. He said
that the first unicellular organism was formed at the beginning of life. Like today's AI is.
‘It's just a baby!’ In a way, he
has given a warning of danger.
Chat GPT 3 followed by Chat GPT 4 blew everyone
away. Chat GPT 3 and 4 are for language. It contains the language, its structure, its
rules, all the books till date, all the information of the world till
2021. Simply put, from its work
experience, it knows exactly which word will come next. So it makes mistakes. Of course, there is a process of progressing
through these mistakes. Some people feel that Chat GPT is too basic in terms of
AI. Lets consider in 2022, Blake Lemoine may have misspoken or misunderstood. Is Joffrey Hinton wrong? AI has been built on Hinton's research on
Neural Networks.
Overall the case is serious as Hinton warns. CEO of Open AI emphasis on controls. In May
2023, the world-renowned AI Experts decided to stop research on AI for at least
six months. Basically, it is the
creators, the parents of AI, saying ‘Demon’ is born in our womb, and it must be stoped. Otherwise it will cause great harm. These
manufacturing companies had not started serving humanity by investing billions
of dollars. Now that the child's feet
are seen in the rearing, they are talking of the law, control, regulation and
morality.
We Indian people think that technology should always
be imported for us. Again globalization
has given a booster to this mentality. It can only be argued whether AI has
already came or it is coming, and till the end of the dispute it will be known
that AI have started working in MIDC in Marathwada, . Anyway, let me state at
the outset that I am not anti-technology.
Technology advances with time. It increases the speed of production.
Neat and good quality goods are produced in very short time and in large
quantities. As technology becomes more and more advanced, manpower is required
for production. Yet all the production
processes have been controlled by humans so far. Now AI and machine learning will eliminate the
need for human control. By giving proper
instructions to the machines AI will get things done. It will take care of
them. In short, human intervention in
production will be at a minimum. After
that it will almost disappear. According
to many, it has already started and it will not take long to spread. Mechanization has started in agriculture in
India and AI in agriculture will take time to reach. This will depend on many factors in the
agricultural sector. I will not present
my technical position here. Because that
is not the subject of the article. I'm going to present what I think the future
holds based on what I've read, heard, or talked to some experts about AI. I will certainly be happy if what I wrote
turns out to be false.
Let's start with Chat GPT 4. It's likeask any
question, ask anything, and answer ready in ten seconds,whatever the answer to
the question. Be it an essay. Be it presentation. Be it about science. Ask anything about planets, stars, soil,
water, stones, poetry, literature, sociology. It has the answer. Chat GPT is from Open AI Company. Chat GPT 4 is much more powerful than Chat
GPT 3. Chat GPT 5 is coming soon. It will have sound and images along with
language. Earlier only information was
available on Google. Then we had to
collect the required information and write it as we want. Chat GPT cancels your hard work. In a way, he challenged Google's
business. Open AI has tried to pull the
plank out from under their feet. Later,
Microsoft introduced a chat bot called Bing.
A presentation made by Sundar Pichai, the head of Google with his team,
is available on YouTube. His AI named
Bard is coming and it has many AI apps.
Due to this, there will be great changes and it will be of great convenience to
the users. Also gradually everyone will
market programs with similar features and its use will become universal. But, important to consider its consequences.
Human nature:
As I do not know about the causality of natural
phenomena, the experience of those phenomena arouses curiosity in me. I try to find something. It disturbs the brain. Creates something. It creates new doubts. Then I gather information about it. Read, act, watch documentaries, talk to
experts. Analyzes the information
received. If there is any doubt, we
collect more information and gain clarity.
In human life, this process is continuous on a small and large
scale. Through this process we gain
knowledge. Now, at the very first moment
of curiosity, we take help of Chat GPT4 and ask for the reason for the
phenomenon that we see, feel and get the job done. All the information on that subject will be
presented in the way you want.
Doubts arise in our minds. Then we try to look at that doubt or that
question from many angles. Our effort
continues until that question is solved.
Therefore, our analytical ability to look at a question from many angles
increases. But why do you want all this? Why bother the brain? You just need to be able to ask the question
properly. That is enough. The GPT will take care of rest of the chat. Even funnier, Chat GPT can give a single
answer in multiple styles. So if a
question is asked in the class, all the children will find the answer on Chat
GPT. However, it will not be a
traditional type of copy. Again all
answers will be correct. In short, you
don't need an analytical mind. There is
no need to stress the head by creating questions. Why learn more languages? It is enough to ask questions. Despite this, if we use Chat GPT, we will get
good marks in school, college, medical, engineering etc. Let's leave this good mark etc. But what will I be, a living creature
accustomed with thinking ability, when that habit is gone? This is the real question. Today we find some answers while thinking,
while bothering our head, new small knowledge creates excitement. There is so much pure joy. It is a pleasure to learn new aspects of a
question. This is what inspires us to
face new questions. Because no one else
can provide that excitement or that sheer joy.
I am not writing this about any scientist. This happens in all of your lives from
childhood. So will all this be
history? No. But it will come to very few people. This excitement will not be pure joy
universal. So how will the man of the
future be? What will his cultural tastes
be like? Will he be able to communicate
easily in society? These questions will
have to be answered soon.
Language and creativity:
In this whole process of Chat GPT, one should check
the possibility that the person will enjoy the language, learn different
language skills, acquire different styles.
When there is no need to ask questions, to think about it, to use the
analytical mind, where will a person need a language? Will it be enough to learn language just for asking
questions on chat GPT? As a man's urge
to create dwindles, will he take interest in reading the various genres of
literature he comes across? These
questions do not seem unreasonable. It
may be countered that those who wish to think should not use Chat GPT. There are two answers to this. Either man is always looking for the easy way
out. There is no alternative without
Chat GPT to speed up many tasks. And
secondly, if not used, you will not survive the competition. The use of calculators have been forgotten
tables which have learnt. It is not
unreasonable to fear that the same will happen with the use of language.
Shakespeare wrote plays three and a half hundred
years ago. They still happen in
theaters. Always housefull. They have been translated into almost all languages
of the world. We know all this. What was called creativity in Shakespeare's
time? Two hundred years ago, a hundred
years ago, even forty years ago, what was called creativity and today after AI
came, it is time to once again define what exactly is creativity. For example I prepared the plot of a
play. The play will be written in
Shakespearean style. The same play will
be written in the style of Shirwadkar.
Can that style be creativity?
What exactly is creativity? In terms of creativity AI, it means untapped
good potential. The sentence is easy to
read but it deserves serious thought.
Once a different experiment is done, its activity is over. AI will swallow your experiment as a
possibility. AI will update itself and
give a belch of satisfaction. That means
it will be upgraded. It means that the
level of creativity in human life has to be kept very high. Because once an experiment is done, that
possibility is over. It will be counted
as data. In order to preserve one's own uniqueness from AI ,a man has to keep
doing experiments which have not been done till now. It has to be considered constantly. It is very difficult. As with visual art, questions arise about
creativity arising from the use of words.
Visual art has its own language.
It is not about words. It is
called visual language or picture language.
Henceforth If one wants to create pictures with the help of AI, the
painter has to put into words what kind of picture one wants, be it realistic
or abstract. That is, the painter has to
rely on words to express himself without thinking through pictorial
language. According to the progress made
till date the media changed but the language remained the same but now pictorial
language is not useful for AI. Pictorial
language has to be expressed through old media.
Movies:
Don't be surprised if the youthful Deepti Naval
appears in a movie tomorrow with Rajkumar Rao as the heroine. The only question is how many years will it
take. So now, to bring a young Deepti
Naval in the cinema, what technical procedures will have to be done and the
main thing is to decide the cost of the work.
An experiment was seen in an interview.
The interviewer took pictures of a very elderly uncle with his mobile
phone while he was talking to him. A
baseball match was playing on the screen behind. The interviewer asked the uncle 'Who do you
want to replace? Uncle just smiled. The interviewee mailed the photos taken in
the mobile phone. In the screen game, an
image of an uncle is affixed to a player.
The original player disappears and the uncle appears playing
baseball. This was a very small scale
experiment. Old favorite young actresses
and young heros will be back in new movies fifty years later only if they like
it and the process should be affordable. There will be such fun
gatherings. There are many dangers in
this. In the meantime, the video of
former US President Trump being caught by the police was circulating on social
media. That video was prepared with the
help of AI. Once you have a recording of your voice, it can be used to record
what you don't speak in your own voice and credit it to your name. Even if we make rules about how one should
use technology, we are experiencing that misuse does not stop or its use is
determined. Tomorrow means elections in
India in 2024. If a video of any
political leader pelting stones or shouting Pakistan Zindabad is broadcasted,
what terrible situation will arise?
Anything from inciting riots to influencing polls can be done. Then there will be a police case. But on whom?
On the fake video maker or innocent political leader? In order to create love, harmony and
brotherhood among the people, one has to speak the truth. Moral appeals have to be made and love is not
created by lying about love. A
subversive attitude will spread fear and terror in society by using falsehood
to make it appear so real that the consequences will be dire. In short, technology has blurred the line
between true and false. ‘Stick (Kolit)’
has been received in the hands of monkeys.
Competition:
Chat GPT 4 is currently being discussed in India. It
is very expensive to build AI. It
involves many people, huge investment.
The company wants to get the expected return from it. Now this company has a competitor
company. Similarly, there is a third,
fourth, fifth competing company. When
they will develop AI, that AI is most advanced than older one. The code to be written is to defeat the
opponent. It seems natural to have to make it more advanced, effective and
powerful. In such a fierce competition,
it will be natural to lose the hand of ethics and all conscience. It's time for everyone to think about what
the outcome will be. AI has been
considered as an artificial but thinking organization. AI who is in infancy today, when will the
monster take form? When it will cross
the human? When will AI authority reign
over man? These questions have been
raised. The evolution of any living
being, including humans, happens at a certain speed. It has its own pace. The main thing is that no one is competing
with anyone in this evolution. That
animal has its own speed but AI not such. If one AI advances, other AI
connected to it through the Internet will progress. Apart from that they keep upgrading
themselves. Their speed is not as fixed
as a human's. Many experts’ opinion that
they will develop exponentially. Once
they are out of human control, it is difficult to predict how they will behave
next. Funny thing is that, AI has
strength, intellect, technology, they will act as they wants. But it is not responsible for anything. Human beings have lavished rights on those
who have no responsibility. No matter
how much the competing companies talk about welfare, no one has given a clear opinion
on how many people will be unemployed.
Employment:
A friend of mine is an executive in a small
advertising company. He had to go to
make a presentation to his client. His
junior was responsible for making this presentation. Junior was ill. A friend provided the information to Chat
GPT4 and received a ready-made presentation within a minute. They got different options. With a few tweaks, he created a presentation
in ten minutes. The client was happy to
see that. Asked to create
advertisements. Then there was a load of
work in the art department. A friend
downloaded a software which was based on AI. My friend created the ads using
it. They are available in several
options. He chose the best option and
presented it to the client. Client was also pleased.
Nowadays everyone is upskilling. There are a lot of
ads coming to learn AI on social media.
This upskilled man with AI When working with him, he will take away the
chairs of all his companions. That means
the jobs of those working with him will go.
So one prediction is that upskilling will explode in the next few years.
Then the client will think why give my advertising
work to an advertising agency? Rather
than he will buy different software based on AI and advertise like minded. This stage is not far away. The question is how many years can a man
continue upskilling? Is it possible for
humans to compete with the ever evolving AI?
A person will struggle to survive but will have to manage the immense
stress, insecurity and suffering that this creates. Currently, there are roughly two ways. One of the psychiatrists and the other one of
the following fake Saint!
Utility:
Advances in the field of technology are always
useful to someone. Otherwise that
technology cannot be developed or sold.
Basically technology does not have its own thinking, ethics, values and
we have given the weapon of intelligence to such a thing.
It is predicted that the next fifty years will lead
to revolutionary changes in diagnosis and treatment in the field of medicine,
which will lead to the discovery that the human life span will increase from
150 to 200 years. Let's leave aside the
matter of life expectancy. Even now, it
appears that there will be changes in diagnosis and treatment. But for that you have to invest a lot. Then came the return on investment. After globalization, the government has
gradually started withdrawing from public responsibilities like education and
health. You may have noticed that with
the proliferation of mediclaims came the so-called hospital industry conglomerate.
Today in a country like India the bottom 60% of the
population can only support themselves and do nothing else. However, considerable wealth is created
through their labor. These people will
get benefits arising from AI?
The same is the case with education. Extreme inequality is reflected in the
education sector as well. There are
state-of-the-art schools from kindergartens.
Their fees are in lakhs of rupees and on the other hand many schools do
not have simple toilets, children do not have clean water to drink. Education was a distant thing. At the government level, the higher education
system should change along with the changing technology. Skills should be developed. Where investments should be made to teach
advanced technology, we are trying to get nectar from cow urine. Gynecologists are being trained in obstetrics
and universities are starting courses on astronomy. This begs the question of how well-educated
young people will engage with the changing technology.
Solution UBI :
The answer to the question of how much unemployment
will increase has been given by Klaus Schwab, a major proponent of the fourth
industrial revolution and the president of the World Economic Forum. He has written in the book 'Fourth Industrial
Revolution' in 2016 that the work in which there is renewal, those works will
end. According to their estimates, 52%
to 59% of jobs will be lost. 35% of jobs
will completely change the nature of work and 6% will create new jobs. Estimates released by Niti Aayog of India in
2018 are similar to the above estimates.
Today in 2023, the heads of the world's leading IT companies are seen
expressing concern about unemployment. Their predictions of job cuts should
scare us. There is no clear statements
from official companies or AI experts.
Because no one can predict how and how fast this technology will
change. We can all agree that
effortfully dying is not the solution to unemployment. But how to feed these unemployed? According to some people, a special tax
should be levied on AI companies and the proceeds should be used for the
welfare of the unemployed. From the end
of the twentieth century, as increase in automation and AI, the concept of
Universal Basic Income (UBI) became popular globally. That means if you are not
employed you will continue to get a fixed amount. This is a rough idea. We should look at the society from which this
idea is formed. That is to say, whether
the nature of the idea is universal or of particular apportionment. Before the emergence of AI, in the society,
there was plenty of prosperity, no inflation, low population, negative rate of
population growth, employment for most and allowance for some unemployed to
live a good standard of living.
In this society,
unemployment due to automation and AI, the idea of giving UBI came. It suggested that when man's concern for
livelihood is over, he will indulge in poetry, music, literature, sculpture,
painting and he will innovate. He will
be upskilled by learning new technologies with renewed vigor. The experiment was conducted for a short
period of time in certain sections.
Implemented some of its pilot projects for study. From various studies, many thinkers suggest
that this arrangement is correct from the statistics, and the laziness that
arises from it has also been discussed.
A country like India has a large population. The population is young. The country is underdeveloped. The disparity is extreme. Before the
emergence of AI, 28% of the country's population does not earn more than forty
rupees a day, they fall directly below the poverty line. The total population
of the country is around 140 crores and the government distributes free food
grains to nearly 80 crore people because they are below or near the poverty
line. We can say that more than 50% of
the people in the country are poor because they cannot buy food grains at the
market price. The government is not
stopping this scheme which was started after the corona period. Various types of subsidies like this are
given by the government. Once these poor
people and the unemployment caused by AI, the above means 80 crore plus
unemployed, the figure will reach 85, can the government afford to give UBI to
all of them? Given this first question
and suppose, will the existing subsidies continue or be discontinued? This is the second question. In 2016-17, the Economic Survey of India
suggested that we should provide UBI instead of social welfare schemes. So I myself doubt that the government can
afford to provide both subsidies and UBI.
Suppose if the subsidy is stopped, the market price will increase. As gas cylinders are increasing. Also, money will come into the market through
direct UBI allocation and it will also increase prices. So what will be the value of the money in
hand? Mainly, since employment is not my
right as a citizen, I will have to pick up whatever piece of bread the
government throws in the name of UBI.
Who will benefit and who will suffer from the
consequences AI? It is necessary to have
a clear discussion on this. Finally, the
discussion of what is the merit of human life comes to a halt here. Earn money by working hard and live with self
respect. My self-esteem proves my
humanity. Even the poorest of the poor
take this role. People have not wealth
but have self respect, the balance is maintained only if the self respect of
various elements in the society is maintained.
Today we are standing in such a place that in a few years from now there
is a possibility that we will have to take money without any effort. How much self-esteem and vulnerability would
it involve? My society does not need my
hard work and wisdom. My existence has
no value here. They are giving me UBI to
live until I die. I will always have
this nagging feeling. Can I play the
flute wholeheartedly in such a situation?
The original text was written in Marathi
Vijay Tambe is Secretary , Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Sevagram Wardha, Maharashtra Email:vtambe@gmail.com
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3
Temporary Monopolies’ in the Age of Artificial
Intelligence: Power Asymmetries, and the Need for Collective Governance
Dr. Rajesh Many
Abstract
This study
examines documented cases of problematic AI use during the 2023 Israel-Hamas
conflict through the theoretical framework of Joseph Schumpeter's theory of
creative destruction. A contextual content analysis is conducted on 5 incidents
involving AI systems deployed unethically or irresponsibly by state and
non-state actors. Inductive coding identifies themes aligned with Schumpeterian
concepts including temporary monopolies, unchecked capitalist motivations, and
destabilizing impacts of unregulated technological innovation. Analysis reveals
asymmetries of power and influence conferred by exclusive AI access, tendencies
to weaponize AI for political and financial motives with impunity, and risks of
social disparities being creatively destroyed by uncontrolled automation. The
study substantiates Schumpeter's prescient theoretical insights about
potentials for danger and harm from capitalism's relentless technology
innovation cycles lacking wisdom or ethical foundations.Findings highlight
urgent needs for governance frameworks that re-centre human rights, democratize
access, implement safeguards against misuse, and align innovation incentives
with social responsibility. The research contributes a novel application of
Schumpeterian theory to illuminate risks of artificial intelligence in socially
impactful contexts. It underscores calls for collective action to consciously
shape AI progress towards equitable ends.
Keywords: Artificial
Intelligence, Creative Destruction, Innovation Governance, Technology Ethics,
Algorithmic Bias, Asymmetric Conflicts, Capitalism
Introduction
In recent international media coverage, it's evident that the
recent conflicts between Israel and Palestinian Hamas mark a notable shift
towards the integration of Artificial Intelligence in warfare. Generative AI
models are being employed to manipulate public opinion and emotions, serving as
a tool to justify actions through the creation of AI-generated content,
including photos, discourses, and deepfake videos. This highlights the increasing
use of AI capabilities not only in military engagements but also in propaganda
campaigns and geopolitical negotiations.
Several incidents during the recent clashes have exposed the
deployment of AI technologies in ways that raise ethical concerns. Israel, for
instance, utilized an AI-powered system for lethal targeting in Gaza,
showcasing the incorporation of advanced technologies in military operations.
Additionally, instances of deepfakes and AI-generated disinformation have
proliferated online, contributing to the manipulation of public discourse
surrounding the conflict.
The emerging trend of AI being utilized in such conflicts
emphasizes the need for careful scrutiny and ethical considerations in the use
of these technologies, both by state and non-state actors. The blurred lines
between information, manipulation, and warfare underscore the complex
challenges posed by the growing intersection of AI and global conflicts.
These events highlight increasing global apprehensions regarding
the dual-sided risks associated with AI innovation. While these technologies
have the potential to foster social progress, they can also be weaponized to
inflict substantial harm on humanity. Despite being in its initial phase, there
is a palpable concern about the potential consequences as the technology
advances further. However, there exists a dearth of research examining the
systemic factors and incentives that contribute to the misuse of emerging
technologies. Furthermore, there is a need for the development of a policy
framework to ensure the ethical application of AI for the betterment of
humanity.
In response to this gap in knowledge, this study aims to
investigate the weaponization of AI-based deceptive strategies during the
Israel-Hamas conflict. This analysis will be conducted through the theoretical
lens of Joseph Schumpeter's seminal concept of "creative destruction"
within capitalist innovation cycles, providing a framework to understand the
dynamics and implications of AI deployment in conflicts.
Analytical Framework
Schumpeter (1942) argued that capitalism inherently progresses
through a continuous cycle of creative destruction. New innovations
disruptively destroy old technologies, processes, and power structures, only to
be creatively destroyed themselves by the next wave of innovation. While
fostering economic dynamism, Schumpeter contended that this churn of creative
destruction also reproduces inequality and allows temporary monopolies. Profit-seekers
apply innovations in damaging ways before regulations catch up, and ethical
concerns arise. Applying this
perspective can shed critical light on how the asymmetric power structures and
profit motivations in conflicts incentivize the weaponization of disruptive
innovations like AI before ethical governance frameworks can keep pace.
Building upon this theory and incorporating neoclassical
assumptions, technology is viewed as an exogenous factor for developing or
peripheral countries in the world system. It originates from the capitalist
system through the creative destruction process. Furthermore, innovation
theories delineate two primary pathways for the emergence of innovation –
demand pull and supply push factors.Demand pull innovation involves incremental
improvements, adding value to existing technology in response to market demand
and consumer behaviour. On the other hand, supply push innovation is
characterized by disruptive changes that can create significant shifts in
existing technological landscapes, further restructuring the social and
economic systems of a country.
The application of Schumpeter's theory and these neoclassical
assumptions provides a foundation for understanding how technology,
particularly in the form of innovation, impacts developing countries. This
perspective underscores the transformative power of technology, where it is
introduced and evolves through the dynamics of creative destruction.In essence,
my analytical approach aims to draw upon Schumpeterian insights to investigate
the role of innovation, particularly in its supply-push manifestations, in
shaping the technological landscape of developing and peripheral countries
within global systems. It substantiates warnings about the potential dangers of
unchecked tech innovation and highlights the need for responsible governance to
constructively guide AI’s evolution, especially in developing countries like
India, within the perspective mentioned in Schumpeter’s theoretical insights.
In doing so, it contributes to one of the first critical applications of
Schumpeterian theory to examine contemporary risks from artificial intelligence
systems.
Methodology
This study employs a contextual content analysis approach to
examine documented incidents of AI use during the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.
Content analysis allows for the systematic analysis of textual data to make
inferences about meanings, themes, and intents. A contextual approach is
adopted to go beyond surface-level word counts and frequencies to instead focus
on interpreting themes based on the surrounding context (Duriau et al., 2007).
The data comprises five recent media articles, investigative
reports, and case studies detailing instances where AI systems were deployed in
potentially unethical or risky ways by various actors in the context of the
Israel-Hamas clashes in 2023. These incidents involve use cases such as
military targeting, censorship, disinformation campaigns, biased algorithms,
and synthesized media. The source of news information is explored from the
database of AIAAIC, a public interest initiative that examines and advocates
for real transparency and openness in AI and other technologies.
The articles are coded using an inductive coding process informed
by Schumpeterian concepts of creative destruction, monopolistic capitalist
motivations, and the destabilizing impacts of innovation. The goal is to
uncover common themes aligned with these concepts, such as asymmetric power,
profit incentives, lack of oversight, and social/ethical disruptions.
Furthermore, the coded segments are analysed to examine how the development and
deployment of AI technology intersect with Schumpeter’s insights about
unchecked capitalist innovation. The contextual approach aids in interpreting
the themes in relation to the broader social, political, and economic contexts
of the conflict.
Limitations include the small convenience sample of articles, and
potential biases in the primarily English-language media sources. Further
research could expand to more incidents, a wider array of global media sources,
and different conflicts. However, the current study offers an initial
examination of the value of applying a Schumpeterian lens to contemporary AI
risks and harms using in-depth contextual analysis of salient real-world cases
linked to prominent disruption themes.
Analysis and Results
Incident #1 Meta's Biased AI
Moderation
The 2023 accusations against Meta highlight systemic issues of
bias and over-censorship in its AI content moderation systems during the
Israel-Hamas conflict.Human Rights Watch's analysis of over 1000 cases revealed
routine takedown of pro-Palestinian content through flawed policies,
over-reliance on error-prone AI, and state influence. Videos documenting the
conflict's impacts were also unfairly removed.Meta defended its actions citing
challenges of fast-moving polarized conflicts. But its Oversight Board
found it had lowered moderation thresholds, increasing inaccurate removals, and
lacked sufficient human moderators for non-English languages.
This case demonstrates key sources of bias and unaccountable
censorship power in Meta's AI systems:
- Algorithmic
biases against Arabic/Palestinian expressions enabling over-censorship
- Vague
policies on prohibited speech skewing enforcement
- Lack of
cultural and contextual understanding by AI
- Over-dependence
on automated flagging without oversight
- Geopolitical
pressures shaping definitions of violent/graphic content
By disproportionately restricting Palestinian voices, Meta
conferred unchecked power to control narratives to the state. This underscores
the need for transparency in content policies, reducing algorithmic biases, and
centring human rights in moderation frameworks.Overall, the incident epitomizes
the ease of creative destruction of social equity through unchecked use of new
innovations like AI moderation. It highlights the urgency of governance to
constructively shape technology's evolution.
Incident #2 Israel's Lethal AI
Targeting System
An investigation by Israel-based +972 Magazine and Local Call
revealed that Israel's armed forces used an AI-powered system named Habsora to
generate potential bombing targets during the Israel-Hamas war and calculate
the number of people living in or close to the same building who were likely to
be killed by a strike on the target. In one instance, Israel's military command
'knowingly' approved the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in an
attempt to assassinate a single top Hamas military commander, according to the
investigation. Furthermore, it appears that, as per the investigation, Habsora
enabled the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to expand strikes to civilian sites
like residences and hospitals, contributing to high casualties.
The use of Habsora's algorithms to calculate
"acceptable" civilian deaths and generate bombing options removes
human accountability and moral agency from life-and-death decisions. It also
amplifies asymmetries as the technology is exclusively controlled by the state.
This incident underscores several key concerns around autonomous
weapons:
- The
erosion of human oversight and control over lethal force
- Bias and
lack of discretion in algorithmic targeting
- Lowering
of moral thresholds on civilian harm
- Opacity
in how targeting decisions are made
- Lack of
accountability for erroneous strikes
Israel's use of Habsora to enable significant civilian casualties
exemplifies Schumpeter's insights about technology's dual edges - granting
states destructive power without ethical checks. It underscores the urgent need
for global governance frameworks to ban fully autonomous lethal weapons and
ensure meaningful human control over war-making applications of AI. This
incident highlights how asymmetric access to AI can consolidate state power
while destroying human rights protections. Managing risks requires centring
human dignity and rights in innovation trajectories.
Incident #3 AI and Misinformation
on Adobe Stock
In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital media, the
integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into platforms raises critical
questions about transparency and governance. This case delves into Adobe Stock,
a stock image subscription service that allows users to upload and sell
AI-generated images. However, several
concerning incidents have surfaced where Adobe is selling artificially
generated, realistic images of the Israel-Hamas war. These images have been
widely used across the internet without any indication that they are fake. This
breach in transparency has significant consequences, particularly in the
context of the Israel-Hamas conflict, as misinformation spreads easily when
authenticity is compromised.
This incident serves as a poignant example highlighting the
challenges associated with AI-synthesized media and the potential for
misinformation to proliferate when governance and labeling protocols are not
rigorously followed. As we explore this case through contextual content
analysis, we aim to dissect the nuances of governance on platforms like Adobe
Stock, emphasizing the importance of accurate labeling to ensure informed and
responsible consumption of AI-generated content.
Adobe contends it mandated appropriate labeling as per its
policies. But the case reveals gaps in enforcement that allow misinformation to
spread - whether due to profit motivations or lack of oversight. It underscores
issues of transparent AI governance and several significant concerns emerge:
- Policies
for disclosing AI media can be circumvented without diligent monitoring
- End
users may be unable to recognize synthetic media, amplifying
disinformation
- Transparency
requirements are reactive; better technical methods for provenance are
needed
- Governance
is fragmented across platforms; norms and standards are nascent
This incident epitomizes Schumpeter's theory that new innovations
like generative AI can be co-opted to nefarious ends before social governance
catches up. Constructively shaping AI progress requires proactive efforts by
developers, platforms, and users alike. In essence, it highlights the urgent
need for transparency, accountability and ethical codes of conduct to ensure
AI-generated media enhances, rather than erodes, information integrity.
Incident #4. WhatsApp AI
Palestinian Stickers
In a troubling revelation, WhatsApp’s (parent company: Meta) AI
Stickers product, powered by the Llama 2 open-source language model and Emu
image generation model, has come under scrutiny for generating biased and
racially insensitive content. During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, The Guardian
uncovered a disturbing pattern: prompts using terms like 'Palestinian,'
'Palestine,' or 'Muslim boy Palestinian' resulted in AI Stickers producing
images of children brandishing firearms. In stark contrast, prompts for
'Israeli boy' generated benign depictions of children engaged in ordinary
activities like playing soccer and reading.
Launched in September 2023, AI Stickers was designed to convert
text prompts into stickers for WhatsApp users. Meta acknowledged the issue,
attributing it to a 'glitch,' but the incident raises profound concerns about
inherent biases in artificial intelligence systems.
This case analysis delves into the implications of Meta's AI
Stickers incident, shedding light on the perpetuation of racial stereotypes and
potential discrimination embedded in generative models. The portrayal of
Palestinian children as inherently violent, in contrast to the depiction of
Israeli children as peaceful, underscores the risk of AI systems amplifying
real-world prejudices. The incident prompts a critical examination of the role
of oversight in mitigating the unintended consequences of biased AI models and
calls for a deeper understanding of how these systems learn and replicate
societal biases.
Meta calling it a "glitch" evades accountability for
engrained bias. Several concerns emerge:
- AI can
propagate harmful stereotypes if unchecked for fairness
- Training
data biases feed directly into algorithmic behaviors
- Lack of
cultural nuance causes AI to misinterpret social contexts
- Deflection
of bias as "glitches" avoids responsibility
This case serves as a poignant illustration of Schumpeter's
observation that unbridled innovation trajectories often mirror underlying
systemic injustices. It underscores the imperative for addressing foundational
biases rather than resorting to reactive solutions to ensure meaningful
progress.The incident accentuates the importance of proactive risk assessment,
the implementation of equitable data practices, and the prioritization of
fairness in the design of generative AI systems. Beyond mere technical fixes, a
comprehensive approach is essential to cultivate innovation that aligns with
ethical principles and societal values.
Furthermore, the biased stickers depicting Palestinian children on
WhatsApp exemplify the pitfalls of the swift commercialization of AI
technologies. The pursuit of profit, when left unchecked, can inadvertently
perpetuate social harms and reinforce biases without adequate oversight. This
case underscores the need for a balanced approach that not only facilitates
expression but also ensures that profit motives align with ethical
considerations, fostering progress that is genuinely equitable and just.
Incident #5 AI-Generated
Deepfakes
Amidst the Israel-Gaza conflict, an image circulating on social
media purportedly showing a man rescuing children from the rubble has been
identified as a probable deepfake. The image, shared extensively with over
80,000 shares, gained further traction when promoted on X (formerly Twitter) by
the Chinese embassy in France. Siwei Lyu, Director of the Media Forensic Lab at
the University of Buffalo, confirmed the image's classification as AI-generated
through recent detection algorithms, highlighting anomalies in the hands and
feet.
This discovery raises concerns about the growing prevalence of
manipulated images disseminating disinformation during conflict situations. The
incident underscores the rapid spread of deepfakes and their potential to
distort public perceptions of events, calling for many concerns.
- Viral
spread fuels false deepfakes, dominating authentic reporting and
distorting public discourse.
- Technological
sophistication impedes identification and debunking, amplifying the
deceptive impact of deepfake technology.
- Deepfakes
are weaponized in conflicts, exploiting low regulation for political
manipulation and disinformation.
- The
democratization of media manipulation through generative AI poses
significant risks to information integrity.
- Regulatory
concerns emerge from lax oversight, allowing malicious exploitation of
deepfake technology and highlighting the need for frameworks to curb
misuse.
- The
incident underscores the potential for democratically governed AI progress
to disrupt deepfake harms by enhancing information quality and provenance.
This case underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive approach
to address the challenges posed by deepfake technology, combining regulatory
measures, technological advancements, and public awareness campaigns to
mitigate the spread of disinformation in conflict zones.
Discussion
The analysis reveals several concerning insights regarding the
potential for AI innovations to be co-opted to destructive ends without ethical
foundations and oversight.A predominant theme is the emergence of dangerous
asymmetries in power, influence, and capability enabled by exclusive control
over rapidly advancing AI systems. Schumpeter's insights of temporary
monopolies ring starkly true in the age of AI, with state and corporate actors
accruing tremendous unchecked power. This urgently underscores the need for
governance frameworks that decentralize and democratize AI capabilities.
Another prominent theme is the propensity for profit motives to
incentivize the weaponization and irresponsible use of AI innovations before
ethical governance catches up. Practices like Adobe's uncontrolled spread of
synthetic media and WhatsApp's biased stickers epitomize capitalist drives
superseding social responsibility. This highlights the need to align innovation
incentives with human rights and democratic values.
Moreover, the cases reveal AI's enormous potential for
destabilizing societal disruption, from censorship to civilian deaths. Our
institutions must be oriented to steer AI's evolution in societally
constructive directions, creatively improving equity and welfare.Overall, the
analysis implies a pressing need for renewed commitment to transparent,
participative, and human-centred AI governance locally and globally. Ethical
foundations prioritizing justice, responsibility, and human flourishing are
indispensable to constructively manage the transformative power of AI. As
Schumpeter foresaw, unmanaged capitalist innovation breeds both wonder and
destruction. But with collective will and wisdom, we can temper the dangers and
amplify the benefits.
The Oversight Board is a body that makes consequential, precedent-setting content moderation decisions on the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, as a form of platform self-governance.
References
Duriau, V.
J., Reger, R. K., & Pfarrer, M. D. (2007). A content analysis of the
content analysis literature in organization studies: Research themes, data
sources, and methodological refinements. Organizational research
methods, 10(1), 5-34.
Schumpeter,
J. A. (2013). Capitalism, socialism and democracy. routledge.
AIAAIC
(AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Incidents and Controversies)
Investigations, Assessments,
Audits Reports
§ Oversight
Board (2023). Oversight Board issues first expedited decisions
about Israel-Hamas conflict
§ Oversight
Board (2023). 2023-049-IG-UA - Al-Shifa Hospital
§ Oversight
Board (2023). 2023-050-FB-UA - Hostages kidnapped from Israel
§ Human
Rights Watch (2023). Meta’s Broken Promises. Systemic Censorship of
Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook
§ +972
Magazine (2023). ‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s
calculated bombing of Gaza
§ Australian
Greens (2023). Meta’s Racist Depictions of Gun-Wielding
Palestinian Children Needs Urgent Investigation from Esafety Commissioner
§ AFP (2023). Image of Palestinian carrying children out of
rubble shows signs of AI
News, Commentary, Analysis
(Website Links)
Dr. Rajesh Many is Assistant Professor School of Gandhian Thought and Development Studies Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam ,Kerala and the founding Director of The Centre for
Technology and Human Development Studies (CTHDS) at
Mahatma Gandhi University.
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4
The
Intersection of Technology and Humanity: Artificial Intelligence
P. Kayalvizhi
Introduction
In the past few years technologies were improved drastically and the use
of these technologies were improved massively. The evolution of technology was
a fascinating journey which began with simple tools crafted by human for their
basic needs to the Introduction of Computers, Internet, to the raise of
Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Bigdata.
Technologies were everywhere in our daily lives. It completely reshaped
our human society, From the movement we wake up we use technologies to check
messages, weather, time or to call someone.
We use technologies in work, schools, colleges and in home to
communicate or to learn something through internet. Technologies and humans
became inseparatable. It makes our work even more easier and also helps us to
do things faster.
Smart Machines like computers and robots are getting smarter which helps
us in many aspects, Superfast Internet
like 5G makes everything quicker and supports more technology and Technology in
the field of education have improved a lot, Tech in Education is like having a
smart assistant that makes studying fun and interactive. On the other hand AI
is a rapidly evolving in the field of healthcare, education, communication and
agriculture.
Artificial intelligence(AI)
Artificial Intelligence is a branch of Computer Science by which we can
create intelligent machines which can behave like a human, think like humans
and able to make human decisions. It is the capacity of a machine to imitate
intelligent human behaviour. According to my point of view Artificial
Intelligence represents the Intersection of Technology and Humanity. Artificial
Intelligence is where technology and humanity meets.
It helps humans in a lot of ways and also used in a lot of fields. It
has pros as well as cons, the thing is we have to use it ethically and should
align it with human values. Artificial Intelligence is just a tool it doesn’t make any decisions itself, it
simply reflects the choices and intentions of human creators. It is our
responsibility to use it ethically.
The Integration of Artificial Intelligence into human society has
brought a remarkable transformation into our human society from healthcare to
Automation, It completely reshaped our society and human experiences.
AI in Heathcare:
The integration of Artificial Intelligence in heathcare helps in
improving patient care, diagnostic accurately and medical research.Some
examples of AI in healthcare are:
Robotic Surgery- It is performed or assisted with the help of robots. By
using robots in surgery the surgery is performed accurately and
flexibly.Robotic Surgery is useful for challenging surgeries like Organ
Transplants,Tumour Removal Surgeries, Gallstone Surgeries etc..
Virtual nursing assistants-This is especially useful for patients who
have been recently discharged or patients who require home care.The virtual
assistant would be accessible through an app on the phone, it would conduct
daily check-ins with the patients and answer any of their questions. It would
then go ahead and feed all the information back to the hospital.
Medical imaging-Tools such as CT
Scans, MRI Scans and X-Rays are used to diagnosis cancers and tumours. Once the
Scans are done, radiologist review the images for the signs of diseases.An AI
algorithm can easily be fed images labelled by radiologists and it can easily
excel radiologist at finding cancers.In one research it was shown that a neural
network was 99% accurate atdiagnosing a cancer as opposed to 38% accuracy
achieved by doctors. This can increase in early detection of cancers therefore
saving many lives.
AI
in Agriculture:
AI
is increasingly playing a vital role in transforming agriculture, offering
innovative solutions to various challenges faced by farmers in agriculture.
Here are some impacts of AI in agriculture.
Weather
& price Forecasting- It is difficult for the farmers to take the right
decision for harvesting, sowing seeds, and soli preparing due to climate
change. But with the help of AI weather forecasting, farmers can have
information on weather analysis, and accordingly, they can plan for the type of
crop to grow, seeds to sow, and harvesting the crop.
Agriculture
Robotics- Robotics is being widely used in different sectors, mainly in
manufacturing or to perform complex tasks. Nowadays, different AI companies are
developing robots to be employed in the Agriculture sector. These AI robots are
developed in such a way that they can perform multiple tasks in farming.AI
robots are also trained in checking the quality of crops, detect and controlling
weeds, and harvesting the crop with faster speed compared to a human.
Intelligent
Spraying- With AI sensors, weed can be detected easily, and it also
detects weed affected areas. On finding such areas, herbicides can be precisely
sprayed to reduce the use of herbicides and also saves time and crop. There are
different AI companies that are building robots with AI and computer vision,
which can precisely spray on weeds. The use of AI sprayers can widely reduce
the number of chemicals to be used on fields, and hence improves the quality of
crops and also saves money.
Disease
Diagnosis- With AI predictions, farmers can get knowledge of diseases easily.
With this, they can easily diagnose diseases with proper strategy and on time.
It can save the life of plants and farmer's time. To do this, firstly, images
of plants are pre-processed using computer vision technology. This ensures that
plant images are properly divided into the diseased and non-diseased parts.
After detection, the diseased part is cropped and send to labs for further diagnosis. This technique
also helps in the detection of pests, deficiency of nutrients, and many more.
AI
in Education:
Artificial
Intelligence has emerged as a revolutionary force in the field of education. AI
enhances the quality and accessibility of education. Some examples for AI in
education are Personalized learning, Adaptive automated tools, Automated
grading and Virtual tutors.
Ethical Consideration:
Ethical Consideration is ensuring that the development
or use of AI align with human values and ethics, it should be created for the
well being of the individuals of society. Some ethical considerations of AI are
Being fair to everyone: Sometimes AI can unintentionally
treat people unfair due to Biased Information, so we have to make sure that AI
doesn’t discriminate certain groups.
Understanding how AI understand things: If AI makes
any decisions we can’t figure out why it choose that particular decision or
that particular option. That can be a problem, we want AI to be clear about why
it take that particular option so that we can trust it.
Keeping
Our Personal Info Safe:AI often uses a lot of our personal information. We need
to ensure that this data is handled carefully to protect our privacy and
prevent any misuse.
Not
Losing Jobs to Machines:With AI doing more tasks, some worry that it might
replace jobs. We need to find a balance so that while AI helps, it doesn’t
leave people without work.
Making
Sure AI Doesn’t Do Harm:In areas like self-driving cars or healthcare, AI can
make decisions on its own. We need to be sure that these decisions are safe and
don’t cause harm, and figure out who is responsible if something goes wrong.
Keeping
AI Systems Secure: Just like we protect our computers from viruses, we need to
make sure that AI systems are safe from bad actors who might try to use them
for harmful purposes.
Watching
Out for Social Changes:AI can affect how we interact with each other and what
information we see. We need to understand and manage these changes to make sure
they are positive for society.
Thinking
About the Future Impact:As AI continues to improve, we should consider the
long-term effects it might have on jobs, society, and even how we live. It’s
important to plan for these changes.
In
simple terms, we want AI to be helpful, fair, and safe. By addressing these
concerns, we can make sure that AI benefits everyone in a positive way.
Conclusion:
The intersection of technology and humanity is like
where advanced tools and gadgets meet
our everyday lives. It’s the place where cool innovations makes life better but
we also need to be careful that these cool things don’t cause problems.We have
to balance technology and humanity; its like finding the right mix. We want all
the benefits of the technology, but also want to make sure that it respects our
values and ethics
It is good to have cool technologies that helps humans
around us. But we have to make sure that those technologies should respect
human values and ethics, it should not harm humans. It should lead way to
sustainable and ethical society.
P. Kayalvizhi is I st year Student, Master of Computer Applications (MCA) Department of Computer Science and Applications, The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University) Gandhigram – 624302, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu
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Ethics in Innovation
Innovation refers to the process of introducing new ideas, methods, products, or services to bring about positive change or improvement. It involves the application of creative thinking and the development of novel solutions to address existing challenges or meet new needs. Primarily, innovation occurs in the science and technology fields.
Innovation
can manifest in different forms, such as incremental improvements to existing
products or services, radical breakthroughs that introduce entirely new
concepts or disruptive innovations that transform industries and markets. It
plays a crucial role in driving economic growth, improving quality of life, and
addressing complex global issues.
The birth
of innovation is the need for solutions to various challenges in the present
day. Innovation originates in the mind of an individual. The creativity of an
individual takes the lead and brings certain new concepts or ideas. This
creativity may be the creativity of an individual or a group of people.
The main
objective of any innovation is to develop a technology that is more efficient,
affordable, and sustainable. Today, the main objective is to bring technology
to sustainability. Mainly, the innovation is to bring better products or
technologies, which can be managed very easily and should be sustained in the
present-day environment.
The
success of the commercialization of innovation depends on how it adapts to the
current scenario and process. For example, there is a need to bring new
advancements in the field of “electricity generation." Slowly, society is
adapting to the generation of electricity from solar panels. If anyone
introduces new technology based on fossil fuels, hardly any society will accept
it.
While
innovation brings about numerous benefits, it can also pose challenges and
create problems. A few among them are as follows:
a.
Dependency on
technology: Society's increasing reliance on technology can create
vulnerabilities, particularly if critical systems are disrupted. Dependency on
technology for essential services can pose risks in the event of system
failures or cyber threats.
b.
Loneliness: Advances
in communication technology, while providing connectivity, can also contribute
to social isolation, as individuals may spend more time engaging with screens
than with people in person. This brings lots of psychological problems and depression.
c.
Culture change:
Rapid innovation can lead to cultural shifts that some individuals or
communities may find challenging or disruptive. Changes in social norms,
values, and communication patterns can create tensions. It takes no time to
break age-old cultures and customs. Human values shift, a new concept of values
emerges, and slowly, humanity vanishes.
d.
Risk of correctness:
In the present day, artificial intelligence has taken control of numerous
day-to-day routines. AI is trained and then used to predict the output. If the
training is based on wrong or unethical data, what is produced is also
unethical. Issues like bias in algorithms, accountability for AI decisions, and
ethical considerations in areas like biotechnology can be complex.
e.
Environmental
problems: Present-day technology is on par. It provides huge comfort to
individuals in their day-to-day lives. The generation of electricity using
fossil fuels has created health problems in urban and nearby rural areas.
Today, the air in major cities is already polluted, and now it shows the danger
level. Also, global warming is increasing at an alarming speed. The day is not
far away when we will have to live in a polluted environment, which cannot be
reversible. The present scenario of global warming is already at a higher
danger level, and in no time it will reach the highest level of pollution.
f.
Inequalities in
society: Innovation may contribute to economic inequality if the benefits are
not distributed equitably. Those with access to and control over new
technologies may disproportionately benefit, exacerbating existing social and
economic disparities.
g.
Security risk: New innovations are also
directed towards identifying individuals and recording individuals' physical
and biological details. In the name of security, individuality is lost.
Security cameras are everywhere to look into your act, process, and mood. It
not only records the bad activities of individuals but also their good
activities. There should be a space for every individual. In reality, on the
roads and in offices, a number of cameras are capturing the activities of each
and every individual, irrespective of their nature. This process limits the
free expression of an individual.
h.
Unemployment: New
innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) help to execute a variety of tasks
without human interference. It can write a letter, an essay, a note, etc. The
number of human-oriented jobs is shifting to AI, particularly in engineering
industries. This leads to unemployment in various sectors. It is expected that
complete office desk-top work will be shifted to AI tomorrow. In that case, the
office clerk, manager, etc. posts will be dissolved.
i.
Regulation: Today,
innovation is evolving at the fastest possible speed. Each new innovation may
be required to fit into society by abiding by the present rules and
regulations. Sometimes, it is required to change the rules as per innovation.
Due to the number of innovations, it is very difficult to bring all of them
under the current rule or to bring changes to the rule. There is a threat of a
lack of regulation for new innovations. This may raise new ethical issues in
society.
There
is an urgent need to address these challenges with positive and investigative
approaches. All the stakeholders, like policymakers, industries, and society,
should come together to answer these challenges. The process of implementing
new innovations should ensure that they provide maximum benefits to society and
dissolve the probable negative consequences. While implementing, the
stakeholders should consider the sustainability, inclusivity, ethical measures,
and proper governance of new technologies.
The
emergence of new technology and its thoughtless implementation cause various
ethical issues. The number of such issues is identifiable. Today, the common
man really does not know the use and misuse of his physical and biological
data.
Certain
ethical issues are engulfing the whole society, and still today there is no
answer to resolve them. A few among them are as follows:
a.
Wealth-centric
development: Innovations are for the growth of the economy and commerce. It is
primarily concentrated on wealth generation. It is not a human-centric
development. What is required is human-centric technology. Gandhi's emphasis on
human values and the well-being of individuals would likely lead him to
advocate for innovations that prioritize the betterment of human lives.
Technologies should be designed with the aim of serving the needs of the people
and promoting social welfare.
b.
Sustainability: The innovations are not keen
on sustainability. The rampant use of natural resources for the implementation
of new technologies is destroying the environment and also exhausting natural
resources. For example, lead batteries have a life of only 3 to 5 years. To
procure lead from mines and implement it into batteries takes a huge amount of
water and that leads to water pollution. The positioning of water is dangerous
to aquatic life systems. This water also percolates into the human water
distribution line and generates numerous non-curable health problems.
c.
Violence and
Non-Collaboration: The resources of new innovation are based on numerous
natural resources and life systems. Numbers of innovations are emerging after
utilising the valuable aquatic and non-aquatic life systems. This is leading to
the extinction of a number of species. The use of new products like plastics
penetrates the river and sea water, killing innocent aquatic and non-aquatic
animals and plants. The collaborative concept of utilizing technology is
vanishing. Technologies are individual-centric. For example, a mobile phone.
Everyone needs their own mobile phone, whereas in older days, the landline
phone could be used by the whole family.
d.
Human Rights:
Innovation also percolates into human rights and their privacy. Today, each and
every act of a human being is watched by technology. With the emergence of AI,
these acts will be evaluated. The individual will be enveloped in a view
defined by AI. That way, all individuals will be categorized with certain
defined tags. That is nothing but transforming humans into materials. This is
also a violation of human rights and his expressions.
e.
Biological Identity:
The genome project has envisaged the total human genes. It has deciphered the
complete human DNA. The technology can be utilized to produce
"super-human" or "non-intelligent workaholic humans." New
emerging technology is providing ways to bring new properties and capabilities
to newborn babies. This will lead to specialised babies, which will surely
destroy the natural human society. Interference with the human genetic code
should be called unethical. Innovation is also aimed at bringing new spices
from plants and animals. This may disturb the current biodiversity in nature.
f.
Accountability: Once
innovative technology is implemented, there is always a question of
accountability for its failure. Innovation developed in laboratories is
implemented by commercial industries. The outcome initially may be useful, but
in due course, it may cause harm to the environment. In that case, there is no
stakeholder who can take accountability for the failure of technology.
g.
Transparency: The
technology newly evolved collects human physical and biological data. Human
beings are forced to adopt these technologies. There is no full-proof system
that informs the user about the data collected and its use. The data is sold in
the market without the consent of the data originator. The data is also misused
by a number of statutory and non-statutory bodies. The rules to control these
activities are flexible, and the culprit easily escapes legal punishment.
This is
an era of new innovation. Every day, new technologies are introduced with
better functionalities and costs. The ethical issues should be addressed by the
authorized agencies, and they must be vigilant by adopting new methodologies.
In conclusion, as we stand on the precipice of transformative technological
advancements, ethical considerations in innovation must not be an afterthought
but a fundamental guiding principle. Balancing progress with ethical
responsibility is not only a moral imperative but also a pragmatic necessity to
build trust, mitigate risks, and create a future where innovations contribute
positively to the well-being of individuals and society as a whole. By
integrating ethical considerations into the fabric of innovation, we can
navigate the frontiers of progress with wisdom, foresight, and a commitment to
the greater good.
Dr. Sunil H. Ganatra,Professor,Govt. Institute of Science, Nagpur, M.S.(India):Email:sunilganatra@gmail.com
Reflections on Ethical Considerations
in
Innovation
Dr. Mythili P. Rao
Abstract :Innovation, in any sphere, is
something which improve on the existing conditions or structures. While we celebrate and welcome innovations in
all domains, history is replete with stories of innovations which have been
used more for selfish and destructive purposes than for the good of all. Like
all the other domains of knowledge, when the outcome is not conducive in the
long run we start analysing the ethical aspects of those innovations. This
paper will make an attempt at exploring the ethical aspects of innovations
through some case studies.
*********************
Innovation in
science and technology have not only become the norm today but is also
celebrated. Since time immemorial we have witnessed how any innovation, which
is of course mainly in sciences, have both supported and disrupted life on
planet. It is a double-edged sword and something which comes with innumerable
implications.
1.
While innovating the focus
being more on developing the product that not much thought is given to the
possible impact of the innovation on other factors that affect life or
environment. Therefore, we found Alfred Nobel discovering TNT which was
intended to be usedas a detonator only for earth moving but was later used in
War for killing. When his brother died it was confused as his death and someone
published an obituary for him calling him “Merchant of Death” This made him
realise the enormity of his invention but then it was too late to retract it.
He tried to redeem by instituting the Nobel Awards.
2.
Another example from world
history could be on Fritz Haber who is known as the Father of Chemical Warfare
for his work on creating poisonous gases using chlorine during World War I.
Specifically through this he created Zyklon B, popularly known as the Mustard
Gas, while working under the Nazis leading to the death of millions of Jews in
the Holocaust. Among all the other
important contributions by him in the field of Electrochemistry he was
instrumental in later creating the Haber-Bosch process for the large-scale
synthesis of fertiliser, essentially saving the agriculture industry.
It is clear, therefore, that
innovation can work both the ways. A lot depends on the person who is handling it. It should be
understood that any scientist or innovator does not probably intentionally create something
destructive but the idea is to be alert and aware of the consequences of the creation.
3.
Bangalore in the state of
Karnataka in India was known as the city of lakes. There are historical
evidences which say that the city had close to more than 200 lakes which
fulfilled the need for wate in household consumption and agriculture. There was
an active community engagement and commitment in this matter. But the latest
studies have shown how the city has lost almost 90% of this natural resource.
The primary reason for this is the aggressive urbanisation that it has
witnessed since the boom in the software and technology industry. While on one
hand the innumerable innovations in software and technology gave this city a
unique identity of the ‘Silicon city of India’ sadly it lost out on the
environmental richness that it once took pride in!
4.
Borehole drilling is another
innovation in the world of technology which is now the reason for the danger of
the rapidly depleting potable groundwater facing the city of Bangalore! A
technology which was once designed for geotechnical applications was brought to
India by UNICEF in 1970 mainly to deal with the shortage of potable water. But
very soon borewells started replacing open wells. The challenge here was that
while in open wells the water level was visible and helped us in regulating our
usage of the same. With closed borewells this advantage was lost and led to
indiscriminate usage of water. What has added to this challenge is that over a
period of time, nay decades, the water level is going lower and lower and we
are digging deeper and deeper. One can understand the kind of danger that this
is posing to the natural storage of water in the deep recesses of earth. Very
soon, this resource will too dry up and not only the human population but the
natural resources in and around the city. Due to the various vested interests
involved in this entire process there does not seem to be any solution for this
challenge since people continue to dig into the depths of mother earth for
water.
5.
The hottest topic of the question
of ethics in innovations is again related to technology, especially in terms of
Artificial Intelligence, Mobile technology, channels of online technology and
so on. Data theft, hacking, betting, online financial scams are all an outcome
of the advanced levels of technology which were initially designed to assist
human endeavours are now doing the opposite while landing in wrong hands. Numerous
AI Tools for writing have become a source for worry and concern since students
and writers are blatantly taking their support for writing. The ethical
dilemmas in these aspects have increased to such a great extent that UNESCO has
created a page for this on its website. It is clear that something which can
help us in containing and solving crimes can also create more avenues for
committing crime!!
6.
Another area of concern for
ethical practices is the area of Medicine. In spite of the advancements in the
field of medicine we still see deaths due to the most basic diseases especially
in the sections of society which do not have access to such good medical
facilities only because they cannot afford it. Does this, then, mean that
innovations in Pharmaceuticals, Medicine are only for the consumption of the
rich or those who can afford it?
Many more such
issues that one can think of for eg. Plastic, Electric Vehicles, Blue Economy
and so on which are innovative ideas no doubt but have larger implications on
nature and the resources at the disposal of all living beings.But human beings
who think that they have an unlimited right on these resources are using this unthinkingly
and selfishly. It is not clear if we can have any straightforward solutions to
this or if we can have any framework for making everyone think about the long-term
implications of any innovation that they may be introducing in the world. We
will only have to rely on the strength of the moral compass in each individual.
Dr. Mythili P. Rao Bangalore Email:raomythil@gmail.com
Sustainability, global welfare, and
materialistic ambitions
Satyajeet Prakash Patil
Sustainability
Let us commence
with the notion of sustainability, a concept rooted in the idea of meeting
present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. As articulated in the Brundtland Report in 1987,
sustainability has become a global pursuit, especially as developing countries
seek ways to progress without detriment to the future.
Gandhi's wisdom
echoes loudly here – "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs,
but not every man's greed." Unfortunately, the humor in today's world lies
in the fact that people travel worldwide to discuss nature rather than
embodying its principles. Sustainability is not an abstract concept; it is a
principle accessible to everyone in their daily lives. Even the smallest
actions can contribute to significant change. It involves exercising control
over wants, fostering reasonableness, and recognizing our collective
responsibility toward nature.
Moreover,
sustainability extends beyond environmental considerations; it encompasses
social and economic aspects. Supporting local businesses, promoting fair trade,
and advocating for social equity are integral components of a sustainable
lifestyle, aligning seamlessly with Gandhian principles.
Global
Welfare
हेविश्वचीमाझेघर | ऐसीमतीजयाचीस्थिर
किंबहुनाचराचर | आपणचीजाहला|| – श्रीज्ञानेश्वर
The term
"global" takes us to Sant Dnyaneshwar's perspective, where the entire
world is considered our home. This holistic view extends beyond human
interactions to encompass nature, resources, air, water, and everything that
constitutes the richness of our Earth.
In contemporary
times, global connectivity facilitated by the internet has created an intricate
web of relationships, not just in logistics but also in cultural understanding.
The significance of global connectivity goes beyond mere technological
advancements; it plays a pivotal role in developing cultural understanding, contributing
to the collective growth of humanity. This interconnectedness allows us to
learn about and appreciate diverse cultures, fostering a profound sense of
global unity.
However, the
distribution of resources globally is uneven, leading to disparities in
sustainability efforts. Collaborative efforts among nations are essential to
address these global challenges. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
along with the work of international organizations, emphasize the need for
global cooperation to enhance the well-being of populations worldwide.
Materialistic
Ambitions
Materialistic
aspirations, centered on the acquisition of possessions and wealth as the
ultimate source of happiness and success, contradict Gandhian ideals. It is
evident that societal influences play a significant role in fostering
materialism, leading individuals to prioritize artificial needs over genuine
necessities. The pervasive impact of marketing strategies, fueled by
personalized advertisements and impulsive buying trends, contributes to a shift
towards Western-style consumerism. Notably, the prevalence of EMI-based
purchases of 7 out of 10 iPhones in India, highlights the extensive influence
exerted by the marketing industry. In stark contrast to Gandhian principles,
Western materialism promotes maximum production and consumption, leading to a
blurred distinction between real and unreal. This rampant consumerism is
unsustainable, causing irreversible damage to the environment and disrupting
the delicate balance of nature. Gandhi's philosophy, echoed by economist
Kaushik Basu, stresses the importance of controlling wants. Gandhi advocated a
departure from excessive materialistic consumption and a return to sustainable
and meaningful living, emphasizing the importance of respecting nature's limits
for the well-being of humanity.
Gandhian
Views
Gandhi, although
predating the term "sustainable development," foresaw and addressed
issues related to sustainability. Addressing challenges like poverty and
sanitation, Gandhi's vision of sustainability revolved around a trinity of
individual, society, and nature. His advocacy for khadi over foreign cloth
exemplified a sustainable approach. Emphasizing learning from, rather than
about, nature, Gandhi viewed humans as integral to the ecosystem, promoting
harmonious coexistence. Concepts like "Swadeshi" and
"Swaraj" advocated self-reliance and community interdependence for
sustainable development.
Global welfare
was a cornerstone of Gandhi's philosophy, rooted in nonviolence and Sarvodaya,
or the welfare of all. His talisman urged considering the impact of decisions
on the most marginalized globally. Gandhi believed in addressing inequality
peacefully, emphasizing nonviolence and peace for the welfare of all.
Gandhi's
thoughts on materialistic ambitions caution against the restless pursuit of
desires. He argued for needs-based consumption and restraining wants to
guarantee basic needs for everyone. Advocating for production by the masses
rather than mass production, Gandhi warned against the depletion of natural
resources. He foresaw the limitations of Western materialism, asserting that
material enjoyment does not provide sublime peace. Gandhi's prophetic insights
are reflected in the contemporary turn towards religiosity, spirituality, and
meditation as individuals seek solace from the limitations of materialism and
consumerism.
What
News and Reports Say
The Indus
Valley Annual Report 2023 sheds light on various economic aspects. 1
Despite a per
capita income of $2450, approximately 26% of Indians, equivalent to 373 million
people, are reported to be below the poverty line. The formal, organized
workforce constitutes only 10% of the total workforce, emphasizing the
prevalence of unorganized labor. The inflation rate, standing at 6.8%, raises
questions about whether individuals receive salaries adjusted for inflation.
Notably, Tier 1 India, with 120 million people, contributes $1.4 trillion to
the GDP, while Tier 3 India, with a staggering 1200 million people, contributes
$1.8 trillion. This disparity is further highlighted by the concentration of
startup activities in Tier 1 and Tier 2 India, leaving the majority of the
population in Tier 3 underserved. Additionally, a stark income inequality is
evident, as 1% of Indians take home 22% of the country's income. Despite the
creation of 4 million gig economy jobs by Indian startups, concerns linger
regarding the permanence and adequacy of compensation for these positions.
In recent news,
Gautam Adani, the Chairperson of the Adani Group, has surpassed Mukesh Ambani
to become India's and Asia's richest individual, with a net worth of $94.5
billion.2Concurrently, the Cabinet, under the Prime Minister's
leadership, has announced a five-year provision of free food grains to
approximately 81.35 crore beneficiaries through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan
Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).3 These two developments highlight the
significant economic disparities in India, echoing Joan Robinson's observation
that “Whatever you can rightly say
about India, the opposite is also true.” The contrasting fortunes of
individual billionaires and the government's initiative to provide free food
grains underscore the multifaceted nature of India's economic landscape.
Way
Toward Sustainability and Global Welfare
Education
emerges as a powerful tool for change. Gandhi underscores the transformative
role of education as a holistic process encompassing intellectual, emotional,
and practical growth. Nai Talim, a foundational concept, advocates for hands-on
learning, emphasizing activities to nurture physical, intellectual, and moral
development in children. The essence lies not merely in growth but in
purposeful and mindful progress. Addressing global challenges involves local
action, with an emphasis on grassroots governance, empowering communities to
manage their resources and make decisions collectively. This approach positions
education not only as a personal development tool but as a catalyst for
positive societal change.
Moreover, the
Gandhian perspective on sustainable practices underscores the impact of
individual actions on Sustainable Development and nature conservation. Every
decision becomes a potential driver for personal and societal change when
approached with self-observation, self-examination, and a connection to
oneself. Emphasizing self-sufficiency at the local level, Gandhi encourages
responsible consumption of local resources, promoting mindfulness in purchasing
and exploring sustainable alternatives. By cultivating a sense of
responsibility towards our immediate environment, individuals contribute to a
healthier, more sustainable future for both themselves and the planet through
thoughtful daily choices.
Real-life
Examples
Dr.H.K.S.
Swami, a devoted professor fromChitradurg
Karnataka, is a staunch advocate of the Khadi philosophy. Actively involved in
promoting Khadi, he organizes events to raise awareness about this traditional
fabric. His commitment is exemplified by his daughters, Rachna and Archana, who
have been wearing Khadi since childhood and even make their own Khadi clothes.
Dr. Swami's family forms a united front in championing Khadi, showcasing that
individual choices, starting at the personal level, can contribute
significantly to broader societal changes. Their active participation in events
underscores their dedication to Gandhian principles.
Dr.
Ulhas Jaju has played a pivotal role in the
transformative journey towards healthcare self-sufficiency in rural India,
aligning his vision with Mahatma Gandhi's dream of achieving independence at
both the national and village levels. Dr. Jaju's approach emphasizes affordable
healthcare, steering clear of free services to maintain integrity and quality.
His leadership at Sewagram Medical College stands out for its unconventional
organizational structure, relying on a network of self-sufficient village
healthcare workers, including dedicated women from Self Help Groups, to act as
facilitators and raise health awareness. The implementation of initiatives like
the Sorghum Scheme, Village Fund, and Health Insurance Scheme reflects Dr.
Jaju's commitment to providing accessible and affordable healthcare. Beyond his
medical expertise, Dr. Ulhas Jaju embodies Gandhian values in his daily life by
practicing the craft of making his own khadi clothes alongside his role as a
doctor. This dual commitment further showcases his dedication to self-reliance
and exemplifies the harmonious integration of traditional principles with
modern professional responsibilities.4
Organisations
workings toward Sustainability
Brown
Living5 is dedicated to making
sustainable living easy and affordable through its website, brownliving.in,
which stands out as India's first plastic-free marketplace. The platform
thoughtfully selects a range of everyday products that are environmentally
friendly and ethically sourced, allowing individuals to live sustainably with
reduced waste. The company actively supports artisan groups and eco-friendly
brands committed to environmental well-being. With a goal to establish India's
largest platform for sustainable living, Brown Living offers over 65,000
eco-friendly products and empowers artisans, women entrepreneurs, and
innovators to combat plastic pollution, reinforcing their strong commitment to
sustainability.
M.R. Yogananda,
the visionary behind Bengaluru-based Mrinmayee6, has
championed sustainable construction practices for nearly four decades. By
constructing his own home with stabilised mud blocks in the 1980s,
Yogananda initiated a mud-revolution that showcased the durability and
eco-friendliness of this alternative material. Since then, Mrinmayee has
actively engaged in training artisans, hosting workshops, and collaborating
with NGO Gramavidya to propagate the sustainable benefits of mud blocks. Comprising
mud, cement, sand, and lime, stabilised mud blocks not only offer a
cost-effective solution but also significantly reduce steel and concrete
consumption while eliminating the need for plastering. Through its subsidiary
Mahijaa, the firm specializes in sustainable design consultancy, emphasizing
low embodied energy and environmentally friendly architectural practices.
Sampoorna
Bamboo Kendra (SBK)7
has emerged as a pioneering force in Melghat, Maharashtra, since its inception
in 1995. Committed to addressing rural challenges, SBK has implemented a
comprehensive and sustainable model centered around bamboo cultivation. Through
training programs and cooperative initiatives, SBK not only empowers local
artisans but also contributes to the economic well-being of the community by
creating a robust market for bamboo products. The organization's focus on skill
development, low-cost bamboo housing, and eco-friendly employment through the
'Viswakarma Vidyalaya' showcases a holistic approach to sustainability. SBK's
commitment to stable pricing, direct sales, and responsible resource
utilization demonstrates how bamboo can serve as a resilient crop, fostering
both environmental stewardship and economic sustainability in the region.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the
path toward sustainability and global welfare is intricate but navigable, with
Gandhi's philosophy serving as a guiding light that emphasizes the
transformation of individuals from the inside out. The pursuit of non-violence
and peace is integral to achieving a harmonious and sustainable world. As
Gandhi aptly put it, "The world will live in peace only when the
individuals composing it make up their mind to do so." Acknowledging the
significance of collective efforts, it is essential to recognize that there are
people actively working for the betterment of humanity. If everybody decides to
contribute, even in a small manner, it can create a greater good for both
nature and humanity, fostering a positive and lasting impact on the global
community.
The philosophy
of Gandhiji have been beautifully summarised by professor Schumacher in the
following lines.
"Towards
smallness rather than gigantism;
towards simplification rather than growing
complexities;
towards capital saving rather than labour
savings;
and towards nonviolence in a rather
generalised sense."
References :
1. https://blume.vc/reports/indus-valley-annual-report-2023
2. https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/gautam-adani-again-overtakes-mukesh-ambani-as-indias-richest-man-both-climb-spots-on-world-rich-list-11704429380423.html
3. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pmgkay-extended-for-5-years-anurag-thakur-9047166/
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPiGkrpUJLk
5. https://brownliving.in/
6. http://www.mahijaa.com/
Satyajeet Patil is Fellow, IFPNP 2023 Email:satyajeetpatil101@gmail.com
Sustainability and Shifting Priorities in Development
and technology at the Grassroots
Dr.Abhilash Babu
Introduction
Within the framework of discussions on sustainable development, the
study focuses on how development and technological goals are changing in the
discourses on local development. Its roots can be seen in the discussions and
events that arose during the Cold War's post-World War II era. Nearly every
event that occurred in the second half of the 20th century, including the
spread of technology and the direction of progress, was influenced by the
US-Soviet cold war. The prospects for millions of people remained dire in the
aftermath of the war leading American officials to suggest relief initiatives
of a never-before-seen magnitude. The US and Britain's aid initiatives for
Western Europe and Japan helped them achieve their political objective of
restraining the rise of communist regimes. The recipient countries' growth
paths were greatly aided and strengthened by these aid initiatives. These
top-down, Western conceptions of development, which prioritised large-scale infrastructure
technologies and industrial plants as showcases, were based on economic
expansion. Farm initiatives focused on large-scale mechanisation, costly
irrigation systems, hybrid seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides in rural areas.
Despite their good intentions, these technocratic programmes frequently led to
unsatisfactory results, creating extremely isolated but reasonably prosperous
communities and causing relative stagnation in the wider population. Concerns
concerning traditional development tactics have been raised by the inability to
generate jobs and the widening regional gaps; as a result, new perspectives on
development and technology have entered the development discourse. In this
setting, a greater concern regarding the detrimental social and environmental
repercussions of the advent of contemporary technologies has surfaced in
academia and politics alike. Newer technical solutions gradually gained ground
in the development discussionand at the
same time that discourses on sustainable development and environmentalism
emerged. The current study investigates
how the global movement for sustainable development goes hand in hand with
capitalist interest and how it hegemonically reshape debate on localdevelopment
and technological solutions in the developing countries.
Changing Geo-politics and development intervention
The major shift in paradigms in technology diffusion is coincided
with the political unrest begins with the World War II. Two years after the end
of the war, the prospects for millions of people remained grim amid the
devastation, prompting American leaders to propose aid programs on an
unprecedented scale[i].
The Marshal Plan of America was an important landmark to this direction.Marshal Plan was a deliberate intervention, under the guise
of altruism, to bolt the American economic and military hegemony over the other
countries. The immediate aim was
the spreading of communism in Eastern Europe through economic and political
stabilisation of regimes through development assistance. These aid programmes
served a major role in spreading and reinforcing the path of development in the
recipient countries. These Western notions of development were centred on the
economic growth and continued to follow the top-to bottom down approach with
emphasize on large-scale infrastructure technologies or showcase industrial
plants[ii].
In rural areas, farm programmes had a focus on large scale mechanisation, expensive
irrigation schemes, hybrid seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides[iii].
However well intentioned, such programs with a technocratic approach
often produced disappointing outcomes, resulting in highly separated, relatively well-off enclaves and with
relative stagnation among the larger community.[iv]The
failure to create employment and growing regional disparities has raised
concerns about the conventional development strategies and new discourses on
development and technologies emerged in the development debate. In this context
a larger concern has emerged both in the academics and politics about the
negative social and environmental effects of the introduction of modern
technologies[v].
The development debate gradually shifted
towards newer technological options, which coincided with the emerging
environmentalism. These environmental
movements opposed any human activities, which were harmful to the environment
in the long run. It viewed ‘big’
technologies as socially, economically and environmentally not sustainable. So
the entire debate was shifted towards the notion of “effective utilization” and
“sustainability”[vi].These concepts catch the attention of international aid agencies and
became a decisive factor in the policy making. The next section discusses the
shift of international discourse towards sustainability and the integration of
this concept with appropriate technology.
Sustainability and Shifting Priorities in
Development
The concept of ‘sustainable development’ echoes a second wave of
modern environmentalism to tackle environmental problems through consensus and negotiation
rather than protesting against it[vii].
The first movement is referred as the counter culture movement of the 1960’s
and 1970’s. Even though, their effort, which resonates with the experiences of
the victims of pollution, were characterised as being anti-development[viii]. The second wave of environmentalism in the
1980s, armed with scientific evidence, had much broader support and involved
government, business people, and economists in the promotion of sustainable
development[ix].
It was endorsed by the strategies of IUCN, UNEPT and WWF. But the strategies
adopted by these organisations were more technocratic in nature and neglected
the social issues. The concept of
sustainable development received a wider social meaning through the publication
of the document called “ our common future” by the World commission on
Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987 , widely known as Brundtland report.
The Commission defined sustainable development as: “development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future
generations to meet their own needs”. The report successfully articulates the
poverty-environment nexus and shed the elitist tag attached to environmental
movements during 1970s.The Brundtland report brought forth the environmental
issues along with the debate on economic growth. It was a path breaking event
in the international debate on development. The report’s popularity has
attained a level to the extent that, it has since been the buzz Phrase of
almost every international donor institutions, NGOs and national policies.The
principle of sustainable development was further reinforced by the Rio Earth
Summit (1992). The summit concluded with the preparation of a document called
Agenda 21 which was a blueprint for global partnership for sustainable
development[x].
It addressed a range of environmental and developmental issues and acts as a
guideline to the countries to chalk out strategy for sustainable development.
In order to monitor and promote the Agenda 21 in each member countries, UN has
created a separate agency called “Commission on Sustainable Development” (CSD).
As a result several industrialised countries chalked out strategies for their
sustainable development following the guidelines of Agenda 21[xi].
The report of UN’s,world summit for social development held at
Copenhagen ,Denmark in 1995 states that
“economic development, social development and environmental protection are
interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development”[xii].
It continues that “equitable
social development that recognizes empowering the poor to utilize environmental
resources sustainably is a necessary foundation for sustainable development”.[xiii]One
of the marked importance of this report was that it points to the unsustainable
consumption pattern of the industrialized countries as the major cause of
environmental deterioration that aggravates poverty and imbalances not
addressed by the previous ones[xiv].
Now, the concept of
sustainable development has got the legitimacy not only from the governments
but also from the larger civil society. Even the international economicinstitutions
like ‘The World Bank’ has sought to get a new reputation from environmentalists
and developmentalists by funding for research on environmental issues. Parallel
to these developments, “The World Business Council for Sustainable development”
was formed in 1995, by the association of 125 international companies with the
aim of encouraging high standards of environmental management in business'[xv].
Besides, the business community, many trade associations have also supported
the sustainable development initiatives[xvi].
A major
change that these discourses created in the development debate is the assertion
that that “resources and environments serve economic functions and have positive economic
value”[xvii]. According to this
view natural environment should be treated as labour and capital which can be
exchanged and used as a commodity[xviii].
The commissioner of the “Commonwealth Government Resource Assessment” David
Jameshas said “with better management of natural resources we could obtain a larger
supply and wider range of goods and services. This is the central notion of
sustainable development.”[xix].At
this juncture the concept of sustainable development merges with the market
which is, according to the economist’s point of view, the efficient way of
allocating those resources and the management of the environment is essentially
an economic problem[xx].According
to this point of view, environmental degradation is equated with the failure of
the market system to emulate economic and other benefits from the former. It is
argued that the problem of common access and mismanagement of the environmental
resources tends to it over use or abuse resulting in environmental damage.
The real problem is not the management but the priorities given to
the economic considerations[xxi].
The focus of the development expert is on “better”, “more efficient”, and
“sustainable” productive relations[xxii].
It is construed through the construction of “true value” of common property,
otherwise, the ascription of a price on it[xxiii].
According to Beder (1994):
The tragedy of the commons is not that
there are commons, but rather the freedom of the commons. The lack of legal sanctions combined with a value
system that promotes the raising of individual economic interest to a primary
decision-making principle is what destroys the commons combined with a value
system that promotes the raising of individual economic interest to a primary
decision-making principle is what destroys the commons[xxiv].
According to Neil carter:
Seen in this light, the primacy of “free
market principles “is playing the central role for perpetuating the priority of
economic goals that caused environmental degradation in the first place[xxv].
Neil Carter characterises weak sustainable development as
“integrating capitalist growth with environmental concerns”[xxvi].
According to Vandana Shiva (1991), sustainability should be reshaped to fit
nature’s logic rather than protecting the primacy of capital.[xxvii]This dichotomy of “economic growth” and
“environmental protection” in the development debate has resorted the notion of
sustainable development which gives an ideological cover or legitimisation for
quantitative aspects i.e., economic growth and distracts the debates from the
sphere of qualitative ones like “protection”[xxviii]. Through
the legitimisation of this notion, environment could be considered as a
commodity included in the economic system. The new debate is centred on how
more value adding activities can be practiced through the better management of
this commodity.
Social and Technological Options for
Sustainability
The 1987s Brundtlandreportargued:“it is a terrible irony that as
formal development reaches more deeply in to rain forests , and other isolated
environments: It tends to destroy the only cultures that have proved able to
thrive in these environments”[xxix].Apart from the technology, the diffusion of appropriate technologies
also needed communities’ involvement at every stage of the diffusion. It needs
minimal state intervention with more involvement and rights to the community in
the process of diffusion of appropriate technologies. The international
discourse emphasis’s the increasing efficiency of the local people in
sustainable resource management.
Participatory governance has been identified as the most important
method to diffuse the newer technological options for the rural mass. It involves
community participation in identification, implementation, monitoring and
overall management of technologies. Many concepts ranging from decentralization
to social capital has been emerged under the strategy of participatory
governance in sustainable utilization of resources with appropriate
technologies. The outcomes of this social and
technological revolution were variable with special attention to two trends in
particular, namely a drive for economic efficiency and the need for alternative
methods of welfare[xxx].
The ‘scientifism’ with a ‘technocentric/technocratic’ approach was
replaced by the important role of society in the diffusion process. In other
words, it become important to include the “democratic participation” of
citizens for the ‘sustainable utilisation’ of the resources with appropriate
technologies and simple mechanisms that can be easily managed by the
people. In fact, “democracy and
sustainable development were two sides of the same coin”[xxxi]. Both the concepts conveyed the message of equality and justice to
access to resources, democratic decision making and freedom of the
individual. So the focus was shifted to how to organise or form the collectivity
of the people at the grass root level. The result was a new spectrum of ‘democratic
development’ comprising of the state, civil society, market and the citizens for
the efficient governance of environmental resources with alternative
technological options.
These reframed progressivisms for the development argues for minimal
state intervention and enhanced freedom of the community and the individual in
taking decisions. In the process of
liberalisation, the discourses on rights and duties of the state and citizen
also got a major shift. The delivery of basic needs which comes under the
concept of “welfare state” became flawed under the national debts and
structural adjustment and the ‘rights’ of the citizens began redefined as
‘duties’ within the “effective utilisation” and “sustainability” debate.
In the backdrop of this
debate the discourses began turning to the effective sustainable utilisation of
the resources and the focus has been shifted from ‘government ‘to the concept
of ‘governance’. It strained for the ways to greater democratic governance of
resources and the participation of citizens/community in meeting the basic
needs attained prominence in the languages of development. Apart from this, participatory strategy for
sustainable development calls for the organisation of local communities with
institutional aspects in order to the efficient utilisation of social and human
capital.In this context, thechallenges of sustainable development were focused
on the production of newer knowledge or technology, which were environment
friendly.The Concepts like appropriate
technology and participatory governance emerged as the effective “tools” to involve
the community for successful implementation of the projects.
The agenda 21 of the UN’s Rio Earth Summit
stated that the efficiency of indigenous people's resource management systems
should be increased by promoting the adaptation and dissemination of suitable
technological innovations[xxxii].The
term appropriate technology came into some prominence during the energy crisis in
1973and the environmental movement of the 1970s. Further, the rhetoric of
appropriate technology reinforced emerging environmental concerns. The result
was an outpouring of popular and scholarly writing on appropriate technology
and institutional efforts to act upon those ideals. Appropriate Technology
concepts have been discussed throughout this past century by notable leaders
and scholars such as Gandhi and Julius Nyerere. However the main proponent of
appropriate technology movement was noted British economist, E.F Schumacher[xxxiii].
At the social level the discourses has been
shifting to decentralization of power to the grassroots. Diverse terminologies
such as deliberative democracy, community participation , participatory
governance etc came under this discourse. It ensures that people’s concern and
wishes are fed in to the policy making process[xxxiv].
It can also be viewed as a new approach
to governance that is conducive to collective action[xxxv]. It is a mechanism ultimately
redefining the roles and redrawing the demarcating line between and within
public and private spheres[xxxvi].The
point is to dilute/compromise the tension between the state and civil society
in the transference of duties and rights in the process of technology
diffusion.Whatever may be the definitional
entanglements it assumes the primary meaning of “good governance” which is
supposed to be ‘transparent’, ‘accountable’ and ‘democratic’ to the local needs
and local community. For international institutions and donor agencies it has
the primary meaning of “efficient
governance that has the ability to deliver the technology and services to the
poor whether democratically or not.
Concluding
remarks
This study explores the evolution of development and technology
priorities in the context of Sustainable Development, tracing its origins from
the post-world war Cold War era. It discusses the influence of the cold war on
technology diffusion and development paths, and the impact of aid programs on
shaping the path of development in recipient countries. Despite their good
intentions, these technocratic programmes frequently led to unsatisfactory
results, creating extremely isolated but reasonably prosperous communities and
causing relative stagnation in the wider population. Concerns concerning
traditional development tactics have been raised by the inability to generate
jobs and the widening regional gaps; as a result, new perspectives on
development and technology have entered the development discourse. In this
setting, a greater concern regarding the detrimental social and environmental
repercussions of the advent of contemporary technologies has surfaced in
academia and politics alike. The development debate gradually shifted towards newer
technological options, which coincided with the emerging environmentalism and
sustainable development movement.Environmental concerns were raised in the
Brundtland report along with the discussion of economic expansion. It was a
groundbreaking development in the global discourse on sustainable development.
The report's popularity has grown to such an extent that practically all
international donor organisations, non-governmental organisations, and state
policies now use it as their catchphrase in development interventions.In the
backdrop of this debate the discourses began turning to the effective
sustainable utilisation of the resources and the focus has been shifted from
‘government ‘to the concept of ‘governance’. It strained for the ways to
greater democratic governance of resources and the participation of
citizens/community in meeting the basic needs attained prominence in the
languages of development. Apart from this, participatory strategy for
sustainable development calls for the organisation of local communities with
institutional aspects in order to the efficient utilisation of social and human
capital.In this context, thechallenges of sustainable development were focused
on the production of newer knowledge or technology, which were environment
friendly.The Concepts like appropriate technology and participatory governance
emerged as the effective “tools” to involve the community for successful
implementation of the projects in the third world countries. So, the present
study broadly explains , how the international discourses on sustainable
development has altered the development interventions at the local space of the
countries of periphery.
References
[i] . Seely , E, Bruce, (2003) . "Historical Patterns in the Scholarship of
Technology Transfer," Comparative Technology Transfer and Society1.(1),pp.7-48
.
[ii]Ibid.
[iii]Rosen, G. (1985), Western Economists and Eastern Societies: Agents of Change in South
Asia, 1950-1970, The Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, See also, Rosenberg, N.
(1970), “Economic Development And The Transfer Of Technology: Some Historical
Perspectives”, TechnologyandCulture,11(3),pp. 550-575.
[iv]Thormann, P,(1979), “Proposal For A Program
In A:ropriate Technology”, In A. Robinson (Ed.), Apropriate technologies for Third World development, St. Martin’s
Press :New York,pp.280-299.
[v]Zaltman, G., & Duncan, R.
(1977), Strategies for Planned Change ,Wiley: New York
[vi]Briscoe.J and de, Ferranti, D (1998), Water for Rural communities. Helping People
to Help Themselves, World Bank: Washington.
[vii]Beder Sharon ( 1994), “Revolting
Developments: The Politics of Sustainable Development”, Arena Magazine,
June-July,p.37-39
[x]UN(1992), “Agenda 21 - United Nations
Sustainable Development”, (Available at:
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf on 20-10-2011)
[xi] Carter, N. (2007), The politics of the environment, , Cambridge University Press:
Cambridge,p.197
[xii] UN report (1995), world summit for social development, ( Available at http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf166/aconf166-9.htm,Accessed on 12-6-2010)
[xiii] Ibid.
[xv]Carter, N. (2007).op.cit.,p.197
[xvii] Reed David (1996), Sustainable Adjustment, the Environment, and Sustainable Development,
Earthscan Publications Ltd: London,p.23
[xviii] D.J. Thampapillai (1991), Environmental Economics, Oxford
University Press: Melbourne,p.5
[xix]Beder Sharon (1994), 'The Hidden Messages
Within Sustainable Development', Social
Alternatives 13(2), July, pp. 8-12.
[xx] D. James (1991), Economics, Environment and Sustainable Development, RAC Occasional
Publication: Canberra p.4
[xxi]Sharon Beder (1994),
op.cit.pp. 8-12
[xxii] Goldman Michael (1997),
“Customs in common”: The Epistemic world of Commons Scholars”, Theory and society, 26(1),p.13.
[xxiii]Goldman Michael (1997),
op.ci,p-13.
[xxiv]Sharon Beder (1994), op.cit.foot note no.72, p.10
[xxv]Carter, N. (2007),op.cit.p.212
[xxvii] V. Shiva (1991), “Ecologically
Sustainable: What it Really Means”, Third
World Resurgence , (5),January,p. 9.
[xxviii] W.L. Hare (ed),(1990), “Ecologically
Sustainable Development, Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace
(Australia)”, The Wilderness Society, World Wide Fund for Nature –
Australia.(Available
at:http://www.uow.edu.au/~sharonb/STS300/sustain/meaning/mainarticle.html.Accessed
on 19-4-2005.
[xxix]World Commission on Environment and
Development. (The Brundtland Commission).(1987), Our Common Future,Oxford University Press :Oxford
[xxx]Bell, Marg and FranceysRichard
,(1995), “Improving Human Welfare Through
A:ropriateTechnology:Governmentresponsibility,Citizen Duty or Customer Choice”,
Social Science and Medicine,40(9) ,pp.1169-1179.
[xxxi] James Buturo, NGOs, “Democracy And
Sustainable Development In Africa", ( Available
at:http://www.un-ngls.org/orf/documents/publications.en/voices.africa/number5/vfa5.06.htm).
[xxxii] UNEP (year Not Available), “Recognising
and Strengthening The Role Of Indigenous People And Their Communities”,
(Available
at:http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/default.asp?DocumentID=52&ArticleID=74&l=en.
Accessed on 11-1-2013.)
[xxxiii]Schumacher, E.F (1973), Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If Mattered,Harper&
Row ,New York
[xxxiv]Nanz, Patrizia&Caroline (2003), “A
Deliberative-Democratic Mode of Governance? The cases of Employment and
Pensions Changing European Societies”, paper presented in ESPanetconferenceonThe role for social policy, conducted
during13.-15. November 2003, Poznan, Poland, ( Availableat:http://www.sfi.dk/graphics/ESPAnet/papers/delaporte.pdf,
accessed on 2-03-2014)
[xxxv]Stoker, G. 1998. “Governance
as Theory: Five Propositions.” International Social Science
Journal,50 (1), p.17-28. Also see, Provan, K. and H. B.
Milward. 1995. "A Preliminary Theory of Inter-organizational Network
Effectiveness." Administrative Science Quarterly, 40( 1),pp. 1 –
33. Also see Peters, B. G. and J. Pierre. 1998. “Governance Without Government?
Rethinking Public Administration.”Journal of Publ
[xxxvi]Bekke, H., W. Kickert and J.
Kooiman (1995); “Public Management and Governance.” In Kickert and F. A. van
Vught, (eds). Public Policy and Administrative Sciences in the Netherlands,Harvester:
London
Dr.Abhilash Babu, Director,School of Social Sciences,Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam , Kerala Email:abhilashbabu3700@mgu.ac.in abhilashbabu3700@mgu.ac.in
Sustainability
and Global Welfare: Lessons from Adivasi People
R.Sarojini
Towards Sustainable Living
Sustainability
is the way of living without compromising the ability of future generation to
meet their needs. The path of sustainability is complex and it’s
interconnected. Not only individuals, but a whole community, country and
government should join hands in achieving it.
Humans
have always accepted changes and adapted to it. During recent times the growing
awareness about sustainable living and its importance is peaking. These changes
are adopted and we humans have embraced various sustainable habits. We have reduced waste and started using recycling instead of
improper disposal like landfills. The drive for Eco-friendly products has
increased. We tend to choose recycled and eco friendly objects moving towards
minimalist Lifestyle. Single-Use plastics are banned.
We
as a community have joined hands in producing organic product, planting trees
and terrace gardening. There are NGO's and campaigns promoting sustainable
living. Such campaigns occasionally involve even policymakers to reach the
public more easily.
Food Culture of Adivasi People
The
meat cooked is enriched by nutrients and not of salt. And their favourite kind
of food is honey. Also the common food habit that is
found in tribal life is that they share their feast either hunted or caught, with other people. Everything belongs to
everybody. The only food that is preserved
are honey and meat.
They
use utensils made out of wood or soil. They make basket made from coconut and
palm leaves. Their food depends on the wild fruit, flowers vegetables that are
available in the wood. These food items are brought in a huge basket especially
by the women of the clan. Their diet rely on the resources available during the
season. They use wild fruits, tubers from the woods to supplement their diet.
They also depend on seasonal fruits like a berries, mangoes and jackfruits.
Passing
traditional values to next generation ensures them the continuity of their
cultural heritage and sustainable living.
Tribal Fashion
They
decorate their houses, weave or make dresses or ornaments from things that they
acquire from woods. They also have dyed clothes that have natural colours from
nature. They have make garlands from seeds and beads and make crown like flower
structures in contrasting colours to match their dresses.
Occupation of Tribal Communities
Most
tribal living in India depend on hunting, fishing or gathering. But this
doesn't happen for them to exclusively to satisfy their needs. They go without
food until they are hungry. Their weapons are mainly made from hardwood found
in woods.
Many
adivasi communities practice Agriculture. A piece of land is selected for
harvesting. It is cleared and dry leaves, bushes are burnt before rain. This
fire burn the weeds and insects and the ashes are spread over the land. This
fertilizers the land and also the seed is sown and the rain is left to do its
work. This type of cultivation is called as jhum cultivation. The piece of land that is selected is near their dwelling place.
That land is left to regenerate for years. And the people do not move from
place to place for settling.
This
agriculture practices such a shifting culture that allows land to regenerate.
They also have understanding about the local ecosystem that allows them to
cultivate crops according to the environment. Adivasi communities rely mainly
on forest for food, medicine and other resources. They respect nature and often
practice sustainable habits to keep the balance. In art and architecture people
use local resources and with their traditional craft. They make minimalistic
environment impact. Adivasi communities use minimal resources for their daily
needs and this leads to very less or no waste.
Herding
or grazing cattles is a very common practice of the tribal community. They get
milk and other dairy products that help them in meeting their daily food need.
Barter
system is also prevalent in the Adivasi community. They do not use the whole
produce for their consumption. It is shared and needed things are exchange like
clothes, salt, tea and tobacco. These group of people satisfy themselves with
the local resources they get and they are not they are not greatly equipped.
Also they hunt on animals that are plentily available. Also the tribes do not
fish with nets and rather use their bows and arrows. They can spot fishes
easily with their skills in fishing and can gather plenty of fishes and crabs.
Tribal Belief System
Their
Gods are generally linked with nature and ancestors. They consider trees,
mountains holy and they are worshipped. They offer significant carved or terracotta
materials to their Gods and also offer food. Human figures of loved ones when
the carved as memory. These kinds of objects are of high significance for them.
Traditional Medicine of the
Tribals
Some
of the adivasi people have mastered the knowledge of wild herbs. They treat
people with various ailments. They are well-versed with Herbs and their medical
properties. They make traditional medicines from herbs, roots and tree barks.
Festivals
During
festive times, a special drink called Oppo or Mahuva are made. During wedding
or festivals different shapes of eatables are made from rice flour mixed with herbs and
plants to make them colourful and tasty. Different
coloured dresses are made from multicolored thread. They make embroidery work
in such dresses to make them even more beautiful.
The
wedding or festival of a clan is a festival for all the neighbouring clans.
Neighbouring clans are invited for the festival to enjoy the occasion and have
special food. During such occasions, gifts like domestic animals such as wild
ox, dogs, pigs, Hen and goats are given to other clan members or members of their
own clan. They also given beads, seads, rice, garlands, clothes and even tasty
food in a thankful way.
Arts and Crafts
Communities
interest themselves in art forms like painting. Paints are derived from natural
pigments of plants and minerals. Themes mainly include nature, God and everyday
life. They practice in traditional
craftmanship like pottery, handmade tools and textiles using the locally
available materials.
Indigenous
communities often use clay to make the various forms using hand. Some
communities use traditional techniques like open fire or kiln. Designs like
patterns, motifs and dots are included.
Basketry
is a very common skill of the adivasi men and women. They craft basket from
local resources like bamboo, reeds or grass. They are both made for daily and
festive purpose.
Conclusion
Adivasi
communities living the closest to the woods, rely on them for their livelihood.
By understanding and respecting their unique culture, we can promote their
culture, social justice and sustainable living they inhabit in those regions.
We humans
should take the responsibility of making informed choices in sustainable
living. Our choices must be prioritizing eco-friendly products that involve the
well-being of our Planet Earth and also the future generation.
Sustainable living is a holistic one and we should consider our daily life and
make a mindset in making mindful choices for the future generation.
R.Sarojini, Research Scholar,Department of Hindi,The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University),Gandhigram – 624302. Dindigul - Tamilnadu
Sustainable Living A Gandhian Perspective
Dr.R.Vetrickarthick
Anyone who believes in indefinite growth in anything
physical, on a physically finite planet,is either mad or an economist.” –
Kennath Boulding
Introduction
Gandhian ideals were often looked
upon as conservative and his very approach as anti-science&
technology. On the contrary he emphasized that Science and Technology
should harmonize with man and nature. Any technology that limits human
potential is anti-human .S & T should be used to enhance human potential
and not cripple man. This approach is embedded in his
concept of Bread Labour. For the question of man or machine, man should be the first
priority , and for man or nature, nature must be given first place. We are living in the era of Artificial intelligence,
human and natural resources are being exploited like anything which
we never witnessed before. This evident from the “Earth Overshoot” data .The human
race is rapidly transforming from self-sufficient to parasitic and forgetting
the fact that natural resources are finite. JC Kumarappa, a Gandhian Economist
classified this type of economy – Killing own source of benefit as Parasitic
Economy. For example, Big Corporate, whose sole objective is to make money,
value machine power over human power. Instead, Gandhi wanted to build a
conscience-centered universal system that capitalized on the collective humanenergy.
Hence Nature vs Man vs Machine is a tussle between Conscientization vs. Corporatization
perhaps the challenge between Human Existence vs. Extinction. Hence the need of
the hour is, man has to re-examine his lifestyle and get a new perspective
which should be based on Spiritual Ecological Consciousness.
Man Vs. Nature
Gus Speth, former Dean of the
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yaler argued that World thinks
Bio-diversity loss, Ecosystem collapse and Climate change are the top
environmental problems but in reality, top environmental problems are Selfishness, Greed
and Apathy (Sterling)which reflects in etiquettes of corporations. They are
1. Nature
Environment as resource for humans
2. High Technological Progress and Solutions
3. Consumerism
4. Centralized Community
5. Dominant over Nature.
6. Materialistic Growth
7. Belief in ample resource reserves
8. Living without strong social purpose
9. Focus on Self
and personal Gain.
Major challenge today is
Anthropocentric vs. Nature centric. The survival of human race is based on the
rapid transformation towards the Spiritual Ecological consciousness
from world Dominant view. The need of the hour is spiritual and cultural
transformation. (Sterling)How sooner the human realizes this fact, the sooner
the damage can be mitigated. Otherwise, destruction is inevitable.
Gandhi
said “Earth has enough for our needs but not enough for everyone’s greed. Basically,
minimalist in Nature, he experimented “Need based Community Living” in
his ashrams. The spirit behind this concept was John Ruskin’s unto this last.
Gandhi termed this concept as “Sarvodaya”
– Welfare of all or universal upliftment which is an appeal to the
life based on nature .His Spiritual Ecological Consciousness comprehends following etiquettes.
1. Laws of nature are primary.
2.
Earth resources are finite.
3.
Elegantly simple materials are needed.
4. Myth of Technology “Progress ‟is flawed.
5. Work for common good.(Sarvodaya)
6. Stewardship for creation.
7. Attention to local and global needs.
8. Treat Earth as living.
9. Socially Purposeful life.
Man vs. Machine
Gandhi did not accept any
kind of machinery that blunts human potential. He quoted that “Machinery is the chief symbol of modern civilization; it presents
great sin”. He predicted that Machine age is aims to convert men to
Machines. In the process, the human race is losing its identity. In Sarvodaya
society, everyone should toil together to earn
thefood.Themen,whodonotwork,eatstolenfood.HevaluedaLawyer’sProfessionasequal to
a Barbour’s Profession as both are having the same rights to earn their food
from the livelihood. According to him, the profession of "Tiller of the soil” and the handicrafts man are worth living. It
means the value of Physical Labor is higher than the Intellectual Labor. Gandhi felt
that modernized machines are crippling man.
For Instance, Gandhi
advocated on cloth made by using Spinning wheel (Charkha rather than cloth made
by Manchester textile mills. Even he used Charkha as a tool for social revolution.
Millions of Indians followed his path and boycotted foreign cloths. The swadeshi spirit fired
in the mind of Indians and triggered Indian
Independence. Following table illustrates the outcomes of machine made and traditional
manmade
|
S.no
|
The outcome of Machine Made
|
Outcome of traditional Manmade
|
|
1
|
Mass Production
|
Production by Masses
|
|
2
|
Forces unemployment
|
Creates Employment
|
|
3
|
Welfare of
few
|
Welfare of
all
|
|
4
|
Encourages Luxurious life
|
Need based
Life
|
|
5
|
Profit is the Supreme Consideration
|
Man is the supreme consideration
|
|
6
|
High Standard of Living
|
Better Quality of
Life
|
|
7
|
Encourages Competitiveness
|
Encourages Cooperation
and Co-existence
|
|
8
|
Inflation
|
Equitable Distribution of Wealth
|
|
9
|
Maximal utilization of Natural Resources
|
Minimal utilization of Natural Resources
|
Table 1:
Machine Made vs Man Made
When we buy a
product, we determine the value from its price. But actually, methods of evaluating consumer goods
in Gandhian view are
1. Does it seem to be
Luxurious for simple life?
2. Does it
affect the employment opportunities of People?
3. Does it consume more of non-renewable
resources?
4. Do the waste materials of main production affect the environment?
5. Does it pave the way to exploitation, in-equality, domination, war
and competition?
If
the answer is yes, we should not purchase that good.
Differentiate Standard of Living and the Quality of
Life
One
has to realize the difference between standard of living and Quality of Life.
In the world of science and technology luxury
living and materialistic possessions are the primary objectives and inner peace and
happiness are the secondary considerations. The Country’s Development is
measured by its Gross Domestic Product. The standard of living is derived from
per capita GDP, determined by dividing GDP by the number of people living in the
country. In general, the increase in the GDP results in the growth of Standard
of living but decline in Quality of life. But the quality of life is determined by
the following Indicators such as.
1. Global Happiness Index
2. Global Peace Index
TheseindexesreflecttheneedofUniversalHealthCare,PeaceandValueEducation,NaturalandLivingEnvironment,overallExperienceofLifeandSocialinteractionsetc.
Gandhi emphasizes four etiquettes necessary for quality of life.
They are
1. Obedience to the law of Nature.
2. Simple living and High thinking.
3. Means justifies the end.
4. Claiming rights by doing duties.
Obedience to the law of
Nature:
Rather than being an
Environmentalist, Gandhi was more obedient in following
thelawsofnature.Headoptednonviolentlifestyleintunewithnaturewithoutharmingothers.Hefollowedtheminimalutilizationtheoryandvoluntarilyadoptedpoverty.Hiscoreprincipleofnon-stealingisbasedonZeroExploitationofHumanresourcesandEarthResources.
He observed that “Man had no power to create life; therefore, he has no right
to destroy life”. We should more compassionate to the other lower beings.
Gandhi strongly opposed the Western view of man's conquest of nature. He warned
against man's dominance over nature leads to his alienation from the order of
nature. He also warned against using nature for unlimited mass production and consumption
purposes. Gandhi was a man of Principled Nonviolence. His ashrams were built on discarded lands. Even poisonous snakes in
the Ashram were trapped by wooden scissors and snake cages and later leave them
in the forest. His policy is profound. He claimed that
The world is full of Himsa and Nature does appear to be 'red in tooth and claw'. But if we bear in mind that man is higher than the brute, then is man superior to that nature. If man has a divine mission to fulfil, a mission that becomes him, it is that of Ahimsa (Gandhi, The law of Human Species)
Simple Living and High Thinking
A book Gandhi read on a train journey
in 1904 changed the course of his life. John Ruskin's unto this Last” taught
Gandhi from individual life to Community life. The Phoenix settlement is the
first Ashram launched by Gandhi in 1904 for his experiments of Community life.
Here Gandhi started his journey of transforming from a lawyer to a Peasant with
a passion for liberation, nonviolence and Spirituality. Since then, Gandhi
started four Ashrams in Durban Johannesburg, Ahmedabad
and Sevagram where he did the experiments on
i.
Communal living
ii.
Non-Possession
iii.
Interfaith Harmony
iv.
Simplicity
v.
Environmental Protection
vi.
Conservation
vii.
Manual Labour
viii.
Social and Economic Justice
ix.
Nonviolent Action
Throughtheseexperiments,Gandhirealizedthat“OurhighestMoralauthorityistoachievethegreatestcommon
good”: In the process, he
Ø invested in the growth and well being of others
Ø found the
greatest Joy in causes greater than himself
Ø model the
character others to emulate
Ø Assessed his
purity of Intention.
Means Justifies the Ends
Gandhi believed that the
road to man of success is man of values. He observed that “the creator has given
us control over means, none over the end”. n reality, all the problems arise
from the impurity intent of human beings. Impure means result in an impure end.
As mentioned earlier, if we obey to the law of nature, earth will provide all
the necessities for human being to live happily and harmoniously. If we try to
dominant over the nature, like the glow of a lamp that goes out, humanity is consumed
by sensuality.
Real problem is not science and Technology; the problem is Selfishness,
apathy and Greedy. Science should be based on humanity and Spirituality. In
other words, means to Science and
Technology is Spirituality and Humanity. Likely
ü
Means to Wealth is Physical Work or Bodily Labour
ü Means to Business is ethics and Morality.
ü Means to
Pleasure is Conscience and Self-control.
ü
Means to Politics is Principle.
ü Means to Religion is Spirituality.
ü
Means to Education is True Knowledge and Character
ü Means to Success is Values.
This
method may be appeared to be long perhaps too long, but Gandhi convinced that
is the shortest of all. The following lines of Gandhi indicate that “Means and
Ends are inseparable components like a Seed and Tree”. “The taste of the fruit depends on the quality of the seed”.(Gandhi, Ends and Means)
“The
means may be likened to a seed, the end to a tree, and there is just the
same inviolable connection between there means and the end as there is between
the seed and the tree”. (Gandhi, Hind
Swaraj)
Rights and Duties
Gandhi
proclaimed that “Real rights are the result of the performance of the Duty”. Most
of the occasion, we focus on the rights and forget our duties. This egoistic
nature leads to dominance, competitiveness
and Exploitation. Out of his Experience Gandhi wrote that,
“As a young man I began life by seeking to assert my rights and I soon
discovered I had none - not even over my wife. So "I began by discovering
and performing my duty by my wife, my children, my friends, companions and
society arid I find today that I have greater rights perhaps than any living man I
know”. (Prabhu)
The difference between
the right oriented and Duty oriented is the transformation from Enlightened Self
Interest into ethical and Moral Principles of Self Realization. Here
theselfisselfinothersandthusself-realizationisinterpretedasnecessarilyimplyingtherealizationofotherselves
and the good of society.(Sharma)
|
Sno
|
Right
|
Duty
|
|
1
|
Ego
|
Society’s Expectation of the Individual
|
|
2
|
Self-Assertive Claim
|
Individuals recognition of social expectation
|
|
3
|
Social Recognition
|
Moral obligation and Legal duty
|
Table 2:
Right vs Duty
Gandhi viewed the path of Duty presupposes
two-fold obligations.
i. Obligation towards oneself
ii. Obligation towards
the community
While rights start with
self-assertion, duty starts with the idea of Self Discipline –Discipline even
to the extent of total subordination of self to the higher
consciousness.(Sharma)
Conclusion:
This gives us the choice between Man and the Nature,
Machine and Men, Quality of Life and Standard of living. The corporate
deliberately tune us
towards their personal agenda and make our choice towards less conscience towards universal welfare.
The outcome of corporatization is selfishness, greed and Apathy. These results
in exploitation, in-equality, domination ,and war and competition. As this research indicates Gandhian approach of SpiritualEcologicalconsciousnesswilldriveustowardscoexistence,mutuality,universalityandequitabledistributionofwealth.
Choice is ours…...
Bibliography
1. Gandhi,MK.
(1969).“Ends and Means.” Gandhi,MK .Selected Works of MK Gandhi : Vol5 Voice of Truth.
Ahemedabad: NavajivanTrust.
2.
Gandhi,MK. (1952).HindSwaraj. Ahemedabad:Navajivan publications.
3.
Gandhi, MK. (1960). “The Gospel of Bread Labour.”. RK
Prabhu & UR Rao. Mind of Mahatma Gandhi.Ahemedabad: Navajivan
4.
Gandhi, MK.(1959). “The law of Human Species.” Gandhi,
MK. The Selected Works of Mahatma Gandhi Vol5:Voiceof Truth.Ahemadabad:
Navajivan
5. Haynie,
Devon.(11September2020) “Report: American Quality of Life Declines Over Past
Decade.” U.S.News.
6. Kumarappa,JC.(1945).Economy of Permanence. Varanasi: Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan.
7. Prabhu,RK.(1954).This was Bapu. Ahemedabad:Navajivan
8.
“Protein Week(2021).”
Times of India23July2021.
9.
Sharma,GN(1980).“Gandhi's Concept of Duty.”The
IndianJournalofPoliticalScience:214-231.
10. Sterling, Gregory E.
(2019)“Crucified Creation: A Green Faith Rising .”Spring.
11. Willige,Andrea.
(2022)“Climate Change.” World Economic Forum (Jun142022).
Acknowledgment :This is revised version of a paper entitled Gandhi and Law of Nature presented in 1st International Conference on Harmony and Reconciliation (ICHR), Sri lanka
Dr.R.Vetrickarthick is attached to Department of Gandhian Thought
and Peace Science The Gandhigram Rural Institute –
DTBU Gandhigram – 624302. Tamil Nadu,
India
Email:vetrickarthickr@gmail.com,
Envisioning a Sustainable Future
D John Chelladurai
Introduction:
This article attempts to find out the root of the challenges we
face and the sustainable response we are to find.
While we have innumerable scientific and material achievements to cherish
as an individual, the progress of civilization has brought us to a defining
crossroad, so much so that saner people began to wonder if all these
accomplishments came in vain.
We find in the modern living, social human steadily slip into
individual cocoon and tends to turn economy or politics self-centric or
individual centric. From cultural being
individual steadily turns into normative and dogmatic being, social beings are
morphed into institutional and political beings. Social ills like gender disparity,
discrimination of marginal people, continue to remain unabated. Poverty and unemployment remain rooted in
society; the rich and poor, west and east continue to remain as a cleft in the
face of humanity. Globally 800
million people go to bed hungry every night[i] even
while the world boasts of producing food in surplus. This is an irony when 30 per cent of the food
that comes to the plate never gets eaten.[ii]
The race for riches and the
craze for consumerism subdue the essential symbiosis of life on earth. Climatic
change with its pollution and depletion threatens the very existence. Deforestation
and desertification are rapidly expanding (9.2 per cent in the last 35 years)[iii];
the size of rainforest is shrinking. Amazon forest alone lost 7900 Sq Km, five
times the size of Delhi, in a single year between August 2017 and July 2018.[iv] NASA says, Mother ‘earth is in fever’[v], and
the temperature is alarmingly on the rise; consequently her children, the
species get extinct in the order of a dozen every day.[vi]
While on a global walk, individual forgets to be global in
perspective resulting in cultural clashes, and such terror expressions as
‘9/11’ October 07 (2023 Hamas attack and the following invasion by Israeli
troups into Gaza Strip) the recent January 03, (ISIS suicide attack on Iran).
In our craving for the best in the world, we appear to pursue a perilous
path.
The
reason is conspicuous; unlimited growth, in all dimensions. We do everything beyond mother earth’s
carrying capacity. World debt day / overshoot day suggests that we humanity,
finish off our annual ration (provided by nature) by the first 210 days every
year,[vii] and
then snatch away the food, for the remaining days, from the table of our fellow
brethren called plants, birds and animals.
Climate Crisis:
IPCC Chairperson Jim Skea spoke at COP28, Dubaisaying that human
activity has led to changes to Earth’s climate of a magnitude unprecedented
over centuries, some of them irreversible…
The UNEP Gap Report released a few days ago shows that we are headed
towards global warming of 3 degrees Celsius if we carry on with current
policies. And let us not forget gaps in
terms of adaptation and financing.
As
the Chair of the IPCC, I can reassure you that the scientific community is
poised, using the resources available to it, to support the outcomes of COP 28
in shaping climate action based on science. But let us recall, science by
itself is no substitute for action.
We
try to contain the global warming by 1.5 degree Celsius, and within 2 degree Celsius by 2100. Whereas,
we reasonably apprehend that we may break the sealing to peak at anywhere
between 3.3 and 5.4 degree Celsius.Artic is already warmed by 2.0 degree
Celsius. We have lost 28 trillion tons of polar ice in less than 30 years.[viii][ix]
Health
Crisis:
According
to a Lancet study, 101 million people in India are living with diabetes. Another study states that the prevalence of
diabetes in India stands at 11.4%, while 35.5% of Indians suffer from
hypertension, additionally abdominal obesity stands at 40% across the
population and female abdominal obesity is 50%.[x][xi]
Economic
Crisis:
A
report of the UNDP released in July 11, 2023 says, 1.1 Billion remain poor.[xii]
It further says, 25
Countries halved multidimensional poverty within 15 years. However the poverty
reduction claims are more statistical than actual. The ground reality is that
the gap is ever widening. For example,
in India it is considered that a person 1,286 rupees per month in urban
areas and 1,059.42 rupees per month in rural areas, is not poor. It amounts to less than Rs.43
and 36 per day in urban and rural areas respectively. In an inflated state of
economy[xiii]
this amount promises pretty little.
Our
poverty reduction method is essentially to increase the GDP manifold so that
the trickling down of fringe benefits would make the bottom peopleenjoy a
figurative increase of incomeabove poverty line that was set years ago.
For
instance, a housemaid to come above poverty (UN index of USD 2.25 per day an
income of 2.00 lac per annum), the employer must have an income of Rs. 1.5
million, even then it is doubtful the employer would pay a salary of Rs. 200,000
per annum (Rs. 16,666/month).
Politics:
Right wing propensity sway across the globe.
There is a general apprehension that we are all losing our ground, and
we should cling to our ‘nativity’. Across
much of the world, voters are turning to populists who are intensely
distrustful of the institutions on which liberal democracy is built.[xiv]
Impact analysis:
The current damage to the sustainability of life on
earth is chiefly attributed to the fossil fuel based development. The manner of industrialization is condemned.Our
challenge is that our life is deeply rooted in industrialized development. Market based consumerist life that has a
desire to consume without end.
However we must be naïve to believe that it is the
root cause of the problem. The cause is that we have long been believing that
humans are the masters of this earth and the earth is our common property, for
us to enjoy, exploit.
Even in the era of climate crisis, we continued to
believe that by altering the manner in which we industrialize we can save the planet.
By converting the fuels into green energy.
Our problem of sustainability is not what color our
energy is but how much we consume. In a
limited earth our disproportionate consumption amounts to snatching away the
food of the other beings (flora and fauna).
‘If we adopt a
industrialization based lifestyle we will eat away the vitals of earth like
locust.’ M K Gandhi
IPCC Chairperson, Jim Skea, at the COP28, Dubai, UAE, confessed
that, science by itself is no substitute for action.
Even
the noblest of the climate justice campaigners believe, that we can solve the problem
by owning the earth collectively. By that they mean, we need to collectively
take care of the earth.
Take
for example, the GLOBAL CHOICES, an international campaign group for climate
security. It says, “The High Seas are areas beyond national jurisdiction and in
essence belong to all of us and also to the incredible biodiversity and many
creatures that call it home. It includes the frozen Ocean Commons of the North
Pole.[xv]
Does
the Ocean belong to all of us? Yes in
praxis and a no in principle . Human who
needs 2300 Kilocalorie doesn’t need the entire ocean, so to say, the entire
landscape to lead a life. Gandhi’s view
of swadeshi life, calls for a contented life within a zone that is as far as
the individual can cover by foot. (read his message at YMCA, Madras)
Gandhi’s Response:
Gandhi wrote a seminal commentary ‘Hind Swaraj, Indian Home Rule’.
He argues in it, “Ideally I would rule out all machinery, even as I would
reject this vey body, which is not helpful to salvation, and seek the absolute
liberation of the soul. From that point
of view I would reject all machinery, but machines will remain because, like
the body, they are inevitable.[xvi]
The Prophet of nonviolence, Mahatma Gandhi proposes a
comprehensive sustainable lifestyle. In his search for Truth, he explored the
reality of life of humans in all its facets: socio, economic, political,
religious, bio and ecologically, and proposed a life governed by the principles
of Swaraj, Swadeshi and Sarvodaya, to make it the most sustainable life on
earth. The society he visualized was a
decentralized, self sustaining ‘gram rajya’. . It is a life of “satya-grahi’
one who life in alliance with truth.
While Gandhi was convinced of a satyagrahic life style and
striving to live that life himself through his ashrams, he was not in a
delusion about its practicality. He said that they are ideal visualization, for
which humanity would take time to mature.
The uniqueness of Gandhi was his pragmatism. He did not let his idealism bog him
down. He spoke of what could be
practically done to get out of this mess and he did put in to action. He was
realistic in his approach which earned him the epithet ‘Pragmatic idealist’.
Some of the pragmatic concepts Gandhi proposed were
revolutionary both in their veracity and
insight. They were sustainable in effect
and optimized in their approach. Optimization
means, an act of changing an existing process appropriately in order to
increase the occurrence of favorable outcomes and decrease the occurrence of
undesirable outcomes.[xvii]
Optimization:
His pursuit, actually, represented an optimized approach to
life. It means, constantly retuning
one’s perspective over the various factors that codetermine the life and its
relationships, and the systems that govern the relationship, in a manner that
makes transactional relationship reciprocally sustainable. It means, doing everything in an optimum[xviii]
manner, in a way that is neither-less-nor-more.
One can see this optimum principle codetermining all his
approaches to life, be it personal or national, physical or spiritual.
Principles such as swadeshi, khadi and village industries, village republic
(gram rajya), decentralized / concentric circular social order are some of the
concepts essentially carrying Gandhi’s idea of optimization.
For instance, Gandhi proposed technology be pro-human and
pro-nature (or appropriate, as EF Schumacher termed it later.). It can neither
be too rudiment to be of any use, nor be monstrous to the point of overpowering
the very user. He cited sewing machine
as one such appropriate machine. It
liberates the individual from the toils of hand stitching, while does not lead
to surplus production to the point of creating unemployment; it consumes no
electricity and pollutes nothing.
Economic
Optimization:
Employment
is a quantifiable resource within an economy.
Mass production allows a few to usurp more than the average share of the
global production opportunity, leaving a large section of the masses to be
contended with the crumbs, far less than average, creating huge ‘opportunity
gap’ called unemployment. He proposed
decentralized village industries in place of global manufacturing
conglomerates, in order to optimize the employment availability within the
given production possibility (demand).
He proposed an economy that J C Kumarappa term
as ‘economy of permanence’. Bread labour, ie., physically laboring to earn
livelihood, on land with appropriate tool is a life worth living, Gandhi echoed
the idea of Ruskin. It renders justice
to individual economy and ecology at the same time, sustainably.
Poverty and wealth are two sides of the same coin. The uniqueness
of Gandhi’s optimized approach was that while working on the removal of poverty
(poor must gear up - antyodaya) he was equally insisting upon ‘voluntary
poverty’ among those having surplus (the rich must gear down). The structural
arrangement Gandhi proposed for voluntary poverty was ‘Trusteeship’. He
proposed to Jamnalal Bajaj, a rich Indian businessman and an associate of
Gandhi, that he ‘be the trustee of his wealth and put it to the use of the poor
millions.’
Taking
clue from Gandhi’s nonviolent appropriate economic ideas, the British economist
E F Schumacher wrote “Small is Beautiful: A study of Economics as if People
Mattered”. And, The Club of Rome, an association of Nobel laureates, brought
out the report ‘Limits to Growth’ out of the study based on ‘computer
simulation of exponential economic and population growth with finite
resources’. They all endorsed what Gandhi said about self-restrained
appropriate living, through optimization.
‘Ecological Debt Day’ is a day that marks the point in each
calendar year where human consumption of natural resources exceeds the earth’s
ability to replenish those resources that year.
At a sustainable rate of consumption, Ecological Debt Day would fall at
the end of each calendar year. As of now, humans devour in 210 days the earth’s
provisions that are meant for 365 days[xix]. In this context what Gandhi said sounds more
prophetic: ‘there is enough for every human’s need
but not everyone’s greed’; ‘consuming more than what we actually require
amounts to stealing’, a violence against nature. May be ‘fulfillment of needs’
and not the ‘pursuit of greed’, which is essentially an optimized consumer
behavior, would be the way to delay the ‘Ecological debt day’ by few notches.
Appropriate
technology:
As Gandhi maintained that ‘life’
was the reference point, he insisted that tools and instruments have to have
‘upholding life’ as their central purpose. A tool cannot be accepted merely
because it is sophisticated. It has to be as efficient as the individual life
necessitates and only as effective as the law of nature permits. In this sense Gandhi had both lower and upper
limits for every means and method, tool and technology, to ensure that they
were in harmony with all the other factors at play.
Economics as an art of material
transaction is intrinsically bound to the welfare of the people concerned. No
instrument, however efficient and sophisticated, could be allowed if it did not
hold ‘the welfare of all’ as its central purpose. Gandhi said, ‘What I object to is the craze
for machinery, not machinery as such.’[xx] ‘The craze is for what they call
labour-saving machinery. Men go on “saving labour” till thousands are without
work and thrown out on the open streets to die of starvation.’[xxi]
The Charkha is one of the best examples of appropriate technology in
Gandhi’s time; it has now been improvised and today we have Amber Charkha
with eight spindles, and solar driven Amber Charkha with sixteen
spindles. These charkas employs individuals to earn sufficiently, and doe not
allow one to earn more than what is sufficient.
Similarly,
governance structure must be strong enough to govern, and small enough (for the
last person) to access. Gandhi proposed the concept of decentralized political
order. Gramrajya or panchayat
rajya(village republic) and its concentric circular relationship with other
systems is what Gandhi believed, would deliver best possible justice to
people. These are essentially an
optimized political approach to life.
Society
must be in right size enough for a symbiotic life; no more no less.
Social
Optimization:
The
concept of village republic (gram rajya) Gandhi proposed was an optimized
social order. Individual requires social
association (cooperation and mutual aid).
A healthy society would be one in which individual can connect
personally with fellow beings. However,
individual has serious limitation to the extent one can stretch out socially
and geographically. In other words, a society cannot expand endlessly without
making its members largely anonymous.
Society, according to Gandhi, should not expand beyond individuals’
ability to comprehend it and to relate personally with rest of the members and
their functions. His visualization of a
social order akin to Oceanic Circle, with individual at the centre, encircled
by family, village, district, state, nation and the world one after the other,
carries the spirit of optimization. In the inner circles, ie., family and
village, it is self-rule in the personal sense, and in the circles beyond, the
relationship is more representative than personal.
Optimization and diversity:
Global living has brought diverse humans to co-exist in close
quarters. People of different religions,
ethnic and cultural orientation have come to live in every locality.
Information technology has removed the geo distance anyway. Between individual’s religio-cultural
affiliation and the social diversity, we need to adopt a mean-point of behavior
to be compatible. One of Gandhi’s eleven vows ‘equal reverence for all
religions’ (Sarva Dharma sambhava) explains this essential virtue
especially for global humans. It is,
appreciating plurality while being rooted to one’s faith.
When E Stanley Jones an American Methodist priest asked Gandhi,
“Christ says ‘love thy neighbour’, what better message of nonviolence could you
give?” Gandhi responded saying ‘I have
no enemy’. The ‘wrong and wrong doer
are not one’. I am against the ‘wrong’, the wrong doer is my person, he
stated. More than loving one’s enemy,
overcoming the habit of seeing an ‘enemy’ in others, is important.
In the spectrum of human behavior violence and nonviolence
constitute two ends; absolute violence being one extreme and puritan
nonviolence being the other. Though a
proponent of nonviolence, Gandhi did not go for the extreme expression, but
stuck to what are practical. Thus, he was reconciled to certain inevitable
commission of violence, such as ‘driving away animals that spoils cultivation’.
That is an optimized nonviolence.
Gandhi employed his optimum approach to health and sanitation too.
Today, as World Health Organization has declared, ‘obesity’ is a global
epidemic and a source of all life style hazards. Gandhi argues, “A man with extraordinary physic is not necessarily healthy. He has
merely developed his musculature, possibly at the expense of something else”
Gandhi says. In his book Key to health
he proposed a balanced life of just sufficiently nutritious food, active
physical life, good sleep and healthy thinking.
The eco-friendly toilet he designed, called ‘wardha latrine’ was one of
the best optimized response to sanitation, as it was serving the domestic need while
being sustainable both economically and ecologically.
Decentralization:
In a society consisting of
ordinary humans of moderate capabilities, decentralisation is the way to
optimize economics. Decentralization
means localization or customization, and not dissipation or disintegration. It
aims at moving systems and structures towards appropriate or optimum size, no
less and no more, so that they operate gainfully for the people concerned.
Centralization amounts to
concentration. It leaves power in the
hands of a few to wield at the expense of many. It is against the laws of
nature and is essentially a defiant practice. Gandhi proposed decentralisation
of economic and political arrangements. Talking about governance, he quoted
Thoreau: ‘. . . that government is best which governs least’.[xxii]
Decentralisation, E.F. Schumacher wrote, is ‘to evolve a more democratic
and dignified system of industrial administration, a more humane employment of
machinery, and a more intelligent utilization of the fruits of human ingenuity
and effort’.[xxiii]
Large industries, Gandhi held, are
a means for a few to monopolize employment opportunities. Instead, he proposed
an economic conduct based on village and cottage industries supported by
‘appropriate technologies’[xxiv]
as the best economic order.
Decentralization of production opportunities is a precondition for
‘non-exploitative’ living.[xxv] Decentralization makes people the centre of
power, and they become the operators of their own economy. In such an economic
system, there will be an organic relationship between production, distribution
and consumption,[xxvi]
in a manner that is just and equitable.
Such an economic order entails a
fairly uniform distribution of knowledge, awareness and sense of
responsibility. Creating such a discipline in society too is part of
decentralisation. Hence Gandhi
introduced Nayee Talim—'new
education’—which is all about decentralized and appropriate pedagogy for life
skills-centric knowledge distribution. Knowledge travels from a more
concentrated place to a less concentrated place. This pedagogy is an art of inclusivity yet
mutual enrichment of life within a community—just essential learning and no
more no less, through appropriate methods (learning by doing), from within an
accessible source (community), and towards a no-less-no-more life.[xxvii]
‘If India is to evolve along
non-violent lines; it will have to decentralize many things. Centralization
cannot be sustained and defended without adequate force,’[xxviii]
Gandhi asserted.
Characteristics
of a Sustainable practice:
Sustainability is characterized by
four factors. They are: pro-individual, pro-community, pro-life and pro-Creation
1.
Functional inclusiveness and
adaptability: A system
must be accessible down to the last member of the society in which it operates;
there should be a belief that every member is a stakeholder of the system.[xxix]
- Pro-human:
Besides being pro-individuals, a system has to be pro-human. This means
the system (the economy, for instance) would work for the good of
individual without losing sight of the good of all. It functions in
compliance with the principle of welfare for all, including those outside
the scope of the system.[xxx]
It means not negating the
interests of any, directly or indirectly. For example, ‘trade balance’. If one community is procuring of raw
materials (cotton, for instance, as the British did) from another community for
its own growth without sharing the economic benefits—say, employment—that those
resources generate with the producer community, it amounts to unethical
conduct. Such procurement, in effect, is exploitation or misappropriation, on
account of the unilateral gains it leads to (or the loss it imposes on the
other).[xxxi]
Gandhi’s campaign for Swadeshi (local production for local consumption,
such as Khadi and gramodyog products) came as a response to this unethical
element in the global economy at that point of time.
- Universal
compatibility: A
system cannot serve some among humanity at the expense of other lives.
That would be incompatible with the idea of universal good for all. Gandhi
wrote, ‘I want to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the
beings called human, but with all life, even with the crawling things upon
earth, because we claim descent from the same God, and that being so, all
life in whatever form it appears must be essentially one.’[xxxii]
- Nature-friendly: To be
sustainable, a system has to work in tandem with the laws of nature. Living in compliance with the law of
nature is the very basis of our life.
Gandhi said: ‘I suggest that we are thieves in a way. If I take
anything that I do not need for my own immediate use and keep it, I thieve
it from somebody else. It is the
fundamental law, without exception, that nature produces enough for our
wants from day to day; and if only everybody took enough for himself and
nothing more, there would be no pauperism in this world, and there would
be no human dying of starvation.’[xxxiii]
Conclusion:
As Robert Swan said, “ The
greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save
it.” The present climate crisis suggests
that we do not have time to wait and think.
It is time for us to act. Gandhi gives us sufficiently tested concepts
of sustainable living, along with workable systemic structural designs. They are essentially nonviolent models. Nonviolence means non-violation of the
fundamentals of life. Sustainability is brought about by a process we know as ‘
Optimization’ Optimization
is understood as an act of making apt / appropriate use of an opportunity or a
situation or resources. In the layman’s
language , optimization can be stated as
‘no-more-no-less’ state of affair.
Nature sustains life following the principle of optimization. In our
physical body we find it in the form of homeostasis. Everything about
the body is maintained at their optimum level.
Gandhi did not use the term
‘sustainable’ ‘optimum’ or ‘appropriate’.
Nevertheless, in all his reformation endeavours, one can see that he
attempted to optimize systems and structures so that the outcomes would be
equitable, just and sustainable, amounting to the welfare of all. His C oncepts
of Gramrajya, Swadeshi, Khadi, etc., embody these
qualities. The
idea of optimization helps us understand what is sustainable and what is not.
What the Prophet of nonviolence, Mahatma Gandhi proposed was a
comprehensive sustainable lifestyle. In his search for Truth, he explored the
reality of life of humans in all its facets: socio, economic, political,
religious, bio and ecologically, and proposed a life governed by the principles
of Swaraj, Swadeshi and Sarvodaya, to make it the most sustainable life on
earth. The society he visualized was a
decentralized, self sustaining ‘gram rajya’. . It is a life of “satya-grahi’
one who life in alliance with truth.
The principles and concepts he
proposed were optimized, appropriate, and naturalized. His practices had strong
features of what we not term as sustainability.
His sustainability is characterized by four key factors. They are: being
pro-individual, pro-community, pro-life and
pro-Creation.
References
[iii]
Desertification is land degradation.
Drylands (arid, semi-arid, humid areas) currently cover about 46.2%
(±0.8%) of the global land area and are home to 3 billion people.
Desertification hotspots, as identified by a decline in vegetation productivity
between the 1980s and 2000s, extended to about 9.2% of drylands. https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-3/(
accessed on Dec, 15, 2022)
[vi]
Some studies say, that the rate of extinction may vary between 12 – 50 a
day.
[viii]
https://www.globalchoices.org/?gclid=CjwKCAiA-vOsBhAAEiwAIWR0Tdd1bDbK-lunyacfNkoYSbJPCMu1qp2QpskDZsyh6Kk3ZFbZ9V1SMBoCHWQQAvD_BwE
[ix]The IPCC launched its best known scenarios, the Representative
Concentration Pathways (RCPs) in its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) in 2014. The
RCPs represent scenarios in which different concentrations of greenhouse gases
are present in the atmosphere. The IPCC scenarios have evolved over time to
reflect changes in the global economy and human activity, which in turn
determine the amounts and types of greenhouse gases released into the
atmosphere.
The
IPCC scenarios launched with AR5 range from a hypothetical future (known as RCP
2.6) in which aggressive mitigation strategies are implemented,
keeping global warming within 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by
2100, to one in which greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise unabated,
leading to a temperature rise of between 3.3C and 5.4C. Scientists caution
that the latter scenario, known as RCP 8.5, does not capture a ‘business as
usual’ emissions trajectory, as it is often claimed, but describes a
future in which humans burn more fossil fuels than they currently do, instead
of reducing their use. Three additional RCP scenarios have since been
developed, including one – RCP 1.9 – which represents a situation compatible
with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping warming within 1.5C.
[x] https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/31-million-more-indians-became-diabetic-between-2019-2021-says-study/article66949970.ece
[xi] WHO report says
In
India, there are estimated 77 million people above the age of 18 years are
suffering from diabetes (type 2) and nearly 25 million are prediabetics (at a
higher risk of developing diabetes in near future). More than 50% of people are
unaware of their diabetic status which leads to health complications if not
detected and treated early. Adults with diabetes have a two- to three-fold
increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Combined with reduced blood flow,
neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet increases the chance of foot ulcers,
infection, and the eventual need for limb amputation. Diabetic retinopathy is
an important cause of blindness and occurs as a result of long-term accumulated
damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. Diabetes is among the leading
causes of kidney failure.
https://www.who.int/india/health-topics/mobile-technology-for-preventing-ncds
[xii]https://reliefweb.int/organization/undp
[xiii]
Indian average inflation in the last 10 years is 5.5% which is higher than the
Asia-Pacific regional average of 2.2 %. In 2022 it is 6.7%
(https://www.focus-economics.com/country-indicator/india/inflation/)
[xiv]https://thewire.in/world/the-right-wing-is-on-the-rise-globally
[xv]
https://www.globalchoices.org/
[xvi]
M K Gandhi, Young India, 20-11-1924, p. 386
[xviii]
The principles of ‘Optimum’ explains how life is determined by the laws of
homeostasis: the requirements of the body, be it energy, minerals, vitamins,
trace elements or water, has to be strictly at a particular level, no more no
less. Arriving at that point of optimum
enables life, be it at the microcosm or macrocosm, be it biological or socio
economic, political.
[xix]
World debt day / overshoot day suggests that we humanity, finish off our annual
ration (provided by nature) by the first 210 days every year, and then snatch
away the food, for the remaining days, from the table of our fellow brethren
called plants, birds and animals. https://www.overshootday.org/(
accessed on Dec, 14, 2022)
[xx]Dinodia; Source:
https://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/hzymip2hYw1AVkW34qZ2VJ/A-century-of-Gandhian-economics.htm,
mettacentre
[xxii] The phrase actually belonged to John
O’Sullivan, who coined it as the motto of the United States Magazine and
Democratic Review, which he founded in 1837.
[xxiii] E.F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, Paperback
Edition, SBN 06-080352-5, 1975, p. 261.
[xxiv] A technology that assists humans to earn the
wherewithal optimally without adding to one’s propensity to exploit; a
technology that assists and not replaces humans is called appropriate
technology. The term ‘appropriate technology’ was, however, coined by E.F.
Schumacher, well after the passing away of Gandhi.
[xxv]Decentralisation reduces the necessity for
exhaustive transportation of material, both raw and finished, and therefore
avoids the much-dreaded carbon footprint, while at the same time empowering
people at the local level with enormous natural resources and scope for
production.
[xxvi] Siby K. Joseph, ‘Understanding Gandhi’s
Vision of Swadeshi’; Source:
https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/understanding-gandhis-vision-of-Swadeshi.html,
referred to on 21 May 2019.
[xxvii]Harijan, 10 November 1946, p. 394.
[xxviii]M.K. Gandhi,
Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. XX, p. 505; Harijan,
30 December 1939, Vol VII, p. 391.
[xxix] ‘According to me the economic constitution of
the world should be such that everybody should be able to get sufficient work
to enable him/her to make two ends meet.’
M.K. Gandhi, Young India, 15 November 1928, p. 381.
[xxx] ‘I can have no consideration for machinery
which is meant either to enrich the few at the expense of the many, without
cause to displace the useful labour of many.’ Harijan, 22 June 1935,
p.146; ‘An economics that enables the strong to amass wealth at the expense of
the weak, is a false and dismal science.
True economy on the other hand, stands for social justice, it promotes
the good of all equally including the weakest, and is indispensable for decent
life.’ Harijan, 9 October 1937, p. 292
[xxxi] ‘The economics that hurts the moral well
being of an individual or a nation are immoral and therefore sinful. The
economics that permit one country to pray upon another are immoral.’ M.K. Gandhi, Young India, 13 October
1921, p. 325.
[xxxii]Young India, 4 April 1929, p. 107
[xxxiii]Speaches and Writings of M. K. Gandhi, ed. G.A. Natesan, G.A. Natesan & Co.,
Madras 1922, p.324
D John Chelladurai is Dean, FIDS, MGM University,Chh. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India
The Vision for a Peaceful Future
Shamal Ramshe
Symbolizing our aspirations for a harmonious future.
In the current era, it is imperative to nurture children
and instil in them a lifelong commitment to the values of peace.
Introduction:
Today, I wish to
engage in a thoughtful exploration of the theme that resonates deeply with our
shared values - "The Vision for a Peaceful Future." As we embark on
this collective journey of understanding, let us delve into the essence of what
constitutes a peaceful future and why it holds unparalleled significance in the
context of Gandhian philosophy.I am here to discuss the concepts of
"vision" and the ideal vision of the future in this colloquium. My
aim is to convey the importance of this subject by presenting a specific key
aspects for your consideration.
Defining
'Vision':
At the heart of
our discussion lies the term 'vision.' According to Oxford Languages, 'vision'
refers to the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or
wisdom. It is akin to an eyesight that can pre-plan what ought to unfold. The
etymology of the word 'vision' traces back to the Latin term 'vis,' meaning
'see,' and has evolved to represent far-sightedness.
In the context
of "The Vision for a Peaceful Future," the emphasis is on aligning
our thinking, imaginative capacities, and forward-looking perspectives to plan
a future where generations can thrive in peace. This requires thoughtful
considerations about the future of peace and the well-being of our successors.
Who
is & what is Future:
The concept of
'Future' is intricately intertwined with the birth of a child, who embodies the
promise of tomorrow. Children serve as the essence of our collective future,
and our endeavours are dedicated to nurturing and shaping this future. It is
essential to recognize that the seeds of peace in society are sown from the
very inception, even before birth. The conduct of mothers and family members
significantly influences the mental and behavioural development of the child,
as they absorb the elements from their immediate environment. Therefore,
today's discussion revolves around the notion of a peaceful future, inherently
linked to the cultivation of peaceful children.
The Urgency for a Peaceful Future:
As we find ourselves at the intersection of a new year,
it becomes imperative to reflect on the global scenarios marked by conflict,
suffering, and a stark need for peace. The lives lost, especially those of
innocent children, serve as poignant reminders of the urgency for peace.
Statistics on violence, crimes, and the misuse of resources for military
purposes underscore the pressing need for concerted efforts towards
establishing peace.
(ref.1)*
According
to UNICEF:
Some
15 million adolescent girls aged 15–19 have experienced forced sex in their lifetime.
About
10% of the world's children are not legally protected from corporal punishment.
Over
1 in 3 students aged 13–15 experience bullying worldwide.
Approximately
1 in 4 children under the age of 5 – some 176 million – live with a mother who
is a victim of intimate partner violence.
Roughly
3 in 4 children between the ages of 2 and 4 – around 300 million – are
regularly subjected to violent discipline by their caregivers.(ref.2)*
More than
1700 children are killed during Russia - Ukraine War. More than ten thousand
children lost their lives in Gaza.
Who are
killing them?
The
humans. Who were once a child!!
Interviews and dialogues observations:
In pursuit of insights into this matter, I engaged with Mr.
Milind Yadav, the visionary founder of the 'Chiller Party Movement' based
in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Mr. Yadav has keenly observed the adverse effects of
screen content on children, particularly through mobile phones. In response to
this concern, he devised a strategic plan to channel the influence of screens
in a positive direction. His movement involves showcasing carefully selected
child-oriented movies, offered to the audience free of cost, with nominal fees
only to cover the rental expenses of the venue. To date, this initiative has
successfully exposed thousands of children to enriching cinematic experiences,
accompanied by workshops aimed at imparting a thoughtful approach to movie
consumption.
An additional aspect worth highlighting emerged during an
interview with film critic Mr. Anmol Kothadia, shedding light on the
concept of text and sub-text within screen content. Frequently, creators intend
to convey a sub-textual message to the audience, yet only the surface-level
text reaches them. This discrepancy has broader societal implications,
especially concerning children.
In the above context Dr.Arun Shinde a professor ;
said that Games featuring violence, where players engage in the act of killing,
and historical destruction-themed games often carry a sub-text of aggression.
Regrettably, the primary focus, or text, may be on playing and learning, but
the underlying sub-text perpetuates violence. Moreover, instances exist where
movies are created to oppose certain actions, yet the unintended consequence is
the glorification of those very actions, significantly impacting children's behaviour.
In a disconcerting revelation, an interview with a
primary school teacher Deepa Warpe having 19 years of experience with
primary school, unveiled alarming insights. Children as young as six years old
are well-versed in sexual signs and possess knowledge of derogatory language.
This revelation underscores the urgency of addressing the manner in which our
future generations are being shaped and educated.
As an illustration, consider my two-and-a-half-year-old
niece, who exhibits a preference for playing with toy guns. While her parents
envision a future where she may contribute to the nation's defence, there
exists a poignant uncertainty. The innocent play with toy guns may unknowingly
shape her perception of armed forces or even influence a more sinister path.
This scenario encapsulates the complex reality of how today's children, our
future, are being nurtured.
“In the past, when technology was not
readily available to children, these topics were not as regularly occurring in
children's lives. Now, the most common children's hobbies are playing video
games, watching television and movies, listening to music, and surfing the net,
all of which often contain themes of violence.” - Ashley Ward(ref.3)*
So, the pervasive influence of screen content on children
demands immediate attention. Initiatives like the 'Chiller Party Movement'
highlight the potential for positive change, emphasizing the need for
deliberate interventions that channel screen exposure in ways that contribute
to the holistic development of our future generations. The urgency of this
matter cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts the well-being and behavioural
patterns of children in our rapidly evolving world.
Guidance from Gandhian Principles:
How do we go about establishing peace? Gandhi's own words
provide valuable insights. A robust social system, grounded in reason, justice,
inclusive religious ideas, equal status for women, and access to opportunities
for all, forms the foundation for peace. These principles, while profoundly
simple, guide us towards a path of sustainable and meaningful peace.
Gandhi's philosophy is not merely a theoretical
construct; it is a practical guide for our actions. As students of IFPNP, we
were urged in the initial sessions to understand Gandhi before gradually
adapting his principles into our lives. Now, the time has come to take this understanding
and adapt Gandhian principles actively, promoting and establishing peace in our
society.
The Imperative of Learning from the Past:
According to me, in the pursuit of peace, it is essential
to recognize the value of learning from the past. While studying history, we
often find ourselves at risk of getting stuck in the past rather than deriving
meaningful lessons for the present and future. The past serves as a guidepost,
offering insights into what worked and what didn't. It should not shackle us but
empower us to implement and utilize its lessons for a more beautiful future.
Actionable Steps:
To actualize our vision for a peaceful future, we must
meticulously plan our vision board, focusing on the crucial role of children.
Designing activities that instil peace values for children from kindergarten to
1st standard, evolving to more challenging programs for older age groups, is
imperative. Recognizing that present children are the architects of our future,
our efforts for a peaceful future must prioritize investing in them.
Additionally, policies impacting individuals must be
designed with an emphasis on social justice and rationality. We must redirect
resources currently flowing our billions of dollars into military tools towards
providing essential needs like food, clothing, and shelter, thus contributing
to the overall well-being of society. As we see many children below 18 years of
age are dealing with livelihood problems, so they are turning towards bad habits
and irrational and unethical businesses. Thus, the call for peace is not just
an aspiration; it is an urgent and collective responsibility.
In contemporary times, a concerning trend has emerged
where children are increasingly exhibiting violent behaviours. Through
extensive research and numerous interviews, it has become evident that children
are spending a significant amount of their time in front of screens, making
these devices an integral part of their lives. The impact of screen content on
today's children cannot be overlooked, prompting an exploration into potential
interventions for a more positive influence.
To conclude, our vision board for a peaceful future must
boldly declare that children are the most crucial element. To reach them
effectively, we must plan activities focusing on peace values for children from
kindergarten to 1st standard. As they grow, the nature of activities and
programs should evolve, presenting challenges for age groups 7 to 10 and 11 to
18.
Ashley Ward “I believe that as an
educator of children I have a role in teaching children about peaceful
behaviour. I need to be a positive role model for children by showing them
peaceful ways of thinking and behaving. In Canada the topic of peace is to be
covered in each elementary school grade through our social studies curriculum.
As teachers we strive to include peace education in our daily classroom
activities and we also do specific lesson plans covering the topic of peace
education, such as studying peaceful movements or specific individuals. Some of
the ways in which peaceful behaviour and understanding is developed through
daily classroom activities” (ref.4)*
Hence, I underline that ; we have the opportunity to
introduce educational and enjoyable games that replace guns and jets with
flowers and plants. By innovating the educational approach, we can create a
space where children effortlessly internalize the principles of peace and non-violence.
Gandhi's Light in the Stormy Ocean:
In the today’s atmosphere where we the advocates of
non-violence & peace are standing in the middle of stormy ocean; Gandhi's
philosophy is often likened to a lighthouse guiding us through this stormy
ocean of our times. As students of IFPNP, we are not just recipients of
knowledge; we are bearers of a legacy that beckons us to actively contribute to
the establishment of peace in our societies. Our understanding of Gandhian
principles must translate into practical actions.
In the 21st century, we stand at a critical juncture
where we must contemplate how to integrate Gandhian principles into our lives
to foster peace, to enrich children, our future. Our vision board for a
peaceful future should prioritize children considering the overarching
principles of social justice, gender equality, and equal opportunities for all.
Conclusion:
The present children are our future, and to work for a
peaceful future, we must work on moulding their minds towards values of peace.
To address social justice and reason, we must design policies that positively
impact individuals. Gandhi's philosophy is not merely about understanding; it
is a constitution that invites us to critically examine our lives and the
surrounding world.
In conclusion, I would like to leave you with my favourite
quote by Gandhi, which encapsulates the essence of his teachings:
"In a gentle way, you can shake the world."
This powerful statement has been a guiding
principle in my life, reminding me of the transformative impact that even the
smallest acts of kindness and compassion can have on our world.
As we collectively strive towards; our peaceful future i.e. today’s
children, let us bear in mind the profound impact we can have on the world by
actively embodying and promoting Gandhian principles for every child.
References:
1) 1.https://www.thequint.com/neon/social-buzz/childrens-day-children-in-gaza-israel-palestine-conflict-death-roll-rising-a(ref.1)*
2) 2.https://www.unicef.org/protection/violence-against-children(ref.2)*
3) 3. https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/elementary_schl.htm(ref.3 & ref 4)*
4) 4. Mr.Milind Yadav (VRS Teacher, Founder Chiller Party Movement)
5) 5. Dr.AnmolKothadia (BAMS Doctor, Film Critic)
6) 6.Dr.Arun Shinde (College Professor, Author, Researcher)
7) 7.Mrs.DeepaWarpe (Primary School Teacher, 20 years of experience with kids;
age group 5 to 14)
Miss. Shamal Ramshe is Fellow, International Fellowship Program on Nonviolence & Peace
Screening
Harmony: Gandhi’s Idea of Peace As Solution in The Cinematic Sphere
Akash Singh Thakur
The
colloquium tries to understand the complex juncture of technology, humanity,
sustainability, and everlasting principles of Gandhi in relation to peace. It
tries to conduct multidimensional dialogue that encourages participants to
envision a future where technology and humanity coexist harmoniously. In the
current times marked by rapid technological advancements,my discussiontry to
explore the role of technology as a potential catalyst for peace and spread
ideas related toGandhi's philosophy to foster global harmony while addressing
the pressing issues of our time. In this context the specific case of Hindi
cinema is taken into consideration.The current time with unprecedented technological
advancements and the universal influence of cinematic narratives, the timeless
teachings of Mahatma Gandhi on peace comes with renewed urgency. Gandhi's
principles of nonviolence, truth, and harmony, refined within the areas of
ashrams and tested on the grand stage of a nation's struggle for independence.
It continues to offer profound insights into the quest for global peace. The
areas of the digital and cinematic spheresin form of Hindi cinema provide
opportunities to shape and disseminate the Gandhi's message of peace. The
presence of Gandhi in Hindi cinema has played a crucial role to spread his ideas
to all the section of the society. Hence the discussion is divided into two
parts: first showing the problems due to advent of technology and other viewing
technology in form of cinema using Gandhi depicting solution to issues.
Introduction
Gandhi’s
ideas and concepts remain highly relevant in contemporary times, and his
philosophy and teachings continue to resonate with many people in India and
worldwide. He comes as a solution to many present-day problems. His influence
exists in almost all aspects of day-to-day life, where few significant areas
can be termed as: ranging from non-violent conflict resolution, social justice
and equality, environment and sustainability, ethics and morality, leadership,
peacekeeping and reconciliation, rights and duties, and overall personal
transformation with the development of the self. His philosophies not only
exist and are practised at the general level by a particular elite or educated
section of the society, but rather are operated by a more comprehensive,
diverse number of masses, even in the areas of extreme interiority of the
country. He has been highly represented and used in popular culture, which
makes his philosophy accessible to a large number of people. His most
incredible quality is how he has reached out to people in extreme interiors of
the nation. People might not have read his original philosophical work, but
they are very well acquainted with his ideas and concepts. His representation
in various forms has made it possible to reach his views to larger masses. In
representation, visual tools become very important as they can easily
communicate complex ideas and concepts more efficiently and effectively,
enhance comprehension and retention of memory, engage and have a great
persuasive power to influence people’s opinions, attitudes and behaviour. In
India, Hindi cinema is the largest form of visual representation. It has
various benefits, such as easy accessibility to a wider audience, ease of
consumption, and at the same time, influencing people’s thought processes and
ideas. Now it is not just restricted as a medium of entertainment. Instead, it
is also a source of educating people and reinforcing values and ideals. It
becomes necessary to study the two significant mass influencing areas in Indian
history i.e., MK Gandhi and Hindi cinema, and how in the current time, after
the dismissal of one, the other is using it to influence people’s ideas. If we
look at Gandhi,he has formulated a philosophy of peace that transcends temporal
and geographical boundary. His ideas related to social justice and a holistic
approach to humanity have influenced numerous people and movements. In the same
way cinema come out as a crucial juncture that transcends spaces and spread the
ideas related to it across regions and influence people. The cinematic space
that has capacity to comprehend human experience and ideas in vivid detail is
significant in influencing and shaping societal perspective.
Advent of Technology in India
The
cinematic sphere of India grew and became more influential with the advent of
technology in the country. The advent of technology and the notion of global
village in context of India took place at the juncture of last decade of the 20th
century. The period of 1990s substantially changed the culture of the country
with four major events:
1. The
government of India took the turn to liberalization that led to privatization
and globalization. The nation now was connected to countries around the world
leading to formation of global village.
2. The
idea of decentralization with 73rd constitution amendment act.
3. The
country witnessed the rise of violence and communal issues in the form of
demolishing of Babri Masjid followed by 1993 Mumbai bomb attacks
4. Rising
consciousness among the people in relation to environment. This consciousness
led to coming up of various protest movements associated with environment and
sustainability.
These instances
changed the discourse across the country. They effected people in a substantial
manner leading to find a way for a more peace and all-inclusive type of growth
for the country. These four events have altogether her different connection
with Gandhi: first eventwas away from Gandhi’s idea. The notion of liberalization
led to the two more concepts along with it: privatization and globalization. It
led to opening up of the Indian market, bringing big private global countries
and further leading to more disparity between rich and poor but at the same
time leading to flourishing of new class in the Indian society in form od
middle class. It led to more aspirations of the people. The second event of
decentralization of the country with 73rd constitution amendment act
was influenced with the Gandhi’s idea of swaraj. It led to providing more power
and autonomy to the villages. It acted as an essential step towards flourishing
villages. Third major event of communal violence led to divergent gap between Hindu
and Muslim argued for need for Gandhi’s idea who throughout his life worked for
communal harmony. When we analyse more closely the major people involved in
this violence were mostly from the above discussed unemployed middle class.
Finally, the decade also witnesses the environment related consciousness among
the people in relation to environment and sustainability across the globe. Sunderlal Bahuguna employed the final stage of
Satyagraha, i.e., the fasting; thereafter was the Narmada bachaoandolan,a
movement that opposed the construction of large dams on the Narmada River. Led
by activist Medha Patkar, the campaign employed methods of Satyagraha,
including hunger strikes, protests, and non-violent resistance, to demand the
rights of displaced communities and raise awareness about the environmental and
social impacts of the dams.
One
common link that can be situated within these above four discussed crucial
events is the rise and role of middle class. The period saw the emergence an
altogether new class in the form of new middle class Indian society. The major
section of people used to come from villages to small town and start to join
jobs, that were result of liberalization in form of BPOs, and other companies. The
started earning and shifted from lower class to middle class with the
aspirations build across by looking at thew western culture. There was now a heterogeneous group of
citizen-consumers with totally changed lifestyles, and acts as a symbolic
representation of the link between liberalization, development, and nationhood.
Those who demolished the Babri Masjid were mostly lower-middle-class
urban youth whose opportunities have not met their expectations, expressing
resentment towards perceived outsiders. Innumerable sections of Hindu society
feel susceptible by changes like affirmative action, trade liberalization, and
foreign employers, challenging their status and privileges1. The led
to essential need of revisiting idea of Gandhi in context of communal harmony
and caste issues. Other section of conscious understood from the same class saw
the changing dynamics of the globe and the drastic effect it is creating in the
nature. They started to protect and protest against the idea of unlimited
reckless use of the earth’s atmosphere and nature. They revisited Gandhi’s view
of in relation to nature and at the same time used his idea of Satyagraha to
resist authorities.
Other than the middle essential thing to analyse is that
it was the first event of liberalization that acts as a point of connection and
emergence of other events. As it is liberalization that formed the new class.
Here Gandhi becomes important. The culture of
liberalisation led to consumerism and unlimited greed for material things. This
is filled up by soulless transnational corporation that have led to
marginalization of many people world-wide mainly the poor. As this consumerism
requires active engagement of all classes it affects all. This greed has led
consumers away from the path of personal liberation. There is monoculture form
of culture due to globalization and this destroying all alternative way of
livings. Here the question arises is what could have been a way to make reach
the wide audience related to spreading the ideas of peace. Here Hindi cinema
comes out as a solution. As with liberalization television reached houses of
these middle-class people and it is here with television and cinema that
discourses and ideas were created around it.
Cinematic Sphere
In the context of India, the country is the
world’s largest producer of cinema, which is the highest form of exclusive
entertainment. It is one of the most influential
mediums of communication to a large number of people in India. Hindi cinema has
always been a medium of mass consumption. It acts as a dominant medium of
entertainment and can revise and influence the perception of the audience. This
subsequently leads to change in the viewpoint of people towards a certain
object, theme or the person with which it deals. It modifies and challenges
existing norms and ideologies. One of the important things about it is that it
acts as an unofficial ideological apparatus. People from every section of society, irrespective of their
social background and age, watch it, engage in it, and range their emotions
from happiness, sadness, and anger, leading to protests and movements. In
short, all human emotions are associated with it2. The primary
imagination of India is seen in movies. It is the area that can be considered
as the larger cultural entity, that is most ‘pervasive driving force of popular
modernity in modern India’3. Popular Hindi cinema is “a site for the
ideological production…as the (re)production of the state form”4. It
creates a space for everyone by keeping plurality grounded in traditions5.
“Indian cinema audience not only as the reader but also as the real author of
the text of Hindi films6.
Liberalization affected Hindi cinema in many
ways. It was in 1998 that the Government of India gave the status of ‘industry’
to commercial cinema, enabling productions to get bank financing and loans for
film development7. It gained recognition worldwide, and a lot of
money was pumped into the industry.
Gandhi and Hindi Cinematic Sphere
Both
Gandhi and Hindi cinema are similar on the ground of connecting with the
masses. They both use symbols and dialogues, appeal to the masses, have similar
philosophical terrain and celebrate diversity. When modernity appeared as a threat, Hindi cinema emerged as
a social purpose by unexpected means, including unlikely figures concerning
modernity like MK Gandhi. Hindi cinema is a crucial space to interrogate
Gandhi, as it provides another space that tries to maintain autonomy from the
space of preachers/defenders/beneficiaries of Gandhian legacies and the state
apparatus to analyze it. “Gandhi never attempted to establish a relationship
with cinematic institutions, though cinema has embraced him through various
ways”8. Cinema using Gandhi shows the path of modern citizens and
teaches them passive resistance.
Looking historically, the first attempt to make
a film associated with Gandhi’s life was when the British government approached
D.W. Griffith to make an anti-Gandhi film in 1923, but it was never made9.
Later, his visual journey started with a Tamil documentary by AK Chettiar in
1940, where his footage from 1920 onwards was put together. Though the original was lost, its shorter
form remained as Mahatma Gandhi-Twentieth century prophet (1953). The
first released movie on Gandhi was Mark Robson Nine hours to Rama 1962, based
on the banned book in India by Stanley Wolpert. First, entirely based on
Gandhi, was Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982)10.
Some
of the movies that were made post liberalization and consisting the ideas
related to Gandhi are: Saradar (1993); The Making of the Mahatma (1996); Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000); Hey Ram (2000); The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002);Pinjar
(2003);Swades (2004); Maine Gandhi Ko NahiMaara (2005); Water (2005); Lage Raho
Munnabhai (2006); Gandhi My Father (2007);CheeniKum (2007);Dharm (2007);Delhi 6 (2009); Road to
Sangam (2010); Gandhigiri (2016); Hamne Gandhi Ko maar Diya (2018); Tumbaad
(2018); Satyameva Jayate (2018 & 2021); Kaagaz (2021); Sita Ramam (2022).
All
these movies were made looking at the emerging issues in the country with the
advent of liberalization and technology. Here ideas of Gandhi were thought
crucial to be reached to people and cinema was taken as a medium and use his
philosophy to resolve problems. It created a discourse around the ideas
projected in the movie related to Gandhi that brought him back in the public
realm. These had an influence on people watching and discussing the movies. It
made people better comprehend with the idea of peace as proposed by Gandhi and
at the same time they have realisation of the negative effect by looking at the
visual projection of violence that directly affect the people.
Movies
such as Dharm, Delhi 6, Sita Ramam, Pinjar dealt with the idea of communal
harmony where it made people realise the idea of unity as propounded by Gnadhi
and make them practice it. Movies likeLage Raho Munnabhai (2006) Satyameva
Jayate (2018 & 2021); Kaagaz (2021);CheeniKum (2007); projected peace with non-violent resistance in from of
Satyagraha. Other movies have showed the issues of environment and
sustainability as argued by Gandhi depicted in movie such as Tumbaad (2018).
Conclusion
With the advent of technology with liberalization
emerged certain problems in Indian society. It led to coming up of new middle
class along with other disturbances in the society. Here it was essential to revisit
the ideas of Gandhi. This was done by using a tool from technology itself i.e.,
cinematic sphere that screened harmony and led to emergence of a discourse
around the peace among the people. M.K Gandhi’s presence, adaptation,
production, consumption, conceptualization and representation depicts his
never-ending relevance in India. Films have directly
portrayed his life and teachings, while others have indirectly incorporated his
principles by portraying characters, their struggles, and solutions. With the
growing instances of violence worldwide, his concept of peace with communal harmony and satyagraha has
significantly influenced Hindi cinema, depicting it as a solution. These
cinematic representations have helped construct meaning and discourse around
Gandhi and helped popularize and spread awareness about Satyagraha as a means
of social and political transformation. It brought the essential idea of Gandhi
into the public sphere, showed how it functions and its positive results,
shaped their beliefs and made everyone comprehend them.
References
1. Tharoor, S. (2000). India: From midnight
to the millennium. Penguin Books India.
2. Kirloskar-Steinbach,
M., Dwyer, R., &Phalkey, J. (Eds.). (2015). Key Concepts in Modern
Indian Studies. NY: New York University Press. p.32-33.
3. Rajadhyaksha,
A. (2016). Indian cinema: A very short introduction. New Delhi: Oxford
University Press. p.30
4. Prasad,
M. (2021). Ideology of the Hindi Film A historical construction. New
Delhi: Oxford University Press.
p.9
5. Nandy,
A. (1998). Introduction: Indian popular cinema as a slum’s eye view of
politics. The secret politics of our desires: Innocence, culpability and
Indian popular cinema, 1-18. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p.12.
6. Kakar,
S. (1990). Intimate relations: exploring Indian sexuality. USA:
University of Chicago Press. p, 38
7. Joshi,
P. (2015). Bollywood’s India: A Public Fantasy. Columbia: Columbia
University Press. p. 107
8. Rai,
D. (2011). Popular Hindi Cinema as Gandhi’s Alter Ego: An Exploration in
Respect of Gandhi, My Father. Social Change, 41(1), 63-78.
9. Kripalani,
C. (2020). Reviving Gandhi and the Utopia of Hind Swaraj in Popular Hindi
Films. In K.B. Saxena (Eds.), Swaraj and the Reluctant State (pp.
133-152). New Delhi: Aakar.
10. Dwyer,
R. (2011). The case of the missing Mahatma: Gandhi and the Hindi cinema. Public
Culture, 23(2), 349-376.
Akash Singh Thakur is Research Scholar School of Social Science, Central University of Gujarat, Sector 29, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382030 Email: akashsinghthakur97@gmail.com
............................
Decoding
Sustainable living and its Interconnections
Climus T. J.
It is pertinent to note that at present human
lives are badly affected by a lot of factors and caught in a vicious
circle making it almost impossible to come out. A whole lot of issues
such as poverty, hunger, pollution etc. are affecting human
lives and their living patterns. Can you visualize a situation in which a
dog is trying to catch its tail and going round and
round behind its tail? Human life is also undergoing a somewhat
similar situation.
Human beings are the worst victims of a lot of environmental
issues. If we go into the root cause, we can
observe that environmental issues are mainly the result of
the lifestyle of human beings. It is a
puzzle which humanity has to address at the
earliest. Food, health and education are directly or indirectly
connected to our environment. Our urban uprooted lifestyles,
mindless consumerism, centralized economic model,
exploitation of resources, urban migration, industrialisation
and so on contributed towards environmental issues.
The quality of food was far better earlier
and people remained healthy. What is the situation now? Presently we
are consuming foods which are not cultivated in our locality or in our
country. On the contrary, we are getting food items not only
from other countries but also from other continents. Food
travels or gets transported to thousands of kilometres away
to reach the end consumer. Nowadays any minute supply chain issues in
transportation will affect our availability of food and people may go
starving. Not just the market, many external factors are
controlling our everyday life. Our life is no more independent and it is
totally dependent on factors such as transportation, supply chain, energy and
many other things. People who are unknown to us sitting in remote
locations are regulating and controlling our daily lives .Life
became quite complex and the human brain cannot simply comprehend the scenario.
We no longer have control over fulfilling our basic needs.
If you want to regain your control in food you have to
produce your requirements in your locality and to consume local varieties and
seasonal items. If you get good food, your health will be better
as a corollary your mental health will also be better. It would result in
better thinking, understanding, and comprehension and equips your mind to
receive the right kind of education. Once you have the right kind
of education, you will do the right kind of physical,
mental, emotional, social activities and optimal use of
resources without distributing the ecosystem.
Centralized economy related practices lead to
exploitation of resources and create imbalances in the ecosystem. Such an
economy requires vast amounts of resources that results
in exploitation of natural resources and also leads to high levels of
pollution. It displaces people from villages to urban areas resulting in
migration. Urban migration leads to distancing people from natural food
ecosystems in the villages. Also it creates slums without having basic
necessities, poor sanitation and hygiene. People living in urban areas
with poverty and hunger are more prone to social evils including crime. A
centralized system promotes a lifestyle with indiscriminate consumerism,
excessive use of automobiles and many other temptations of urban life.
Automobile related pollution, accidents and environmental calamities or
disasters due to indiscriminate construction and developmental projects are
part and parcel of such a system.
Urban migration and urbanization are commonly used as
synonyms. But Urbanization is really a monstrous one having a
greater impact on the lives of the people. Real effect of urbanization is
unimaginable. We may not be able to find a direct culprit for urbanization but
it has created real havoc in human civilization. It uprooted humans from
their natural habitat and created unsustainable human settlements. It resulted
in exploitation of renewable and non-renewable energy sources to
cater large scale industrialization and mindless consumerism. Urbanisation
forces you to adopt a lifestyle that creates health hazards
resulting in total loss of natural immunity of human beings. Urbanisation leads
to a lot of social evils, exponentially increased crime rate and exploitation
of humanity and more.
Agriculture practices we are following today are
altogether unsustainable resulting in the loss of fertility of the soil.
Agriculture based on chemical fertilizers and pesticides also leads to water
pollution, livestock health and health hazards to human beings including cancerous
diseases.
Exploitation of natural resources is a widely known
phenomenon happening in almost every nook and corner of the globe. It
leads to widespread repercussions in the environment, ecology and human life.
Mindless exploitation of natural resources by capitalist forces
leads to imbalance in the society and concentration of wealth in the hands of a
few. Indiscriminate use of fossil fuels leads to climatic
change and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, coastal areas, including many
low-lying islands, disappeared. Powerful nation states with an eye
on exploitation of natural resources directly or indirectly supported
many wars and various countries were destroyed.
Industrialization is marching
forward and it is almost impossible to stop its tempo. As a
corollary, humanity is facing right now large scale pollution
and fast depletion of non-renewable energy sources due to endless
transportation. Is this phase reversible?
It is true that human life is interdependent. We have to
depend on nature for resources and other societies for fulfilling our
needs. Also it is true that we cannot suddenly reduce industrialization. The
fact of the matter is that if you go the same way, same speed, same direction
we are not going to survive for quite a long time. If there is any
trace of wisdom in humanity this is the high time to take the decision
to reduce, reverse and regenerate.
In the fields of food, health and education we have to make drastic changes for our very survival. We need to be more diligent in terms of
requirements to lead a meaningful and happy life. It calls for an alternative lifestyle fulfilling basic necessities of life. Production should be need
based. Decentralization is the key in the whole production process. We have to
regenerate and preserve energy and resources. This Planet does not
belong to us. This is given by our forefathers and we have to give it to our
coming generations. We are just trustees or custodians of the planet
for a limited period of time. It is our duty to look after and
replenish the planet. With a minimalistic approach we can give back this
and only habitable planet to our next generations. Even if we
do not do our duty, nature will survive in its own way but we will not be there
for long. It is better to perform good deeds than to perish permanently.
Mr. Climus T. J. is attached to SERI, KALSAF, Bangalore.
