Sustainability: the Gandhian outlook
Prof. Subodh Shankar*
evaluate the riskclimate changeWorld Meteorological OrganizationUnited Nations Environment Programme
Berge Ragnar, Norwegian Nobel
Committee
“God forbid that India should ever take to industrialism after the manner of the West. The economic imperialism of a single tiny island kingdom is today keeping the world in chains. If an entire nation of 300 million took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like a locusts.”
Excerpts like the above are vividly illustrated in Gandhi’s writings highlighting his thoughts on development, politics and governance. A practitioner of non-violence and truth, Gandhi lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community, wore traditional Indian dress, woven with yarn he had spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and undertook long fasts as means of both self-purification and social protest.
More than a century ago in 1909, Gandhi had already envisioned the insatiable and unending pursuit of material pleasure and prosperity in the Western society as a threat to the Planet and its resources. In his writings compiled in the “Hind Swaraj”, Gandhi not only warned the western society of the ill-effects their lifestyle may bring, but also appealed to his countrymen not be trapped by the thought of material gains.
The real importance of Gandhi as an environmentalist lies not just in his vision and his understanding of the man-nature relationship, but in the fact that he patterned his personal life on these ideals and set a (then) living example for others to follow. Throughout his life, he continued to give demonstrations on health, hygiene and sanitation.
Not many political leaders of his stature in the world have ever devoted so much of their time and energy for a better, cleaner environment with such sincerity and dedication. It is about time we see (and demand) such great leadership today lest it may be too late tomorrow.
MAHATMA Gandhi was environment-friendly in an
age when the world was gearing up for the most intense exploitation of
resources known to history. Underlying Gandhi's humanism was the idea that
man's nature and his relation with the external environment represent an
organic whole and cannot be compartmentalized. Gandhi advocated a lifestyle
that strikes at the very root of consumerism and his experiments to streamline
his ideas in practice is best exemplified in the ashrams he set up.
Needless to emphasize, world over
there is great concern about present environmental and ecological issues. This
problem has not arisen in a day or two. It is indeed the resultant of non compliance
to our age old value system relating to environment and ecology. Our Vedic
literature deals with subject wholesomely. But we wish to first of all create a
problem and then search for solutions. Even during present times people like
Mahatma Gandhi have given us certain suggestions which if followed meticulously
may still reverse the process of global warming. In the words of Mahatma
Gandhi:
“If we do not follow an austere path,
there would follow an ecological backlash which may engulf the human race, with
nowhere else to go. Therefore, the delicate and holistic balance that exists in
Nature has to be respected and maintained.
There is a tremendous connectivity and interdependence among various
components, like natural living and non-living resources, with considerable
social, economic, historical, cultural, philosophical, ethical and moral
dimensions. The enemy of our environment is within each one of us because we
want more and more at the expense of nature and consume more than our share of
materials. Furthermore, ecological security is equally, if not more, important
than economic security. Today the human race is at the cross roads: The present
eco-degradation and pollution are the result of greed of the rich, need of the
poor to eke out an existence, and careless application of technology.”
Mahatma concludes by saying “The earth provides enough for everyman’s
needs but not for every man’s greed.”
Lauri
Baker: a true follower of Gandhian philosophy
After he came
to India Baker had a chance encounter with Mahatma Gandhi which was to have a lasting impact
on his ideology and also his work and building philosophy. After India gained
her independence and Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, Baker lived in Kerala with Doctor P.J. Chandy, from whom he received great
encouragement and whose sister he would later wed in 1948 .medical training was
put to use aiding the afflicted in the village while Laurie continued his
architectural work and research accommodating the medical needs of the
community through his constructions of various hospitals and clinics. It is
here that Baker would acquire and hone those skills from the local building
community which had so fascinated him during his missionary work. In 1966,
Baker moved south and worked with the tribals of Peerumed, Kerala, and in 1970 moved to Thiruvananthapuram
Baker sought to
enrich the culture in which he participated by promoting simplicity and
home-grown quality in his buildings. Seeing so many people living in poverty in
the region and throughout India served also to amplify his emphasis on
cost-conscious construction, one that encouraged local participation in
development and craftsmanship - an ideal that the Mahatma expressed as the only
means to revitalize and liberate an impoverished India. This drive for
simplicity also stemmed from his Quaker faith, one that saw indulging in a deceitful facade as a
way to fool the 'Creator' as quite pointless. Instead, Baker sought to provide
the 'right' space for his clients and to avoid anything pretentious.
Baker was
admittedly a Gandhian in ideas and yet like Gandhi he is understood more
superficially and because of his eminence, would be followed more in form than in real
spirit and content of ideas.
superficially and because of his eminence, would be followed more in form than in real
spirit and content of ideas.
On the outskirts of the
historic city of Agra, the campus is situated in garden settings, away from the
din and noise of the city. Nestled between lush green fields, it provides an
excellent ambience and academic setting that is in harmony with nature.
The Colony of Dayalbagh,
which translates as "Garden of the Merciful," was founded on the
Basant Day in 1915 by Huzur Sahabji Maharaj, the fifth Revered Leader of
Radhasoami Faith by planting a (shahtootkapoadha) mulberry tree, as an Ashram or the
spiritual home of the followers of the Faith. The headquarters of
Radhasoami Satsang Sabha are located here.
The
colony is laid out in an open garden setting. The land where the colony was
established once consisted of sand dunes. For more than 60 years residents of
the colony - men and women, young and old - have worked with quiet dedication
in a vast programme for reclamation of land launched in 1943 by
Huzur Mehtaji Maharaj, the sixth Revered Leader of the Faith. The result is a
lush green 1,200-acre (4.9 km2) farm where food-grains,
oil-seeds, fodder, and vegetables are grown.
Nobody
owns any property in Dayalbagh individual y. The land, the houses and
institutions all belong to the community as a whole. People also live and work
as a community. For example, the residents share various responsibilities like
cleaning up the colony and arranging night security. The colony has its own
water supply, electricity distribution, and civic services. The colony's dairy
provides most of the milk that is needed, and a community kitchen that supplies
food free to pilgrims. The residents can also obtain meals from there and free
themselves from household chores.
Small-scale
industries known as the Model Industries were established in 1916 to provide
employment and a source of livelihood to the persons residing in the colony. It
has done some pioneering work in the country. The industries have now been
decentralized and cottage scale production of goods of daily necessity is
taking place in units set up by Satsangis all over the country.
* Former Dean, Faculty of Architecture,
Integral University, Lucknow
