*Samar Bagchi* 131/25, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, Kolkata 700 040. E Mail: [email protected],
Mob: +91 94335 26839 ----- Forwarded message ----- *From:* Samar Bagchi <[email protected]> *To:* Jairam Ramesh <[email protected]> *Sent:* Saturday, 12 November, 2022 at 02:51:44 pm IST *Subject:* Dear Mr. Jairam, I am yet to receive an acknowledgement. Gandhiji used to reply to every letter. Carry on the March for a new India. Warm wishes Samar Bagchi Dear Mr. Ramesh, I am regularly watching the progress of fabulous Bharat Jodo jatra. I at this advanced age of 90+ am having some hope of future. But, what I am concerned about is what will be the paradigm of development if anti- BJP coalition wins in the election in 2024? Dear Mr. Ramesh The earth today is in a catastrophic crisis because of collapse of environment and especially because of climate change. In fact all aspects of Nature - its forest, land, soil, rivers, bio-diversity, ocean, air are degrading. So much so that the scientists of Stanford, Berkeley and Princeton have predicted that if Business as Usual goes on then Sixth Mass Extinction will take place and the humans will be the first that will become extinct. Under such a situation what should be our Developmental paradigm? Rabindranath Tagore and Gandhi understood at the beginning of the 20th. Century that the industrial city civilization will collapse. In a letter to Prof. Amiya Chakrabarti in 1940 Tagore wrote *" Using Brahmin's brain, Kshatriya's arm and Shudra's services today's commercially-minded Europe has become irresistible. But I can see their feet on a downward slope towards extinction".* Rabindranath Tagore wrote Swadesihi Samaj in 1904 and Gandhi Hind Swaraj in Gujrati in 1907. In 1924, the year Tagore wrote his famous drama ' Raktakarabi (Red Oleander), in a lecture in China said *“We have for over a century been dragged by the prosperous West behind its chariot choked by the dust, deafened by the noise, humbled by our own helplessness, and overwhelmed by the speed. We agreed to acknowledge that this chariot drive was progress and that progress was civilization. If anyone ventured to ask‘progress towards what and progress for whom’ it was considered to be peculiarly and ridiculously oriental to entertain such doubts about the absoluteness of progress. Of late, a voice has come who is bidding us to take count of not only the scientific perfection of the chariot but also of the depth of the ditches lying across its path”* (Talk in China, The English writings of Rabindranath Tagore, Sahitya Academy, vol.2 page 622). In 1928, Gandhi warned about the unsustainability on a global scale of western paradigm of development. Gandhi writes, *"God forbid that India should ever take to industrialization after the manner of the West. The economic imperialism of a tiny island kingdom is keeping the world in chains. If an entire nation of 300 million took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like locusts."* Today. If India and China having a total population of about 3 billion puts an ecological footprint of 14 global hectare (gha) per person like Luxembourg or more than 8 gha like Australia, Canada, America and the rich in India and the third world then the earth will become like a desert in a few decades. Whereas, the carrying capacity or the biological capacity of Earth is only about 1.5 gha per person. Whereas the average Ecological footprint in 2022 is 2.7gha per person. Why such ecological footprint in the world? It is because of the gluttonous consumerism of the rich few of the world after the Industrial Revolution. In 1800, in the middle of the Industrial Revolution when an American used to go to the market one had a choice from a maximum of 300 item in a market space of about 1500 Sq. Ft. But, in 2000, when an American, living in a city having a population of one lakh, goes to the market one gets a choice from 10 lakh items in a market space of 1 crore 50 lakh Sq. Ft. This is why Mark Twain says, *"Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities". * Both Tagore and Gandhi were working for village reconstruction. Gandhi is talking about his dream of new India. In 1945, 5th. Oct. Gandhi writes to Nehru, *"I am convinced that if India has to attend true freedom and through India the world also, then sooner or later the fact must be recognized that the people will have to live in villages, not in towns, in huts not in palaces. Crores of people will never be able to live at peace with each other in towns and palaces. They will then have no other recourse but to resort to violence and untruth. …..You must not imagine that I am envisaging our village life as it is today. The village of my dream is still in my mind. After all every man lives in the world of his dreams. My ideal village will contain intelligent human beings. They will not live in dirt and darkness like animals. Men and women will be free and be able to hold their own against anyone in the world”. * In reply Nehru writes to Gandhi on 9th. Oct. *“It is 38 years since Hind Swaraj was written. The world has completely changed since then, possibly in a wrong direction. …..You are right in saying that the world, or a large part of it, appears to be bent on committing suicide. That may be an inevitable consequence of an evil seed planted in civilization”*. Nehru in his Autobiography writes “*We cannot stop the river of change or cut ourselves adrift from it and psychologically we who have eaten the apple of Eden cannot forget the taste and go back to primitiveness.”* So, what happened to India at the 75th. Year of Independence after eating the industrial apple from the industrial garden? Nearly 70 million people have been ousted from their hearth and home, hungriest people of the whole world live here in India, in 2020, 10677 farmers have committed suicide. The difference between rich and poor have galloping increased. One year before his death in 1963 in two lectures in Delhi as if Nehru is crying beating his breast. On 22 nd. Sept. 1963 Nehru says in a seminar on 'Social Welfare in a Developing economy' : *"If we were think purely in terms of output, all the big and important factories in India are not so important as agriculture...... what Gandhiji did was fundamentally right. He was looking all the time at the villages of India, at the most backward people in India in every sense. Charka was only a symbol. He laid stress on village industries, which again to the modern mind does not seem very much worthwhile." *In parliament on 13 th. Dec. in a debate on planning Nehru said *"I begin to think more and more on Mahatma Gandhi's approach. It is odd that I am mentioning his name in this connection. I am entirely an admirer of the modern machine, and I want the best machinery and the best technique. But, taking things as they are in India, however rapidly we advance towards the machine......the fact remains that a large numbers of our people are not touched by it and will not be for a considerable period of time." * During the last 20 years or so 10 to 12 crore people are ready to join workforce only 30 lakh got jobs. Today's industry will be run by Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Robotics. Very few workmen will be required in Industry. So we can't give jobs in a country with 140 crore people.We have to build a self-reiant economy. So, at this time of environmental catastrophe we have to struggle for a simple living, egalitarian and peaceful society giving all stress on strengthening the village economy. We have to understand why Tagore said, *"Simplicity is the mark of the civilized and excess of barbarism”. *So, If India goes on to build an industrial society, which is essential for the corporate world to continue, and increase gluttonous consumerism for the rich & affluent middle class, our society and economy will collapse. The rich and poor divide will increase and political change will take place. As the political left and other parties are so weak that the change will be a worst fascist take over. Why Trinumal Congress in West Bengal came to power in the third year inspite of tremendous corruption? It is the developmental program in the villages and empowering the women that is the primary reason for its success. If an anti-BJP coalition wins in 2024 election it should try to improve the living condition in villages of India (assurance of food, and health and education), and empower the women as it has been done in West Bengal and try to root out corruption at high places first. Please see the changes that are coming in different countries in Latin America. Set up a strong pro - people Planning Board. If in two years the parties in power can strengthen the villages of India, where most of the people live, and are voters, Sangh Parivar's Bharat Toro Jatra will never be possible. What will be the program of work of the new government if it comes to power? * * Keeping the health of forest, biodiversity, soil, air, river, ocean, and mountains create a egalitarian society, not only for the present but also ensuring the right to life of the future generation.* ** It has to be organic-based society, not metal-based* ** Good healthy food for everybody* ** Rejecting chemical agriculture adopt organic agriculture* ** Rejecting city civilization adopt a simple living village-based society* ** Ecologically sustainable housing* ** Proper health services * ** Stop producing unnecessary goods which will reduce the need of power, wide roads, transportation, bridges, flyovers etc.* ** Most of the people will live in villages as 'Associated producers' as Marx has said* ** Bring gender equality* ** A new kind of education has to be introduced right from childhood for creating a new cultural worldview* For creating such a society we have to embark upon Struggle and Construction. Most of the people in India live a simple life. The new kind of education will hegemonize the mind of a child to aspire for a simple but culturally peaceful and rich life. Difficulty will be there for the rich and affluent middle class to adopt in such a society. But the catastrophic situation of earth might force them to adopt or perish. I am a 90 year old optimist and a science education, environmental and social activist connected to NAPM in West Bengal. Warm wishes *Samar Bagchi, Former Head of 5 Science Museums of Eastern India* 131/25, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, Kolkata 700 040. E Mail: [email protected], Mob: +91 94335 26839 *Samar Bagchi* 131/25, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, Kolkata 700 040. E Mail: [email protected], Mob: +91 94335 26839 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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